Ever since the May 2009 release of J.J. Abrams’
blockbuster Star Trek reboot, fans have been trying to guess what villain
they can expect in the sequel. But frequent Abrams collaborator and “Lost” executive
producer Damon Lindelof said that the bad guy really isn’t the point of the
film. When it comes to Star Trek, it’s always much, much more than who wears
the Khan pecs.
“Trek is not about villains,” Lindelof stated. “It is about the crew and their relationship with each other, that
family. If the villain helps sort of flesh that out and bring that to life,
then we have hit a home run.” In fact, if there’s another thing Star Trek movies
definitely are not, it’s comic book films.
“It’s not like the Batman movies where you are like, ‘OK,
they have done The Joker. How do you one-up The Joker?’” Lindelof said. Scripting for the next movie is already under-way with
Lindelof and the writing duo from the first movie, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto
Orci. Now that he doesn’t have to worry about crafting together a crazy island
story on the former ABC series “Lost,” Lindelof seems to have some more time on
his hands in working on the next script involving the USS Enterprise. “It is progressing,” he said. “We are putting a lot of
pressure on ourselves for it to be awesome.”
Following its release in summer 2009, Abrams’ “Star Trek”
became the all-time highest-grossing film in the franchise, even when adjusted
for inflation. Starring Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, the
film earned more than $257 million at the box office. The as-yet-untitled sequel is expected to hit theaters on
June 29, 2012. Abrams is believed to be returning to the director’s chair for
that movie, although it hasn’t been confirmed just yet.