Abrams Biggest Challenge...

[Carpe Occasio]

...may possibly be making any sense. What do you think?


Q: What was the biggest challenge of taking the Star Trek franchise on?

Abrams: I think the biggest challenge was trying to make it relevant to now. Like to do it despite it being Star Trek. I don’t think it’s enough to say, "Oh, it’s Star Trek, let’s just…." I think it’s a question of: How do you make it something that would be what it wants to be, even if it hadn’t been a series before.

Q: How do you?

Abrams: Well, you invest completely in the characters. And you tell a story that is good, regardless of the setting, in a weird way. And I think that what we found — with Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci’s script and with the cast, who are so good — is you love these people and so you go with them anywhere.


http://trekmovie.com/2008/07/22/abrams-biggest-challenge-is-making-trek-relevent-again/

 

[Gepard]

Nah. Abrams' biggest challenge will be fitting all the sombreros in now that principle photography is over.

 

[Carpe Occasio]

^ A valid point for sure.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Everything he said there made sense to me, so I don't see the problem.

Of course, I've been reading posts in forums on the Internet for almost ten years now, so maybe I'm used to parsing somewhat confused sentences.

 

[Bill Morris]

Good writers, talented team: Check.
Ample budget, high production values: Check.
Relevant to now: Swish.
Prequel: Are you out of your Vulcan mind?!!!

 

[Carpe Occasio]

Everything he said there made sense to me, so I don't see the problem.

Of course, I've been reading posts in forums on the Internet for almost ten years now, so maybe I'm used to parsing somewhat confused sentences.

I guess. I just thought responses like the following were weird and confusing to say the least -

,,,to do it despite it being Star Trek.

...how do you make it something that would be what it wants to be, even if it hadn’t been a series before.

...you tell a story that is good, regardless of the setting, in a weird way.

 

[M'Sharak]

Everything he said there made sense to me, so I don't see the problem.

Of course, I've been reading posts in forums on the Internet for almost ten years now, so maybe I'm used to parsing somewhat confused sentences.

I guess. I just thought responses like the following were weird and confusing to say the least -

,,,to do it despite it being Star Trek.

...how do you make it something that would be what it wants to be, even if it hadn’t been a series before.

...you tell a story that is good, regardless of the setting, in a weird way.

Well, I think you really have to put those first, though.

If you try to make it so that the setting and trappings come first, and story and internal continuity second or even farther down the list, then you're likely to end up with something which isn't very good. Get a good story and get the characters working within that framework, and all of the other stuff will fall into place accordingly. Form follows function, not the other way around.

If the wording was a bit awkward, well, that can happen when you're answering questions without using a script. These also seem to be excerpted from a larger interview Q&A session, which doesn't always help the clarity of individual answers.

 

[Akiraprise]

Abrams biggest problem is trying to answer the same questions asked by 20 different reporters without trying to sound like a broken record or give away too much of his movies plot. Can't be easy.

 

[Corran Horn]

The challenge is making it relevant. And also, making it a movie most moviegoers are going to want to see instead of them laughing at the thought of even seeing it.

 

[cybersoldier]

Nah. Abrams' biggest challenge will be fitting all the sombreros in now that principle photography is over.

Or the cloverfield monster which ever one come first

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I think what he means is, his challenge is to shed Star Trek's image problem of being the John McCain of TV franchises - old, irrelevant unpleasantly-eccentric fuddy-duddy that is the opposite of cool and just makes you want to change the channel as fast as possible.

 

[Procutus]

If J.J. is simply going to babble for the next ten months, I'd at least like him to change the wording of his ramblings.

 

[ancient]

Doesn't Abrams know that all he has to do is reverse the polarity of the main deflector?

That will solve any problem.

 

[M'Sharak]

Doesn't Abrams know that all he has to do is reverse the polarity of the main deflector?

That will solve any problem.

True, but it doesn't work unless you wait until the last possible second.

 

[Sector 7]

I think what he means is, his challenge is to shed Star Trek's image problem of being the John McCain of TV franchises - old, irrelevant unpleasantly-eccentric fuddy-duddy that is the opposite of cool and just makes you want to change the channel as fast as possible.

Ding, ding, ding... we have a winner!
JJ Abrams tends to ramble... it's actually a trait of very creative people... also the reason he hires writers... to make the ideas he has make sense.

 

[gastrof]

Doesn't Abrams know that all he has to do is reverse the polarity of the main deflector?

That will solve any problem.

True, but it doesn't work unless you wait until the last possible second.

They can't do that. We need Chris Pine for the next movie, and everyone knows that when you mess with the main deflector, you lose a Kirk.

Probably fixing something in a Jeffries tube instead. Yeah. That'd do the trick with no problem.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Biggest challenge?

How do you make a 40 year old TV show relevant to today's movie audience without making a parody of it? Or turning it into a show about teenagers so teenage audiences can relate to it (effectively making it a parody anyway). How do you please fans who are never happy? How do you get audiences to go see a subject they don't want to?

One of those.