The Future Of Star Trek
J.J. Abrams's Plan For The New Trek Movie
There’s been enough speculation surrounding what will be the latest entry into the Star Trek movie franchise, but what is actually known about the movie thus far? And from those tidbits, what educated guesses can be made about the overall story?
What We Know About the New Star Trek Movie
To start with, director/producer J.J. Abrams, along with writers/producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, have stated that this is not an out-and-out reboot. Abrams stated in this 2007 interview that the script “... embraces and respects Trek canon but charts its own course.”
In the early days of coverage of the new film, speculation was afoot that time travel would be a central plot point in this new Star Trek film, which would be nothing new for the series. Many episodes of the original series as well as the most successful entry in the film series, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”, made use of the time travel concept as a story tool. The participation of Leonard Nimoy as Old Spock (that's how he is listed on the IMDB page for the film) gave extra credence to the notion that time travel would be a factor.
The speculation came to a head with the release of the first trailer for the film, and many Trek purists were quick to point out differences with established Trek canon (the building of Enterprise in Iowa and the inclusion of the young James T. Kirk on the Enterprise with Captain Pike in command being obvious ones). To throw more wood on the fire, co-writer Roberto Orci gave a lengthy interview to Trekmovie.com where he acknowledged that the movie would play a role in reshaping Trek canon (to what degree, he was coy in answering).
To top off, a new four-issue comic book series called “Star Trek: Countdown” will be published concerning a back story conceived by Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman, that will lead directly into the new film (the first issue was recently released). What is known about this series at this point is that it is set in the 24th Century and involves Old Spock; the character Nero, who is the main villain in the new film; and characters from the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series.
What We Can Guess About the New Star Trek Film
It’s clear the long-term goal is to revitalize Star Trek and its most beloved characters and set them off again on new adventures that will bring in new fans but, at the same time, placate the long-time fans of the franchise who have been essential in maintaining Star Trek through the years and will be instrumental in anchoring this new incarnation.
In creating what appears to be a new timeline that will begin from the new movie onward, Abrams and company will renew the concept for a new generation while, at the same time, not disavowing what came before to hook previous generations to this bold new future.
Star Trek: The Payoff For the Studio
If this is the plan, depending on its execution, it would be a brilliant coup for Paramount Pictures who own Star Trek and are eager to breathe life into a once-lucrative franchise to compete with the other fantasy and comic book franchises that dominate the box office scene today.
As well, it could potentially fix certain events in canon that have been controversial for Trek fans, in particular the death of Captain Kirk in the film “Star Trek Generations”. That could be an after-effect of this new reality that the filmmakers intend for, given that the potential for new Trek films would depend on the assurance to the audience that Kirk’s fate is not set in stone.
Make it so!
What do you think about this article?
More in Film & TV
Latest Articles