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Simon Pegg On Board To Co-Write Next Star Trek Film

Posted by timothy on from the scotty-gets-the-girl-and-saves-the-universe dept.

According to a report at The Verge, itself based on another at Deadline.com, Shaun of the Dead creator Simon Pegg is to co-write (along with Doug Jung) the next Star Trek film. Pegg is also signed on to play Scotty, as he did in both the Star Trek reboot and Into Darkness.

138 comments

  1. Sounds good to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The rest of the cast can become Borg and Scotty can kill them.

    1. Re: Sounds good to me by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

      nominating for AC first-post hall of fame.

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    2. Re:Sounds good to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Call it

      Shaun of the Redshirt

    3. Re:Sounds good to me by NotDrWho · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm thinking what these movies need is even more action and less of that boring talking bullshit. You know, get back to their roots. Maybe a bunch of scenes too where characters get punched in the balls. Those are always cool. And tits, intergalactic weed, maybe a road trip. And a *TALKING DOG*! SHIT THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! A fucking TALKING DOG!

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    4. Re:Sounds good to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pegg Sematary?

    5. Re:Sounds good to me by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 0

      You and your high-brow stuff. Go read a book, you freak. What Star Trek needs is bewbies. Bewbies and car chases and explosions. And maybe some robot testicles, although I know that's a pipe dream. Although I'm with you on the ball-punching.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    6. Re:Sounds good to me by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      With a cricket bat!

    7. Re:Sounds good to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Hi there!
      -- Doug

    8. Re:Sounds good to me by BreakBad · · Score: 1

      I wonder if it would be more fitting if Jar Jar Binks was casted as Kirk? "Meeesuh Like'm dem bewbies" .... and got punched in the balls...a lot. Wait do they have balls?

    9. Re:Sounds good to me by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Wait do they have balls?

      If Michael Bay had done the Star Wars prequels...

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    10. Re:Sounds good to me by maestroX · · Score: 1

      I hear you, like StarTrek meets Planet of the Apes meets the Walking Dead: cue in geriatric Worf, zombie Troi (i feeeel nothing) and zombie Data (i neat human brains) chained to LaForge (my eyes, they're bleeding) and of course Riker (without the beard or screentime please).
      Oh, and it would be nice if Crusher finally lived up to his expectations and fulfill the traveller's prophecy; I'm just so tiring of the waiting, encouraging this guy even well into his adulthood without even as much as an explanation. Helloo-o?!?

    11. Re:Sounds good to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They eventually realized in the Star Trek movies that there were really only two relevant characters - Captain Picard and Data - all the others were unimportant. Hopefully they realize that here too, or make other characters have a role in the plot.

  2. meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I seriously never really got into star trek until recently and I like even the oldest shows and movies better than the new ones.

    Oh well, the fans need their service. I wonder how they'll bring back cumberbitch for this one?

  3. It's about time. by B33rNinj4 · · Score: 0

    Hopefully he can fix the clusterfuck that Abrams left, and take the franchise in a new, and original direction.

    1. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably too late, I anticipate the new movie to have plenty of realism breaking lens flare too.

    2. Re:It's about time. by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Because ... severing yourself from the canon isn't new or original?

      Star Trek now has freedom to have any future the writers can come up with ... how is that now awesome for the franchise?

      I personally like the idea that it basically gives a preemptive "Shhh" to the nerds who are going to go all Comic Book Guy and say "but clearly this is in contradiction to episode 62 where Kirk says the saliva of Dactarian Moon Bats is the source of his secret powers".

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:It's about time. by neilo_1701D · · Score: 1

      That's easy to fix. How about we have Spock come through a wormhole (or somesuch) to a point just before the first movie and nip it in the bud. That way, the existing canon will be wiped out and the series can be rebooted without messing up canon.

      Ah shit; that's just too simplistic. No studio will ever fall for a crap idea like that.

    4. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must mean Tiberian bats you insensitive clod!

    5. Re:It's about time. by Kokuyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The direction I don't care about. I care about the fact that they have made yet another "solve all problems with firepower" franchise out of something that has dealt with so many important and/or taboo topics in the past.

      First kiss between white and black actors, knowingly keeping a gay actor on, solving problems with diplomacy, observing the wishes of a people and let them die, even though it goes against your own moral concepts...

      This is a US made show that dared suggest that a society that has relied on cloning so much they're basically inbred need to band together with a society of hillbillies and had to effing ditch monogamy to survive! The question over Data's and the Doc's sentience or do the Borg enjoy the same considerations as other species... can the Borg even be considered a species... The list goes on and on.

      They took EVERYTHING Star Trek had which let me hope for a brighter future for once instead of the pretty redundant apocalypse mindsets and turned it into fucking space cowboys...

      So do excuse me if I shed a tear over the clusterfuck Abrams created.

    6. Re:It's about time. by neilo_1701D · · Score: 3, Funny

      You must mean Tiberian bats you insensitive clod!

      Episode 67 clearly established they were Factarian moon bats. What you hear was an overdub based on a misspelling.

    7. Re:It's about time. by wierd_w · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because it sheds the ideological purpose that startrek was created for.

      Startrek was by design, created to illustrate a damned-near utopian future where all races and genders work together as equals, and accomplish a society that all can be proud of.

      In fact, Johnathan Frakes shares this little pearl of wisdom on the subject.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      It is for this reason that I do not like the startrek reboot. It has shed its soul, to capitulate to the american audience's desire for boobies and explosions. It is not startrek.

    8. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too bad they couldn't have taken out the Enterprise story line at the same time. They didn't dial back the timeline far enough.

    9. Re:It's about time. by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      http://www.collegehumor.com/vi... (there's 8 minutes and 33 seconds of lens flares)

      http://www.theguardian.com/fil...

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    10. Re:It's about time. by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Star Trek now has freedom to have any future the writers can come up with

      No, they're stuck with the universe Abrams left them. A universe which makes no sense, where starships are irrelevant because transporters can move people over interstellar distances (from Earth to the Klingon homeworld), and where a cure for death has been found in Khan's blood. Not to mention the absurd political situation, with a corrupt Starfleet operating accord to some bizarre system of personal prerogative of individual commanders rather than any rational chain of command.

      --
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      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    11. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      TOS really didn't push the utopian future as much. Gene really started pushing that with TNG. TOS pushed the envelope with a lot of things, but I never got quite the same utopia vibe from it that I did with TNG. Especially TNG when Gene was still alive and in charge.

      As for the boobies, did you not see TOS? They might not have shown as much skin as now, but they were pushing it for the times. Gene Roddenberry was no prude in that sense. Even though the strip down scenes in the new movies feel a lot more gratuitous, that's only because they aren't more carefully worked into the story and look more obviously like fan service. Boobies are a proud Trek tradition.

      And explosions. Exploding consoles and the cast running around the set in sync. If they could have done CGI explosions in TOS, they would have. You know it's true.

    12. Re:It's about time. by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

      Well if you free yourself from the cannon, what makes it Star Trek ?

    13. Re:It's about time. by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      The corrupt Starfleet is fine. Just have the Federation collapse into a bunch of feuding warlords kind of like the Chinese Warring States period.

      Yeah the interstellar transporters make little sense unless you add some sort of restriction to it.

    14. Re:It's about time. by wierd_w · · Score: 1

      The theme is there, but it isn't so "In your face", no. When you think about it, the futuristic technology required didn't exist yet in the TOS timeline. They had food slots, but not "Hey bro, I can make any fucking thing you can fit in my compartment!" omni-fabrication like they do in TNG with pattern replicators. This meant that there was still some value for physical possessions and the like. The "Full on" utopia happens in TNG.

      However, the underpinnings of that future utopia are present in TOS-- In several episodes the race and gender of Uhura get pulled up, and the crew has to calmly explain how such distinctions are handled in their century.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
      (Yes-- that is abaham lincoln-- or rather, a facsimile of lincoln made by aliens)

      There are of course, many others where this issue was brought up, and the "Utopian future" vibe was strong.

      It was very much a part of TOS.

      As for exploding consoles-- I think that was more a gimmick because the viewing audience would not understand "Broken console" without smoke and sparks. Even today, think of the difficulty IT people have explaining things like "Bad capacitors" to non-technical people. ("But it works just fine, then starts to act funny! Can't you fix it!?")-- That is still just a diversion from the original statement though. Star Trek was envisioned as a vehicle for an optimistic future. That vehicle used cheap gimmicks to accomplish that goal, but it still focused on that goal. The new reboot keeps the gimmicks, but sheds that goal.

    15. Re:It's about time. by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, because that could be in no way allegorical for government agencies acting according to their own personal prerogative, instead of any rational chain of command, or following the law.

      Nosiree, you could never get the situation where a security/military branch lies to those who give it oversight.

      Nor could they ever go to extremes to protect the citizenry, to the point of being willing to lie, cheat, steal, kill, or break the law.

      They'c certainly never create secret weapons and then try to find an excuse to use them.

      Sorry, but this is just nerd rage that Trek isn't living up to your personal expectations.

      Not all of the movies dealt with big issues in deep ways -- Final Frontier was based on the bad hippie episode, and it was pretty hokey.

      The series was dead in the water. It needed to be rebooted, and you don't do that by diving into preachy plots nobody else will watch ... you do it in such a way that people actually watch the damned thing, and you have a chance to do things with it later.

      It's a movie. by definition, it's escapism.

      And let's not pretend for a minute that every episode of every variation on Trek was some great work of art dealing with weighty issues, or that Weasley didn't magically save the day with some contrivance or another in the last 5 minutes.

      I reject all parts of those links you provide which say "but this isn't what happened in the original". Yes, they changed the timeline, the canon doesn't exist ... deal with it.

      I think you people take Trek way too damned seriously. Yes, it was innovative and ground breaking ... but it's not holy scripture pointing us to the promised land.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    16. Re:It's about time. by Yunzil · · Score: 1

      "Clusterfuck"? That's not how you spell "awesome fun thing".

    17. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It has shed its soul, to capitulate to the american audience's desire for boobies and explosions. It is not startrek.

      You make it sound like those are bad things...

    18. Re:It's about time. by Warhaven · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The direction I don't care about. I care about the fact that they have made yet another "solve all problems with firepower" franchise out of something that has dealt with so many important and/or taboo topics in the past.

      First kiss between white and black actors, knowingly keeping a gay actor on, solving problems with diplomacy, observing the wishes of a people and let them die, even though it goes against your own moral concepts...

      This is a US made show that dared suggest that a society that has relied on cloning so much they're basically inbred need to band together with a society of hillbillies and had to effing ditch monogamy to survive! The question over Data's and the Doc's sentience or do the Borg enjoy the same considerations as other species... can the Borg even be considered a species... The list goes on and on.

      They took EVERYTHING Star Trek had which let me hope for a brighter future for once instead of the pretty redundant apocalypse mindsets and turned it into fucking space cowboys...

      So do excuse me if I shed a tear over the clusterfuck Abrams created.

      Agreed. However, I would like to think Simon Pegg might be able to rescue this. He's a devout classic science fiction fan, to the point where he burned his Star Wars collection upon a funeral pyre after Episode I launched (according to Simon Pegg's commentary on the first episode of Spaced). So, if Simon is at all offended by the new Star Trek as you are, he may bring this alternate Star Trek back to some semblance of the Roddenberry-inspired sagas.

    19. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it was a reboot of The Next Generation TV-Series I would have to agree with you but the original movies did have more action.

      I suggest you watch the Star Trek MOVIES again, even the TNG era movies have a lot of action.

    20. Re:It's about time. by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 1

      They took EVERYTHING Star Trek had which let me hope for a brighter future for once instead of the pretty redundant apocalypse mindsets and turned it into fucking space cowboys...

      I don't think this should affect your level of optimism / pessimism about humanity's future. For the most part, the real world will go about its business independently of whether or not Star Trek episodes cover a certain topic.

    21. Re:It's about time. by delt0r · · Score: 2

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      Star Trek was not what you think it was.

      --
      If information wants to be free, why does my internet connection cost so much?
    22. Re:It's about time. by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 1

      TOS really didn't push the utopian future as much. Gene really started pushing that with TNG.

      I agree there was some utopianism, but there was also the occasional dose of human triumphalism. I'm not a devout fan, but I remember an episode where Riker makes Q uncomfortable by alluding to some future glory of the human race about which Q apparently is aware. I could be wrong, but I imagine that idea crept into other episodes as well.

    23. Re:It's about time. by dpilot · · Score: 1

      Hmmmm.... I wonder how far The Culture is from Roddenberry's ideals? In some ways, The Culture seems to me to be a far more realistic post-Singularity type of civilization than the Federation. The trappings are far more fantastic, (GSVs, anyone?) but TOS tended to underestimate many things. As one example, the communicators were basically phones, and other than communicating with an orbiting starship instead of a local tower, they only do a fraction of what today's smartphones do.

      Plus even The Culture gets to have explosions. I'm currently re-reading "Surface States". The first time I read it, I particularly liked one Ship giving a fairly complex blow-by-blow account of a space battle that was only something like 15 microseconds long.

      --
      The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    24. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Star Trek now has freedom to have any future the writers can come up with ... how is that now awesome for the franchise?

      Not very awesome, in light of the results so far. For the second movie they had carte blanche to pursue any story they wanted to, and decided instead to ape Wrath of Khan.

      They should have called it "Into Dumbness."

    25. Re:It's about time. by Rinikusu · · Score: 1

      Space Cowboys. Fuck yeah.

      --
      If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
    26. Re:It's about time. by B33rNinj4 · · Score: 1

      If Abrams had truly broken from established lore, I'd be fine. He didn't though. All he did was remake "Wrath of Khan" with a "twist." Once again, he's proven that he is a hack that has zero long-term vision.

    27. Re:It's about time. by B33rNinj4 · · Score: 1

      I am with you 100%!

    28. Re:It's about time. by CosaNostra+Pizza+Inc · · Score: 1

      Hopefully he can fix the clusterfuck that Abrams left, and take the franchise in a new, and original direction.

      I agree with you on this...I did not like the JJ Abrams reboot of the franchise. Now, Abrams is supposedly producing and directing the new Star Wars trilogy...Prepare for disappointment.

    29. Re:It's about time. by nabsltd · · Score: 1

      So, if Simon is at all offended by the new Star Trek as you are, he may bring this alternate Star Trek back to some semblance of the Roddenberry-inspired sagas.

      How about writing his own character out of the next movie?

      The problem with the "reboot" is that there are thousands of stories that can be told in the Star Trek universe without involving Kirk, Spock, McCoy, et.al., as proved by four television series.

    30. Re:It's about time. by smallfries · · Score: 1

      Is that in Surface Detail, or do you mean the opening to Excession?

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    31. Re:It's about time. by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Wassamatter, the "incoherent string of loosely connected action set pieces" not new and original enough for ya?

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    32. Re:It's about time. by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      That only works if what they do doesn't suck. I had no problems with the canon breaking (it's not like previous writers ever adhered to canon in any meaningful way), the problem I had was with the incoherent plots, stupid writing and the lack of any, you know, science fiction. Karl Urban was good, though.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    33. Re:It's about time. by LaurenCates · · Score: 1

      I agree with you...sorta.

      I mean, the best possible thing ever would be absolutely no reboots ever. I generally don't like reboots on principle because it kills the chance for new stories with new characters to be told in new worlds.

      I'm not really on board with idea that because it isn't YOUR generation's Star Trek, it isn't Star Trek at all.

      The problem is, if rebooting is unavoidable, you have a generation consuming the product that didn't grow up in the generation that produced it. Consequently, they don't need the franchise to be the thing that back in the day you had.

      And I say this as a Trek fan, lamenting for the morality plays of yesteryear. There's new ground that can be broken in that arena, for sure, but audiences don't really want that. I have to check myself and remember that I'm older now, and nobody's making that movie for me.

      So this puts the filmmakers, who I want to be optimistic about (they make it difficult, I know), in a terrible position: they either have to fail at being Gene Roddenberry (or George Lucas, as we shall see at the end of the year), or sink/swim at being themselves. I'd prefer the latter, because at least I always have reruns.

      --
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    34. Re:It's about time. by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 4, Interesting

      And for all that, Star Trek was still pretty much "science fiction lite"... it didn't tackle some of the really wild concepts that you see in SF books, where the authors are not limited to practical budget considerations or keeping it simple enough that new viewers can pick up partway through a season. I haven't seen "Interstellar" but from what I've heard it's a great movie that actually holds up as real science fiction. Most so-called SF movies these days are really just action movies or horror movies in a science fiction setting (including JJTrek and JJTrek 2). That's not necessarily a bad thing. I thought "Pacific Rim" was great. But the thing is, audiences are more sophisticated than they were almost 50 years ago when the original series aired. We've seen "Blade Runner", "The Matrix", "Contact", "Fringe" and whole host of other movies and TV shows that expanded the popular consciousness of SF tropes. There's room to tackle all the heady and serious subjects that were tackled in the original series and the newer series, plus there's a whole lot of science fiction concepts that people take for granted today that would have been incomprehensible or at least confusing to most audiences from decades ago.

      Sure, you need to have wide appeal, and you can pretty much get that for free with good SFX, but is there no room for something other than fluff? Is Michael Bay the template from which the Star Trek reboot needs to be cut? Is the audience really that dumb? (Note I just described above that the audience isn't. I think there is a wider demographic to which a "real" Star Trek movie could appeal to now than there ever was). Besides, Star Trek II, widely considered the best one (by me as well) wasn't deep or complex, it was just a really good story that utilized the SF setting and Star Trek canon well). "Star Trek IV" had even wider appeal could almost be considered a comedy and yet most people also consider it excellent, and it was still very true to the spirit of the TV series. I know a lot of people liked JJTrek, and there were elements of the production design that I really liked, as well as some of the actors (particularly Karl Urban, Simon Pegg (despite his overuse as comedy relief) and Zoe Seldana, all of whom captured their respective roles with heart), but I thought the movies overall were awful... a Bay-Transformers level of awful.

      The problem with the Star Trek movies is that they always lacked the primary advantage of the TV show, the ability to address a topic in detail, to be thoughtful and detailed, and sometimes slow and talky, which is usually the best way to express and explore these ideas. The movies never did could really do this (with the exception of the "The Motion Picture", which I always really liked as well... it was the most true to the original series, whatever its flaws were), even the good ones, because there is a built-in requirement for action and spectacle. What we are seeing now, however, is all action and spectacle and absolutely none of the issues and concepts that are the heart of Trek (and of any good fiction) or even a decent story. The new movies are just mindless eye candy.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    35. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Foudation's Empire has to form from something. The progression of all science fiction: Star Trek -> Foundation -> Star Wars -> Star Trek

    36. Re:It's about time. by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      I discovered Simon Pegg when I watched "Spaced" a few years ago, and really like him. With that kind of geek cred, I'm surprised they would let him anywhere near the writers' room, but from what you are saying I'm interested to see what he is able to do.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    37. Re:It's about time. by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the "twist" was that the story didn't make any sense and turned the most memorable Star Trek villain ever into a boring, forgettable cardboard cutout.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    38. Re:It's about time. by Toshito · · Score: 1

      It's not a matter of following canon or not, the problem is it's not following the original intent of it's creator.

      But TNG was my favorite series, so we're probably worlds appart in our tastes.

      Enjoy the new Trek movies, I won't watch 'em, they're boring.

      --
      Try it! Library of Babel
    39. Re:It's about time. by Whorhay · · Score: 1

      I love me some space cowboy, but I wish he had just made more Firefly instead of turning Star Trek into a space cowboy movie.

    40. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Star Wars has already been ruined. I don't think Abrams can do worse than Lucas did with Episodes 1-3. I've no intention of watching it anyway, just like I haven't watching "Into Darkness", the first Star Trek movie he did was too bad for me to even consider watching another Star Trek movie he is involved with.

    41. Re:It's about time. by wasteoid · · Score: 1

      Maybe they take the new prequel series (JJ Abrams version of the original series) to its logical conclusion, where Starfleet becomes unsustainably corrupt, forcing a revolution and the emergence of the idealistic Starfleet of the next generation series.

    42. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he may bring this alternate Star Trek back to some semblance of the Roddenberry-inspired sagas.

      As much as I wish this to happen more than anything in this entire world -- it just won't.

      The movie audience of this generation in America is largely into quick action and that's about it. Complex, story driven and often in-depth movies won't do as good money wise as the ones where something is always happening. Seeing as this is the formula that has been used for the past 15 years it's highly unlikely Hollywood would change something that can generate them 5-10x their initial investment.

      I just watched the Imitation Game at the cinemas and the formula is still the same as per usual, and as per usual they crammed in a romance to get the female audience interested as well. The same can be said for the Stephen Hawking movie.

      I feel bad for this generation of movie-goers, and all the generations after this one, as they have been destroyed by the low quality trash.

    43. Re:It's about time. by Kittenman · · Score: 2

      You must mean Tiberian bats you insensitive clod!

      Episode 67 clearly established they were Factarian moon bats. What you hear was an overdub based on a misspelling.

      I'm sorry, I've got the Swedish dub and translates back to English as Fat, Aryan moon bats. This fits in with that Nazi vampire episode - the one that's only ever screened at Fan meetings.

      --
      "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
    44. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As for the boobies, did you not see TOS? They might not have shown as much skin as now, but they were pushing it for the times. Gene Roddenberry was no prude in that sense.

      Low-cut tops and miniskirts weren't Roddenberry's doing. Watch the two pilots - the women are clothed from the neck down and wear pants.

    45. Re:It's about time. by Astfgl · · Score: 1

      Well stated, and I particularly agree with your sentiments regarding ST:TMP. When it came out, I watched it on the big screen 7 times before it left the theatres, and enjoyed it immensely every time. I found it to be fresh, insightful, and thought-provoking, while supplying mind-boggling special effects (for the time), in most cases superior to those seen in a movie called Star Wars that had been released 2 years prior.

      --
      "I love deadlines - I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by..." -Douglas Adams
    46. Re:It's about time. by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Uhh... The Original Motion Picture? The Undiscovered Country? Not all of them were the Wrath of Khan (in more ways than one).

    47. Re:It's about time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Uhh... The Original Motion Picture? The Undiscovered Country? Not all of them were the Wrath of Khan (in more ways than one).

      ST:TMP was kind of an anomaly, where they tried to turn Star Trek into 2001. There was a bit of action, with hours of talking and slow majestic space shots in between.

      Undiscovered Country had lots of action, starting with a huge explosion and Sulu thrown from his captain's chair, to a torpedo attack on the chancellor's ship, phaser assassination, prison fights, another torpedo battle and a Klingon assassin taking a dive through a window. Dull it was not!

  4. Scotty Might Have a Bigger Role in This One? by nucrash · · Score: 2

    Because I would be okay with this.

    --
    Place something witty here
    1. Re:Scotty Might Have a Bigger Role in This One? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe he finally gets laid?
      Seems like everybody else has...

    2. Re:Scotty Might Have a Bigger Role in This One? by zlives · · Score: 1

      mostly based around the engineering department, i would be absolutely ok with that... but maybe because i like science fiction more than action?!!!

  5. The Verge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Get a better source than this wretched pile of crap. Boycott them for #shirtgate!

  6. Expect a lot of Star Wars jokes by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

    And also Nick Frost as the wacky friend from the apartment across the hall.

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    1. Re:Expect a lot of Star Wars jokes by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking more along the lines of a Paul II with Seth Rogen playing a Klingon or something.

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    2. Re:Expect a lot of Star Wars jokes by NotDrWho · · Score: 5, Funny

      Seth Rogen playing a Klingon

      Well, it would save a lot of money on makeup.

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    3. Re:Expect a lot of Star Wars jokes by pslytely+psycho · · Score: 1

      Stoner Klingons.......hehehe......such, possibilities!

      --
      Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
  7. I'm just expecting by Virtucon · · Score: 1

    A fence scene, you know where he either jumps over a fence or through one. Should be classic!

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:I'm just expecting by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      I now half-expect to see a fence in the middle of the warp reactor room for him to jump over.

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  8. what about... by johnnys · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nick Frost as Harry Mudd?

    --
    Sometimes the "writing on the wall" is blood spatter...
    1. Re:what about... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nick Frost as Harry Mudd?

      Nathan Fillion as Mudd

      Nick Frost as a giant Tribble.

    2. Re:what about... by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nathan Fillion: Do you want to run this ship?
      Simon Pegg: Yes!
      Nathan Fillion: [caught off guard] Well... you can't...

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    3. Re:what about... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      No, Harry Mudd's not *supposed* to be good-looking. That's part of the character.

    4. Re:what about... by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      I know that Nick Frost has done a lot of projects with Simon Pegg but I'd see Brian Blessed as Harry Mudd instead.

    5. Re:what about... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      F That. Nick Frost as Santa Claus or it ain't happening.

  9. I suppose this means there's still hope by magsol · · Score: 2

    The first movie in the reboot series was passable. The second was flat-out some of the laziest writing I've ever seen; I'm still raging about the "cold fusion" bomb.

    Hopefully this means the writing will improve somewhat. Granted, it's not exactly a tall order but I'll take what I can get.

    --
    "I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
    1. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by mothlos · · Score: 1

      The first movie in the reboot series was passable.

      I hear this so much and I am convinced that people are deluding themselves. Both films are filled with action schlock and related tropes with anemic stories. I don't see how the cold fusion bomb is any better than red matter. Why does the first garbage film get a pass when the second one is an awful betrayal?

    2. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      The best Trek comes from the TV shows where there was diplomacy, subterfuge, spying, etc. We need the real Romulans from TNG, not the weird-looking ones from the reboot.

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    3. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The first one was a decent action movie in space loosely based on Star Trek.

      I'm not sure wtf the second one was. It was like watching one of those movies made by The Asylum with a similar title and premise to a really good movie.

    4. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by quantaman · · Score: 1

      The first movie in the reboot series was passable. The second was flat-out some of the laziest writing I've ever seen; I'm still raging about the "cold fusion" bomb.

      Hopefully this means the writing will improve somewhat. Granted, it's not exactly a tall order but I'll take what I can get.

      Will it really fix things though?

      I'm sure it will improve the humour, but that wasn't really why the movies sucked.

      Star Trek at its best was speculative fiction with a bit of action thrown in.

      The new movies are action films with a bit of speculative fiction thrown in.

      The focus of the TV series and even the first movies were philosophically interesting problems. The focus of the new movies are big FX action sequences.

      You've almost got to completely re-reinvent the franchise again, even if it were possible with the current cast I'm not sure Pegg, as a writer, would really have authority to do that.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    5. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by delt0r · · Score: 0

      Really? And dilithium crystals are all good then? What about just reversing the polarity on the modulation frequency.

      It's fucking star trek. The lowest of the lows in all of sci fi *ever*.

      --
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    6. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by delt0r · · Score: 1

      Star trek is not and has never been anything about speculative fiction any more than star wars is. The have technospeak. They are deliberately not even trying.

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    7. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Star trek is not and has never been anything about speculative fiction any more than star wars is. The have technospeak. They are deliberately not even trying.

      You're confusing hard science fiction with speculative fiction.

      Star Trek is not hard science fiction and I don't think anyone ever claimed it to be, the technology presented is not only scientifically unrealistic but internally inconsistent.

      But it's definitely speculative fiction. Regular moral quandaries over the Prime Directive, questions about the actions and motivations of all-powerful beings, when to resort to military force, conflicts between respecting individual rights and respecting other cultures, etc. There's a lot of serious issues they tackled head-on.

      Star wars by contrast is essentially a fantasy adventure, it's fun as hell (when done right), but never really strays from the basic good vs evil narrative.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    8. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have either not watched it, or you don't know what that means.

    9. Re:I suppose this means there's still hope by magsol · · Score: 1

      The first one had "Nemesis" as its predecessor. Literally having a pulse made it a decent movie.

      --
      "I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
  10. Two suggested titles by WindSword · · Score: 3, Funny

    Star Trek: You've Got Red on You
    Star Trek: Skip to the End

    1. Re:Two suggested titles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Star Trek: Dogs Can Look Up
      Star Trek: They Were a Bit Bitey
      Star Trek: To the Winchester, Have a Nice Cold Pint, and Wait for All of This to Blow Over

  11. First five minutes of the film. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Everyone dies except Scotty. Scotty hires one new crew member (played by Nick Frost) and they travel the galaxy going on hilarious adventures looking for new places to drink.

    1. Re:First five minutes of the film. by ArcadeMan · · Score: 2

      Wait... this almost makes sense...

      It's a Shaun of the Dead remake, but the pub is on Vulcan (they travel to the past, of course) and the zombies are replaced by Borg.

      That's gold, Jerry, GOLD!

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    2. Re:First five minutes of the film. by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

      Bob Evans: "It's gold, pure gold! Greenlight it, fund it, and get Stanley Kubrick on the line because I want him to direct! Also, tell my secretary that I'm in a nursing home and talking into my shoe."

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  12. So it's a comedy franchise now? by Bearhouse · · Score: 1

    I like Simon Pegg, but I'm not sure if his writing CV is best suited for the genre...

    1. Re:So it's a comedy franchise now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Genre writing is the problem.

    2. Re:So it's a comedy franchise now? by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 1

      Maybe, but I don't really want to see a Star Trek comedy.

  13. Missing link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I see an "a" tag but no href on "Simon Pegg is to co-write".

  14. Plot synopsis by pla · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, in #12, they decided to save us the trouble of having #13 do "The Search for Kirk". So that puts #13 as...

    Kirk violates the prime directive again, resulting in yet another five-minute demotion and a random crewmember reassigned to a garbage scow for the Ganymede outpost.

    Suddenly an alien probe starts microwaving Earth's oceans. To save Earth, Starfleet instantly promotes Kirk to double-plus-admiral and gives him an experimental portable time travel module, which he uses to take the enterprise back to 1980s Earth.

    Once there, he must find and kill a 10 year old Benedict Cumberbatch before he invents the plague that wiped out the whales.

    In the second to last scene, wacky hijinks ensue as we learn that Uhura secretly hid a chihuahua in her purse before returning to the future, which due to tachyon flux has evolved into a catch-phrase spewing mascot with the power to float just out of reach.

    Finally, Kirk makes a speech (possibly as a voiceover) intended to beat some cheesy moral principle about the benefits of communism into the audience.

    Credits.

    1. Re:Plot synopsis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot the plot point where Kirk seduces and makes love to some sexy 80's icon girl, creating a time paradox baby that grows up and can be used in #14.

      Key scene in #14: Son confronts Kirk (his father) and, as the camera is zoomed close up to his face, he screams "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD"

    2. Re:Plot synopsis by preflex · · Score: 1

      Suddenly an alien probe starts microwaving Earth's oceans. To save Earth, Starfleet instantly promotes Kirk to double-plus-admiral and gives him an experimental portable time travel module, which he uses to take the enterprise back to 1980s Earth.

      No, it won't be 1980's Earth. It will be 2010's Earth. Doing the 1980's would cost more, and have fewer opportunities for product placement. Do you remember the blatant Nokia marketing in Star Trek XI? Kirk, as a child, driving a 'vette, blasting the Beastie Boys, and taking calls on his clearly-branded Nokia cell phone (ringtone and all). They could make a whole fucking movie out of that shit.

      Star Trek used to give me hope for the future of humanity. It was a vision of the future where mankind had outgrown capitalism, racism, and petty politics, and were free to explore the universe simply because it was there. Each new planet was an opportunity to learn about ourselves, and grow even more civilized as we learned to interact with alien cultures peacefully. Spock acted as a foil to Kirk, demonstrating that if we can reconcile our desire to do good with cold, unflinching logic, we can bring truth, justice, and liberty to the whole of the galaxy.

      Now it seems the message is "We will gladly shit upon all your values to make a quick buck. Spock is having a temper tantrum. Fuck you. Buy more shit."

    3. Re:Plot synopsis by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Congratulations, you've captured everything about JJTrek. You win an internet. Have a nice day.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    4. Re:Plot synopsis by slew · · Score: 1

      You forgot the plot point where Kirk seduces and makes love to some sexy 80's icon girl, creating a time paradox baby that grows up and can be used in #14.

      Key scene in #14: Daughter confronts Kirk (his father) and, as the camera is zoomed close up to her face, Kaley Cuoco screams "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD"

      FTFY... Wouldn't be the first time a movie was inspired by a cheezy advert...

    5. Re:Plot synopsis by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      which due to tachyon flux has evolved into a catch-phrase spewing mascot with the power to float just out of reach.

      How many tabs did you take?

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    6. Re:Plot synopsis by sabbede · · Score: 1
      WOAH! Hold on!

      First off, how did you get a hold of confidential studio communications?

      Secondly, it wasn't going to be a chihuahua it was going to be a red shirt's cat until Pegg came on board and pointed out that it had already been done.

    7. Re:Plot synopsis by sabbede · · Score: 1

      which due to tachyon flux has evolved into a catch-phrase spewing mascot with the power to float just out of reach.

      How many tabs did you take?

      Haven't you ever seen Red Dwarf?

    8. Re:Plot synopsis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >> How many tabs did you take?
      > Haven't you ever seen Red Dwarf?

      Oh. In that case, how many *mushrooms* did you take?

  15. Go Axanar! by johanw · · Score: 1

    I'll just wait for Axanar to finish filmong. That looks at least really awfull from the trailer they released.

  16. No hunger... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NO hunger, no greed and all the children can read - but can't we have boobies too?!

  17. References by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Hope they take notes from Axanar and Phase 2 on how to make Star Trek. Sure as heck didn't know for the last two big films.

    Checkov: The captcha says victors and I keep typing wicktors and it doesn't work?

  18. he's right, you know. gonna troll 'im anyway... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Preach it brother!

    Next, can you enlighten us with your opinions on Steven Moffat?

  19. Good writing is good writing by edawstwin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I like Simon Pegg, but I'm not sure if his writing CV is best suited for the genre...

    Forget genre - his writing is very strong (unless it's mostly written by Wright, and Pegg is taking too much credit, which is doubtful). Take any of the films in the Cornetto trilogy and try and find a serious flaw. I don't mean whether or not you thought it was funny. The screenplays are solid pieces of writing. Just look at the opening scene of Shaun of the Dead: We learn very quickly all we need to know about each main character, the dialogue of the characters completes others sentences in a clever and funny way, and it sets the (I would argue actual) plot in motion by establishing that Shaun is slacker who needs to start caring more about his girlfriend. The zed-words are just the MacGuffin to help show that Shaun really does care. I for one am ecstatic that he'll be on board for the next Star Trek, because I was done with the franchise otherwise.

    --
    I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
  20. And put some other actors too where they are at it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They should drop Sandala and Quinto where they are at it. Uhura was quite pretty in TOS, and Spock was not "so human" :(.

  21. Scotty is gonna see some action. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like Scotty is going to get some premium screen time and some awesome fight scenes. Move over Kirk, Scotty gets to take over util you learn to write your own screenplays.

  22. Re: Abrams stage inventory by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

    Do you think Abrams kept the ramps & the shark tank on the studio lot?

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  23. Still not Star Trek by Berkyjay · · Score: 2

    Star Trek always looked forward, never backwards. As long as they keep on with this retread, Star Trek is dead to me.

    1. Re:Still not Star Trek by sabbede · · Score: 1

      But, isn't that an entirely backwards-looking statement?

    2. Re:Still not Star Trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Star Trek always looked forward, never backwards.

      No, no it didn't.
      TOS looked at what were current issues and then used the show to talk about them. So they would look at racism which was a current issue but they wouldn't look at over population which was a future issue.
      In fact they only talked about the current issues they thought they could get away with and closeted the ones that they didn't want to deal with or didn't think they could get away with.

      While Star Trek has become loved by a loud group of fans, it is more religion than quality scifi.
      I'd say that due to this, it is the only case where people are saying that writers should continue trying to make 50 year old scifi. So bring on more card board cut out characters, more "particle of the week", more self contained episodes where all is forgotten by the next episode, more contradiction, more things which are stupid and/or impossible if you think about them AT ALL, etc.

      Call this a troll if you want but after Star Trek "We have run out of ideas lets put in an ad in Locus" (Next Gen), Star Trek "Hey What is JMS doing this week?" (DS9), Star Trek Gilligan's Island (Voyager) and whatever that horrific turd that Scott Baccula was in, some of us have come to see that ST is not working to begin with.
      Are the reboots the answer? Personally I'd say no, but they are far more interesting that where the series were going.

      And for those complaining that the movies are just bewbs and explosions.. Maybe you do not remember Star Trek is home of the exploding control panel as well as TOS mini skirts, Counselor Troi, 7 of 9, Pon Far vulcan girl, etc.

    3. Re:Still not Star Trek by Berkyjay · · Score: 1

      Ummm, no.

    4. Re:Still not Star Trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...but they wouldn't look at over population which was a future issue.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mark_of_Gideon

    5. Re:Still not Star Trek by sabbede · · Score: 1
      Are you sure? Because it sounds like they're trying to move forward, while you are demanding they go back to where they started.

      Don't get me wrong, I'm neither happy nor entirely comfortable with what they did to the timelines, but you can't go back and move forward at the same time.

    6. Re:Still not Star Trek by Berkyjay · · Score: 1

      Who ever said anything about them going back to where they started? My comment was to imply that they should be creating a NEW Star Trek show with a new cast. Move forward from the old cast and the old story line.

    7. Re:Still not Star Trek by sabbede · · Score: 1

      Ah, I see! Why not just say then, "This stinks, how about a new series instead ya lazy jerks!?!"

  24. Utopian Future, My Ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Startrek was by design, created to illustrate a damned-near utopian future where all races and genders work together as equals, and accomplish a society that all can be proud of.

    Don't hand me that bullshit. Earthlings were stand-ins for the white race and Klignons for the blacks. You can keep going from there. Surely you can't be that blind.

    1. Re:Utopian Future, My Ass by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Look who's blind. The Klingons weren't the blacks. That's laughable. The Klingons were the commies, particularly the Chinese.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    2. Re:Utopian Future, My Ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How am I supposed to know? I never watched that fucking lame show. The point still stands that we've simply taken our social/racial issues and inflated it to cosmic proportions. There is no utopian society.

    3. Re:Utopian Future, My Ass by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Of course there's no utopian society, and I don't believe there ever will be. But that doesn't mean it isn't interesting to consider what one might look like, how it would work and what challenges it would face. If you're trying to argue Star Trek wasn't perfect, well of course it wasn't. But it was a worthwhile example of speculative fiction that raised and considered interesting questions. Besides, the Federation is supposed to be the utopia, but that doesn't mean all races in the galaxy are. I think the development and fleshing out of the Klingons as a realistic society over the course of TNG was one of the best parts of Star Trek.

      Also, if you're not "supposed" to know, then why did you comment like you did know? I bet you're a hoot to talk politics with.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    4. Re:Utopian Future, My Ass by GrabbaTheButt · · Score: 1

      Don't hand me that bullshit. Earthlings were stand-ins for the white race and Klignons for the blacks. You can keep going from there. Surely you can't be that blind.

      Nice try race baiter!

      The Klingons were stand ins for the Soviets and the Romulans were stand ins for the Chinese. Anyone who can't see that wasn't paying attention. (At least that was always my take on it)

      Try to keep in mind the political climate and the state of world affairs when TOS was in first run. The Cold War was running at full speed and fear of Communism spread over the world was in full effect.

    5. Re:Utopian Future, My Ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course there's no utopian society, and I don't believe there ever will be.

      No shit. I'm not commenting on our society.

      But that doesn't mean it isn't interesting to consider what one might look like

      It would actually be quote fascinating. Do you have any examples, because Star Trek surely isn't one.

      it was a worthwhile example [blah blah blah]

      Worthwhile? Hardly. I found it quite boring. It's like a tired old meme that won't go away.

      Besides, the Federation is supposed to be the utopia

      In the context of the parent's post, and in any context I've ever heard that argument, it was only ever mentioned that all races got along. That is what I am calling bullshit on. As I stated before, they just raised it to a cosmic scale.

      I've always been fascinated by all things outer-spacey. but it only took about 5 episodes of the original series to determine that it was boring and cheesey as shit. I never understood why it got franchised out.

  25. Neutral by BrennanPratt · · Score: 1

    It says more against JJ Abrams' last go at this (or whoever wrote it), than an endorsement of Pegg's writing acumen, that I find this a neutral factor. ...shit, I'm lying. It's a plus. Pegg might have an actual idea about what makes Star Trek work.

    1. Re:Neutral by sabbede · · Score: 1

      He is a big fan. And a very talented writer to boot! At least when it comes to comedy... I wonder how those skills will translate.

  26. Great news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe the first Trek reboot movie I don't regret spending movie theater ticket amounts of cash to watch.

    I really hope they sneak a "You got a little red on you" easter egg in somewhere as well ;-)

  27. Heretic! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Heretic!

    That is all.

  28. More Female Pon Farr or I'm not watching by Ryyuajnin · · Score: 1

    If they are gonna destroy the legacy of star trek, they might as well do it right. THIS time if a Pon Farr delirious vulcan female is stumbling around the ship, begging every male she runs into to "Help" her, the last thing I wanna hear is: Oh, I couldn't possibly to THAT!

  29. Boooo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hisss.

    I don't even count those films. They were both campy.

  30. Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because the first two weren't dumb enough already.

  31. I predict: by sabbede · · Score: 1

    Nick Frost will play a comically bumbling Klingon with a funny name.

  32. Star Trek according to Pegg by tripwire45 · · Score: 1

    or "Star Trek III: The Comedy."

  33. New Script by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    The Starship Enterprise exploring a wormhole comes across a region of space controlled by the "Alliance"... After an improbable accident they are all stranded in Alliance space and spend the next 5 years doing more interesting and entertaining things.