Lindelof: It’s Not Your Daddy’s Star Trek + Quinto On Chemistry With Pine

Hollywood.com has a new overview article on the new Star Trek movie, which includes some quotes from producer Damon Lindelof and others. Lindelof didn’t get into any plot details, but implied that some of the rumors out there may merely be guesswork. We know that Lindelof and co-writer Roberto Orci are the card-carrying Trekkies on the project, but Lindelof feels it is important to have the film appeal beyond just the fans.

We’re making the movie for the fans, but more importantly we’re making it for a whole new generation of fans. We want our wives to come and understand what the hell’s going on. We want our kids to understand what the hell’s going on. It’s not your daddy’s Star Trek.

Lindelof is an accomplished Emmy-winning writer and an avowed Trekkie, but he is actually happy to not be the one to take on the challenge of scripting Star Trek’s big comeback:

It’s very comforting for me to be a producer on this movie, just be involved in the story. I’d be very nervous to actually write that stuff. But you know, no one writes a mind-meld like Kurtzman and Orci, That’s all I’ll say.

…did he say mind meld?

Lindelof said that the it means a lot for the team to have Leonard Nimoy “pass the baton” to Zach Quinto and that the two Spocks were getting along great. So what about two Kirks? Well like Orci has done recently, Lindelof stated that there is still hope:

There are still ongoing talks. We’re pretty much exactly where we were with Comic Con … Look, the reality is Trek was up and running and in existence and iconic before we came so we’ve been basically invited to the party that these guys have been throwing for the last 40 years, so obviously it would be HUGE if Mr. Shatner wanted to be any part of the franchise. It’s a challenge for us, though, because they killed Kirk off … But hey, it’s Trek, anything’s possible, right?

Before anyone jumps the gun on his phrase ‘talks,’ bear in mind he could be referring to the talks internal to the team and Paramount. In October Roberto Orci stated in a comment here on TrekMovie.com that “debate rages within us, too” regarding Shatner being in the film. Plus William Shatner has repeatedly stated he has not seen the script or had any specific talk about a role with the team.

Quinto on DVD extra features and Pine
The new Spock, Zachary Quinto also talked to Hollywood.com and again said how honored he was to be involved in the project. He also said that we can expect the DVD for the movie to show “a definite, quiet, personal moment” when he put the ears on for the first time. Quinto also revealed that he screen-tested with his co-star Chris Pine (Kirk) to ensure they had the right chemistry. Of Pine Quinto said:

Chris is a phenomenal actor. I think he brings an echo of [William] Shatner’s energy, but completely himself. He’s really honoring the roll.

Goto Hollywood.com for the rest of the interview, it also contains quotes of support from TOS cast members Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, George Takei as well as Rod Roddenberry (son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry).

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It better be everyones Star Trek or Paramount will be saying: So…..what went wrong and where?

First?

Good interview. Mind-meld sounds like spoilerz, and I wouldn’t get overly optimistic on the Kirk quote, but… you know, my confidence in the Abrams Cabal continues to grow every time they speak.

Still a ray of hope for Shatner! This film keeps sounding better and better!

Why not be first?

Interesting news here. Wonder if the mind meld comment was a slip?

Mind Meld – OOOOOOHHH! That sounds fun, would that be the first mind meld in a trek film since Undiscovered country?

Nice of him to show respect to the past, but regarding the future of Star Trek, he is absolutely right. ST needs a new generation of fans, as evidenced in its recent decline.

As for the Shat, I will be disappointed if his death is reversed(no Kirk Katra, please), or worse, completely ignored.

Mind meld sounds like an off the cuff joke. And it’s still WAY early. Even if everyone right now wants things one way, they could change many times before the lights go down at the Googleplex.
As for Shat, please see my 20493857098752985725982739324875 preveious remarks on the subject. I’ve dried up.

In retrospect, the mind meld is not really a spoiler. I would be very surprised if they did not work a mind meld in there somewhere.

Other wild speculation on what might be in film:

– Phasers
– People will have their molecules discombobulated and then re-assembled elswhere
– Faster than light travel

I could go on …

I’m a big fan of LOST, but to many that show is an incomprehensible enigma. By contrast, most Trek movies had clear themes; ie. stop VGER; stop Khan; rescue Spock; save Earth. I hope they don’t ‘fix” Trek too much.

Oooohhh… he said “mind meld”…

C’mon guys, stop looking for hidden messages where there are none.

Maybe the whole movie IS the mindmeld? The mindmeld as the structure of the movie?

would be interesting I think.

OK guys and gals.. pick your poison: What happens if Spock mind-melds with __________?

Remember…

“not your daddy’s… ” there you have it. Fixing something that aint broke and playing it safe. There was never anything wrong with TOS… it’s what was done with the premise. So was it beyond repair? Could their collective so called “creative” minds not create anything more than bastardize what was never broken in the first place? And by the quote they intend on fixing it ANYWAY? OMG this reeks.

My roommate went to New Orleans over the summer to help out in the cleanup effort. The organization she was a part of formed 8 person teams that were responsible for painting and sweeping. Damon Lindelof and his father was in her group. Damon and his dad were apparently painting a design on a school wall that took them all day to do. The next day, someone had painted over it. Damon was PISSED. I would be too I think. She said he was a really nice guy.

#6 Kroll,

If you’re referring to the forced meld between Spock and Valeris towards the end of VI, I hope I *never* see anything like that ever, ever again. I found that incredibly disturbing.

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

i cant understand !
all they trying to do is to make us get in mind that the trek we all know will be complete different !they bellieve that in a year we will change our 40 years trek mind !no way.! as for the cast …come on can you thing that schoolboy in the place of kirk fighting with khan????!!!!
thank god i have the original movies and series!

“”so obviously it would be HUGE if Mr. Shatner wanted to be any part of the franchise. It’s a challenge for us, though, because they killed Kirk off … But hey, it’s Trek, anything’s possible, right?”

Hell yes-thats what I’m talkin ’bout! Alternate universe Kirk, post or prior generation Kirk, flashback Kirk, or, hmm…mind meld Kirk?

Like the man said…It’s Trek, anything’s possible!

(Cue the Shat-no-likeys to spin this into why the producers DON’T want Shatner in it and why he, most assuredly..despite the words of yet another producer stating the possibility, won’t be in the movie.)

Great article. Solidifies my hopes for this movie all the more. Trek is in good hands.

as much as we all would love to see shatner in the movie, I want a good story and script and to just have him in there and muck up the movie – NO. but if they did it without sacrificing the story, yeh.. some ways, well kirk in alive in the nexus between the time of the launching of enterprise B and the days of TNG.. so why couldn’t kirk come out of the nexus and appear in the time period earlier than the five year mission. this is before he emerges on Veridan where he dies..possible?

I would love to see the two Spocks mind-meld. After all, it is the only logical way for Quinto to know for certain that Nimoy is ACTUALLY his older self, not just an impostor or a clone.

That would be a trip! Then the younger Spock would always have a little insight into the crew’s future and might even want to change a few decisions down the road. Could you imagine mind-melding with your future self. CRAZY!!!

Personally I think Paramount is making its only real blunder by dragging the Shatner question out. Just say definitely yes or definitely no. It’s really looking like a class-A production in every other way.

But this coy will he or won’t he is just lame PR, especially with the continual online and video circus acts being staged by Kirk #1. It’s just pathetic to watch him grovel about it and takes away from all of the other cool stuff about this film. So let’s Shat or get off the pot already folks…

Regardless of what anyone says, this movie will be different. They will not do exactly TOS, but I don’t think they will stray too far (Dare I say it!) canon. It will be an updated look as it has to be. The movie has to bring in new fans for this series to survive. I would really love for them to jump directly into a TV series after the movie. No one is really a star in this and a series wouldn’t be that big of a deal as no one involved has nothing to lose doing TV.

#7
– Nice of him to show respect to the past… –

It’s not “nice” of him to show respect to the past; its one of the crucial and inevitable prerequisites for the film’s success. As he said himself, it’s them who have been invited to the party.

#18
Agreed; hope springs eternal.

#22-Unfortunately, there are too many who think Star Trek is all about William Shatner. That is, I think, why the producers are reluctant to rule it out completely. You are correct in that it is pathetic to watch his behavior over this movie.

If Bill feels he MUST be a part of any film involving the TOS era crew, then why on Earth would he have agreed to participate in killing off the character in the first place? he certainly did not leave himself any wiggle room. I wish people would stop asking HIM about it, because he makes the situation worse each and every time. My kids have more discipline and self control.
Captain Kirk was as much a hero of mine while growing up as any fictional character could have been. It pains me to watch William Shatner’s dignity wither away by his own hand. For the love of God, please let it go! The very idea that you cannot have Star Trek without William Shatner is preposterous.

With that said, I am thrilled that we will have Star Trek once again, and here’s to hoping it will be there for generations to come…Captain James T. Kirk lives!

If it was Trek of old then we would be moaning about lack of originality. I’m expecting gritty plot, new CGI and things to make me look at TOS on a new light by revisiting old story arcs.

I think I may even get it.

It WAS broken, lest we forget. Making movies purely for fans gets you fan movies. Nice enough but not the real deal.

We should be getting a major big budget film that happens to be Trek. I really can’t wait…

Who gives a damn – it was old the first time over a year ago.

HERE’S A GREAT IDEA!!!:

Going to the end of the movie, The Old Spock mind melds with the New Spock about Kirk’s death. Then, in the next scene, we revisit the “Generations” ending that as Kirk was about to fall, Spock appears and catches him!!! Kirk was surprised to see Spock, and Spock tells him candidly, “You should not have been alone.” That would send the entire crowd in a joyous uproar. Remember, in Star Trek, anything is possible.

The notion that there’s a mind meld in the film isn’t even notable, really, but the notion that he’d pick it out as an offhand example of something that impresses him in the scriptwriting, is at least enough to arch one eyebrow over …

Looking forward to finding out what’s interesting about it ;)

If there actually IS a mind meld of some kind in the film, I just hope the creators remember that prior to “Dagger of the Mind”, Spock was rather secretive about mind melds. I believe he explained to McCoy as something of an intensely personal nature. After it was introduced as a story device, both Spock and the creators of ST became much more casual about it.

Other than that one caveat… Whoo Hoo! Mind meld!

#14
“…fixing something that ain’t broke…”

well now, if anything was ever broken, it’s trek. way broken. screwed. fubar.
raped. pillaged. marginalized. pilfered. abused.
taken for granted. botched.

i don’t think think the film is trying to fix TOS, just the mediocre callously indifferant thing the franchise has become.
big fixing, needed very badly.

#31 ” i don’t think think the film is trying to fix TOS, just the mediocre callously indifferant thing the franchise has become.
big fixing, needed very badly. ”

Yep.

And what’s that? Shatner could still be in the film? Talks possibly underway? This, straight .from the horse’s mouth even.

Just the possibility of that, along with the idea that the producers are more creative, respectful and open minded than many fans warms my little Shat-loving heart.

I think I’ll have some egg nog and watc h last week’s Boston Legal..

“There are still talks going on”

Very interesting.

Lindelof saying, “anything’s possible, right?” sounds very positive to me. Consider also that awhile back, Nimoy stated that he’d be off for a few months then return for more filming in March. They can still schedule Shatner for that shooting in the spring. What a wonderful way for he and Leonard to celebrate their birthdays that would be. :)

Gustavo Leao at Trek web has a story that claims “there are ongoing talks with William Shatner for an appearance in the Star Trek movie”

The plot thickens.

The Shatner-in-the-film issue has gotten pretty ridiculous.

Shatner seems to be acting coy about not having been politely asked to be in the film, and the producers seem intent upon dangling the carrot of Shatner-in-the-film until the zero hour.

I’m half expecting to come home from seeing a Shatnerless “Star Trek,” on 12, 25, 2008, and read yet another article about Shatner-in-the-film still being a possibility.

Enough already. Either tell us what’s going on, or tell us that it’s resolved one way or the other.

#31 Sorry if I wasn’t clear. My meaning is fixing Trek in general but not TOS that aint broke. Trek in general certainly was. So really they are attempting to fix what was done later by mucking around and playing it safe by reinventing someone else’s working concept… but then changing what already worked they in their arrogance can make it better? But it was so good it needs to be done differently?

Sounds like schizophrenia to me. (theirs, not mine!) :)

There’s very little that I don’t like about everything I’m hearing, and this is no exception. Why can’t NEXT Christmas be four days away?

#25
– Captain James T. Kirk lives –

Not according to currently effective canon.

..also, remember Nimoy, on more than one convention appearance after the accouncement of the movie quipped to Shatner, “If I were there, I wouldn’t have let you die.”

Maybe some sly foreshadowing, not unlike Kirk’s line, early on, to Spock in Trek 2; “Aren’t you dead?”

Regardless I really love the producers whole attitude. No sir, this is NOT daddy Berman’s Trek, and Shatner or no Shatner, I’m delighted in their approach.

But yeah…Shat would be the cherry on top.

“I think he brings an echo of [William] Shatner’s energy, but completely himself. He’s really honoring the roll.”

I hope not. Clearly, the Shat has been honoring rolls for years now, and look how big he’s gotten. :-)

Shatner + Star Trek = Box Office Gold!!!

I’ve heard some people on here downplay Shatner’s importance. The fact is, all of his TOS films combined made more than the TNG films. Trek 5 was the only film that made less at the box office than was hoped, but over the years through video and DVD it certainly made money.

Look at Rocky… the last movie (Rocky Balboa) did very well at the box office, and was a commercial success. It was a good film with a great script. It also had the Nostalgia factor going for it. Fans had not seen Rocky on the screen in years, and went out in droves to see their hero one last time. Shatner in Star Trek will do the same. Nostalgia will bring in the old fans, and will no doubt attract new fans too. The public loves Shatner.

The movie will be stronger with him in it than without him.

“We’re making the movie for the fans, but more importantly we’re making it for a whole new generation of fans. We want our wives to come and understand what the hell’s going on. We want our kids to understand what the hell’s going on. It’s not your daddy’s Star Trek:”

I don’t like the sound of that…Star Trek IS based on high vocab, confusing words, etc…it’s not meant for little kids to understand!! Don’t turn this into some stupid effects-based Star Wars-like movie, Abrams!

Mind Meld – hmmm – Nimoy’s Spock mindmelding with Quinto’s?

Guess what? If it’s ‘Not you Daddy’s Star Trek” then you’ve lost the engine that’s going to drive people to see your movie. Your “Ya Whatever” teen and his/her buddies do not want to be seen going into a movie names “Star Trek”. It’s just not cool. They might see it with Dad or older brother or nerdy aunt but not on their own. But guess what – you’ve told us it’s not “our” Star Trek.

“We want our wives to come and understand what the hell’s going on.” I think that’s a terrible generalization thats disrespectful to women. I suppose he means our non-Trek fan spouses, but that’s not what he said is it?

Didn’t we have this discuss a year ago when JJA said something similar?

I’ve got to stop reading this stuff. It’s just making me cranky.
Happy Holidays. I’m out of here for awhile.

Great to finally be hearing from more of those involved than just Quinto (plus Orci’s limited appearances here). So far everyone is saying things that make me pretty confident that they all understand, and more importantly respect, the source material.

I think Lindelof is exactly correct in that this movie must be made so that it is acceptable to the fans, all the while doing so in a way that ‘outsiders’ won’t feel as if they’re being brought into the middle of a conversation. It’s got to be accessible to the general audience, something that at least with the movies hasn’t been done since TVH, and Trek in general since TNG.

I don’t know how careful and precise Lindelof is in choosing his words, but I found it interesting that he said it would be huge if Shatner *wanted* to be a part of their movie. This fits in with what I’ve believed all along that the stumbling block is not bringing Shatner into the movie in general but doing so in a way that suits Shatner’s interests (and ego?), without making this movie about *how* Kirk returns.

a movie acceptable to fans….but draws in a general audience as well….well …that approach worked well for Wrath of Khan…so who knows?

I honor rolls too, they are delicious.

If #46 isn’t a case of reading too much into something, I don’t know what is.