Q: Having been part of the first major Star Trek reboot, how do you feel about the new J.J. Abrams films?

FRAKES: I think it’s spectacular. I’m a huge J.J. fan and I think they were wise to give him the reigns. I think that what he’s done is exactly what needed to be done. I’m really excited about the second one. I visited the set, actually, and it’s going to be amazing. Without being bitter, they didn’t shortchange them. The visual effects are spectacular, nothing like the original. It used to be that the ships were models (mounted) on a stick, little glued-together plastic models that they would run in front of black velvet and that would be the spaceship. Times have certainly changed.

BURTON: When you’re handed the keys to Daddy’s Cadillac, you better know what you’re doing. Having said that, I think J.J. did an amazing job. I’m really looking forward to what he has to offer this time, because I think in the tradition of all Star Trek movies and certainly all of the best Star Trek movies, they’re actually about something. They’re about more than just entertainment. They communicate the intrinsic value in the human journey. In Star Trek it is the best of us out there, the best aspects of who we are. That’s hugely inspirational for a lot of people, myself included. I come honestly to Star Trek, as a fan. I watched Star Trek growing up and it had a very serious impact on the development of my own self-identity, seeing myself represented as part of the popular culture, the idea that we could eventually live in a time, and would evolve to a place, where we had resolved all these nonsensical issues that separate us.

The full interview is here.