That’s right Variety is reporting that Paramount has signed JJ Abrams (creator of Alias, And Lost and director of the upcoming Mission Impossible 3) to write and direct Star Trek 11 for a 2008 release date. This news came completely out of nowhere, and if was anyone but Variety I would think it was fake but that is Hollywood’s trade paper, they don’t do fake news. I got very excited when i saw the headline and then felt my stomach tighten badly when I saw the premise. A young kirk and spock? No come on you can do better than that. I hate the latest Star Wars movies for one thing in particular. They started this whole prequel crap. I want a story to move forward not tell me the past of people I already know. Can you hear the fanboy bickering beggining as soon as they cast young kirk and young spock? How will anyone accept a new Shatner? And even with that bad feeling in my mouth I’m still kinda excited. You see Star Trek had been left for dead and to get this kind of talent behind a new motion picture is a step in the right direction and a vote of confidence from Paramount themselves for the viability of new Trek. When was the last time Star Trek had a creative person like Abrams working on it? Maybe back when Nicolas Meyer made the Wrath of Khan. And the article doesn’t mention Rick Berman at all, who has held the reins of Trek for too long. I think he should receive praise for his work on TNG and DS9 but as early as the second season of Voyager you could tell he was burnt out on ideas, and yet he stayed with the franchise for 10 more seasons and two more movies. Which led to mediorce storytelling. So yeah Im excited even if I’m not exactly thrilled, more Trek to me is like ice cream on a summer day, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the green light stays on, and that we won’t have to wait past 2008 for another adventure. Until then maybe Lost is a holodeck?