6.8.11 Roundup: STAR TREK
Lots of STAR TREK news of late. So we’ve compiled it here for your viewing pleasure. With links.
STAR TREK Sequel:
After the news came out that Paramount was moving forward with a STAR TREK sequel with only a 70-page outline, co-writer Roberto Orci assured fans that there was enough detail in the outline to begin planning the project.
However, given that JJ Abrams has been tied up on SUPER 8 production duties, the date for the next TREK has been pushed back from its original June 29, 2012 release date, and has been replaced by G.I. JOE: COBRA STRIKES. [Paste magazine]
Abrams did confirm that his next project will be TREK, and according to Cinema Blend, probably won’t be in 3D. Although he did say, “I’m not yet considering it, but you know, I haven’t gotten any phone call from people in suits. I know what’s good for me.” And at the tail end of this SUPER 8 interview with Ain’t It Cool’s Mr. Beaks, he mentions that there are no specific plans for a third TREK. They’re taking them one at a time, and not shooting a second and third back-t0-back.
Speaking of sequels, STAR TREK: GENERATIONS director David Carson and actor Malcolm McDowell recently talked about the death of James T. Kirk, and how it was changed up from the original script. And they address the fact that it was such a disappointing demise for fans. [full story at TV Series Finale]
STAR TREK Video Game:
Besides the release of SUPER 8 this week, it’s also the week for E3, and Digital Extreme has released its first trailer for the new TREK video game to be released next summer. Picking up after STAR TREK 2009, the game lets you play as Kirk or Spock, and it’s being called a “co-op prequel gaming experience”. [more at First Showing]
The game will also have a phaser controller, according to Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Jack Tretton. Using the Playstation Move controller as a base, the new controller will be modified to look like a phaser for use with the new game. But it will be the classic phaser, not the one from the latest film. [full story at MCV]
STAR TREK Exhibit:
In a fitting match between science fiction and science, “Star Trek: The Exhibition” begins a four-month run at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 11. The collection includes a replica of Captain Kirk’s command chair from the Original Series, as well as props, sets, and costumes from throughout the franchise’s history.
Visitors can also take part in a five-minute simulator ride called “The Star Trek Shuttlecraft Simulator Adventure”.
John Stine, KSC Visitor Complex sales and marketing director, says the exhibit is a way for people to get interested in real space exploration, using TREK as an entry point. Stine says the exhibit will draw numerous parallels between the TREK universe and what NASA has done over the years.
The Visitor Complex is spending $1.5 million for the exhibit, which could encourage visitors to extend their stays in the region, providing a boost to the local economy.
STAR TREK Books:
Author Greg Cox recently posted on his Facebook page, that he’s beginning work on his new TREK novel The Rings of Time. The story centers around Col. Shaun Christopher, whom fans will remember as the first astronaut to go to Saturn (see the Original Series episode “Tomorrow is Yesterday”). The book takes place several years after events depicted in Cox’s book The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol. Two, in which the Air Force pilot was part of the Area 51 team that secretly developed the DY-1oo sleeper ship.
Connected to that same Facebook post, author Kevin Dilmore mentioned that he’s also working on another Vanguard book. And writing partner Dayton Ward posted on his Facebook page, that he and Dilmore have just turned in corrections to the folks at Pocket Books.
In the meantime, Star Trek: Vanguard Declassified comes out June 28. 400 pages of details about the on-going series from David Mack, Marco Palmieri, Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore.
STAR TREK Conventions:
Shore Leave will feature among its many guests: Sally Kellerman, Gary Lockwood, and John de Lancie
Check out our Conventions page for a list of conventions that’s by no means complete.
[Official STAR TREK web site] [TrekMovie] [TrekWeb] [Memory Alpha]
