More Rumored ‘Star Trek’ Plot Details [UPDATED: TOS Writer Reacts]

IESB.net are reporting to have nabbed some more plot details.

…warning possible SPOILERS below.
UPDATE: A TOS writer has responded to the latest rumors (below)

Read the full IESB.net article for their full report, but it can be summarized thusly

  • (Probably TNG era) Romulans (led by ‘Nero’) use the Guardian of Forever to go back and Kill Kirk
  • Older Spock goes back and enlists the help of younger Spock (before he met Kirk) to set things right
  • Audience first introduced to Kirk when he is performing the Kobayashi Maru test

This is all fairly plausible and is along the lines of the original AICN plot rumors. TrekMovie.com had already confirmed that the plot involves time traveling Romulans and that the Kobayashi Maru scenario will be seen. Recently a source told TrekMovie.com that older Spock (and presumably the Romulans) are ‘post-TNG era.’ Probably the biggest new item in the above story would the inclusion of the Guardian of Forever (the sentient time portal from “City on the Edge of Forever”). One source recently told TrekMovie.com that something like the GoF was being built on the Paramount lot, but this was dismissed by another source who said that this was more likely the opening to a cave. Perhaps they both were right.

So it looks more and more like the new Star Trek will be akin to what are considered the best episodes of TOS and TNG respectively: “City on the Edge of Forever” and “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” It is worth noting that writer Roberto Orci listed “Yesterday’s Enterprise” as one of his favorite episodes and said that it (along with the Romulan-centered “Balance of Terror”) were episodes the team “referred to collectively.”

…but remember all these reports are still officially rumors.


Is the Guardian another star of ‘Star Trek’?

UPDATE: Ellison reacts
Harlan Ellison, the original writer of “City on the Edge of Forever” has not reacted well to the rumors that The Guardian will make an appearance in the new Stare Trek movie. Here is a message on his site.

THAT STAR TREK BUSINESS

Would someone go to that site, and suggest to those people there, that “City” and all its elements EXCEPT specific Star Trek characters, belong to Harlan Ellison–author of that much-lauded episode–by terms of the Separation of Rights clause of the Writers Guild’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA), and if Mr. Abrams–with whom I’m currently on strike–or anyone else, at Paramount or elsewhere, thinks they’re going to use MY creations–whether the City, the Guardians, Sister Edith Keeler, or any other elements CREATED BY HARLAN ELLISON…they had damned well better lose the unilateral arrogance, get in touch with me, or my agent, Marty Shapiro, and be prepared to pay for the privilege of mining the lode I own.

Thank you, and thank Peter David, who just called to alert me, as have you, Mark, to yet another gimmegimme grab by Paramount and the Star trek francchise that makes billions, but withholds recognition or recompense to the artists who labored in that vein.

Yr. Pal, Harlan

Of course Ellison is famous for his feud with Roddenberry over COTEOF, but Paramount and Trek aren’t the only ones to feel the sting of Harlan, as this recent clip shows: [warning…Ellison uses many ‘colorful metaphors’]

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Wow.

Love the GOF being back. With today’s effects as well.

Nice. But I got the impression that the movie will cover several periods in Kirk’s and Spock’s lives. Will the Romulans be jumping in and out of the guardian? And why would a story about trying to kill Kirk have Spock’s parents. And if we the first time we see Kirk he is taking the Kobiashi Maru test, then how come they casted a 24 year old as Kirk’s dad?

does not sound “oh so original” but not bad either. hope they pull it sweetly.

Hmm… perhaps the second unit filming in Iceland will be for background plates for the Guardian of Forever planet:

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Image:Guardian_of_Forever%2C_2269.jpg

Where is the unknown, boldly go, science stuff?

Now they’re usurping the Guardian of Forever. Shudder…

I don’t believe anything until I see it…

This would be excactly the plot all fans expect, I still think that we will all be surprised…

Given that the adult Spock has no recollection of meeting his post TNG self, I would think that this represents the “reboot”. The trouser leg of time will result in an “Ultimate” universe opening up, allowing Abrams to make canon changes in sequels.

I reckon.

So, given that post-TNG Spock has no recollection of meeting himself like this, I guess this is how the movie will re-boot as well as stick with canon. Abrams open up the trouser leg of time and an “ultimate” Trek universe will be born, allowing Abrams tomake changes in canon should he wish.

Also, in 15 years when the franchise needs another shot in the arm, he can begin to re-cast Jean-Luc and chums.

Sorry for the double post. I thought I lost the first one.

Once again, I am sick and tired of time travel. I f I never saw any time travel stories ever again, that would make my day. Too Too much of it. Especially in Enterprise. However, I know that JJ abrams has associated his name only with great projects thus far. Let us hope that this story is either really good, or that the detail given are false, something for us to latch onto while they work on the real story behind the scenes

PS. Not first, but closer then I usually get

re Matt #8,9,10, [tisk tisk]

Who said Spock has no recollection of meeting his former self?!?!
Do you know everything in his awsome Vulcan mind?!?!??
…and what of it?

I think this is a fantastic!

JJ, just give us a solid, exciting, GOOD Trek and I’ll be happy the torch… {or Phaser} was passed on to you!

this might be why shat has not been formally cast…

if he were, that might suggest to some that he will be saved and return to life at the end… back to the future style

theyre keeping his involvement a secret – without everyone thinking he is in the movie – then HE IS! big surprise at the end!

if its true, i’ve just ruined it

Ha! I predicted in an earlier post that IF they opened the movie with us seeing a young Kirk (centre seat) in the middle of a space battle, and it turned out to be the Kobayashi Maru test, then they have run out of ideas!

Hmmmm, I’ll forgive them as long as they don’t OPEN the film that way!!

lose any TNG reference. Loses credibility (for lack of a better phrase) to me. I could tolerate a nod or two, but nothing intricate to the plot.

Why would TNG Romulans want to kill Kirk? In fact, why would the Romulans want to kill Kirk at all? I think he only dealt with them 3 times in the original series (balance of terror, the deadly years, and the Enterprise Incident.) He never even dealt with them in the movies. It’s always been the Klingons that had beef with Kirk. Why the Romulans? They never had beef with Kirk.

And are they going to try to kill Kirk at birth or kill him at a really young age? Maybe just kill his one of his parents before they even meet each other?

No, that would be TOO EASY.

They’re probably going to a time when he’s older and in the academy (or out of it) to go for the kill. And if they do that, that would be really dumb on their part.

This plotting has more holes than the guardian itself. But hey, maybe I am wrong. I really hope I’m wrong though and they have a VERY logical explanation for everything.

If the Guardian in the City at the Edge of Forever is part of the story I wonder how they will explain it to the general audience that hasn’t seen the TOS episode.
Also, if all know about the Guardian, why is everyone waiting until now to use it? I think there would have been many other (maybe better) occassions to use it to go back in time to change the timeline…

And old Spock talking with young Spock about his friendship with Kirk?
“Hey, you will meet this great guy, who will become your best friend!” Seems cheesy.

Then I at least hope that he says this, too to show how deep their friendship really is: “And by the way, he will bring you back to life, but you won’t do the same for him!” ;)

One of the Peter David novels – Imzadi I believe – stated tht the Gauradin was kept in a secure scientific enclosure. Not to be used, only to be studied. It’s possible Abrams will havea similar thing, with the Romulans breaking in.

Argh, not time travel!! Although I think Abrams & co though are too smart to leak anything as important as this – something smells fishy.

I wonder if Bart LaRue is still alive to do the voice of the Guardinan. “Many such journeys are possible…let me be your gateway.”

There is another thing. If Spock really meets his young self and introduces himself as being old Spock from the future, then young Spock knows that he doesn’t die in Star Trek 2. His question to Kirk in Star Trek 3, why he did it would be pointless.

#21. Not really. Just because knows something’s going to happen doesn’t mean he understands why it’s going to happen.

I knew it would be the Guardian. For some reason, I just kew it. The only way time travel can still be cool and SFy in Star Trek. Thank god no more spacial anomalies and warp-10-gimmicks… I think this is going te right way.

True #23, I have always been against time travel but instantly the Guardian gives me a happy.

What if Nero or the TNG Romulans were connected to Future Guy? Nice way to tie in ENT. Maybe Future Guy gave up on Archer’s time period & decided to try Kirk’s time period. Dunno. Just a thought been rolling around in my head for a while. If the whole Future Guy thing was resolved in ENT, I don’t remember – plot got so thick during the Xindi war season & I don’t remember all details.

There’s been a lot of time travel & it can get old, especially when you’re looking for exploration & seeking new life, etc. But First Contact was successful & it had time travel so there’s hope.

Time Travel… whatever happened to ‘To boldly go where no one has gone before?’

Speaking if time travel…All the producers have to do is have Spock hold his hand up to young Kirks head at some point and say “remember”. It could take two seconds thats all. One world could bring the old Kirk/Shatner back when Spock returns to the future. If that mind meld Spock preformed on Dr. McCoy held all of his spirit and knowledge in TWOK, then it certainly could work as a dire warning for a young Kirk as well. Just my thoughts but I think a pretty simple but effective method for Shatners return….

re 16

Lets start with it may be too soon to latch on to this idea as fact, but either way I have faith in Abrams strenghts of storytelling and characterization.

What I find really interesting is that in the last movie the TNG era Romulans (Remans) were out to Kill Picard,… Now they’re out to kill Kirk?!?

I think it’s a bit repetetive.

Doug L.

if this is true the movie will be freaken sweet,

#21 as I said a couple of days ago, if the Old Spock tells the Young Spock that he’s his cousin Selek, who helped him when he was a child.. there’s no problem. In fact, tying in ‘Yesteryear’ would be the aces.

So they want to kill young Kirk after Old Kirk is dead? Interesting.

I don’t really like TT, but if it can work. Sounds like Nimoy will have a more active role than some expected too. Will he tell Young Spock that he is Old Spock I wonder?

I wonder if it will allow a “Jim” moment at the very end? I am betting it will.

#16 “They never had beef with Kirk.”

I think they had Fruit Salad with him ;)

Old Spock could mindmeld with Young Spock to get him up to speed and/or convince him of the truth about his identity. Then either one of the Spocks could mindmeld with Kirk.

Guardian of Forever? Cool!
I always imagined that the Guardian of Forever would be the most simple argument to time travel.
It s easy to explain the no trekkers. It is misterious, nobody know what it is, who built it, what its porpuse…

Imagine, a Guardian of Forever in CG.

Nothing machine building or sobrenatural and impossible phenomenons (Nexus,wormhole, travel around the sun etc.)

Some people think that it would be a Stargate SG-1 in Star Trek.

Obviously this is why Harlin Ellison is upset with Paramount. He was said to be furious.If the guardian in the Movie is a locked down science facility then that would explain the actors scene in 24th century costumes with white lab research clothes. It would also explain the casting calls for people with marching experience because they would need military protection hence the photographs of guys with shorthair and mlitary boots with TNG style turtlenecks under the raincoats.

Question: Why does young Spock join star fleet instead of attending the Vulcan Science Academy?
Possible answer: Because old Spock assigns him the mission of guarding Kirk, etc. Perhaps this explains why Sarek disapproves, since young Spock must keep his motivation secret.

Thoughts?

This is extremely disappointing. After learning about the casting choices and the obvious affection and respect that the filmakers possess for Star Trek, this brings all my hope and optimism crashing to the earth.

Time travel has totally been done to death in ST films and in all the series’. We’ve seen every possible angle on “fixing” the mistakes of the past, snickering over old hairstyles and uniforms, and miserably failing to explain how time paradoxes are resolved. The Romulans and Klingons have also been done to death. Heck, one of the worst disasters in Star Trek history (Nemesis) involved the Romulans as adversaries. Not only that, but by the post-TNG, post-Dominion, and post-Nemisis era; the Romulans are firmly on the road towards lapdogs of the Federation, just as the Klingons have become. It’s totally non-credible (and worse, BORING) that they would, yet-again, be the major adversaries.

Is this the best they can do? They have an entire universe to work with – let’s have some new ideas and villians!

My opinions based on these tidbits:

1: The Romulans are not going to try to kill Kirk based on personal reasons ( like Shinzon in Nemesis ) Kirk will be seen as a pivotal figure on the development of the Federation, turning it into what it becomes in the TNG time period. That’s why they’ll go after him. I think this Nero character will be a rouge Romulan, who is against any peace treaty with the Federation, which is something Spock was working towards when he was on TNG.

2: The Gaurdian of Forever I think will be like the Area 51 of the Federation; something they don’t really understand and have kept under lock and key since discovering it due to the implications it could have in the Galaxy. Rumors will persist through the quadrant of it’s existence, and the Romulans will discover it to be true. Spock of course knows all about it due to his involvment with it when it was discovered.

I think since the movie will likely begin in the post Nemesis era, it would be nice to see at least one Federation ship during this time frame. The writers have said there will be hints of TNG and even DS9 in this movie…it would be interesting if we see a ship ( the Titan?) with crew members populated from TNG, DS9 and Voyager. Of course I’d love a cameo from Picard and the Enterprise-E, but that’s a long shot.

The only part of this concept that would save the movie for me is if the past were “corrected”, but not rebooted exactly to match the established canon. This would allow the “current” (i.e. post-VOY) timeline to have subtle but important changes – LIKE A LIVING KIRK! It’s a good way to erase stupid mistakes that certain past ST has done, with killing Kirk in STVII being the worst.

#37

“Rouge” Romulans????

Hmmmmmm….. I think that it would be going too far to have gay Romulans, transvestite Romulans, or communist Romulans :)

Perhaps you meant “Rogue” ?

Time travel….did not see that coming in Star Trek.

*sigh*

Wait – how about a reboot of Omega Glory – then we can all stand up after the film ends and give a stirring rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance?

I didn’t read this article.

I don’t want the party spoiled.

I’m not reading the comments either.

La la la…..I don’t see nothing.

I wonder if Orci revealed a bit too much when he singled out “Balance of Terror” as a “touch point” for the creative team behind the movie. Could Nero be the son of the Romulan Commander from the aforementioned episode? Might he blame Kirk for the death of his father (ala Khan blaming Kirk for the death of his wife?)

Maybe Nero is furious that he can’t kill Kirk in his present (since he’s dead post “Generations”) so he finds out about the Guardian and invades the planet with his rouge team of mercenaries. Spock may be there studying the Guardian with other scientists… and he gets caught up in the action.

43 – I think you’re right that Spock must be on the planet at the time the Romulans utilize the Guardian… I seem to recall that in TOS everything not on the surface of the planet changed (ship vanished, etc) as soon as McCoy went through.

Why’s he there? Scientific study, or maybe watching the Guardian display the past for sentimental reasons.

#39

Heh… I misspelled “rogue” the same as EricAD. Well at least I used it in conjunction with the word “mercenaries.” ;)

16. The Wild Man of Borneo – I agree…Kirk didn’t really upset them … if anything it’s Captain Sisco they would want to get rif of.

As much as I love all the speculation I’m still worried about the Romulans being the pivital characters. They featured in the “noted” worst ST Movie last time ‘Nemisis” Why go there again? A rouge Romulan called NERO … didn’t we have a rouge Romulan called Schinzon in Nemisis?

I like the prospect of the Guardian of Forever coming back into it…never been done again since “City”. Always hoped Next Gen would go there.
Let’s hope the Romulans are a plot devise and nothing more to get us back into the past….I just can’t wait to see how this crew all comes together.

I would like to use the Guardian of Forever to go back in time and lock away those who came up with the idea of doing this project.

#44

It would be a cool nod to “Yesteryear” if Spock asks the Guardian to view the events from that animated episode. The other Vulcan scientists might scoff as his emotional request — a perfect opportunity to instruct the general audience as to Spock’s mixed half-human, half-Vulcan ancestry.

Maybe that’s the Winona scene. ;)

44and43 I heard that a Temporal Transporter was built on the set awhile back. Spock could use that on Romulus to contact young Spock.

Oy.

I hope they don’t go in this direction. Romulans, if you want to render the Federation a complete mess, why not go back and SAVE Edith Keeler instead? I really don’t like these narrowly tailored time-travel stories. Kill Kirk, win the war against Earth? That sounds a little too cartoonish to me.

Well, I’ll just have to take Nimoy at his word that this is a great story…