Interview – Orci Talks Casting, Characters, Canon…and Kirks

In the first part of the TrekMovie.com exclusive interview with Star Trek co-writer and executive producer Roberto Orci we learned the scribe is a true Trek fan right down to his USS Enterprise phone and phaser collection. In the second part presented below Orci talks in more detail about the 2008 feature film including a status report on casting, more detail on their approach to canon, discussing what characters we may see in this film (and the next), how the film will appeal Trekkies and non Trekkies….oh and a little bit on that Shatner guy too.

TrekMovie.com: So I understand you recently completed the second big draft of the script. How different is this one from the original?

Roberto Orci: It is better. It is tighter. The villain is much better; in a first draft you tend to focus on your heroes. And I got to say that a lot of the things we read on TrekMovie.com contributed to the second rewrite.

TrekMovie.com: Really? There are thousands of comments…so which geniuses are the ones that made the difference in the script?

Roberto Orci: It is a collective thing, we take it all in. It is no joke that I  read every post and so does [co-writer] Alex [Kurtzman].

TrekMovie.com: Will the possible Writers Guild strike effect the script?

Roberto Orci: Well it won’t effect anything because the strike would start when we are shooting so we will have the script finished by then. Any changes between now and then will be based on casting. Once we have the actors we will want to tailor it to their voices.

TrekMovie.com: There have been lots of casting rumors flying but so far there have only been 2 actors confirmed since Comic-Con: Zoë Saldana as Uhura and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. So are there other people you guys have signed up that we just haven’t heard of yet?

Roberto Orci: Nope that’s it. We have ideas and some of those rumored out there we are considering. We are not hiding anything as some people on your site are speculating. It is not uncommon and we are trying to come up with the best cast as possible and as long as we get them by shooting that is all we care about.

TrekMovie.com: So far you guys have only officially confirmed Kirk, Spock and now Uhura and Chekov. So can you confirm that McCoy is in as well as Scotty and Sulu?

Roberto Orci: I don’t know how you can have Uhura without Bones. So yes it is the original crew.

TrekMovie.com: J.J. [Abrams] has said the film is Spock-centric, but does the young Kirk have as big a role as Quinto’s Spock?

Roberto Orci: Totally! It is Lennon and McCartney. However Spock’s role is key in that we also have Nimoy. Having said that Kirk is Star Trek and he is as essential.

TrekMovie.com: What about Bones? The Kirk/Spock/McCoy ‘troika’ is also quintessential Trek, with McCoy being the counterpoint to Spock and Kirk in the middle.

Roberto Orci: That is a big part of what we are doing. You are correct that their interaction and how they face the impossible is what Trek is about and that is no different in our movie.


Trek’s classic troika part of new film

TrekMovie.com: Beyond the regulars – might we see other familiar faces, such as Kyle, Rand, Chapel, etc.?

Roberto Orci: Yes. I can’t say which. We are aware of all of them, but we are mindful that you can’t just try and stuff everything into a first movie just to stuff it in. Our hope is that this is ‘movie one’ of several and so anyone who gets omitted is immediately on the list for movie two. It is a factor of what can one movie tolerate and how well can a character be serviced and if they can’t be serviced correctly we would rather do it well later than do it poorly now.

TrekMovie.com: One of the reported characters is a ‘Federation Captain’ was that Pike or just another captain?

Roberto Orci: It was not necessarily Pike. One of the things we are trying to do in this movie is introduce a general audience to Starfleet. Captain Kirk was not the only captain in Starfleet.

TrekMovie.com: That brings up a bit of a pet peeve of mine with previous Trek films. So often other captains were set up as patsies – like Harriman in  Generations or Styles from Search for Spock. Perhaps it was a way to make Kirk look good, but it made it look like he was almost a fluke and the rest were losers.

Roberto Orci: Ya I totally agree with you and we don’t have that. Being a captain in Starfleet should be a special position and we don’t feel that another captain has to be diminished in order to elevate Captain Kirk. If you are a captain in Starfleet you are a cool mother f—er.


Surely Starfleet can do better than this

TrekMovie.com: Speaking of captains I have one more casting question which is burning in the minds of many Trekkies…what about Shatner?

Roberto Orci: What J.J. said at Comic-Con [story] is still true. We are actively perusing looking for a way to make a part that is worthy of him and that is not pandering to either his role in Star Trek or to the fans.

TrekMovie.com: You guys have resisting labels for this film such as remake, reboot, etc….even prequel. Prequel has a pretty basic definition so what is wrong with calling it that?

Roberto Orci: But yet it is not entirely accurate. In some senses it is a prequel, but the word I would use, which is how Damon [Lindelof] describes it, is a re-invigoration or re-vitalization.

TrekMovie.com: So your point is since Nimoy’s Spock would at least start well after the TOS period, then it isn’t exactly a prequel.

Roberto Orci: Exactly, Nimoy’s Spock is very much in line with canon.


Last Spock sighting – TNG’s "Unification"

TrekMovie.com: You guys have said this will respect canon and ‘fill a gap’ but you are also trying to make a new movie for a new audience. Why aren’t you doing what they did with Batman Begins and just start over and avoid opening yourself up to the critiques on breaking with canon?

Roberto Orci: The reason we aren’t starting over is because the people involved, both fans and behind the scenes, have worked so hard to specify what is canon –  then to simply ignore it would be unnecessary. There is so much about The Original Series that is worth continuing. It is not like Batman where you can ignore everything. That being said there are some things that have never been specified fully in canon that we take liberties with.

TrekMovie.com: I imagine that it is all a matter of degrees. Some fans are pretty flexible and others can be ‘strict constructionists’…just like different constitutional viewpoints.

Roberto Orci: It is funny you should say it that way. We very much treat these decisions like the Supreme Court and previous Supreme Court decisions are not turned over lightly. If they are overturned it is with the spirit of Star Trek as the guiding principle. Part of the reason we are purposely not saying if it is a reboot or not is that the solution we have for maintaining canon while liberating us is inherently part of what the story is and something we are reluctant to give away.

TrekMovie.com: Does this respect for canon cover both the script and the approach to the designs, such as the Enterprise.

Roberto Orci: So many of the design decisions are so faithful to what it was, much more faithful that you might imagine. We are trying to be so true to The Original Series in both look and the characterizations. And the Enterprise design is awesome.  

TrekMovie.com: Trek fandom is not monolithic. Not every Trek fan likes The Original Series and some fans are feeling a little left out. So my question is – is this movie still for them?

Roberto Orci: Obviously my answer is yes. If you are a true Trek fan there is a common thread through each series when it is really working that is that about meeting the impossible and overcoming your differences to face it. You do not need to be an Original Series fan or even a sci-fi fan to enjoy this movie. It is not about selling an audience on sci-fi. It is like with Mission Impossible III. It is about getting them engaged in amazing characters that you love and being with them when they face the impossible – be it sci-fi or be it an ‘impossible mission’ or be it the shock of meeting sentient alien robots as in Transformers.

TrekMovie.com: You once told me that you will be putting in ‘continuity nuggets’ as little Easter eggs for the fans. Will some of those be related to the other series like TNG?

Roberto Orci: We got some TNG stuff in there for sure. I made sure of that. And there should be a little something from everything, but for me personally it is all about Next Generation and The Original Series because those are the shows that really set down the rules for Trek that the other shows picked up on. We are also trying to do a lot of what Enterprise was doing in terms of a prequel and some of the corners of Star Trek which were mainly defined by Deep Space Nine are covered to a certain degree.

TrekMovie.com: So are we talking about little references like the name of a ship, like the USS Archer in Star Trek Nemesis?

Roberto Orci: Our references are bigger than that and more pivotal to the story. But I love that little stuff too and we are doing that as well.


An ‘Enterprise Easter Egg’ in Star Trek Nemesis

TrekMovie.com: You have talked about making Star Trek relevant again, how are you going to do that?

Roberto Orci: I think when a lot of people think of Star Trek they think of it as some other kind of fantasy world. What we want people to see is that the future that Gene Roddenberry created, of Star Trek and Starfleet and Starfleet Academy and the Federation, are extension of what might happen…maybe tomorrow. One of the things we are trying to do with this movie is connect it back to today. How we got from here to how we got to Captain Kirk on the Enterprise.

TrekMovie.com: I imagine part of the plan to appeal to a general audience must factor in appealing beyond the usual male sci-fi demographic. Looking at your and Alex and J.J.’s work one can see that you guys like to have strong female characters. So can we expect women that do more than just answer the space phone?

Roberto Orci: [Laughs] Ya totally. In my totally unscientific observations Star Trek seems to attract more women than other sci-fi properties,  nonetheless there is clearly room for growth. That is one of the main ingredients we are looking at is to connect every gender to Star Trek; particularly since Trek is so much about equality and women’s rights. It is one of those things have to be re-emphasize. All of our wives – mine, Alex’s, J.J.’s and Damon’s – were very helpful in making sure this script was accessible for women.


Kick ass women of Xena, Alias, M:I:III & Transformers

TrekMovie.com: There has really been a lot of secrecy related to this project. So my question is…why? And is there a plan to roll things out over the next year?

Roberto Orci: We do have a plan to reveal things in a timely manner that is not just waiting until the very end. But to get to why all the secrecy I always use the example of Terminator 2. I, and everyone really, went into that knowing that Schwarzenegger was a good terminator. So in that scene in the hallway where poor little John Connor is surrounded by terminators – imagine that scene if you didn’t know that Arnold was good – you would have thought that kid was dead meat and the reveal that Schwarzenegger was good would have been mind blowing. So one of the reasons for the secrecy is that we are into wanting the audience to feel the full impact of the story twists. This is something we have dealt with before, like on Transformers, the fans want to know when their surprise party is. The secrecy is not about us being coy or embarrassed but for us wanting to maximize those moments of surprise for the audience. We think it is not withholding from the fans but trying to give them that surprise party.  

TrekMovie.com: Are you guys thinking about sequels yet.

Roberto Orci: Our objective is to make a good movie…period. Our only goal and mandate is to make a good Star Trek movie, but counting on the fact that if it is good then sequels will take care of themselves. We are not going to save anything for later. Our hope that this earns us the stewardship of future movies but we are not arrogant enough to count on that. All that being said, if it was my choice, I would do Star Trek for the rest of my life.


Surprise!?!

 

Read Part 1 of the TrekMovie.com interview with Roberto Orci 

 

On behalf of the TrekMovie.com community I want to thank Bob for all his fan outreach. I really think all the post Comic-Con communications have made a difference. – Anthony Pascale

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GREAT INTERVIEW!

Thank you!!!

I still don’t see how the original cast can be replaced and still have the same chemistry. I’m hoping for the best, but I’m expecting the worst.

First :-) It is just a few minutes past noon in germany…

To Roberto: I have trust in you….make a good movie!

A great interview, really good.

I like the idea of picking up ideas from Trekmovie and the other trek sites. You know, the internet is one of the largest brainstorming sessions ever created. Its good that they can cherry pick the good stuff.

I like the way the info is trickling out. My main problem is that I WANT TO KNOW, but I DONT at the same time. As time wears on i’m going to be reading these threads through my fingers.

Which may make it very difficult to type…

Please have Shatner as Kirk in there. I am so excited about what I have heard about this movie so far, but if we all miss the chance to she Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock again it will break my heart and some time down the line we will all regret it deeply…

5# Only if the story demands it.

Dont just shoehorn him in for the sake of it.

Wow, you guys really need to get moving on the casting issue…. The shooting is still scheduled to November 5th, right?

Anyway, Thanks for the interview.

P.S. any chance that we will see some of the designs anytime soon?

It’s Original Star Trek. How can the story not demand it?

I think, if need be, a break with continuity that fans would forgive would be ignoring the whole nexus/death of Kirk thing.

Or, if the rumours about Spock going back in time to save the Trek timeline but it getting slightly changed in the process are true, have Spock save the Federation etc, but let one of the side effects/changes be that in the new timelines present, which Spock presumably returns to at the end of the film, Kirk is alive, so Spock gets to see his old friend again.

It could be made to work. Actually, I quite like that idea. Well I would wouldn’t I?

Sorry about typing and spelling. Busy Monday morning going at the same time!

Nice interview. Seems to me that the movie is in great hands. Couldn’t ask for more.

“Kirk is Star Trek”

Now that is a quote I have been waiting to hear! Say what you want about the other captains like that baldheaded Picard or the wimpy Archer but Kirk would wipe their butts in a second- he’s smart, tough and intelligent (he’s a true leader who uses his crew to the best of their abilities- with Spock’s cold, hard logic and Bones’ humanism they are an unbeatable combination) and is the complete symbol of what Trek is about!

Do this right, Mr. Orci- I have faith in you.

– What J.J. said at Comic-Con [story] is still true. We are actively perusing looking for a way to make a part that is worthy of him and that is not pandering to either his role in Star Trek or to the fans. –

Mr. Orci, it’s up to you, you can make it happen – take this unique chance!

Thank you for a very interesting interview – there’s still hope…

Congratulations.

I was a boy in the 60`s, and I follow Star Trek since then, I loved your way of think about the script.

In my opinion, more than Spock or Kirk, the reason behind the sucess was Gene Rodenberry and his filosofy, his way of thinking what should be the future.

Tank you very mutch.

You can count with our support.

Mauro, São Paulo – Brasil

Great interview! I’ve been coming to the site regularly for some time now but this is my first post. So that you know where I’m coming from in Trekkie terms – I love the Original Series but also appreciate and enjoy the newer series. I’ve got to say, I’m really up for this movie and I like everything that’s being said by Orci and Co. I have absolutely no problem with other actors assuming the roles, but I really do want to see Nimoy and the Shat up there together one last time – even if it’s only for a moment! Please guys, while you’re at it, undo Generations and give us back a future with James T alive and well!
Sean.

PS. You might be interested to know how big an international fanbase this site/movie has – I’m in Cyprus. Where’s everyone else from?

that was an great interview…..i cant believe some comments regarding the story have been taken on board in the rewrite.

Sorry Anthony – you posted your “pointless shatner in the movie debate” comment while I was still typing my post. I hope you’ll let me have that one – I won’t pursue it, honest!
Great site, by the way!

Fantastic Interview. But Orci & Co, if you read this: make Paul McGillin Scotty! There is no other, who has deserved that role.

UK and this was my first time posting today aswell. Getting very positive vibes about this film and of course I will see it if Shat is in or not, but if he’s not then it’ll be like missing a chance to see Lennon and Macca together again.

IMAGINE the goodwill from geeks and fanboys/girls they will get towards this project if they could get him in there and make it work.

This film and Indy next year. Paramount will own me!

sounds like it’ll be a ‘re-quel’

That Orci fella clearly knows what he’s doing. Good to feel like the franchise in the hands of big game hitters.

A great 2nd part to an awesome interview. THANK YOU Anthony & Mr Orci for taking the time, I especially like this quote:

“..a re-invigoration or re-vitalization.”

I think thats perfect and EXACTLY what Trek needs, a recharging of the batteries! Put some cool (Trek cool? Oh Yeah baby!), kick-ass juice back into the franchise whilst still staying true to the core of all that Trek was/is. Picking the original series characters is just perfect for that, they were an iconic part of the 20th Century….make them an iconic part of the 21st Century!!

Besides who hasn’t heard of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty??? Beam me up Scotty! Classic! Speaking of Scotty, lets hope fans opinions count because Paul McGillion would be PERFECT casting for the role!!! ***assuming human pretzel*** Do you look at how fans reaction to rumours of casting for who you pick?

Regardless of who is/isn’t in this movie, another BIG Thank You to Mr Orci, your comments, insights and true love for all things ‘Trek’ has got this fan’s vote of confidence!!!

Damn its gonna be a long 14 months waiting to see this movie!

Anthony, I understand you 100% and totally agree. The story is what comes first. Again, thanks for the site, and for building such an exceptional relationship with the team behind the scenes. It’s great to feel that what’s said here actually has an effect on what will appear on the screen.

Anthony, I can understand that you don’t want this to become another thread about fans yelling for Shatner to be in the movie. But as Roberto Orci is stopping by here, posting comments, it seems to be the only way to be heard, to get feedback about it and to know that someone in charge, someone who can change things is around here.
I won’t say put Shatner into the movie again, as I have said it many times. last time here as #132
https://trekmovie.com/2007/10/04/interview-roberto-orci-on-why-he-is-a-trekkie/#235301
with a proposal as to how to include Shatner into the movie ;)
Sorry, couldn’t resist ;)

But I would like to discuss the enemy a bit more. I think it would be great to have a human as the enemy. If it is an alien (maybe a Romulan) I think the threat would drift away into a more fantastical one. A human enemy would be more fearsome as imho the threat would be more real (even in a sci-fi-movie)…
It is like in the Alien-movies. There have been those cruel aliens but the most fearsome enemy has been the traitor which was human. Ripley said something like that in Aliens: “I don’t know which race is more evil, but I doubt that this one will kill for money.”
And the “best” enemy in a Star Trek movie has been Khan, who was a human…

Hi again. Just wanted to say I completely respect other peoples views that are not the same as mine and I honestly don’t have an agenda.

As I said I will see this movie no matter who is in it, but as a regular reader of this site in recent months I was overwhelmed with excitment after reading the interview this morning and just wanted to add my opinion on the whole ‘Shat’ debate.

Obviously with filming starting next month we are in for a glut of news and I can’t wait.

This is a great site and I will keep coming back for more, because frankly, at the moment, certain other movie news sites seem to be lacking where this film is concerned.

I hope JJ and co give us a few more bits and bobs leading up to Christmas to keep us going!

Just had a worrying thought… what if this movie doesn’t even get a cinema release here in Cyprus?! Nemesis didn’t (although I guess a lot of people will reckon we dodged a bullet there!)
Oh well, I guess a holiday in UK might be called for around Christmas 08!
Why the hell not… to be honest, I’d jump on a plane if there was a chance of being an extra in this one – even if it meant I got a red shirt and a Wilhelm scream!

You don’t want to be in the UK right no Arcadian, I’m freezing my backside off at me desk!!!

Obviously I meant right now…. laptops fault.

I love Shatner, in his prime and at his best he was unbelievably powerful, attractive and necessary, He is not necessary in this film and I would NOT use him. That may seem harsh but i truly feel it’s the right decision. Let Nimoy have his day to give this new start the proper beginning. Don’t dirty the new river with “stuffing Shatner into the script”

Remember in first contact when James Cromwell said ” you guys are on some kind of Star Trek” It was ridiculous and stupid, a line shoved in for the fans. Don’t do shit like that in this film. Keep it real, real sci-fi is always better sci-fi. And no guys with rubber heads and a Jersey accent please, use subtitles for aliens.

LET SHATNER stay in bed on this one Orci, just make the best Star Trek based sci fi film you can possible make

regarding referencing the other shows – it sounds like there will definitely be TNG stuff but i wouldn’t hold my breath for any Enterprise, DS9 or Voyager….when he referes to Ent its just saying that they are doing the same as what they did – a prequel..and “some of the corners of Star Trek which were mainly defined by Deep Space Nine are covered to a certain degree.”

That’ll just be certain darker, conflicting elements that that series exemplified…

29 – Wha? i thought that First Contact ‘startrek’ line was great!

I do agree about rubber headed aliens though – i think all fans have had it up to here with the Michael Westmore alien of the week speaking in a perfect american accent

Sounds like they’re going to do a great job.

I’m still concerned about continuity though – especially visual continuity.
I hope they don’t change the original Enterprise design too much – it’s a timeless classic !! I could live with a few “tweaks” though, perhaps more intricate detailing on the exterior hull etc.
As for the bridge design, I hope they are faithful to the original blueprints in that they have the same basic layout, but perhaps they could update the computer displays and have sophisticated graphics that put out meaningful information instead of just random blinking lights.

I guess they face the same challange that Berman & Co. faced when creating Enterprise in 2001 – it’s all about creating a good balance between the “retro” elements and the new elements.
You want it to look cool, you want a modern audience to believe that this could one day be a “real” spaceship but you also want to see that they are being faithful and respectful to the original.
It has to be close enough to the original designs so that it can “blend” with the original series and not look completely out of place, but also has to incorporate modern ideas / 21st century production values.

“It is no joke that I read every post and so does [co-writer] Alex [Kurtzman]”

Trekness confirmed. You have soul.

Wow, nice to hear they read our posts… that being said…

I really really hope the back story of McCoy’s divorce is revealed. I love the idea that he was not another cookie-cutter academy graduate. And it really suits his personality that he wasn’t. Joining the fleet to escape the pain of the divorce just really adds great dimension to his humanity…
and McCoy is nothing if not the voice of humanity on Trek.

And yes, stick to the designs!! we love them!

After reading these interviews, my sense of pride in Star Trek has returned…

…all the negativity and closed-mindedness of the crotchety neo-con-Trekkers be damned. These guys have a job to do, and quite frankly, it sounds like we could be a hell of a lot worse off, i.e. Stuart Baird. I’m sorry for those that expect the worst; I would have hoped that the core of Trek would have taught them otherwise.

Godspeed Orci.

Sounds nice.

I hope Orci means what he says!
I would love to see a Spock centered movie, he is in some ways the best character in whole Trek.

I would also love to see some secondary characters like Pike and I know that you can’t left out Kirk .
But the whole TOS-crew? I don’t know – I can only hope there won’t be all those characters as crew on the Enterprise and than on the other hand I don’t want to run accidental in some later cremate every 15 minutes.
I would included Spock, Kirk + McCoy from the main crew at most but we will see.

And If you guys at the helm of the movie manage to get nods to “Deep Space Nine” and “Enterprise” without it feels forced – yay!
I hope there are some darker (emotional and optical) scenes in it but overall I somehow expect it to be light.

I hope for some deep character conflicts between in within some crucial characters and please don’t make the badguy that a BADguy – no James Bond, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings kind of 2 dimensional baddy.

I’m also glad to here that there seems to be more than another ship story – make it epic with lots of planets, ships, stations and please introduce a decent creature (you klnow that big animals whichj aren’t humanoid like in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and stuff) or two to the Trek movie franchise. Not that there were plenty or even enough in the shows anyway…

Back to the “glad not another ship story” thing: there seems to be a parallel or more likely alternate universe storyline which would be – grab your seat – NEW to the Trek movie franchise.
Can’t belive such things could happen in my lifetime…

OK good luck you guys and I’m for sure excited and can’t wait for the final movie!

So basically, we are no longer allowed to discuss the idea of Shatner in the movie. Hopefully the producers will not treat the silence as a sudden lack of interest but rather a censorship.

No problem.

As for the references to other Treks, please keep the references to Enterprise either to a minimum or nonexistent. There’s a reason that this was the least watched Trek show in history. For one, it didn’t fit with canon. It’s impossible to reconcile the events of that show with the other ones. The technology alone saw to that.

Good interview.
But as others have said- come on guys, get that cast sorted!

Really good interview guys, thanks.

Awesome interview!

And guys, if you do read these comments, it would be sooo awesome if you got a small cameo part for an older Scott Bakula or Jolene Blalock! It’d really honor all those who worked on Enterprise, plus treat all those people who wanted to “Save Enterprise”.

Remember, film is art therefore its subjective so they’re not going to please all! Everyone involved in this movie has a hell of a task, a 41 year old fandom to contend with (they’re not going to please everyone no matter what) and the need to balance that out and draw in a whole new generation of cinema goers. That being said, as much as I would love to see the folk I grew up watching involved, the story HAS to come first and formost! This film can not be exclusive to only Trek fans, it has to be accessible and enjoyable to the vast majority! It has to be SUCCESSFUL and I think we’re bloody lucky the folk involved actually have a respect for Trek and its fans…I’d take that as a positive and big blessing!

They seem to be trying to honour the spirit of all things ‘Trek’ so far, as much as any fan could ask for. Trek’s spirit was about being positive, embracing the future and change… we have to be realistic about the fact this isn’t going to be the Trek as was (unless someone invents a time machine) and I dont think I want it to be. It’s not a replacement, its a continuation!

And without sounding like a completely numpty cheeseball, let’s trying to practice a little of what we loved, preached!

P.s. #27 I’m freezing my bum off in a air-conned edit suite in the UK right now too. Obviously the kit is more important that my fingers and toes!

Excellent interview! Thanks Anthony. I’m really jonesing to see some of the designs ie the Enterprise etc. Hopefully this is not of those ‘surprise’ items that has to be held back to the very end. I’m assuming that changes in the time line go back far enough, pre-Kirk ie probably with his dad, so that any technological differences between ST11 and canon will be attributed to that.

I like Orci’s take on things and if you are combing these threads for feedback I’ll repeat this again – No TrekBabble!

Also, the confirmation that Nimoy’s Spock picks up in ST11 with canon continuity in place is really gratifying to hear.

TrekMovie.com: Does this respect for canon cover both the script and the approach to the designs, such as the Enterprise.

Roberto Orci: So many of the design decisions are so faithful to what it was, much more faithful that you might imagine…And the Enterprise design is awesome.

OK now… is Orci saying that the *original* design for the Enterprise is awesome (and he won’t be messin’ with it much), or the *new* design for the Enterprise is awesome? Personally I’m fine with tweaking the look as long as we still have something recognizable… I’m just dying of curiosity here to see what they’ve come up with.

@ #40

Old Archer in the TOS timeframe is hardly possible but I second the wish of old T’Pol appearing somewhere in that early TOS timeframe.

This would be a passing on the torch like McCoy in the TNG pilot, Picard in the DS9 pilot, Kirk in Generations, Quark in the VOY pilot and Cochrane in the ENT pilot.

Re: Roberto Orco

I’m right with you on the T2 reference. I’ve always watched that scene and said, “Man, if the previews hadn’t given it away…”

HOW?

How do you stay true and replace the crew. Bring all of them together even though Chekov wasn’t an original. And then say its canon. Canon of another timeline? That seems gay. It could just be me and Im sorry for offending.

I guess when 6 million fans are involved I’d beat every inch of a dead horse, back up over it with a runabout, and beat it some more!

#37 The whole “ENT wasn’t canon” is not true! They were very respectfull of canon, and when they “violated” it, they just streched it a little.
For a show, how is set before the original 60s series, they did a good job. Please give some respect to the creaters and cast of ENT. If that show came 10 years earlier, they would have made 7 seasons as well. Look how lame the first season of TNG was… With today’s audience (and studio heads), who can tell for sure which series is good and which not. They cancelled “Firefly” too, which was also a gread series. Noone knows why…

ENT is part of ST canon says Paramount. This is also my opinion. So if the writers of STXI decide to make a litte reference to ENT, so be it. Damn, why not put a Xindi on the Enterprise…. (I hear the complaints on that comment coming…)

#37: “There’s a reason that this was the least watched Trek show in history.”

Yeah, the same reason that DS9 was less watched than TNG and “Voyager” was less watched than DS9.

Every series after TNG was less watched than the one before.

So, it’s not the reason you want to think.

Bring on the references to the other Trek shows, including “Enterprise.”

#47 you won’t hear many complains, but you will hear a lot of ‘whats a xindi?’
Anthony, Roberto must slip you a few tidbits, on the quiet? Go on, tell us a couple. Roberto will never find out- I won’t tell him! ;)

I’d like to know what the villain will be?!?!?!?!