Well, folks, I'll keep this brief. It's not exactly the worst thing that could have happened, and maybe it'll turn out to be just fine, but word is, we have a director for
Star Trek 3, and
as I reported was possible, it's Roberto Orci.
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| "See? I can Star Trek!" (...maybe that's too mean.) |
To sum up, Orci and his writing/producing partner Alex Kurtzman have been responsible for bringing various blockbusters to screen over the past decade, including the rebooted
Trek series. Recently, they've made a concerted and public effort to split up and work on projects independently. There's no indication of bad blood between them or anything, but a big factor driving the split is that they both want to direct after spending so long penning scripts and sitting in producer's seats. They want the big chair. Kurtzman will direct the Spider-Man spinoff
Venom for Sony, following one of Spidey's best-known villains, and Orci apparently gets
Trek.
He lobbied hard for the gig and was backed by all the right people—Abrams, the production company, etc. I guess he made a good case, because Paramount has invited him to direct the film. The issue here is that Orci has never directed. Anything. Even JJ Abrams had plentiful TV experience before directing
Mission: Impossible III. This isn't to say I have no confidence in Mr. Orci, because he's certainly been around plenty of film sets and has the benefit of stepping into a franchise that's pretty well-established by now. The cast members know their roles, and Orci is still part of the writing team for the third film, so he's immersed in the story. That said, Orci has also been at least partly responsible for many of the issues fans have had with directions the new series has taken. He can't take all of the blame, of course—not with Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, and Abrams himself also having hands in the process—but as I mentioned in my previous article, he hasn't always been warm to fans who question his decisions. He's gonna need a thicker skin and better diplomacy, because no matter what, there will be people who don't like
Star Trek 3.
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Not to speak badly of my people, but these guys, probably.
I looked up "Trekkies" and this is what ensued. |
Now, we don't know anything yet about what shape the story will take, but there is a script and, obviously, returning core cast members. After the mostly positive reception Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan received, there was talk on the filmmakers' part that they'd like to bring him back, but perhaps not immediately. Chances are he'll remain on ice for now. After featuring the Klingons prominently in the last film, chances are also good they'll make another appearance and even serve as the main antagonists. As Admiral Marcus, Peter Weller's entire motivation during
Into Darkness was preparing the Federation for a war with the Klingons he considered inevitable. It's also worth noting we haven't seen contemporary Romulans in this iteration of
Trek yet. Remember, Nero and crew from the first film were technically from the original Trek timeline's future, sent back through time by the magic of “red matter.” A big part of
Trek lore is a war between humans and Romulans, although it took place (in canon) prior to the existence of Kirk and the Enterprise. It's concievable they could play a part, perhaps as instigators or allies, in war between the Federation and the Klingons.
In summation: Roberto Orci is directing the next
Star Trek movie, about which we know nothing yet. With this announcement, it's probable we'll hear more news soon, although we can speculate on the direction the story will take. What are your ideas? Are you comfortable with the idea of an untested director at the helm? Share your comments. Make it so, below.
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