J.J. Abrams won’t be back to direct the third installment of the Star Trek reboot because he’ll be busy on the new Star Wars film, and I guess some people are upset about this. Admittedly, I am not one of them, and am currently cackling gleefully at the prospect of seeing the Enterprise with a little less lens flair (and a little more female presence?). Still, if you’re a fan of Abrams’ work on Trek, you might feel worried about where the franchise will go without him, and if he’s just abandoning the story for the space opera he likes better.

In an interview with PBS, Abrams reassured fans that he hasn’t dropped Star Trek entirely:

“I would say this: as someone who has become a late in life Trekkie, I really think there’s room for both these things. It’s funny because Star Trek in some ways informs Star Wars. We did Star Trek…my love of Star Wars, the energy of it and sort of the comedy and rhythm of it I think affected Star Trek. There such different worlds though. The stories, the characters, the universes. One is sort of our future, much more science based in theory. Star Wars is like a fairy tale that happens to take place in space. They’re very different beasts.”

The similarities between Star Trek and Star Wars basically stop at the word Star, and it’s a big relief to see someone who has a huge influence over both franchises recognize this fact while still acknowledging that the two universes can inform each other. There won’t be any of the old blasters-vs-phasers argument if Abrams can help it. After all, he’s staying involved with Star Trek as a producer, so he’s got a lot of reason to want the two sci-fi classics to coexist harmoniously.

I’m far more excited about an Abrams Star Wars film than his Star Trek simply because Abrams is a lifelong fan of Star Wars. My criticism of the new Trek films has been that they’re made with a general sense of nostalgia but no real love. With Star Wars, Abrams gets to sink his teeth into a story he loved as a kid, instead of a story other people loved when they were kids. Just look at that quote – “Star Wars is like a fairy tale that happens to take place in space.” J.J. Abrams gets Star Wars right from the start, and that’s awesome.

So, never fear! Star Wars is getting a director who knows his stuff, and Star Trek is getting some new blood. Everybody wins. Besides, let’s not forget how awesome it is that there is going to be new Stars Wars and new Star Trek. What a time to be alive.

(via: Blastr)

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