Roberto Orci Talks on Sequel Writing Process, Time Jump

The other day Zachary Quinto commented on the Star Trek sequel script saying, "There was a writer's strike the first time so they weren't able to let the script evolve. Now it's really changing...on a regular basis." Apparently that caused some concerns among fans (not entirely sure why since drafts are the norm). Seeing this concern on TrekMovie, Bob Orci wrote their comments about the writing process and revealed that while the sequel will have a time jump; it may not necessarily be the real world gap of four years.

boborci: First, this movie is by no means written by committee. It has been written by ONE team. Me, Alex [Kurtzman], and Damon [Lindelof]. Thanks to the protective umbrella of the success of our first movie and JJ Abrams, we get less studio interference than almost any other production around. This process is the OPPOSITE of script by committee.

Star Trek 2 Moving to Christmas 2012?

If you are a regular reader of this blog, TrekMovie or another Trek blog, then you are already aware of concerns by fans that the sequel will not make its June 29th, 2012 release date. These concerns were not really addressed when Roberto Orci revealed that at least some preliminary pre-production has started based on their 70 page treatment while they wait for JJ Abrams to finish with his Super 8 obligations.

Now two industry leading websites, Deadline and AICN, has waded in and also expressed their concerns, both believing that the film will be pushed back to Christmas 2012 or even Summer 2013 due to the lack of a shooting script. This is rather significant because Hollywood does read these sites and this will increase pressure for Paramount to firm up its Star Trek 2 schedule. Deadline even upped the ante by saying that Abrams was all but signed on the dotted line to be director of the next film. The suggestion of a move is entirely based on Orci's statements and has not been verified by Paramount. Based on current information a move may even be necessary but that window is closing fast.

The reasoning, again shared multiple times here and elsewhere, is that the now 13 months that remain may not be enough time, with visual FX being the leading cause as they take a long time to complete. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an excellent example of a film that had about 13 months to hit its deadline, that worked off a rough draft and outline due to the writer's strike and the resulting film was even admitted to be poor by the director. That film had a few advantages though with a lengthy pre-production that gave VFX plenty of lead time and even then ILM had to go to a 24/7 schedule to make the deadline (about a week before the film came out).

If this film had the budget of previous non-Abrams Star Trek films (around $50 million and less) than it would be possible because the volume of effects out of necessity would be small and planned well in advance giving the VFX crew plenty of time to complete them. Assuming Star Trek 2 has at least the same budget and number of visual effects as the first film (hopefully with less lens flairs) than it might be do-able even without some of the advantages that ROTF had.

A broad estimate indicates that the film will need about three months of pre-production (design, set building, costumes, storyboards, planning FX, etc), three months of production (filming the actors, etc), and than 6 months of post-production (completing FX, adding sound, etc). So a year total. Thirteen months - one year leads to a month wiggle room. So the math indicates potential success. On top of that, JJ Abrams had done more with less twice now with both Super 8 and Cloverfield as they both filmed on essentially the same schedule (but then smaller budgets). He also comes from the world of television where the filming pace by necessity is just faster. The more time Abrams can create for post-production, the more likely the film can make its release date. His experience can make it happen.

The one huge caveat remains - the final script. Nothing can be nailed down for sure until the shooting script is written and approved. Assuming my estimates hold true, the line in the sand deadline for this film is at most the end of the first week of July (to account for 4th of July holiday). Each day after that significantly raises the odds of the film being bumped to a different release date.

Star Trek 2 Shooting in Late Fall?

In an interview with Collider to promote Priest Karl Urban (Bones) talked a little bit about Star Trek 2 and its progress.

Do you know when you start filming [Star Trek sequel]?
I am hearing it’s going to be maybe September or November this year.

Do you think JJ [Abrams] will be back?
I certainly hope so. He’s a phenomenal director and we had such a great time working with him on the first one so I really hope so.

I find it hard to believe that at least a draft of the script has not been turned in so that pre-production can start but with JJ Abrams focused on Super 8 and its promotion it is possible that the writers' deadline is sometime in July. Considering the film is set to be released on June 29th 2012, it is going to be a heck of a trick to get the film out on time if they start shooting as late as Urban is suggesting (and his estimation isn't wrong based on the current lack of a script.

A year seems like plenty of time and for say a romance movie it would be. However, for films with a lot of special effects that I assume Star Trek 2 will have (unless returning to days of no budget), then the post-production will need all the time it can get. The later the start date of principle photography the more likely the release date will get bumped. If pre-production doesn't begin by August, it seems the film might just get bumped to Christmas time. (via TrekMovie)

Update On Star Trek Sequel Script

While at the Vanity Fair part after the Oscars, JJ Abrams provided an update on the Star Trek sequel to MTV News. (via TrekMovie)

"I can't wait to check it out," he told MTV News about the sequel to the 2009 smash. Abrams revealed he will be getting his hands on the script "very shortly" and discussed what he hopes for and expects from "Star Trek 2. "The first one was about the characters meeting and the sequel's going to have to be more about what they do now that they're a family."

Abrams Update on Star Trek 2 Script, Directing

In an interview with Collider about his various projects he has going (and there are many), the prolific director, writer and producer provided a status update on the script for Star Trek 2 and his decision on whether he will direct or not.

Do you have a date by which you have to decide whether you’re going to direct Star Trek 2?
ABRAMS: That’s a good question. I probably do. I don’t know. There’s a script that should be coming in, hopefully by the time there’s a trailer for Super 8 [March], and then we’ll know.

What’s the biggest proponent of that decision for you?
ABRAMS: I guess the idea of not wanting to choose to direct a film, for which I’ve not read a script. It’s a tough decision to make without seeing any pages. That’s not to say that I don’t have all the faith in the world in the spectacular writers. Damon Lindelof, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman are awesome. My hope is that they’ll write the script, it will be great and we can make a fun, exciting sequel to Star Trek.

Sequel Details Being "Worked Out"

Based on a recent comment from Star Trek 2 producer JJ Abrams, the sequel seems to still be in the rough draft stage. While at the Children’s Defense Fund California Beat the Odds Awards Ceremony on December 2nd he said "We don’t have a script yet and it is being worked out so it is too early to talk about what it might be, because it hasn’t happened yet." The current expectation is a working draft will probably have to be completed by early next year for pre-production purposes with a final draft ready for shooting to being in the summer.

Vulcan Female with Major Role in Sequel?

An article from the New York Times talking about how Hollywood has embraced the iPad, a possible nugget of information was revealed about the sequel to Star Trek. In a meeting about Star Trek 2, Roberto Orci was described as using the iPad in a "meeting [last month in Hollywood] with the producers J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, and his fellow writer Alex Kurtzman, jump-started the discussion with an iPad slide show, showing stills from the first film, snapshots of potential locations and a photo of a suggested actress for one of the roles. On the woman's photo, he had used his iPad to paint on a Vulcan ear."

On the surface the news is really shrug worthy since the script is in the very early stages of development but it gives you an idea of what could be a major character in the film since it is unlikely that a meeting like that would waste time on minor characters. Current speculation has offered that maybe this Vulcan female will be the ST2.0 universe versions of T'Pau (a once leader of the Vulcans), T'Pol (character from Star Trek: Enterprise), Lt. Saavik (the woman from Star Trek 2 and 3) or even T'Pring (from Amok Time who was Spock's arranged marriage).

Personally, I still keep thinking that the writers and Abrams want to blaze their own trail and create original major characters. Any nods to the Prime universe will through minor characters and references to events as part of the overall story. Thanks to Brian for the link.

In Process of Writing Trek Script

Popcorn Biz recently recieved an update on the progress being made on the script for the sequel to Star Trek. The site spoke with the writers Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci.

“We are in the process – It is being written,” Lindelof told Popcorn Biz. “It's a lot of fun. There's a tremendous amount of pressure because expectations, I felt, were a little bit low the last time. Now they're high – but that brings its own level of excitement. So, you know, I hope that we do the fans proud.”

Kurtzman called breaking the sequel’s story “an epic moment for us, of feeling like we finally came to something that meets our expectations.”

“It’s exciting and terrifying and wonderful, and yet I want to put my head in the sand – all at the same time,” Kurtzman said. “I think Bob and Damon and I have to shut the noise out. You do listen to what people are saying, and our antennae are always out for what people are saying and what people want. We take that in, we process it, we adjust it, we talk about it, we debate it, and then we shut it all out and say ‘What are we going to do here? What do we want? What feels right?’”

“Now we have all of characters in place for the beginning of the movie, so order number one is to make sure we’re taking care of them,” explained Orci. “The first movie had the benefit of slowly introducing them – they weren’t all there from the beginning. Now they’re all there, and we want to make sure everyone gets what they deserve first before we see who else can fit in.”

Orci, Kurtzman SDCC Sequel Update

The San Diego Comic-Con is currently in full swing with Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman making the rounds to promote their upcoming television show Hawaii Five-O. MTV tried to get specific details on their progress in scripting Star TRek 2 (video below).

"That's something we've never told anyone," Kurtzman replied. "We actually are making significant process on the story."

"Our [work] days are regimented by the hour, it's the only way to get through it," Kurtzman explained. "The good news is that on [the set of whatever we're working on] we can step into the trailer and do work on 'Star Trek.'" Orci added, "It's been kind of a noon to 2 kind of thing for some reason. Lunch is nice."

"Now that we've set up everybody-- there were new characters in the last one, so we really want to focus in on them," Orci said. "For example Scotty, who you met at the end of the last movie, who [was] so important to the crew but had the shortest screen time, now is going to be in the movie from the very beginning. In fact, the whole crew is in it from the beginning."

In other word, the narrow focus of the last movie will broaden in the sequel. "Now the whole family is there and you want to focus on them first. Before you worry too much about new characters, make sure you have them taken care of."

Which characters will be getting more screen time? No definites yet, but Orci definitely has his ideas. "I loved, and a lot of people loved, Captain Pike. I loved Bones, who a lot of people thought he's too good-looking to be cast as Bones... he was a fan-favorite. We'd worked with Karl way back in TV land days, so to get back together and have him surprise everyone was great."

Bruce Greenwood, Auction Results, and a Review

On the Star Trek sequel front, there really isn't much to talk about. The script is in the works but it is unlikely that a draft will be completed until the end of the year. In the meantime, here are three links that you might find interesting.

Bruce Greenwood on Sequel
In various interviews to promote Dinner for Schmucks, Bruce Greenwood talked about what he would like in the Star Trek sequel for Captain Pike. "I think with the latitude of the parallel universe I might be able to get out of the chair, and I’m hoping the mentorship between myself and Kirk (Chris Pine) continues." He also mentioned "I gather January 2011 is when they’re going to roll cameras." I wouldn't hold my breath on that. If a draft of the script is approved by the end of the year, I could see pre-production starting in January but cameras will probably not actually roll until the summer. Honestly, I think Bruce Greenwood has too high expectations for Pike. The story is likely to be very Enterprise centric, especially on the Trinity of McCoy-Kirk-Spock. Pike, at most, will have a cameo appearance to issue orders for the mission or deny permission for something that Kirk will do anyway.

Star Trek Live Review
TrekMovie.com has posted their review of the Star Trek themed, NASA sponsored, educational stage show that runs at the Kennedy Space Center until September. A longer version is also touring the country. Hit the link for a detailed description and review. To sum, it’s an all ages show that has a basic set, makeup that needs improvement and well informed actors with strong improvisational skills that handle the unpredictableness of audience participation while successfully remaining in character creating an entertaining and educational show.

The Heritage Auction Gallery Results
Last is news that another Star Trek auction was held last weekend and the results were excellent. The most successful sale was the Kirk's Star Trek II jacket which sold for $37,500. Much of the auction was for costumes across all eras of Star Trek production with most selling for several thousands of dollars a piece.

Orci, Kurtzman Updates Status of Star Trek Sequel

The writing team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman provided an update on the status of the script for the sequel to Star Trek to TrekMovie.com this weekend. The interview occurred before the Saturn Awards where the pair was honored with the George Pal Memorial Saturn Award. Star Trek won a Saturn for Best Make-Up. The video can be found here, highlights below.

- Orci: "We have a story and now the next step is we all get together and try to destroy it. ...try to shake loose and see if it stands up to our scrutiny. If it does we do it and if doesn't we do a little more drawing board."
- Orci: "We have a front runner [for villain]."
- Kurtzman: "…the emphasis is little bit different in that in the first movie ...it’s really about watching the team coming together. That doesn't go away in the second movie. In the second movie it’s about how the team know they are on their journey, live together as a family."
- Kurtzman: "Relieved to have [Damon Lindelof] full time now. Now we are going to really dive into Trek next week..."
- Orci noted sequel title can't be Star Trek 12, Star Trek 2 (or II), but said would "take it to the court and see" about the idea of following in the path of The Dark Knight and choose a title that invoke the franchise.

To sum up, it seems the real effort on the script is about to begin to try and have a final script by the end of the year. In regards to the title, I think the team will take a page from Transformers and go with a number- less title and colon since Trek doesn't have famous "nicknames" like Batman does. About the only title that would work would be "Enterprise" but that is out do to the TV series. From a creative perspective I am sure they might want it but from a marketing perspective trying to sell a Star Trek film without the title Star Trek would be a nightmare.

Sequel Draft By End of Year

In an interview with IGN to promote Hawaii Five-O, Star Trek and Transformers writer Roberto Orci provided an update on the sequel and his other projects. Below is the Trek related portions of the interview, the rest can be found here. (via TrekMovie)

GN: J.J. Abrams is about to shoot Super 8. After that, has he decided if he's going to direct the Star Trek sequel or not?
Orci: You know him. Until he reads the script and gets super excited he's not going to commit to anything. God Bless him. Just like the first movie.

IGN: Is the next Star Trek still looking to shoot around the middle of next year?
Orci: We'll work backwards from 2012. So you know, you can do the math. We've got to probably turn it in by Christmas and get a pretty good draft by then. And then kind of get it up and running.

IGN: Second movies, including Wrath of Khan, are often the dark chapter. Things often get pretty intense. Are you going to go in that direction?
Orci: Well, it's weird. We got kind of a mixed review in terms of the darkness or not in the first one. There was genocide of an entire planet, Spock's freaking mother died, Kirk's dad died… But it's like, "Well, it wasn't very dark!"

So I think maybe thematically, because we don't have the burden of an origin story, we can play a little bit more with the theme and it can be a little bit more complicated. But I still think we like fun. Star Trek has always been funny. Even Wrath of Khan has got some great great, great fun in it. I think it will be equally confusing for some, but I do think we get to jump right into it now.

IGN: Leonard Nimoy's been very adamant that he's done acting. Were there ideas you had for the sequel that are derailed by that?
Orci: He was so generous and gracious to us as fans and to us as people working on that franchise to come out of retirement that it's embarrassing to ask him to do another god damn thing. So if he came over and said, "I really want to do something," we'd listen. But we're not about to go and beg him one more time. He has served Star Trek more amiably than anyone can ever hope and we will defer to his wishes.

Star Trek II Pre-Production Next Year?

Zoe Saldana has high hopes that Star Trek could come to theatres earlier then 2012 apparently. In a recent interview with MTV (while promoting Avatar), she says "I spoke to J.J. and Bryan Burk, his producing partner at Bad Robot, and they are still in the middle of building the script with Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci, and we'll probably be going into pre-production around this time next year." If true that indicates that the film could hit theaters in 2011. This possibility depends not only on script progress but JJ Abrams commitments and availability. Since Paramount has made no official sequel announcements, the group has plenty of flexibility on their approach to the film and when it will be released.

Shatner's Star Trek "Cameo"

The scenes that Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman has been released by TrekMovie.com and confirmed as accurate. These scenes have been alluded to multiple times during promotion of the movie and the back and forth between JJ Abrams and William Shatner (who remains angry on not being in the movie as seen by his refusal to see it). Now my understanding is the scenes are in an early draft of the movie but once William Shatner declared he "doesn't do cameos", it was removed from the drafts that followed. Equally important (and lays the blame around), I don't think that version of the script was ever shown to Shatner; therefore he was never given an opportunity to change his mind.

The moments would have been a perfect nod to the fans and a good ending for the film but definitely would have a cameo leading me to think Shatner would have refused anyway. Honestly, I think Shatner's refusal to do even a cameo in the film is basically an FU to the fans as he put his ego ahead of the franchise and the fans that essentially gave him the life he has enjoyed these many years.

For perspective, keep in mind that this movie does follow Star Trek canon by having events begin off screen in the Star Trek "Prime" universe with Nero and the Nerada entering the Star Trek 2.0 Universe and attacking the Kelvin with Spock Prime following 25 years later. As a result, that means Shatner's Kirk remains dead as a result of the events in Star Trek Generations movie so any cameo would have to be through other creative means, in this case with holo-emitter and voice over.

The scene:

Star Trek - What You Missed

TNMC.org has posted a summary of cut scenes and dialogue that was not used in the theatrical release of Star Trek (but might have been filmed and used as deleted scenes for the disc release). Click here for the full details but below is a summary which assumes you have seen the film already.

Deleted scenes:
- Film opens with birth of Spock and Amanda not please Sarek isn't present then goes to birth of Kirk (just before attack).
- After the Narada destroys the Kelvin, Klingon warbirds decloak and surround it leading to Nero's capture.
- Before Kirk's joyride we meet Uncle Frank (a douche) and brother George who is leaving and says Kirk's follows the rules to much. Later Kirk is washing the corvette and then the joyride (I guess to prove brother wrong).
- cut to Rura Penthe Klingon Prison with Nero and crew as caught trying to smuggle Federation maps to determine when/where Spock will emerge. A slug (like one used on Pike near film's end) is used on Nero to try and torture him into confession why he wants the maps. Nero's (now dead) pregnant wife is used to overcome the torture. Shortly after Nero busts out of the prison with ease to begin his revenge against Spock.
- Another scene shows how Uhura's roommate the Orion Gaila helps him hack the Kobayashi Muru test by opening a message at a certain time to unleash a virus on the program.
- A line is cut on the Delta Vega ice planet commenting on the improbability of the two meeting.
- On approach to Earth, Narada crew considers mutiny since destruction of Vulcan completes their revenge and they just want to return to Romulus. Nero kills Ayel (who lives in the final cut of the film) as he wants revenge against off of the Federation.
- The gun battle in the film originally had Spock getting cruelly violent with the Romulans.
- In Spock meets Spock Prime scene, the written Kirk Prime scene with a holographic video of William Shatner's Kirk singing happy birthday to Spock and congratulating him on becoming an ambassador. Shatner's refusal to do cameos put the kibosh on that scene.

Star Trek Screening Spoilers (Update)

Four hundred plus journalists in the United Kingdom got a first look at over 20 minutes of Star Trek footage that included the new trailer (debuting Friday with Quantum of Solace in the US) and 4 scenes. The footage was introduced by Director JJ Abrams with Simon Pegg (Scotty). I will summarize most of the information but the full spoiler filled articles is at Den of Geek and Empire Magazine blog.

Update: From a New York screening, AICN has a posting that essentially describes the same four scenes here.

Spoiler warning!

The Trailer
- Pretty much the description from AICN
- "...epilepsy-inducing quick-cuts, showing some pretty spectacular space battles, the Enterprise under construction in the fields of Iowa (being regarded by an awed Kirk, not yet enrolled in Starfleet), a roll-call of all the returning characters and…Uhura (Zoe Saldana) stripping down to her bra (for some reason - I'm not complaining, it's a very nice sight, but it's a bit of a cheap shot for a film with this much going for it). The trailer concludes with Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) declaring portentously 'The wait is over'…."

Scene One: Kirk's Bar Fight
- Kirk getting beat up by Starfleet cadets (including Sulu) for hitting on Uhura.
- Kirk is nearly able to fend off the four attackers, with a brief interlude to grab Uhura's breasts for balance before overwhelmed by the attackers.
- Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) breaks up the fight and hauls Kirk off.
- Pike expresses his disappointment with how Kirk is wasting his "genius-level" potential, "“Your father was captain of a starship for 12 minutes. He saved 800 lives including your mother’s and yours. I dare you to do better.”
- Pike tells Kirk that he could be an officer in four years and where the recruit shuttles are.
- cut to Kirk driving to a shipyard where the Enterprise is being built and then later arriving at the shuttles telling Pike he will become an officer in three years.

Scene Two: Enterprise in Danger
- From Abrams, this scene follows more hijinks from Kirk after he enrolls in Starfleet. His behavior results him in not being assigned a ship but his friend Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) uses a Federation rule to get Kirk on board on Pike's Enterprise by making him sick.
- While Kirk is treated in sickbay, Chekov (Anton Yelchin) is unable to log on to his console do to inability to pronounce his V's.
- Once able to get in, Enterprise is dispatched to help Vulcan, under siege from a severe electrical storm that is really Nero's beam weapon boring into Vulcan.
- Kirk realizes the storm is identical to a Romulan attack that took place when Kirk was born and is probably a trap and attempts to warn Pike.
- With the help of Uhura (after his McCoy' induced sickness prevents him from speaking) he makes it to the bridge only to be nearly taking off it by security and Spock.
- He warns Pike that the attack is similar to an attack on the USS Kelvin when the same ship destroyed 47 Klingon warbirds (!).
- The Enterprise exits warp to a massive graveyard of wrecked ships from a space-battle.

Scene Three: Meeting Spock and Scotty
- At some point Kirk's impulsive behavior gets him exiled to an unknown location by now Captain Spock. Here Kirk meets a much older Spock (Leonard Nimoy) who has traveled back in time to save history.
- The scene involved Spock introducing Kirk to an also exiled (for transporter incident involving an Admiral's dog) Scotty (Simon Pegg).
- "Pegg is clearly the bulk of the comic relief in the film but pulls it off without being ridiculous or embarrassing, which is no mean feat given the character’s heritage."
- Spock (oddly to me) informs Scotty of some of his future accomplishments including how to transport at warp so that the Kirk and Scotty can get back on the Enterprise.
- Old Spock informs Kirk that he needs to get Spock relieved of command for being unfit by getting him emotionally off-balanced. This will (somehow) allow Kirk to assume command.
- Spock stays behind but warns Kirk to never inform Spock of their meeting.
- When young Kirk accuses Old Spock of using time travel to cheat, Spock replies "A trick I learned from an old friend.”

Scene Four: Stopping Romulans on Vulcan
- Related to scene two, involves the attempt to stop the beam weapon from destroying Vulcan.
- Since transporters are disabled, Pike leaves Spock in command, promotes Kirk to first officer, and decides to pilot the shuttle that will help Kirk, Sulu and engineer Olson (sadly wearing a red shirt) freefall to the drill platform that is four miles above the surface.
- During the attack, the Enterprise's CMO is killed so McCoy is promoted to CMO.
- Meanwhile Chekov gets the helm while Spock attempts to rescue the Vulcan senate and his parents and orders an evacuation of the planet.
- Kirk, Sulu and Olson get dropped off where they perform "the longest parachute jump ever committed to film, and it’s totally spectacular."
- Olson dies during the drop while Kirk and Sulu engage the Romulans. The fight is complicated by a vent that ejects destructive wave of energy every few minutes.
- Kirk, about to be knocked off the platform, is rescued by Sulu and his swordsmanship. He is able to disable the drill by unloading a Romulan disrupter rifle into it.
- To late, Nero announces the singularity (black hole) is in place and the drill is dropped. Somehow Chekov knows how to beam up moving objects (rather then Scotty?) and rescues the pair before the drill hits the surface.

I have mixed feelings about this. It’s pretty clear that continuity is getting thrown out the door. Fighting Romulans hand to hand? In Star Trek lore, they where a faceless enemy until the "Balance of Terror" episode. Oddly I can skip by the probable multitude of continuity gaffes considering Paramount has made it clear this is more or less a reboot of Star Trek (sadly).

I think what bugs me most is the cavalier way promotions are handed out to the cadets. Star Trek was pretty good (sometimes excessively) about handing out promotions on a judicious manner. There was a real attempt to mimic the military where the title alone could tell you much about the years of experience that individual may have. The titles here just handed to them like candy, making them meaningless. The title "Captain" mean best of the best, not "hey that mission went well, you’re a captain now!" Clearly the goal is to get everyone in their The Original Series roles without the years of backstory and hard fought experience it would take to get there (which I thought this movie was about).

It could just be the descriptions, but the scenes and moments seem less as coming from a fan of Star Trek but more as someone who read a synopsis and saw one of those hour long clip specials that Star Trek use to have every five or so years. Hopefully that read is way off the mark and my irritations are unfounded as the scenes above are only 20 minutes of around 120 minute long film.

AICN Report From Star Trek Editing Room

Harry of AICN has posted up a pretty long story about his visit to the Star Trek editing room with Abrams. The report is very optimistic and excited. The full article here but here are the highlights.

- Harry thought that Abrams was annoyed at the decision to move Star Trek from Christmas (where probably would have ruled the box office with little competition) to summer of 2009.
- Abrams editing style is to assemble sequences out of order getting the pieces finished then putting the entire "puzzle" together.
- Harry was shown about 7 minutes of snippets hear and there but nothing to paint a full picture of events in the movie.
- One scene was Ben Cross (Sarek) and Winona Ryder (Amanda Grayson) holding baby Spock (complete with ears) on Vulcan.
- Another showed a 25 year old pre-Enterprise Federation ship (probably George Kirk's ship, the USS Kelvin) as it orbits "a really angry sun." The interior shot seems very "old diesel submarine" in the lightning and design (shades of Star Trek II), done according to Abrams so to give a sense of the changing design of Starfleet ships over time.
- Another snippet was a scene showing hundreds of Starfleet Academy cadets (or graduates) as they board old style shuttles for their starship assigned including McCoy (Karl Urban) being assigned to the Enterprise, Uhura (Zoe Saldana) to another ship...and Kirk not getting an assignment (probably due to his "cheating" the Kobayashi Maru, again ST II).
- Harry described the scene has grand and Chris Pine performance is a good "proto-Kirk scene."
- Karl Urban as McCoy was "metaphysically perfect" as he has "got that right cantankerous, best buddy, ethical, but anything for his friend type of doc attitude – and he has it down pat" in a scene where he is helping Kirk get on a ship.
- He also says Zoe as Uhura "young and hungry, confident and determined."
- Zachary Quinto as Spock, "perfect".
- The final scene he saw as the character arriving on the Enterprise bridge under the command of Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood). The uniforms are described as classic trek but polished so it looks "amazingly functional."

Orci Responds to AICN Script Review

Roberto Orci, one of the writers of Star Trek XI, commented on the recent AICN script review. Suffice it to say he wasn't pleased with the harsh review that it received.

In regards to the overall review:

Yeah. AICN for some reason has never liked us. The best example was one of their review for Transformers. I forgot which one of those wannabes wrote it, but it basically said how much they loved the humor, the characters, the sequences, and the structure of the movie, but they hated the script. Classic.

If this movie works, these same folks will say that JJ “saved” a crappy script with his directing, just like Shia “saved’ our dialogue by “making” it funny.

Whoever wrote that piece HAS NOT read the script, and I would trust Nimoy to tell us if we know anything about the Trek universe over just about anybody else.

The Area 51 reference:

Let’s see. Area 51 is a place where we supposedly keep aliens and spacecraft A SECRET. In Star Trek, earth KNOWS there are spaceships and aliens. You might’ve even heard of one of them. His name is Mr. SPOCK. You do the math.

"In Nimoy We Trust" may not be the best policy if trying to verify Star Trek canon. If want to know about Spock, sure. If want to know about all other things Star Trek, not so much. Hopefully Orci and Kurtzman knew about Memory-Alpha and used it to fact check portions of their script.

As for "do the math", I have no idea what he means. All I know is that in Star Trek canon, usually the starships are built and\or repaired either in spacedock or the Utopia Plantia Shipyards. The Enterprise, at the time this movie is set, would have been in service at least 10 years, where the first five of those years would have been under the command of Captain Robert April then Captain Christopher Pike (with Spock as Science Officer). So no idea what the Area 51 stuff is about but apparently its in the movie in some form or fashion (maybe as just a passing joke). Time will tell. And yeah, I through the info off the top of my head then verified with Memory Alpha just as a measure of my level of Trek geekiness.

Star Trek Script Review and Other Rumors

AICN apparently has hit the motherload of Star Trek sources as the site has a mini review of the Star Trek XI (not good) and other information. Below is the cut and paste of it all. Beware as SPOILERS are contained within.

The script review:

I saw your STAR TREK story and wasn't going to say anything, but since you know me... yeah, I can confirm the rumor you posted about the script. I wasn't going to say anything because I got slipped the shooting script and really didn't love it, but I respect J.J. Abrams so much that I'm withholding judgment on the final product (but wish this writer's strike weren't happening because reports are he's been itching to make some "on the set" changes and can't do it).

The problem with the script is all its blatant inconsistency with things in the TREK canon, not to be innovative... but because Kurtzman and Orci are lousy writers and have zero feel for Roddenberry's universe, even when attempting to reboot it. The dialogue is about on par with their past works and some of the liberties they've taken are insanely sloppy. (Forgive me, wasn't the Enterprise built in space and not Area 51?) It's remarkably unintelligent writing. (FYI: I also read their upcoming Fox pilot called FRINGE which may be the most blatant X-FILES rip off ever.)

The character of young Kirk is a travesty. He's the bad boy of the Academy, which is consistent in many ways, but the whole "Kobayashi" matter is overtly ridiculous. It turns Kirk into the worst scourge of all of Starfleet! At his graduation there are actual protestors outside the ceremony carrying signs stating: KIRK CHEATED! Talk about on the nose. They probably look like striking writers.

So, Kirk is put in command of a starship under great controversy and has to prove himself to not only Starfleet, but also his new crew who are wary of him and his bad rep. While this may sound okay, the way it's written is so ham fisted that it makes the TRANSFORMERS script read like Shakespeare.

Actually, the character of both young and old Spock works well and is consistent with the TREK canon, but I'm pretty sure that's because of Nimoy's involvement. Young and old Spock do meet and there's a clever, as well as TREK consistent, reason why young Spock's foreknowledge of events won't create problems in the future.

There's a lot of action in this piece, which is welcome, but the Romulan villains are perfunctory. My problem with time travel bad guys is what's to prevent them from looping back and trying their plan again and again whenever they fail? I'm sure Bana got a lot of money to do this inconsequential character.

I think curiosity and Abrams' rep will ensure this movie makes major bucks, but as far as re-launching STAR TREK with a whole new younger crew, no way. This is a novelty item that would probably not please Roddenberry purists, but would any of the recent Treks?

One thing's for sure, as lackluster as this script is... it's better than any Berman produced STAR TREK just due to the fact that it's big and has some scope. I just wish the character of Kirk weren't written as if in a dumb after school special. Shatner will have a field day ripping into the rather sleazy portrayal of his classic character. While he may have always been a skirt chaser, making him a lousy student seems like they're trying too hard to appeal to a real young audience who has the menu to Taco Bell memorized.

I could say more, but will withhold judgment due to a talented director, big budget and strong cast.

Look and feel compared to the Orginial Series:

I've seen some footage of the new Star Trek flick and I must say I am impressed. I am not a Trekkie and I am not working for the movie industry. It was due to other reasons I got to visit the production faclities and people showed me some scenes that showed what I would call "the Star Trek world". Let me explain. If you watch the TV series and many of the movies than - if you are a Star Wars fan like me - you always have the feeling that there is a discrepancy between the size of the alien worlds / the space ship(s) of the Federation and the locations where most of the scenes have been shot. In other words, the Bridge is more like a living room and does not match the size nor style of gigantic size of the Enterprise at all. It is certainly unbelievable because it's mostly the only place we get to see (and of course three or four other places, but all in all just 1 percent of the ship, I presume).

We'll, this movie is gonna end all that for sure. The "stage play" and Disney like nature of the TV episodes is gone, the "we'll only show you three locations but trust me, this really is a gigantic spaceship we're flying around in"-feeling will also be gone. I would argue that this movie is making use of the Star Wars like decors (as implemented later in the sequels and used immediately in the prequels) therefore expanding our universe more directly (leaves less room for imagination) and making the story a lot more believable, at least to me.

I thought it was very cool. Not sure if the Trekkies will like this move though.

By the way when I saw the new look of the Enterprise, I just wanted to go out and buy a model kit of that or something. I'm quite sure it will get as much positive response as the Milennium Falcon did. Yes, the stuff is that detailed.

Character hand-off:

i wouldn't take it that far. but it reminded me of the visual "handoff" they shot two weeks ago where nimoy's hand (vulcan greeting) is replaced in the frame by quinto's hand. j.j. actually spent a lot of time on it. finally, got it by setting up an extra monitor to help quinto hit his mark. it will only be a brief moment in the film, but apparently this sort of visual "handoff" from nimoy to quinto was important enough to warrant dozens of takes.

I don't know if the above is true or not but it seems to pass the sniff test and remains consistent with other leaked information. The leaked script, and its problems, sounds real as having read a few Hollywood scripts, its amazing how much cutesy points enter a script as the writers kind of pat themselves on the back for their own creativity. Normally those kind of things get leveled out (or magnified) through the film-making process and the many chefs involved. In this case, thanks to the Writers' Strike, all that stuff has to remain as is from the script (unless later Paramount wants to pony up for re-shoots after the strike ends) as any re-write is a violation of the strike for the writer involved.

As for the look and feel, I hope its better then the Original Series or some studio execs are going to wonder where their $100 million was spent. The hand-off, one assumes for symbolic and future sequels, seems like a real possibility and why not since its this movie represents the future of the franchise whether Trekkies want it or not.