Kelvin Universe

Star Trek (2009 film), TNG, TOS Remastered | November 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 16 comments so far

Frakes OK With Trek XI As A Prequel, Not OK With TOSR Edits

The man who directed two out of the 4 TNG era Trek films seems OK that their reign is over. In an interview with the Indiana Star Jonathan Frakes (TNG: Riker) admitted that he doesn’t know anything more about Trek XI than what is rumored, but didn’t understand those fans who are against a Kirk & Spock prequel: Seems like a perfectly good idea. . . . (The movie’s producers) just need to remember Gene Roddenberry’s vision It is good to see that he hasn’t joined the chorus of other TNG actors (Sirtis, Spiner and Dorn) who are slamming Star Trek XI for its rumored premise (and presumably for not including them).

Abrams, Star Trek (2009 film) | November 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 100 comments so far

Abrams Gushes Over Nimoy and Shatner

3 months ago TrekMovie confirmed that both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have some sort of contractual involvement in Star Trek XI. In the latest issue of Dreamwatch Magazine, producer J.J. Abrams talks up how happy he is to have them around… the involvement of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy means a great deal to us on many levels, not the least of which is just the respect of who they are and what they do. They are the carriers of this torch and, without being too reverential; we want to show them the kind of appreciation and admiration they deserve.

Feature Films (TMP-NEM), STXI Plot | November 23, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 22 comments so far

Bennett Sees Parallels With His Star Trek VI and Star Trek XI

Harve Bennett was the producer for the golden age of Star Trek films back in the 1980s. After the lackluster performance of Star Trek V in 1989, Bennett (along with writer David Laurie) developed a script called ‘Star Trek: The Academy Years’ which was to reboot the franchise with younger actors playing Kirk and Spock at Starfleet Academy. In the end the studio decided to give the original cast one more go and Bennett left the franchise. Earlier this year when Variety broke the first news about Trek XI and used the word ‘Academy’ in their brief plot outline many thought that Bennett’s script was back. Even after J.J. Abrams called the Variety article ‘not entirely accurate’ many still speculated there was some link, including Mr. Bennett himself.

Abrams, Shatner, ST09 Cast | November 15, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 122 comments so far

More From Shat On Coming Back From The Dead

Things were a bit quiet from the Shatner camp since his odd ‘gas’ statement a few weeks back, but now he is again talking up JJ Abrams and Star Trek XI. Shat is promoting his new gameshow ‘Show Me The Money’ but interviewers always get around to asking about Trek. The Shat tells UGO I met with Mr. Abrams, and they’ve got a really good plot going, and they’re trying to find Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk, the elderly ones. How you get a dead Captain to communicate with himself, younger, is going to be a very arduous plotting, and I’m going to be interested to see how they solve it.

Abrams, Conventions/Events/Attractions, Rumor, Shatner, ST09 Cast | November 14, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 113 comments so far

Shatner Says Abrams Wants Him and Nimoy in Trek XI

William Shatner appeared at a couple of Trek conventions over the weekend and gave some more details from his conversations with Star Trek XI Producer J.J. Abrams. According to TrekWeb, Shatner again confirmed that the characters of Kirk and Spock would be in the film, telling the crowd in Springfield, MA that "I had a talk with J.J. Abrams a while ago and they were writing a new script – and we are all hoping it will be wonderful…and he said, they were going to get the Kirk and Spock characters in there." The next day Shatner was in New York where Doug Wilson of TrekCore.com reports Shatner as saying "J.J. [Abrams] is committed to having Leonard and I, Leonard and me, in the film." Shatner also suggested that Abrams would be looking at unkowns for the roles of the younger Kirk and Spock.

Abrams, CBS/Paramount, Star Trek (2009 film) | November 10, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 31 comments so far

Viacom Chief Hearts JJ

A couple of months ago TrekMovie speculated that changes in the leadership at Paramount’s parent company Viacom may ripple down to the recently signed JJ Abrams. However it appears that the new CEO of Viacom is a fan; Philippe Dauman had the following to say in a conference call with investors: We are doing all this while ramping up to produce a strong line-up of films including Tent Pole under the Paramount marquee. A key component to this revitalization is making sure we attract the best talent and we’ve already been successful in making deals with some of the biggest names in the business including Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, whom I had the pleasure to spend some time with last night, Brad Pitt and Will Ferrell.

STXI Status, TrekMovie.com | November 9, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 9 comments so far

Is Trek XI Falling Behind?…No

Apparently last week’s TrekMovie.com interview with Trek XI producer JJ Abrams is causing a bit of a stir. Both IGN and Cinematical have taken the interview to mean that Star Trek XI is ‘falling behind’ or running into ‘scheduling problems’. This is based on our discussion with Abrams about how the script is still in progress even though in August writer Roberto Orci said they planned on finishing the first draft by the end of October. This analysis takes things out of context and ignores other comments from the team. From the interview it was clear that Abrams wasn’t aware Orci’s ‘end of October’ estimate, and he didn’t seem to be worried that the script is still in progress. A source inside Paramount tells TrekMovie.com that the first draft should be in around Thanksgiving. Furthermore Abrams confirmed that they plan to start shooting in the Spring, which is actually an accelerated schedule based on Orci’s original estimation of a Summer start to shooting. The Paramount insider said that if things continue to progress there is nothing preventing Trek XI from being a Summer 2008 release, but cautioned that of course things can change. So it appears that IGN and Cinematical are just being a bit overly nervous about Trek XI’s progress.

Shatner, ST09 Cast | November 9, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 37 comments so far

Shatner: There Will Be Another Captain Kirk

A few days ago we reported the first part of an interview William Shatner gave to the Massachusetts Republican, but it appears they saved the best stuff for part two. Shatner reveals that he has indeed met with JJ Abrams (something he seemingly denied after we reported it weeks ago) and he apparently has confirmed there will be a new Kirk saying: J. J. Abrams is planning a movie. He has talked with me about it, but I don’t know what he has got planned. It’s likely there will be another Captain Kirk for certain. Click more to see the key excerpts from interview

Abrams, Feature Films (TMP-NEM), Shatner, Trek Franchise | November 6, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 58 comments so far

Shatner, Abrams, TV Land, ST:V & More In A Slow News Day Roundup

In ‘Shatner is Kirk’ news: UPI reports that William Shatner told the crowd at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival that ‘there is a part of me in him…and Kirk in me’. The original Kirk also told the Massachusetts Republican that he is not going to retire anytime soon, saying "ss I shakily take my last breath, maybe that’s when I will whisper, ‘I quit.’"…did he just paraphrase Khan’s last words? Want to see classic Trek without all that Remastering and CGI?…well TV Land has got you covered.The home of retro TV starts airing the classic show later this month and have already started offering full episodes on their new Star Trek website (for one week only). The site offers a number of other Trek related video features and will host a live chat with Original Series stars Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols and George Takei on Nov. 19th. Oh My.

Abrams, Interview, STXI Status, Uncategorized | November 2, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 20 comments so far

Abrams Talks Kirk and Spock With TrekMovie.com

JJ Abrams was in Beverly Hills Wednesday to present an Atrios Award to his longtime casting director April Webster. TrekMovie.com was there and got a moment to talk a little Trek XI. Abrams confirmed our earlier story on the film’s current status and Spring 2007 production start. He also explained why he hasn’t yet committed to direct and talked a bit about why he thinks Kirk and Spock continue to endure…see the (shaky) video. video removed full transcript for the TrekMovie.com Abrams ‘mini interview’ below…

Abrams, CBS/Paramount | October 31, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 33 comments so far

Trek XI Convinced Paramount To Pass On Halo?

Like Star Trek XI, the Halo movie was one of the more anticipated films planned for 2008. Now the film is in limbo, and apparently Trek is partially to blame. After losing financing from Universal and Fox, the Halo producers (Peter Jackson and Microsoft) pinned their hopes on Warner Brothers and Paramount. According to IESB, Abrams and Trek factored into Paramount’s decision to say no. IESB quotes a Paramount exec as saying Why share a franchise with other parties when we own Star Trek and have a real director doing that film?.

Abrams, ST09 Creative | October 30, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 21 comments so far

Abrams Still Not Sure If He Will Direct Star Trek XI

Paramount chief Brad Grey recently described JJ Abrams as a ‘triple threat’ because he can write, produce and direct. However so far it looks like Para is only getting a ‘double threat’ for the first project under his new multi-mil deal. Abrams is down as producer and (co)writer for Trek XI, but tells MTV that it is still ‘too early to make the call’ on directing. He also talked again how ‘cool’ Trek XI is going to be, saying… we’re all ridiculously excited about it. It’s hard to talk about at this stage, because there’s so much still left to do, but I can say that the story is incredibly cool. To be honest with you, I haven’t been a follower of the more recent "Star Trek" films. I got to appreciate them and like them, but this is the movie I would be in line to see.

Abrams, STXI Status | October 30, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 42 comments so far

Abrams: Trek XI Story Is ‘Incredibly Cool’

TV Guide has an interview with JJ Abrams that focuses on M:I:3, which is released this week on DVD. However, they do throw in a couple of Trek questions TVGuide.com: Changing topics, where do you stand on the Star Trek feature? Is there any framework in place, a setting, characters…? Abrams: The framework is firmly in place, the script is being written now, and we are incredibly enthusiastic about it.

Abrams, Trek Franchise | October 27, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 20 comments so far

Picardo Says Abrams Has ‘Golden Touch’, Questions Prequel

Robert Picardo, Star Trek Voyager’s lovable Holodoctor, seems to have a nuanced view of Star Trek under the command of JJ Abrams. According to an interview from Trek Magazine (via SciFi Pulse) the actor seems to be supportive of Abrams helming the franchise, but isn’t too sure he likes that rumored prequel idea. Look they’ve re-launched the Batman franchise and that worked out. I’ve heard that they may re – launch the franchise with a story about Kirk and Spock as younger guys, back in the day, but I don’t know whether that’s the way to go because it seems to remove some of the jeopardy to know what happens in the future. On the other hand, they did kill off Spock four times and bring him back to life. I lost count!

Abrams, Trek Franchise | October 27, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 9 comments so far

Bryan Fuller Says Trek Needs JJ Abrams

Bryan Fuller is certainly one of the more successful Star Trek almuni in Hollywood. Since his time as a writer on Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager, Bryan Fuller has been very busy with shows like ‘Wonderfalls’, ‘Dead Like Me’, and this year’s breakout hit ‘Heroes’. Comic Book Resources interviewed the writer/producer on his various projects, but spend quite a lot of time on Trek. Fuller said he got into the business because of Star Trek and he could talk about it all day. He certainly seems to be optimistic on Trek’s future under JJ Abrams, saying: I think the status right now is very encouraging, and I’m referring to the J.J. Abrams-helmed reinvention of the franchise, which it’s desperate for.

Rumor, ST09 Cast | October 26, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 18 comments so far

Cruise Rumor Morphing Around the World…Original ‘Source’ Denies Ever Running Story

Yesterday we reported that the Tom Cruise in Trek XI rumor appears to be bogus. But of course it is hard to keep a good rumor down, and anything with Cruise in it is ‘good’ to the tabloids. The British tabloid Daily Star has picked up the rumor but morphed it into ‘Cruise Will Be Spock‘. That story is now being cited by others including ITV a British TV Network, but so far this is our favorite… Original ‘source’ (TV Guide Canada) denies ever running the story…

Rumor, ST09 Cast, Uncategorized | October 25, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 14 comments so far

Cruise Trek Rumor Denied

It looks like Tom Cruise won’t be beaming up. As we reported yesterday there is a new rumor about Tom Cruise and JJ Abrams being in talks for a cameo role in Trek XI. TrekMovie was skeptical so we looked into it and so far cannot find any corroboration. Paramount insiders say they know nothing about it, and Arnold Robinson, a publicist for Mr. Cruise, tells TrekMovie.com "that story is not true." As yesterday’s article stated, WENN (who first reported the rumor) don’t exactly have the best track record on these things. However WENN’s Editorial Director Kev Lewin tells TrekMovie that they stand by the story, but also stated "we are not on that story anymore, that is yesterday’s news."

Rumor, ST09 Cast | October 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 35 comments so far

Cruise Cameo in Star Trek XI? [update…rumor denied]

The WENN entertainment news service is reporting TOM CRUISE is in negotiations to reteam with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 director JJ ABRAMS for the next STAR TREK movie. The movie superstar is reportedly a huge fan of the sci-fi franchise and jumped at the chance to play a cameo role in the new film, which will be directed by Abrams. An insider tells Canada’s TV Guide magazine, "He didn’t even need to be begged to appear in it.".

Star Trek (2009 film) | October 23, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 25 comments so far

Arnold Defends Roddenberry’s Universe, Says Trek Needs ‘New Blood’

Longtime Gene Roddenberry assistant Richard Arnold has some views on the LA Times editorial discussed here recently. The editorial called for a total ‘reboot’ of the Trek franchise, which Arnold wasn’t buying….his letter to the editor: Although I share Dan Neil’s concern about any plans Paramount Pictures may have for the next "Star Trek" feature film, I do not agree that the"franchise" should be abandoned. Certainly the series’ creator, Gene Roddenberry, wouldn’t feel that way, nor do millions of "Star Trek" fans worldwide. What "Star Trek" does desperately need is some new blood. Hopefully with J.J. Abrams at the helm, the next film will get the ship and her crew back on course!

Editorial, Star Trek (2009 film) | October 22, 2006 | By: Michael L. Wentz 70 comments so far

Editorial: JJ, Don’t Forget About the “Old School”

Since the announcement of Star Trek XI there has been a frenzy of both excitement and anxiety. Scores of people are speaking up with their opinion on how J. J. Abrams should craft the story, with some championing strict adherence to the Trek canon, while others wish he would throw it all out with the bathwater much as Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. But in all of this, the truth is that the Trek franchise began dying more than a decade ago as viewership declined from a peak during the height of Next Generation to the abysmal ratings of Enterprise and poor box office results for Nemesis. Mr. Abrams has a massive task ahead of him. He must breathe life into a franchise that has lost its fan base by finding a way to open Trek up to an entire new generation. However, I believe that in order for the movie to be successful, he must also find a way to also connect with ‘old school’ fan base. There are a lot of us out here with purchasing power of a demographic that spans every generation. J. J. Abrams will have to pull out those things that were great about Star Trek and “reboot” the franchise in such a way as to attract a mainstream audience. It is a monumental task, but one that could be accomplished simply by talking with the “Old School.”

Abrams, Rumor, ST09 Cast, Star Trek (2009 film), STXI Plot, STXI Status, Uncategorized | October 19, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 103 comments so far

Trek XI Update: Abrams Already Auditioning Actors – On Track To Start Shooting In Spring

With so much reporting on other things, thought we should update you all on that other little Trek project Although Trek XI is still just in ‘development‘ there already is quite a lot of activity going on. According to studio insiders the assumption is that Trek XI will get a greenlight and will be one of Paramount’s tentpoles for Summer 2008. Apparently the first draft of the script is due shortly and the Abrams team are already seeing actors for the major parts. Although no names are available, TrekMovie is told that "many A and B listers have been in and out of Abrams offices" (which are actually still on the Disney lot). One Paramount source tells TrekMovie that it is possible there will be a casting announcement even before the script gets final approval and the film gets the greenlight (which should be sometime in December/January). "Although it hasn’t been greenlit yet, it is as close as you get around here," said the source. Still unclear how many TOS roles are being recast, but another source indicates that the treatment included the characters of McCoy and Scotty in addition to Kirk and Spock. The ‘Kirk’s first Mission’ plotline (which TrekMovie first reported in August) still seems to be the prevailing assumption amongst those TrekMovie has spoken to, but still nothing firm so it is still in the realm of ‘rumor’.

Abrams | October 12, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 5 comments so far

Abrams Likens Trek To The Twilight Zone

Consider if you will JJ Abrams. In the new issue of Star Trek Magazine, Abrams still won’t talk details on Star Trek XI, but did discuss how he thinks Trek relates to some of his favorite franchises. I always loved it when stories that were somewhat outlandish and larger than life were told with the intensity of a real life drama – things like Planet Of The Apes had such an impact when I saw it as a kid. Most episodes of The Twilight Zone were dramatically told. Star Trek is a good example too – in many ways, that series shared some of the qualities (and in some cases, crewmembers or cast members) of The Twilight Zone. I loved how Star Trek and The Twilight Zone would take things incredibly seriously – but that’s not to say there wasn’t humour of humanity built into those stories. The humanity was the thing that made those shows resonate and matter. Overall, I feel that watching larger than life, extreme and often preposterous situations told with the same commitment, as a true –to – life drama, was always my favourite kind of storytelling. Science fiction and thriller genres, when done well, seem to do that consistently.

Abrams | October 12, 2006 | By: Rosario T. Calabria 5 comments so far

Is Abrams Spread Too Thin?

Star Trek fans eagerly await the time that JJ Abrams really begins to produce (and maybe direct) Star Trek XI, but it appears for now that Trek has to get in line behind all of Abrams TV projects. Abrams currently has 3 hour long shows running on ABC: ‘Lost’, ‘What About Brian’ and ‘Six Degrees’. As the headline in CTNow states: 3 shows keeps Abrams sprinting. It appears that the latter two shows are currently his focus. Abrams recently had to cancel plans to direct an episode of Lost so he can work on his other shows, telling TV critics in a conference call last week: "I’m depressed because I was supposed to leave today to direct an episode with a mind blowing story, but because of these other shows Iwas unable to do that." And it isn’t just Abrams. Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof are also slated as Trek XI producers, but both of their ‘day jobs’ are on Abrams TV shows. Lindelof keeps quite busy as a showrunner for ‘Lost’ (along with Carlton Cuse) . Bryan Burk, like Abrams, is an exec producer on all three shows (Lost, Brian and Six Degrees).

ST09 Cast | October 11, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 13 comments so far

Kevin Weisman Wants To Be The New Scotty

Fans of JJ Abrams’ ‘Alias’ will recognise Kevin Weisman who played the resident geek; in a way he was the ‘Scotty’ of the hip spy show. In a new Moviehole interview with the actor the subject of Abrams new Trek movie came up and Weisman made it clear he was interested in a role… J.J [Abrams] is doing Star Trek now.Yeah. I don’t know if I look like a young ‘any of those guys’ so I’m screwed. I can’t be a young Mr.Spock… Greg Grunberg’s already got his hand up for that, hasn’t he?I’m sure he has [Laughs]. If there’s a job that J.J’s doing, Greg’salways knockin’ on the door. Yeah look, I would love to work with J.Jagain – on anything – he’s a great guy, great director…. I’m sure we will, when something comes along. There’s gotta be a Young Scotty in there…Yeah, I gotta work on my accent. I’ve gotta start renting the old ones, researching them thoroughly, and then I’ll be calling J.J constantly and leaving messages. I’ll stop, when he gives me a role.

Abrams, Comics | October 10, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 10 comments so far

Comics, Trinneer, Abrams, Futurama…and Foley? It is Slow News Day Roundup Time

Its been a slow couple of days around TrekMovie HQ…here a few things to tide you over 5 years after DC comics (through WildStorm) dropped its license, Star Trek is headed back to comics (not counting the recent ‘manga’). According to Newsorama, IDW (who do comics for CSI, 24 and other franchises) are picking up the Trek Comic baton. Their first foray will be for the 20th anniversary of TNG next year (has it been that long?). IDW also hint at a Trek XI adaptation. Anything has to be better than Marvel’s Trek/X-Men crossovers. Unlike some of his TNG colleagues, Star Trek Enterprise’s Conner Trinneer seems to be open minded towards Abrams Trek XI. The actor tells SFX Magazine (via Scifi Pulse) "I certainly hope JJ Abrams is doing it (Trek XI) I think that would be fantastic. And I’m sure Star Trek is going to continue in some form, at some point down the line." Trineer also says he prefers to get paid but is open to being in a fan film…they can certainly use the help.

Abrams, Shatner | October 8, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 72 comments so far

Shatner Says He Would Play Kirk Again – Calls Abrams ‘The Perfect Person’ –

In the November Starlog Magazine William Shatner says that is willing to play Kirk again ‘if the opportunity were right’. Since Shatner recently played Kirk to hawk DirecTV one would imagine that ‘opportunity’ = large sums of cash. The last thing we heard from Shatner was his rapid backpedalling on stating he and Trek XI produder JJ Abrams were meeting. That was when Shatner issued his odd "there’s gas and in this case, the gas is coming from JJ Abrams" comment. In Starlog the Shat has only praise for Abrams: I think he’s the right guy…He’s the perfect person: He’s an aficionado and a brilliant storyteller and film-maker. If anyone can find the essence of ‘Star Trek’ and bring it up to date, he’s the man

Abrams | October 4, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 5 comments so far

Abrams Penned 3rd Season Premiere of Lost Airs Tonight

Star Trek XI producer JJ Abrams greatest claim to fame is probably the creation of the hit show ‘Lost’ which premiered in 2004. He along with fellow Trek XI producer Damon Lindelof are credited as making genre TV cool again. Since then no one has been able to duplicate it, and each network did try and fail last season (including CBS’s attempt with Brannon Braga’s ‘Threshold’). Many feel that Lost dropped a bit in quality in its second season (during which Abrams was busy making MI:3). Tonight Lindelof and Abams are back as co-writers, which is their first Lost script since the Pilot two years ago. The script titled ‘Tale of Two Cities’ was written around the same time Abrams was writing the story for Trek XI (and right before starting the script) so we will see if he has ‘still got it’. Early reviews indicate that season 3 is off to a bang, here is what the USA Today had to say about it…

CBS/Paramount, Orci/Kurtzman, Uncategorized | October 2, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 2 comments so far

Trek XI Writers Hold ‘Write A Line’ Contest For Transformers Movie

Next summer Paramount Pictures is bringing the Transformers franchise to the big screen in a live action movie. The film is directed by Michael Bay and written by Trek XI scriptwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Weeks ago we covered their streaming video Q&A session where they mentioned an upcoming fan contest. This week marks the start of the contest where they are letting fans submit lines for their script. 10 entries for a line of dialog will be recorded by star Peter Cullen (the voice of Optimus Prime) with the winning entry ending up in the final film. Paramont along with Orci and Kurtzman are to be applauded for their fan outreach on Transformers. With Orci and Kurtzman also having exec-producer credit for Star Trek XI we can only hope that this kind of feedback and involvement will be in store for Trek fans as well. The Transforms film is just finishing up principal filming and will be released on July 4th. The official website promises to provide many goodies like pictures, video, blogs, etc but so far it all says ‘coming soon’ Go to the Offical Transformers Site to Enter in the Contest

Editorial, Star Trek (2009 film) | October 1, 2006 | By: Dennis Russell Bailey 92 comments so far

Debunking ‘Go Forward Not Backward’

This editorial is the first of a series from Dennis Russell Bailey on ‘Bad Reasons for not doing a TOS movie’ Based on published reports, it appears likely that the storyline J.J. Abrams has conceived for his “Star Trek” movie takes place in Trek’s 23rd century and revolves at least partly around youthful versions of James Kirk and Spock. Some long-time fans of the Franchise are excited by this possibility, and some are dead-set against it. Those fans who dislike the TOS-based movie premise have been active out on the Web advancing a number of assertions-passing-as-arguments as to how the premise somehow violates basic principles of “what ‘Star Trek’ should be about.” There are several themes that crop up again and again on blogs and message boards. Here’s one of my favorites: “Star Trek is about the future. It should move forward, not back.”

Star Trek (2009 film) | October 1, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 12 comments so far

LA Times Columnist Compares Trek to the Bible, Suggests Abandoning the ‘Canon’ for Trek XI

LA Times Magazine Columnist Dan Neil devoted his regular ‘800 words’ column today to Star Trek. Of the franchise he caims that Trek is the "the most successful entertainment franchise in history." Although certainly in the top ten, it is unclear that this claim can be backed up. But he doesn’t stop there… "Star Trek"—the horn-rimmed invention of an eccentric Hollywood scriptwriter—is one of the two or three richest, most thoroughly elaborated fictional narratives in human history. What comes close? The Vedas, perhaps. The Bible? In terms of the number of characters, story lines, the comings and goings of civilizations, the Bible is not even in the same ballpark, or quadrant of the galaxy, as they say on the bridge of the Enterprise. Neil then goes on to describe and denounce the rumored plans for Trek XI being a prequel, using the religious metephor to the hilt….

« 1 … 92 93 94 95 96 »