by A.J. Focht
Details are starting to emerge on the follow up to 2009’s J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek reboot. Screenwriter Robert Orci recently took some time at WonderCon to talk about what direction the franchise will likely boldly go, while promoting his upcoming movie Cowboys vs. Aliens.
“The first one had to be an origin story,” Orci explained. “It was kind of Star Trek Zero – how did it all start?” Having connected the new installment to the classic series, set up the backstory of the characters, and established a new timeline, Orci (and fellow screen writers Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof) have successfully opened up fresh storytelling horizons in Star Trek’s new alternate universe.
While the last movie might have kept the feel of the original series, Star Trek 2 is supposed to be “different” and “more daring.” Orci doesn’t really elaborate on what that will mean, but he did say they were working off of the fan criticisms from the last movie. Simple fan concerns, like Kirk making Captain so fast, will likely be taken care of with short lines of acknowledgement in the next movie.
The family dynamic on the ship is also going to be a concern in the upcoming movie. The entirety of the ship’s crew from the first reboot is signed to make the second. Now that the characters have all been established, the writers can really explore the dynamics of the group instead of the individuals.
Not a lot of information was given, but it was enough to fire up the forums. Internet rumors about the next movie’s storyline, villain choice, casting, etc. are being recklessly tossed from one Trekkie to another. With the release date set for June 29, 2012, we are bound to be hearing more official news soon (most likely after the release of Cowboys vs. Aliens). For now the only thing we do know is, Star Trek (2009) left Orci right where he needs to be to bring Star Trek to the next generation (again).
