Will 'Star Trek' prequel follow 'Star Wars' example?

By Jeff Vice
Deseret Morning News
Published: Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007 12:20 a.m. MDT
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Sorry, Star Warriors. I've always been more of a Star Trekker. I even count the second "Trek" movie, "The Wrath of Khan," (1982) as a favorite over the second, and best, of the original "Star Wars" movies, 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back."

I just needed to get that out there so you know where I'm coming from when I say that I have a bad feeling about this. (OK, paraphrasing a line from "Star Wars.")

"This," of course, is the forthcoming "Star Trek" movie prequel that's coming Christmas 2008 from "Mission: Impossible 3" director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

At this point all that's really known about the movie is some confirmed casting:

• Zachary Quinto, the evil serial killer Sylar on NBC's "Heroes" as a younger version of Spock

• John Cho ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") as Hikaru Sulu

• Simon Pegg ("Hot Fuzz") as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

• Zoe Saldana (Drumline") as Nyota Uhura

• Karl Urban ("Pathfinder") as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

• Anton Yelchin ("Alpha Dog") as Pavel Chekhov

There's an abundance of "pretty faces" in this cast (enough to rival your average CW TV drama), but the one bit of casting that really seems to have Trekkers up in arms is Chris Pine, recently of "Blind Dating" and the Lindsay Lohan vehicle "Just My Luck," who will play James T. Kirk.

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I had thought he might be Christopher Pike, Kirk's predecessor as the U.S.S. Enterprise captain. Pine certainly bears a striking resemblance to the late Jeffrey Hunter, who played that character. (A scrapped "Trek" pilot starring Hunter was re-edited as the two-part episode "The Menagerie.")

But Paramount Pictures confirmed this week that Pine will indeed play Kirk.

What has me worried are rumors that the film's plot is time-travel-related and that Kirk isn't one of the main characters. If the gossip can be believed, Romulan assassins travel to the past to kill Kirk. (At one point in development, Mike Vogel was supposedly stepping into William Shatner's boots.)

And then there's a character called Nero, to be played by Eric Bana. That certainly sounds like a Romulan name.

If that's the case, the movie could create some sort of "retroactive continuity" that would allow Abrams and others to "Trek" in a supposed "fresh" direction.

But we all know how George Lucas' "Star Wars" prequels turned out, don't we?

• YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER! Apparently Abrams' film will allow Leonard Nimoy to reprise his role as Spock in some capacity. But on his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/williamshatner), Shatner says he's not appearing in the film at all.

• FOR THOSE WHO PREFER "CLASSIC" TREK. Speaking of "The Menagerie," selected theaters around the country will be holding one-night-only screenings of a "remastered" version on Nov. 13. The Cinemark 24 at Jordan Landing will host the event locally (www.fathomevents.com, www.cinemark.com).

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com

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Recent comments

I just read that Shatner is not going to have any part in the new...

Wars > Trek | Oct. 24, 2007 at 10:31 a.m.

This new STAR TREK Movie Will not again even compare to the ALWAYS...

Anonymous | Oct. 23, 2007 at 11:17 a.m.

Um, Jeff, I hate to point this out, but "The Empire Strikes...

Anonymous | Oct. 21, 2007 at 2:22 p.m.

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Chris Pine, right
Chris Pine, right