There are so many ways that Nero could have jacked with things during the years between the Kelvin and the main story in the movie. It would be interesting if at any point the Federation DID try to avoid historical mistakes and were to find out that Nero "beat them to the punch" in some way.
I'm not interested in a Khan story, necessarily (like others, I'd like less re-hash), BUT...if Nero decided to wake up Khan prematurely and give him a leg up on his future, that could be interesting. Nero might not have been that clever or diabolical (or might have simply wanted conquering hero-glory for himself), but the fact that there's a bunch of stuff un-told could have amazing consequences and theoretical tie-ins with this first movie.
I really hope JJ Abrams directs the sequel. It would be really nice to keep that continuity, kind of like the "Star Trek trilogy." (II, III, and IV)
As a fan of all Trek iterations (and one that vaguely remembers TOS' original run), including 'your' Trek, whatever you do, please keep these things in mind:
1) Bring back the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I loved your Trek, but I realized that I also missed the 3-way interaction between the three. The interplay between Spock (calm, logical reasoning), McCoy (epitome of emotional human morals) and Kirk (man of action) remains, for me, one of the more compelling aspects of Trek. It is the ideal vehicle for exploring the Human Condition in extraordinary circumstances.
2) No villain, per se. An adversary, of sorts, fine, as they can provide some contrast that is needed for good storytelling. But instead, as others have suggested, present a challenge that is not based on an individual (e.g. not a villain). It can be a natural phenomenon, a consequence of previous actions, an ethical delemma, or even a fundamental philosophical difference (e.g. Federation vs. the Klingon Empire), whatever. Just not a singular villain that drives the plot, story, and action.
3) Look at the world today for your story ideas. Trek has always been about exploring humans in extraordinary situations, and it's done so within a contemporary context (while set in the future). We certainly are in a multitude of extraordinary situations these days... there's no reason why this approach wouldn't appeal to your new, or old, audience. You walked that line before... you can do it again.
4) Follow the same process you did for Star Trek. Don't let anyone interfere with it, and don't change it. Whatever you did, it worked. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And DO NOT RUSH IT!!! Feel free to pass that on to JJ too.
5) Keep reading the boards, and stay in touch with the fans, new and old. The lack thereof in recent years is, IMHO, one of the things that nearly killed Trek.
Thanks for a great ride. I'm eagerly looking forward to the new one... but I can be patient.
LLaP
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THAT is the Exploration that awaits you: not mapping stars or studying nebulae, but charting the unknown possibilities of Existence.
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http://www.startrekreborn.net
Well Bob and Alex,
If you happen to read this, then READ MY LIPS:
NO KAHN!!! Or any other fanboy wankerism!!
Please make it original. Don't revisit old stuff.
Make it exciting and thoughtful science fiction.
Dispense with the idea of ANOTHER villain PLEEEAASSEE!! Enough with the Kahn clones. Not that that is your fault of course, its just that for the last 7 movies we've had Kahn wannabe's.
Thank you for taking the time not to read this.
If a cerebral sci-fi exploration plot fails in Trek XII - they can always go back and do something action-y in Trek XIII - which will no doubt be greenlighted, and for which they already have the actors signed up. Might as well take a risk and do something that will get critical acclaim, even if not a box-office cleanout.
- Trek XII: Literary sci-fi
- Trek XIII: Klingon/Khan action
Could bring in some big name literary sci-fi authors to help come up with something. Maybe some social sci-fi that is largely planet-centric - maybe some 'into the unknown' exploration sci-fi with exotic alien worlds or space habitats. Then if it turns out bad, they can put Kang, Kor, Koloth and Khan in some fanwank epic lol.
The most important thing for an exploration plot though, would be to capture the enigma of exploration - this is essential. The feeling you get when reading a book on how an explorer stumbled upon an entire ancient civilization buried in a jungle - or the feeling an archeologist would get if they could go back in time and visit an ancient silk road trading centre, at the dawn of Buddhism. The cultures, if there are any, should be well concieved. The awe of Arthur C Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, when stepping onto some alien space structure.
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1
Rushing to meet a deadline isn't a bad thing. Wrath of Khan was under the gun the entire production (Meyer slapped together a script from a few other previous drafts) and they got a great movie out of it. Everyone always says "taking your time" is for the best, but there's nothing wrong with sweating it out.
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An elephant never forgets . . .TO KILL!
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