ROTTEN TOMATOES: "Star Trek" Prequel Writers Aim to Please Everyone

"Star Trek" Prequel Writers Aim to Please Everyone

by Scott Weinberg | June 26, 2007

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If you think it's tough coming up with a "Transformers" movie that'll please both the hardcore geeks and the total newcomers, imagine how hard it must be to get started on a "Star Trek" prequel.

The producing / screenwriting team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci haven't been in Hollywood all that long, but already they've brought some pretty flashy product to the screen. After starting out on TV ("Hercules" and "Alias" mainly), the duo broke in with "The Island," "The Legend of Zorro," and "Mission: Impossible 3." Their next flick is a little something called "Transformers," and once the dust settles there, they'll be finishing up their screenplay for J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" prequel.

But what the movie studios care about the most is this: How do you please the loyal fans ... while also offering up a movie that'll be tasty to complete newcomers? In a recent New York Times article, "Lost" creator Damon Lindelof had this to say about the duo: "They can have a tremendous amount of respect for the source material, but they know that a studio is bringing them in because they can make it understandable to an audience that has no comprehension of that source material whatsoever."

As far as the new "Star Trek" movie goes, the Kurtzman / Orci team seems to strike a nice balance: One of 'em is a die-hard and lifelong Trekkie, while the other one ... sorta gave up around "Star Trek 5." Should make for an interesting project. We'll find out at the end of 2008.

Source: New York Times, Cinematical

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(1-20 of 24 posts) | Reply

Ashron writes:
on Jun 26 2007 07:30 AM

And so by trying to please everybody, they'll end up pleasing nobody. Although I hope I'm wrong.

(Reply to this)

I Am Remote writes:
on Jun 26 2007 08:37 AM

Ashron is absolutely right, and the major problem with most series/adaptations. Trying to please everyone results middle of the road, unthreatening and ultimately inconsequential filmmaking. I'll still never forgive Brian Singer for his awful X-Men movies...

Good luck Star Trek fans. Good luck.

(Reply to this)

ck100 writes:
on Jun 26 2007 09:07 AM

Star Trek succeeded in the first place because it didn't try to please everyone. It told its story on its own terms. Too many sequels and prequels fail because they try to pay homage to previous films or try to be accessible to everyone.

(Reply to this)

itsaysicanuse25characters writes:
on Jun 26 2007 09:41 AM

I could tell from watching that The Island had a great screenplay; Michael Bay ruined it. I hope the same thing doesn't happen with Transformers.

Mission: Impossible III had a good screenplay and great directing. That was an example of an old TV show, turned into a good movies, turned into a not so good movie, turned into another really good movie. I hope the same thing happens with Star Trek.

I think the difference between Michael Bay and J.J. Abrams is that Bay says "What we need is a flying motorcycle" and Abrams directs action in a smarter, cooler, more subtle way.

I trust them to make it accessible but not inconsequential. I will have further judgments about Star Trek after Transformers (although, like the island, based not on the overall movie but on how the script seems).

(Reply to this)

blank blank writes:
on Jun 26 2007 09:43 AM

i wasnt overly impressed with any of the aforementioned 3 movies

(Reply to this)

Shatter24 writes:
on Jun 26 2007 10:36 AM

In reply to this comment (#871086)
[b]Singer's X-Men movies were awesome[/b]
I don't know what films you went to see, but the first two X-men films were great. Even the third one was pretty good, building on what Singer made. I don't see anyone making them better. Them and the Spiderman films are the standards today for the comic book action film.

(Reply to this)

Elixor writes:
on Jun 26 2007 10:56 AM

In reply to this comment (#871090)
X-Men two was OK. The other two sucked. All of them are terrible comic book adaptations.

On the 'pleasing everybody', my thoughts are exactly the same, as the original poster's. The movie will end up making nobody happy and be an uninteresting movie.

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Sputnik99 writes:
on Jun 26 2007 12:05 PM

I'm a Trekkie. I'll admit it. Not a Trekker. That's lame. And to be honest, I don't really like the one Star Trek movie with universal appeal: Stark Trek IV. I like hard-core Star Trek, not half-and-half like Star Trek IV was.

The thought of going back in time to Kirk's academy days seems like beginning a new generation of Star Trek. But instead of a new series, they're talking about the histories of Enterprise crew members. It sounds a bit dull to me, but who knows, it may have potential. Who knows, the next movie may be about Picard's wild academy days.

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Enemy writes:
on Jun 26 2007 12:18 PM

First Contact was rather popular with both the general (scifi) audience and Star Trek fans, so I'd say it is possible to make a movie for everybody to enjoy, even so nobody might consider it perfect.

(Reply to this)

Crenshaw writes:
on Jun 26 2007 12:40 PM

In reply to this comment (#871088)
Well, the Island was a blatant ripoff of Parts: The Clonus Horror - a 1970's movie so good it was featured on MST3K. (You can also get it from Netflix as just "Clonus").

Interesting concept for a short story, but not enough to make a whole movie out of - now proven twice.

I say screw the Star Trek fanbase (of which I am one). Start over. Take the best bits and throw out the stuff that has just gotten old and hacky.

I mean, look at Battlestar Galactica as a model of how you can take something that was good in the 70's and make it great in the 00's. What do you mean Starbuck is a girl!?! Oh... hey... that turned out pretty good.

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Now it's dark writes:
on Jun 26 2007 01:15 PM

That's a relief. I thought they were going to aim to please albinos.

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brave.sir.rob writes:
on Jun 26 2007 02:45 PM

"the other one... sort gave up around 'Star Trek V'"

I think _everyone_ gave up a little on Star Trek V. Jim, you don't ask the Almighty for ID!

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on Jun 26 2007 04:41 PM

If they wanna please me, theyre gonna have to give em lightsabers and call it Star Wars 7 !

Trek is boring!!!

(Reply to this)

Ash84 writes:
on Jun 27 2007 07:05 AM

In reply to this comment (#871097)
Oh come on. Don't get on here trying to start shit. Besides, Trek isn't boring, it's smart. I've always felt it was a more intelligent series than SW. Both are great, but ST goes more towards ingaging the viewers brain whereas SW goes more for the heart.

(Reply to this)

Ash84 writes:
on Jun 27 2007 07:06 AM

In reply to this comment (#871097)
...And Star Wars 7 is a good idea for no one.

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High School With Money writes:
on Jun 27 2007 09:21 AM

[b]Dammit, I'm a franchise, not an encyclopedia![/b]
I'm going with Crenshaw on this. Trekkies have been taking it up the assy mcgee when it comes to canon, between films/TV/books, nothing sticks. So this might as well count as another attempt to retry popularizing Trek AGAIN. Maybe this time it'll stick.

Plus, it's not like Trekkies blindly go to each movie and made them hits. The bankability of that fanbase is dead.

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on Jun 27 2007 09:51 AM

In reply to this comment (#871097)
Naah im sticking with what i said. Everyone gave phantom menace bad press and attack of the clones. Sure they werent the best of the SW films.

BUT...

The shitfest that was, Wrath of Kahn, the Voyage home aka save the whales, Generations, the undiscovered country, and iv lost count!!! They were all waay worse than Phantom menace. And DATA for me is on a par with Jar Jar Binks!!!

SW had 2 slightly bad films out of 6. ST has about 16 crap films out of about 20, yet thanks to STs cloaking device appears to have gone un-noticed by everyone.

The Borg look pretty cool though, shame they dont really DO anything.

As for realism in Trek, if i was stuck on the enterprise with that lot, id have died of boredom before any ferrenghi invaded.

(Reply to this)

Sputnik99 writes:
on Jun 27 2007 02:02 PM

In reply to this comment (#871101)
For someone who hates Star Trek so much, you sure seem to have ample knowledge of it's universe.

*Sigh* Another case of "God I hate this subject but not really because I watch everything ever made about it and am a total fan but will never admit it."

I see so many of these cases on these forums. If people hate subjects so much, why don't they just ignore them? Because they really don't. That's why.

You're a Trekkie nerd. You just don't know it yet.

(Reply to this)

Mr. Kong writes:
on Jun 27 2007 02:25 PM

In reply to this comment (#871101)
Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country sucked and TPM was only "slightly" bad? FOR SHAME!

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on Jun 27 2007 05:35 PM

yep, Voyage home! Was i watching Star Trek or free willy? Very bad film. Undiscovered country i admit i got the name mixed up with Insurrection which was what i meant. Wrath of Kahn i used to like or so i thought, then i bought it and watched it, it was terrible and was badly dated! Yet to think it was made years after Star Wars it was embarrasing. The sets were only 2 steps up from the original series. Not how i remembered it at all.

And to spuntnik, Whaat? Iv watched it of course! Thats how i know its crap! If i hadnt watched it, i wouldnt have any frame of reference! Or are you one of those people that say "Its crap, but youv never seen it? Coz that really gets my blood boiling! And theres too many people out there like that!

Thing is, I like sci-fi, and i love the potential that star trek has but something always brings it down! I want to like star trek because it has spaceships adventure and lasers, but it just ends up being kinda shit!

(Reply to this)