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J.J. Abrams Reveals the Spirit of Star Trek XI

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By TRexx / 13:50, 19 July 2006 / General Star Trek

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Whether by coincidence, omen, or temporal tampering, Star Trek writer and director Nicholas Meyer had been in attendance at J.J. Abrams' bar mitzvah. "It was my first step in preparation for working on Star Trek," jokes Abrams in an interview for Variety.

Trekkies may be glad to know that Abrams et al have been doing plenty of research. "We've been provided with every published Star Trek work," he notes, "whether it's original novels or analysis or companions to the series."

The impossible mission team is also immersing itself in episodes of The Original Series, though perhaps not plunging into the deep end of the franchise pool. "We don't want to become oversaturated with the pre-existing material," says Abrams. "We're reading as much as we can, and as much as we need to, but we're also going to limit it. You want to remain fresh and be inspired."

Alas, Abrams remains mum on details of the Star Trek XI script he's penning with Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, insisting it's "infinitely too early to be talking about" the plot. Neither does he tip whether or not he'll sit in the director's chair for the film.

Abrams does tell us what he has liked about Trek, and what he's aiming to have at the heart of his story.

"Star Trek to me was always about infinite possibility and the incredible imagination that Gene Roddenberry brought to that core of characters," he says. "It was a show about purpose, about faith vs. logic, about science vs. emotion, about us vs. them. It was its own world, and yet it was our world.

"[Trek] was always my favorite when it was a little bit scary, when they would deal with beaming something on the ship that was an incredible mystery or there was a clear threat.

"All of these things I loved about the series is what we're working to incorporate into the story for the movie."

Though Abrams was a regular viewer of TOS, he admits, "I don't think I would qualify as a 'Trekker.' I fall in the 'big fan' category." Writer Robert Orci claims "immediate recall" of all things Trek, while producer Bryan Burke is "relatively fresh" to The Great Bird's galaxy. "The beauty of that is we have all points of view," says Abrams.

So, will ST:XI be dressed for the hardcore Trekkie, or the fairweather populace?

"We absolutely feel beholden to the fans, but at the same time, we have to recognize that you can't only go out and make a movie or TV shows for a group of people that live and breathe a show," Abrams says.

Abrams goal is a tale that "simultaneously speaks to the people who hold Star Trek close to their heart, and at the same time tell a story that resonates" with new fans.

After the failed Nemesis movie and Enterprise series, this project presents Abrams with the nontrivial pressures of resuscitating Paramount's high-profile franchise.

"Maybe if I looked at it from the point of view of a TV analyst or an entertainment analyst, I'd be thinking it's too risky or scary," said Abrams. "My reaction is always a gut reaction, which is, if there were a great telling of a Star Trek movie, it could be as thrilling and as fun as anything I could imagine.

"Listening to that voice has been very helpful."

Read the original article by Josef Adalian at Daily Variety.


Star Trek: Fan Collective - Klingon DVD is on sale in the U.S.A. and Canada.

 



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Make it for the fans | Report this post to moderator
By: it's green (Odo's file, contact) @ 12:33:15 on Jul 24, 2006

I said before and I'll say it again.
If you're not a big fan of Star Trek you are NOT going to go see a Star Trek movie so DON'T MAKE A MOVIE FOR THE AVERAGE MOVIE-GOER WHO IS NOT A FAN. Give the fans what they want. A BRAINY action flick that is steeped in continuity. If you can please the hardcore fans they will go see it again and again and then all their friends will say "Gee, my friend who is huge Star Trek fan loves that new movie so it must be pretty good". As opposed to meeting the non-fan in the middle of the road where no-one gets pleased. Then Joe Q Normal says "gee, even my friend who is a huge Star Trek fan didn't like it so no way am I gonna waste my money."
You wanna make a good Star Trek movie? Center it a character like Dax who has an incredibly long life span. Or involve the Guardian of Forever or Gary Seven. Have Gary Seven enlist the aid of Kurzon Dax to thwart a plan of Q's. That way you can show the past, present and future all in one flick. Make it three hours and make it brainy.
And don't let anyone sing any show tunes.


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Nervous | Report this post to moderator
By: Anjohl Tennan (Odo's file, contact) @ 09:10:24 on Jul 20, 2006

This J.J Abrams guy makes me VERY nervous. Has anyone seen what he wanted to do to the Superman mythos?

check it out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_Lives

scroll down to the Superman I

and this is another link

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/movies/movies.php?topic=jjabrams-review

--------

A daily dose of eMpTyV
Will flush your mind right down the drain.
Shannon Hoon and Kurt Cobain,
Make yourself a household name.
-"Just Let Me Breathe"
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  • RE: Nervous | Report this post to moderator
    By: Terry212 (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 09:57:08 on Jul 20, 2006

    I sincerely doubt that J.J. Abrams wrote a script that stupid. Based on his serious work on Lost and Mission Impossible 3, Abrams has shown that he understands how to create drama and characters and how to excite fans of a franchise while telling a self-contained story that can wow non-fans.

    That wikipedia entry is probably only half right or completely made up. While the idea of an Kryptonian invasion of earth is a little bit fun, most of that plot made no sense and would have contradicted EVERYTHING we know and like about Superman. I'm sure that even if Abrams had an idea SIMILAR to the wikipedia one, that he would have ironed out all of those terrible bits.



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    Click here to check out my band, ego tree , and the Ego Tree site at myspace. Listen to/buy the CD for $9.99! ALSO AVAILABLE ON iTUNES!!


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My advice to J.J. is | Report this post to moderator
By: Schpock (Odo's file, contact) @ 19:19:45 on Jul 19, 2006

My advice to J.J. Abrams is to kep it simple, keep it real, and tell an interesting story that takes place in the Star Trek realm. If anything failed to capture the spirit of Star Trek, it's Enterprise (in the first two years) and Nemesis. I don't think that Abrams could make a film like Nemesis if he tried, and that's a GOOD thing!!!

:)

--------

To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And, at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between, plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big 'thing.' This is truth, to me.


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My advice to J.J. is | Report this post to moderator
By: Schpock (Odo's file, contact) @ 15:48:32 on Jul 19, 2006

My advice to J.J. Abrams is to kep it simple, keep it real, and tell an interesting story that takes place in the Star Trek realm. If anything failed to capture the spirit of Star Trek, it's Enterprise (in the first two years) and Nemesis. I don't think that Abrams could make a film like Nemesis if he tried, and that's a GOOD thing!!!

:)

--------

To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And, at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between, plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big 'thing.' This is truth, to me.


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  • RE: My advice to J.J. is | Report this post to moderator
    By: sirNemanjapro (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 14:07:12 on Jul 20, 2006

    NEMESIS was NOT a bad movie. Sure I hate Data dieing and crew falling apart but what can you do. They have decided to make it that way. In general the NEMESIS is not true StarTrek film. The true StarTrek film is ST5 or ST6. Nemesis has simply a bad way of having a The Next Gneration die (not literaly).

    I was expecting an StarTrek Deep Space Nine or Voyager movie, but going in the past is too...


    I think this JJ guy will fuck everything up. I sad it once, Ill say it again he will bring StarTrek to the end.
    No more, no less.

    --------

    - plumts.com -


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  • RE: My advice to J.J. is | Report this post to moderator
    By: Hbasm (Odo's file, contact) @ 09:14:46 on Jul 20, 2006 | Edit History (1)

    No, if anything managed to capture the spirit of Star Trek, its Enterprise in the first two years. I still haven't seen Nemesis. But the reported problems with ENT has nothing to do with the spirit of the show:

    1) ENT was a bit superficial in the way it handled the characters, and this got worse as the show progressed.

    2) There was no overal arc. Not for the missions, not for the characters. This means, the show didn't develop much. This worked fine for previous Trek, but the regular audience got spoiled with DS9. We found out that serialized storytelling is more compelling.

    3) ENT tried to break new ground, but in many cases it felt like "more of the same" so it became too predictable and not exciting. Add to this, some of the missions were quite unbelievable (miraculous escapes from prison, beating time-travellers that tried to screw up history)

    4) People say ENT didn't follow Star Trek canon, as they perceive it.

    5) Technology on ENT should have been more primitive, considering the time period in which it took place.

    Anyway. Let's not forget that ENT declined in terms of ratings just like ALL Star Trek has suffered in recent years. Ever since TNG peaked in 1991, the ratings have been dropping. ENT is just no different. It didn't perferm better or worse than DS9 or VOY, and that's why it finally got cancelled. Surely, a lot of people came back to see the pilot of ENT, but quickly dropped out again. In my opinion this points to a problem of oversaturation, more than anything else.

    The spirit of Star Trek is one of dreams coming true, of working together as a united family of humans. Star Trek turns our attention to the "best" in all of us, and shows us how to use those qualities to overcome some of the obstacles in our world. Star Trek is about diplomacy, about goodness and light. This will carry humanity into a better world and out in space as well.


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  • RE: My advice to J.J. is | Report this post to moderator
    By: CaptainStorm (Odo's file, contact) @ 16:55:43 on Jul 19, 2006

    yea pray they don't make a prequil and they stick to the time line after voyager or some thing

    --------

    Have you seen my forcelance?


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    • RE: My advice to J.J. is | Report this post to moderator
      By: cnathanw (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 07:39:55 on Jul 20, 2006

      Every indication - even from this article - is that he's going to do a storyline in TOS. It may not necessarily be a reboot per se. Probably just a story in that timeframe with other actors playing the parts.

      But you have to wonder if he's going to shed the established ship exterior/interiors and uniform costuming too.


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    • A troll by any other name... | Report this post to moderator
      By: Schpock (Odo's file, contact) @ 19:51:23 on Jul 19, 2006

      CaptainStorm
      CptJeff
      Shano
      Pestalence
      ...and probably many more.

      Anyway, maybe they'll make a prequel and then you'll stop being a fan of Star Trek. It's a win-win situation for everybody because it doesn't matter when the story is set, what matters is the writing.

      --------

      To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And, at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between, plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big 'thing.' This is truth, to me.


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      • RE: A troll by any other name... | Report this post to moderator
        By: sb2004 (Odo's file, contact) @ 06:51:48 on Jul 20, 2006

        Quote:
        CaptainStorm
        CptJeff
        Shano
        Pestalence
        ...and probably many more.

        Anyway, maybe they'll make a prequel and then you'll stop being a fan of Star Trek. It's a win-win situation for everybody because it doesn't matter when the story is set, what matters is the writing.


        Unfortunately that didn't seem to stop people from rejecting Enterprise simply because of the premise. There are many Trekkies out there who simply do not want to see a prequel. Enterprise soured them on the idea, either just by its very existence, or because they didn't like how it was written. And you have people who want to see their favorite TNG-era characters return, either in a TNG movie, or a DS9 or VOY movie. And then you have the "fairweather" crowd (to quote the article) to whom Trek has been a joke since Picard first said "Make it so". I don't envy Abrams here because IMO he's taken on the cinematic equivalent of the Kobayashi Maru - he's gonna be crucified no matter what he does.

        Al


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        • RE: A troll by any other name... | Report this post to moderator
          By: dphizler (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 08:05:06 on Jul 20, 2006

          To bring back the franchise to a healthy state, he needs to get everyone interested, not just the fans. Just because some fans *absolutely* don't want a prequel (which is just plain stupid) he won't listen to you.

          I *hope* it's a prequel, just to piss off everyone who has a limited mind.


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