Star Trek 2 Updates From Writers and Director

Today we have some updates on the upcoming sequel to this year’s Star Trek reboot, from both director J.J. Abrams and writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. The topics of discussion range from the story ideas for Star Trek 2 to the news that the sequel will possibly be shot in stereoscopic 3D.

All of this wonderful Star Trek 2 info comes our way thanks to the diligent work of our friends over at Collider.

Let’s start with J.J. Abrams talking about shooting Star Trek 2 in Steroscopic 3D. Here is a snippet of what the director had to say on the subject:

Paramount talked to me about doing the first one in 3-D and, having it only be my second film, I was petrified just at the addition of it. I thought it would be another dimension of pain-in-the-ass. I was just like, “I want to make a decent 2-D movie.”…I’m open to looking at it ’cause now I feel a little bit more comfortable. And, if I, in fact, direct the Star Trek sequel, 3-D could be really fun, so I’m open to it…

Well with every film new and old getting the 3D treatment these days, why not Star Trek, right? But what kind of film are Abrams, Kurtzman and Orci cooking up? And is it the kind of film that will warrant 3D (a rare but important question, I think)?

Here are some of the quotes from Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci about where they are in the scripting process for Star Trek 2:

Bob: We’re still just brainstorming, internally. We’re going to get together soon and see what happens, and start putting it together.

Alex: Where we’re starting is, “Okay, where are our characters now? What are interesting complications that we can put in their lives? What feels like an organic emotional place for us to get to? How do we want to test them?” And then, you look at everything and start asking, “Who would be the best foe?”

Bob: There are mental exercises we play. You can’t be a fan of this and not sit around and wonder.

Alex: But, the short answer is that we haven’t landed on anybody yet.

J.J. Abrams Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci

Orci, Abrams and Kurtzman

And regarding the (prematurely) rumored Guantanamo Bay/torture political allegory theme for the sequel:

Bob: The torture thing was just a for instance. Someone asked, “Modern day issues?,” and we said, “Yeah, sure, modern day issues.” But, we’re not doing a story about Gitmo. I read on some site that it was going to be about Guantanamo Bay. But, now that we’ve established the characters, we can have a more philosophical allegory, where what’s happening in the future represents our world, like the best versions of it in the ’60’s did with women’s rights and racial equality.

Abrams added this bit on that same political allegory subject during his own interview:

…with Star Trek, it’s not like we’re looking to make the second movie some kind of heavy political allegory. I think that it’s important that there is metaphor to what we know and that there is relevance, and I think allegory is the thing that made shows like The Twilight Zone and Star Trek resonate and still be vital today. But, because the first movie was so much about introducing these people…it made it difficult to also have the film go as deep as it could…it is the job of the next film to go a little bit deeper. It shouldn’t be any less fun or take itself too seriously…just examine [the characters] a little more closely, now that we’ve gotten through the pleasantries and introductions.

For all you Trekkies out there worried that the next film was going to go all Michael Moore on you, I guess you can breathe a little bit easier now; seems as though the filmmakers have their heads in the right place to progress the story in a logical (get it?) yet entertaining way. I really feel a bit more at ease hearing Abrams in particular reaffirm that the sequel – no matter what the subject matter – should still retain the fun factor. Star Trek was definitely the most fun (maybe the only pure, start to finish enjoyment) that I experienced at the movies all summer.

I’ve only included small portions of Star Trek news from these Collider interviews – if you want to hear more on the subject, or updates on Mission: Impossible 4, Transformers 3, View Master, Fringe and Cowboys and Aliens, you can click on the links below for full transcripts of the interviews.

Interview with J.J. Abrams

Interview with Kurtzman & Orci

What do you think about the latest updates on Star Trek 2? do you agree that the filmmakers have their heads in the right place? And what do you think the sequel should be about?

Sources: Collider & Collider