JJ Abrams (and gang) To Do Live Chat Jan. 25 – QUESTION SUBMISSIONS HERE

Star Trek producer/director JJ Abrams (and members of his team) will be doing a live ‘chat’ from the set of Star Trek on Friday at 1PM (Pacific)
UPDATE: First set of questions chosen from those submitted below. Answers will be posted HERE.

1-4 PM Friday
Starting at around 1PM Pacific (4PM Eastern/9PM UK) JJ Abrams (and team members) will begin answering questions from the set IN A NEW THREAD. Questions will start with a selection from those submitted by Noon Pacific Friday.

NOTE: The producers will answer as many questions as they can, please do not despair or take it personally if yours is not answered.

Once the event starts you will probably have to reload the page once or twice to see the answers…be patient. When the event is over TrekMovie.com will put together a concise ‘transcript’ in Q&A form in a separate article.

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How deeply do you feel the weight of responsibility that comes with carrying the torch of the Star Trek franchise?

J.J , Star Trek uniforms throughout the tv shows and movies are always a big deal among fans. When you decided to re-imagine the orignal time period what were your thoughts on what Star Fleet uniforms would look like?

Hi Mr. Abrams,
The first teaser was fantastic! When can we expect to see the next?

My question:

Will Giacchino reuse any of the older Star Trek music themes.

What is your overall plan for the star trek franchise , what should we expect when the film is a sucess ie other films or series ? much love to u and the crew

Mr. Abrams,

I had the opportunity to see your TED address and you talk a lot about the draw of a great mystery. With that storytelling notion in mind, do you think we will see a science fiction story on the level of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the future?

Best of luck with this and future endeavors.

-Adam Cohen

what are ur plans do bring in non star trek fans to see the film in terms of promoting the film and the overall theme and look ?

Star trek fans are some of the most passionate people I’ve ever met with regards to this property and regardless if they like it or not. And from what I’ve been told from some of my friends on the Paramount lot most of them will. Do you and the cast members realize the impact that this movie will have on their lives?

can i be in the film please?

If the Trek movies are a success, would you be willing to guide TOS Trek back to a TV franchise? If not you, who do you feel could do the job properly?

Peace. Live long and prosper.
The Vulcanista }:-|

What was the greatest challenge you faced when you first decided to take on Star Trek?

Visually this is definitely a reboot, so how do you dispel this discrepancy including Nimoy?

From a Winona Ryder fan – when can we expect to see some press or interviews from Winona??? Also, can you please tell Zach Quinto that we, out here in Steeler Nation think it’s so logical that he’s a “Burgh Boy” and is a Steelers fan!!!

Hi, Mr. Abrams!

How did you initially become involved in the new STAR TREK film? Was Paramount looking for someone new to take over and they chose you, or had you been itching to tackle TREK for a while now?

Thanks for your time!
Shaun B.
Northern Connecticut

Dear Mr. Abrahms,

What is your opinion (if any) on Star Trek since TNG, and besides Star Trek what other science-fiction do you enjoy (i.e. writers, television, film)?

What’s your favorite TOS episode, and what TOS episodes might we see echoes of in the film? :)

Do you think Gene Roddenberry would be happy with what you are doing?

Hello Mr Abrams
I am a big fan of the original series. My question is, since you are attempting to draw a new audience of fans to the series are you going to stick to the original canon for the series? I know that you want to follow Gene Rodenberry’s vision of the future and if you had to choose which season to choose from TOS which one would you choose from? My choice is the 1st season, it just seems to be grittier and has imaginitive storytelling. Good luck on the shoot for the movie!!!

JJ — Gene Roddenberry had a unique vision of the future. He looked far beyond the attitude of society and create instance that examined the human condition. Star Trek’s entire philosophy is based on his vision of the future. Was this a part of the original script or storyline? Is there anything that you can say on this topic without revealing the storyline in great depth? And do you feel that these values can truly live on in respects to our society and bringing Trek closer to that?

Thanks,
Justin Toney
http://www.justintoney.com

Gene Roddenberry made it a priority in his storytelling to use ‘morality plays’ in the ’60’s to comment on the times in which he lived at the same time as telling a compelling action story with heart.
Without giving anything away, do you see this as an opportunity to do the same?

JJ,

Has there been a particular moment while filming that has caught you off-guard and made you stand back and say “wow” or just made you think “how cool is this”?

Mr. Abrams,

We have all heard rumors that a large budget has been allocated for this picture. Do you feel like that’s an advantage you have over previous Trek efforts? We all know a good screenplay is what really counts, but the money can’t hurt, can it?

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule,

Thomas

What challenges did your team face in updating the look of the Enterprise for the big screen? Was there anything particularly tricky about it, or did it fall into place naturally?

Did they change the hull lettering as a tribute to Franz J?

Hi JJ!

A great thing about Star Trek has been its characteristically positive outlook of the future (Not the ‘present’ future with the Eugenics Wars, WWIII and whatnot, but past that…) and its ability to inspire people to want to achieve that future.

I loved the teaser trailer ‘inspiring’ tone with the use of space-race audio, and the sort-of WWII look to the welders, etc.

Will the finished film follow the same tone? Should we expect to see just another sci-fi action-thriller, or will your Star Trek attempt to ‘inspire’?

Thanks for taking the time to go over some questions!

(By the way, I loved your TED speech.)

Mr. Abrams: assuming the film is a success, has Paramount given you any indication of what the future might hold for you with respect to the Trek franchise? For example, would Paramount ask you to Executive Produce a new TV series if one were in the cards, or are they thinking of you as “movie-specific?” (If that makes any sense.) In other words, do you see yourself in a Rick Berman-type role, or more of a Harve Bennett? :)

Did you look at actor Jesse Lee Soffer for the role of Captain Kirk? He’s on the CBS soap As The World Turns and really looks Kirkish.

Hi, Mr. Abrams. Are you completely happy with the way the film is progressing given the fact that the writers’ strike is preventing any needed rewrites or additions, or will you be wanting to make changes to shot scenes once the strike ends? And do you have a targeted wrap date for the film?

Hell Mr. Abrams and thank you for bringing back Trek to life. This being said, do you have a preference over the direction Star Trek will take after “XI”‘s release? More movies or TV series?

Will Greg Grundberg be trademarkingly appearing in the film? I’m not sure if it would feel like a JJ Abrams production without him! Other than Rachel Nichols, can Alias fans expect any other links to crop up on screen? Didn’t Jennifer Garner say she’d love to be involved…?

What’s been the one moment throughout this process that sticks out as the single moment where you’ve double-taked and looked around and thought… “my god… I’m directing Star Trek” ?

Hi JJ, thanks for chiming in! Star Trek always excelled at putting real people, people that we could relate to, in incredible fantastic situations. They met the Greek god Apollo, they go up against a moody teenager who just happens to have godlike powers. A trip through a strange alien portal erases the universe as they knew it. After seeing the teaser I’m wondering if this movie will incorporate similar elements of the fantastic that might evoke the same feelings of wonder and imagination and the danger of what we don’t understand, or will it be more grounded in relaity? I always enjoyed the fantastic and unusual situations and how these very real people reacted to them.

I know many younger fans, fans that were more into the spin off series, feel much of that to be “hokey” or “corny”, but I think it is a very real part of the success and charm of TOS. I get realism daily in the news and all around me, I would hope this movie will take us a bit beyond that. Thanks for your time!

Do you follow what fans are saying on the internet at all?

What is the difference between the uniforms you are using in this movie and the uniforms from the original series?

When will we be able to get to see a visual of a corridor, sickbay, or the bridge?

Mr Abrams,
What do you think of what some fans have voiced their opinions over about not following canon in the Star Trek universe? I see canon as part of the appeal of Star Trek for myself. I know some fans can nit and pick it apart but I still like the overall sense of history that binds most of the Star Trek universe together,with exception to “Enterprise”.

Hi there…
Let me start off by saying that I, after having been really REEAAAALLY sceptical in the beginning, am as of last Monday (Internet-Release of the Trailer) really REEAAAALLY looking forward to it. At least the approach that was used in the teaser seems much more realistic and somehow darker then the Gene Roddenberry approach to Star Trek. Can you give us some of your thoughts on the teaser and maybe some hints as to whether the movie will also have that… well, “dark(er) tone” to it?

Is the corridor image that has been released an official picture or is that picture of a corridor “under construction” as used in the trailer? If so can you say what the real constructed corridor looks like?

ncc 1701 web site whats it all about its a bit strange ?

Dear Mr. Abrahms,

The last Star Trek film of this scope was the motion picture. Some may disagree but, despite the weaknesses in that film, I found it to be the one film that came closest to reaching the full potential of what Trek could truly be. It was not only great science fiction, it was also intelligent, and had a beautiful love story.

Your recent teaser truly evoked the sense of awe and wonder that The Motion Picture captured. I was captured by it.

Without giving away any plot points, would you say we can expect to finally see Trek boldly return to those roots, and without repeating the mistakes of The Motion Picture, merge the best of the original series with the best of what I consider the most grand and intelligent of all the Trek films?

One more…

Concerning the release date…. In the past we German fans often times had to wait for weeks til the Trek movies showed up in our movie theaters. Is Dec. 25 a nation- or world-wide release date?

Thx !

Mr. Abrams,
Thanks for taking time out of your schedule. Will we see a “tip of the hat” to the other series in the movie?

J.J.! Can we expect more viral marketing like ncc-1701.com? I thought Blair Witch’s, A.I.’s, and Cloverfield’s viral sites were not only fun, but brought a sense of depth to the films that two screen hours alone would not. It is nice to be rewarded for taking the time to immerse in that world too…

PS. I am looking to see cadets ordering Slusho in the mess hall, so please don’t forget to slide it in there somewhere!

Hi J.J.!! I’m from Brazil and we here are looking forward to see this new Star Trek.

I just want to know one thing…..will Giacchino’s score feature one of the themes from previous movies.?? Jerry Goldsmith’s… for example…

Live Long and Prosper JJ…..you jave a strong fan base here in Brazil…..this I can tell you……sorry for the bad english…..

signing off!!!!

do u feel restricted by the star trek cannon and fans in any way it must be a big pressure to take on a franchise like ST ?

I absolutely love the teaser trailer. Since this shows the assembly of the Enterprise will we see her christening? And if so should it include Jonathon Archer (Scott Bakula) as established in Star Trek Enterprise? (In in a Mirror Darkly the history of Archer was established as have christened the NCC-1701 and died the next day)

Since you acknowledged on the Howard Stern Show yesterday that time travel was involved in some way in the new TREK movie, did the decision to employ Nimoy in the film, dictate the choice of using time travel once again in a TREK film?

Has the reaction to the teaser trailer been what you expected?

Hey, JJ. I was wondering if you could discuss how Simon Pegg came to be cast as Scotty. Did he audition or did you have him in mind from your previous collaboration on M:I:3? I’m just wondering as I am a huge fan of his work and was totally blown away when I found out he was cast as Scotty. It seemed to come right out of the blue and was simply amazing for someone who is both a fan of Star Trek and as I have said, a fan of Pegg’s work.

Dear Mr. Abrams,

As I grew up with Star Trek: Next Generation rather than the Original Series (although, I do dearly love them both), have you and your team included a lot of references to the 24th century Next Generation universe with the older Spock’s character as played by Leonard Nimoy? I realize that my question might lead to some potential spoilers, but any generalizations on the subject are so greatly appreciated!

There’s been much debate aroung the “look” of the new film. Was any research done regarding the original drawings/designs on TOS, as opposed to what ultimately appeared on the show? In other words, did you find inspiration in those early design ideas or did you take your ques from what actually made it on-screen? P.S. Loved the gritty “real world” look of the trailer!