The Los Angeles Times sat down with producers/writers J.J. Abrams and Bob Orci to ask about progress on the Star Trek sequel.
Here’s a synopsis of what they’ve said, courtesy Ain’t It Cool News:
Abrams says:
“…The first movie was so concerned with just setting up the characters — their meeting each and galvanizing that family — that in many ways a sequel will have a very different mission. it needs to do what [the late ‘Trek’ creator Gene] Roddenberry did so well, which is allegory. It needs to tell a story that has connection to what is familiar and what is relevant. It also needs to tell it in a spectacular way that hides the machinery and in a primarily entertaining and hopefully moving story. There needs to be relevance, yes, and that doesn’t mean it should be pretentious. If there are simple truths — truths connected to what we live — that elevates any story — that’s true with any story.”
And here’s what Boborci had to say:
“We’ve literally had two meetings now. We haven’t decided anything but we’re starting to circle around some ideas. We got a lot of fan response from the first one and a considerable amount of critical response and one of the things we heard was, ‘Make sure the next one deals with modern-day issues.’ We’re trying to keep it as up-to-date and as reflective of what’s going on today as possible. So that’s one thing, to make it reflect the things that we are all dealing with today.
I asked Orci somewhat flippantly if that meant we might see Starfleet grappling with the ethics of torture or dealing with a rising terrorist threat or perhaps a painful, politicized war with the Klingons.
“Well yeah, those are the kind of issues we’re talking about. Wow, you’re good! But seriously that’s the way we’re thinking, that’s an approach. So if you have any ideas … “
I, too, always thought that was one of the better parts of the Star Trek saga, a relevancy to our world and its issues. “24” is a show that does a good job of bringing those issues to light and shows both sides of its argument.
If they go the torutre as a result of war route, I hope that “Star Trek II” similarly explores both sides of the argument. It isn’t enough to just say “well torture/’agressive information gathering techniques’ is bad. Ok, if that’s the line you want to travel on, show the results/consequences of sticking to your ideals.
