Writer/producer Roberto Orci is, as always, a busy man. With Sleepy Hollow on the air, Matador set to debut on El Rey, and Scorpion scheduled to premiere this September on CBS, his TV plate is certainly full. The lion's share of Orci's focus, however, is likely on Paramount Picture's Star Trek 3

Zachary Quinto Talks Star Trek 3

On Being the New J.J. Abrams:

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Might We See Specific Next Generation Elements in Star Trek 3?:

Complete With Khan?:

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More Star Trek Than Star Wars:

Orci is co-writing the script with Patrick McKay and John D. Payne, and will in all likelihood make his directorial debut with the film. There's been some question as to whether the deal for him to helm Star Trek 3 has been officially inked, however, he is reportedly the studio's pick , and in our recent chat with Zachary Quinto , the actor acted as though Orci were a lock to direct.In our extended chat with Orci, he spoke more about particular story elements being in flux rather than his directorial status.Orci notably lobbied to take the helm on Trek 3 . It's a big step as far as directorial debuts go. To some degree, he is like Kirk in the first film, a fledgling captain on his first mission."I'm still in the middle of writing the script with Payne and McKay, so I'm not scared yet about anything," Orci laughed when we made the comparison. "We're just trying to get through making a draft that the studio likes. So until they read a draft, nothing feels real to me. Right now it's just, figure out the story. Then, suddenly, if they really do want to make this version of the movie, that's when the fear starts to set in. The minute you're green lit, that's when it becomes real. Until they have the script it's all just pie in the sky."The move from writer and executive producer on television to massive movie franchise director is one that Orci's mentor - and former Trek helmer - J.J. Abrams is familiar with. When asked if he had talked to, and would continue to consult, Abrams - who's in the midst of production on Star Wars: Episode VII - Orci replied, "Absolutely.""J.J. is more than a colleague for me," Orci continued. "He is someone who I've learned a lot from, just watching the trajectory of his decisions, his career. He's been so generous with his time with me in terms of being willing to answer any questions that I have about anything. Alex [Kurtzman] and I, he's always been like an older brother for us. He's been like our business mentor/older brother. He's one of the people I've been relying on going forward. I do feel comfortable enough, when I have a question about anything in this business, I feel like I can call him, and he'll give me some pretty good advice."Star Trek clearly has a rich canon to draw from, and the first two Abrams' Star Trek films certainly mined from it. When asked if they would expand even further in the upcoming film, possibly drawing upon additional elements specifically introduced in the other shows, Orci said, "I think our instinct right now is to go into more uncharted territory. But again, we're still in the middle of writing it."Adding, "If the best idea is when, suddenly, it seems like the best thing ever to do, is to have the Andorians running around, doing something cool, that's what it'll be."When we - somewhat - jokingly suggested that they might include Q, Orci said, "Sure, or Q." When asked if he'd go that far, Orci replied evasively, "I love Q! C'mon, who doesn't love Q?"As to a potential villain in the film, Khan is technically still out there, so there is a possibility that he could make a return appearance."I think what our discussions are about finding a thing we can discover for ourselves," Orci said, again emphasizing a desire to venture into their own territory. "Then if it turns out that something from canon somehow fits that bill, or it somehow turns out that we've reinvented the wheel without even knowing it, like, 'Oh! We went through all this trouble to create a situation, and it turns out it's the exact situation that happened in whatever episode.' But first we don't attach any names to the structure. We don't want anyone to feel like they have to have seen the previous movies. It has to be a movie that stands on its own, that stands alone. So we're hesitant to rely on any love of the series or love of previous stuff."When asked if he felt complete with the Khan storyline, Orci slowly repeated, "Do I feel complete?" followed by a very lengthy pause after which he finally laughingly replied, "I can’t answer that."There were some who felt that J.J. Abrams was essentially doing his Star Wars film before he was able to really do a Star Wars film when he signed on to direct Star Trek 1 and 2. When asked if there were any changes that he wanted to make -- aesthetic, story, or otherwise -- that would really make this one feel like a Trek movie, Orci replied. "I think the nature of movies... The first two had to reintroduce the entire franchise to a whole new audience, so we wanted those first two movies to see things that are a bit more familiar to a general audience than they might be to a diehard Trek fan."Adding, "You know, we started at childhood and we met their parents, and we see that Kirk was born on Earth. We see a lot of things that make it accessible to a general audience. Now that we've established that in the movies, and now that they have set off on their five-year mission, now we can finally return back to where the characters started originally in '67, right? When we first met Kirk and Spock -- the first time we ever heard of them -- they were on their five-year mission. So finally, through the efforts of our first two movies, we've now I think earned that place back. We've earned their adventure to be in deep space and to literally be on their five-year mission. That's something we haven't been able to cover yet in the first two movies. So now we get to play with the concept that we were first introduced to when we first saw the show years ago."

We will keep you updated as news on Star Trek 3 emerges.Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN