More Star Trek XI Info
SciFi Wire has posted an interview with Greg Grunberg, who talks about joking with JJ Abrams into giving him a cameo in the new installment of the Star Trek Movie Franchise. This is probably to be expected, since Grunberg has been in Felicity, Alias and Lost - basically, he has been in everything that Abrams has done.
The reported response was interesting, though. Abrams reportedly said that Grunberg is too old to get a part in the movie. Grunberg tells the story of his response as "... I'm like, 'I'm too old? What does that mean?' And he won't tell me anything else. And I'm like, you know, 'Come on!'"
Although Abrams has been tightlipped on the plot of the new Star Trek installment, it is widely rumored that the plot will revolve around the first meeting of Spock and Kirk at Starfleet Academy.
I am now willing to speculate a bit further on the plot. I suspect it will feature the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Back in Star Trek II, Kirk administers a test to the young Lt. Saavik. Lt. Saavik botches the test; however, it is revealed that the test was unwinnable and is designed to see how the individual deals with failure. However, there is one man who beat the test - James Tiberius Kirk. And, he cheated.
To use the Kobayashi Maru as a plot point, Abrams will have to play a little loose and fast with the established timeline. This timeline shows that it was almost 15 years between Kirk's graduation from Starfleet Academy and his appointment as Captain of the Enterprise. And, the timeline also shows at least a ten year period where Spock was on the Enterprise while Kirk was on the Farragut. It will be interesting to how the real Trekkies react if Abrams decides to change history a bit.
