Justman Would Be Thrilled To Be Consulted By Abrams

Robert Justman said he is thrilled at the idea of being a spectator when Kirk and Spock first meet and looks forward to J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek feature film.

In the second part of an interview with TrekMovie.com (first part described here), Justman said, "I want to be there as part of an audience when the first meeting occurs. Can you imagine you have Kirk on some planet and he turns a corner and someone turns around...it is Spock or Spock’s father. It would be so thrilling."

However, Justman did not believe a complete overhaul of the franchise's familiar look would be in its best interest. "If everything is changed, then it is foreign," he said, noting that the audience needed something familiar to hold onto. "Mr. Abrams has got to make certain choices and they are tough choices...you have to be careful not to make people look askance at it. They should be able to be comfortable with it. But it is what it is all about that is important, not what kind of clothes you are wearing."

Justman thought that there should be surprising elements, though he expected that fans who thought the original should not be altered might be unhappy. "Go ahead and do it, but do it right" was Justman's suggestion. "I remember when we were preparing Star Trek: The Next Generation...they were angry. All kinds of rumors were flying about and they were none too thrilled. I said 'the least you could do is wait for something you could see.'"

To capture the essence of the franchise, Justman explained, "It is an adventure! And it is thrilling! Those are the kind of things it should be." He stated that series creator Gene Roddenberry believed, "Don’t do what you have done before, go further, reach out." Justman added that it was he who suggested having a Klingon on the bridge as evidence that humans and Klingons could learn to co-exist, "and it was sold and that is how Worf came about."

Justman believes that Abrams is guaranteeing a large audience by remaking the original series and he doesn't mind if the purists are not satisfied. "I am a film maker. I want to make something that people will remember and talk about for the rest of their lives. Doing it the old way isn’t going to do it," he said. And if Abrams is interested in consulting him, "It would be a thrill and I would be honored."

The full interview is here.

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