Wheaton On 'Star Trek XI'

Positive talk for 'Star Trek XI' is just a marketing bit that has been done before, according to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wil Wheaton.

As reported by Geek Monthly, this isn't the first time that a Star Trek movie has promised to be good for both fans and non-fans. "It's something we've all heard before," said Wheaton. "'Long time fans of the franchise are going to be served and everyone is going to love it. But people who have never watched Star Trek before will also have fun. Even if you hate science fiction you will love this film. This movie is perfect for everyone!' And it just becomes this marketing thing."

Wheaton went on to explain that those creating Star Trek XI have a tall order. "...The people working on this next film have a very unique and daunting challenge," he said. "Star Trek is a phenomenon that spans generations. It has one of the most passionate, entrenched fan bases in the history of media. The truth is, over the last several years, Star Trek was run into the ground and the franchise was nearly destroyed by the films and the television series that were not being guided by a good hand."

Having a good person at the helm like J.J. Abrams is important, but according to Wheaton, "...You have this guy who's really creative and has a pretty good track record of making science-fiction related programs and you put him in the right seat and say, 'Now fly this franchise and recreate it.' The pressure that he must be under to deliver something magnificent, and the amount of studio interference must be enduring, has got to be nearly indescribable."

Fans of Star Trek, like Star Wars fans, are passionate about their science-fiction worlds. "We live in a post Phantom Menace world," said Wheaton. "That movie was a huge kick in the nuts to a lot of people. For those of us that Star Wars meant more to us than just a movie, it was devastating. I think the same thing with Star Trek. It means more to people than just being a TV show. If you look at the track record that Hollywood has making lifelong properties that really matter to people into movies you see a string of failures. Star Trek fans really want this to be good."

Wheaton will be in attendance at Comic-Con in San Diego, which runs from July 24 through July 27th, where he will be on one of the scheduled panels.

To read more, head to the article located here.

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