Kate is a freelance writer who offers her advice on a wide range of subjects drawn from her own Trek life experiences. The views and opinions expressed by Kate are hers and hers alone... and trust us, she has opinions! Click here to send your question to Kate.

Hey Everyone,

Well, as I promised last time I want to devote this column entirely to the new movie, since that is the topic foremost on everyone's minds lately (in Star Trek land, anyway). Especially with all the new casting announcements, wrong information, and that "top secret" open call for extras, things keep getting more interesting. We now know who Amanda, Spock's mother, is going to be, and they just added Ben Cross as Sarek — no opinion on the latter yet (although I looked at a few pictures on his website and they kinda make him look like the ugly brother of Liam Neeson ... I'm sure he's a fine actor, but hopefully we'll get some better shots soon). Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, so I'm curious about something: What about Sarek's first wife? You know, the mother of Spock's half-brother? Will the movie address that part of the family tree? Seems like a logical question, right? (Hee hee.) The second thing is, I'm not a big Winona Ryder fan, so I'm not sure about her taking the reins from Jane Wyatt, but my real concern is, what is she going to do to prepare for the role? And with her celebrity status, will she steal attention from the rest of the crew? Get it ... preparing for a role ... stealing... Yeah, I know, I'm not the first one to make those jokes, but at least you didn't pay for them! Heehee, didn't pay for them... I'm on such a roll... Okay, okay, I'm moving on to your questions now ... but don't tell me you weren't thinking the same things!

Ah, speak of the devil...

Hi Kate,
I was just wondering if there was any truth to the rumor that they are making Spock's mom, Amanda, a Vulcan in the new movie.
Dave D.

Hey David,

From what I'm reading and hearing, that is actually a widespread misprint. What happened was that Variety, a trusted Hollywood source, stated the wrong information on their website, but actually had the facts correct in print in the daily paper. And we all know how fast Internet news travels — especially when it's wrong, it spreads like wildfire. Thankfully, Variety has now corrected their website to say the "Human" mother, so hopefully all the other websites will make that correction too. I will say, I'm very glad that this was just a misprint and not actual fact. Could you imagine Spock's mother a Vulcan? That would so totally miss the point!

Hey there!
In regards to the new Star Trek movie, I have a few thoughts... First, this could be so much more than a movie! If done right (i.e. it ties into the timeline, including Archer and Enterprise) this could be the breath of fresh air Star Trek needs to get back to exploring strange new worlds! I really think that they should/could add a nod to the now defunct Enterprise show. Even having a young Kirk (Chris Pine) mention Captain Archer would be cool! It would really help tie in the other stories! That said, I am looking forward to it and Bruce Greenwood should be an excellent choice to keep the seat warm for an up and coming Kirk!
Toodles,
Lieutenant, j.g., Nevill

Hey Lt. Nevill,

That's the spirit! I think you have the right attitude towards the new movie — at this point we don't know much, but we do know that the casting people and J.J. are really taking to heart the fact that these actors really need to look like younger versions of the characters we're so familiar with over the last 40 years. Sure, it would be really nice to give a few little winks to the fans, even if it's only subtle things like pictures in the background or a brief mention, but to me that's not the most important thing to worry about, it's about staying true to the spirit of the original. And as for Bruce Greenwood, I don't know enough about him. However, I will say this: I really like how the eyes, the cheek structure, and the chin are very much the same as Jeffrey Hunter's. (Kudos to the guys working on the site, putting the photos of new and original actors side-by-side — brilliant idea!) So do I think he'll be an okay Pike? I'd say: one flash of the yellow light! (Get it? Hey, it's better than my Winona jokes.)

Hi Kate,
If you were casting the star trek movie, who would u put in to the roll of Pike? I would like to see tom cruise in the roll.
Thank you!!!
Joshua

Hi Joshua,

Like I told Lt. Nevill, I think I'm okay with this Bruce Greenwood guy. Although I confess, I would love to see photos or footage of Ray Liotta auditioning, if such a thing ever really happened ... but, oh well. I know I definitely would not want to see Tom Cruise — ewww! I stick by my original proposal that if Tom Cruise has to be in this movie because J.J. wants him, put him under a ton of makeup! Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew are the stars of this movie!! Oh, and the U.S.S. Enterprise too!

Dear Kate,
I am a hopeless Trekkie and believe that TOS is the greatest show that has ever been aired. I've seen all the episodes a dozen times over, hunted down and watched the animated series, seen all the movies with the TOS crew, and will watch any marathon of TOS that comes on no matter what the time. So, you can imagine that I'm a little nervous about ST:XI, when they supposedly go over the origins of the crew. Actually, what I'm most freaked about is whether this guy Zachary Quinto will be able to measure up to Leonard Nimoy's Spock. Any advice to calm a spastic fangirl?
Live long and prosper,
Reighyn

Hey Reighyn,

Cool name, love the spelling! Y'know, I understand completely. I too was not convinced about this Quinto kid playing Spock — there's just something about him that strikes me as being almost creepy... (so I guess that would make him a really good Mirror Universe Spock, huh?) But I did see him on Jimmy Kimmel, and that helped a little. The nice thing is that Quinto said he has been talking to Nimoy about the part and getting pointers. (Pointers ... ha ... that actually wasn't intentional.) So that's cool! It's nice that he is actually seeking out a kind of mentor relationship with the original Vulcan, and he also seemed to be aware of the huge expectations that we fans have. The fact that he is paying attention to all of this really helped ease a lot of my worries about him playing Spock — but trust me, I still have some! Regardless, I think he'll be a better Spock than I initially thought. The thing I'm happiest about now: from the way he talked, it sounds like he and everyone else involved are well aware that they better not screw this up!

Hi Kate,
Being an Australian (knowing both actors) I am really concerned that the choice was between Eric Bana & Russell Crowe to be the stars of the new STAR TREK movie! As good actors in their own genre I really don't think that STAR TREK is one of theirs. I would be interested to hear your opinion on this. In saying this I didn't think Scott Bakula was the best choice in ENTERPRISE. But surprisingly was.
Looking forward to the new movie as any Trekkie is,
Phil

Hey Phil,

I didn't hear that rumor, that the choice was between Eric Bana and Russell Crowe, but as you know from reading my column — I don't listen to those nasty little things! And as the last two weeks have proved, sometimes you can't even trust industry sources! First, let me just say I think Russell Crowe is a really great actor! And at times not bad to look at, but I don't think he belongs in the first outing of the new crew. He would take away — just as I fear Winona will do — from the things that are really key to the acceptance of this new vision. I thought Eric Bana was really good in "Munich," and I like the fact that he has done a variety of things but nothing to really label him. Although, I do have one hang-up with him — doesn't anyone else think he looks like Christian Bale, the Batman guy? Well, I think so... As for Scott Bakula, I'm still not fond him as Archer ... maybe it was the way the character was written, I don't know ... but yeah, that just didn't work for me.

Hi Kate,
I just dropped into startrek.com and read your answer to the person asking about casting for the new movie. I have a more basic question; what are they thinking? I mean, didn't they learn their lesson about prequels with Enterprise? And Nemesis should have reinforced how ill-advised it is to try and re-cast iconic characters. Excuse me if you've answered this question before. I'm so disgusted with the franchise for this move that I don't keep up like I used to. So what do you think Kate? You seem like someone with an opinion.
Ruby

Hi Ruby,

I guess you could say a have a few opinions. Try reading the answer to the question below. Come to think of it, you could also read the ones above. Hey, you could even go back through the archive and read some of my other columns... I think you'll find out what I think, so I don't have to repeat myself ... too much...

Kate,
I know that Star Trek is just a show. However I really hope that they do a good job with the next movie. It could go either way, though. Remember how Tim Burton (all due respect to Tim) took the simple powerful story of Planet of the Apes, and lost its message about war and replaced it with hints of a few conflicting themes that resulted in a slick-looking but ultimately meaningless dud of a movie? I'm really, really hoping that Star Trek gets turned around with this movie. Remember the first time Kirk and his crew saw a Klingon ship? And the first time they saw Klingons? They were awestruck. They were impressed, excited and afraid by how exotic and unfamiliar the experience was, and you as the audience member felt those emotions. I hope the team working on this project produce a thought-provoking piece that we viewers can mentally chew on for awhile, instead of just walking away thinking, "Well, that movie was true. Sometimes you just have to shoot aliens." If they don't raise the caliber of Star Trek just a little bit, and they squander its inherent potential, I'll be really disappointed. Am I investing too much emotion into this one movie?
Trevor

Hey Trevor,

It's kinda funny that you should mention the new version of Planet of Apes — I was just talking about that over the weekend with one of my dear friends, and how that remake got so many things wrong! Thankfully, this is just another chapter in Trek and not an outright remake. Regardless, just as you said there are many differences in the Trek of old and the Trek of new, so that to me is one of the problems that we as fans, and the creative team now in charge, are facing. We're all kind of at a crossroads saying: "Well, the Original Series was more thought-provoking and used the story to drive the episodes, but the newer Trek and all the movies of today are more about action and special effects. So which is better?" It really is a dilemma, and a challenge, to successfully combine just the right mixture of special effects and story. Hopefully, the writers will realize that you can have both and you don't have to sacrifice one for the other.

No, I don't think you're investing too much emotion into the new movie. Now if it turns out that you're losing sleep at night over this, then you come very close to forcing me to quote those infamous words of William Shatner on Saturday Night Live. But there really is nothing wrong with enjoying something and having an interest — in fact it probably helps you reduce the amount of stress in your daily life. Just don't add to that stress by worrying about something that is supposed to be fun. The nice thing is that J.J. is a fan, so he's not gonna want to mess it up. And if he does, well then there is nothing we can do about it, other than send some sternly worded letters and cherish our DVD collection that much more! Look at it this way, at least this new movie is allowing Trek to make the front page again, and become a cool thing to a wider audience. Whether the new movie is actually going to be good or not, more people are embracing Trek today. (Look at the "Menagerie" screening last week — it was so successful in part because everyone is talking about Star Trek out in the open!) And just think of all the new fans who will become curious about the real roots of Trek. That many more people will see Trek differently, or give it a chance because of J.J. or even some of the new actors. The coolest thing is that Trek is becoming exposed to so many more people in a positive way, and has totally emerged from the proverbial parent's basement.

All right gang, I think that's gonna do it for this week. We'll see if any new casting or other movie news comes out in the next few days. But in case you're wondering, yes, I will return to your questions on other subjects — I just thought this would be kinda fun this once. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! And since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, don't eat too much turkey — save some leftovers for sandwiches — and try to think of at least one thing you're thankful for. I know I'm thankful for the friends that Trek has brought me. And some of the people that Trek has kept out of my life — you know, the closed-minded yahoos who don't get it ... who needs 'em, right? Okay everyone, be safe whether you're traveling far from home or just traveling within your home, and I'll chat with you next time. Later!

If you wish to ask Kate a question or need some advice on your own Trek life, you can write to her at columns@startrek.com with the subject "ASK KATE." (Letters are subject to editing at Kate's discretion.)

Letters to Kate become Kate's sole property. Submitting to Kate relinquishes all ownership rights to, or any claims for financial or other consideration in connection with the submitted material, including any ideas, suggestions, script ideas, anything. This goes for you too, Carl!