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When Star Trek: Enterprise went off the air May 2005, it was the first time since September 1987 where there was neither a new movie or TV show on the airwaves. Paramount's golden cash cow seemed to have finally run out of steam and it looked as though it would not be back for quite a long while.

Not long after Enterprise went off the air, however, rumors of reviving the franchise in the near future were floating around, and finally in mid-2006 word came out that Alias and Lost creator J.J. Abrams would be producing the next installment of the popular science fiction franchise.

From day one, the Internet was filled with rumors of casting and story points. At times, it was speculated that Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Bourne Identity) would be taking over the role of Captain James T. Kirk, once played by the popular William Shatner. Rumors even went as far as casting Adrian Brody as Mr. Spock and Gary Sinise as Dr. McCoy.

However, recent months have shown that these rumors and speculations were just that. As the cast list of the new Trek film has grown to include Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Winona Ryder and features the return of Leonard Nimoy, the Internet has remained abuzz with rumors on just what this movie will be about.

Unlike previous installments of the Star Trek movie franchise, no script has leaked, and the production crew has been very good about not allowing many story points to hit the airwaves. While some rumors have arisen as to some of the plot elements (including the controversial use of a Harlan Ellison "creation"), most details are still very scarce to come by.

Is this a good thing? Many hardcore Trek fans search the web every day for new information and spoilers only to come up disappointed. I have been a fan of Star Trek for as long as I can remember, having grown up on Star Trek: The Next Generation. While I am constantly looking for news and tidbits, I am careful to avoid spoilers, remembering what has happened with past Trek movies in which I have read the script before seeing the movie, leading to my enjoyment of the movie to decrease because of my already existing knowledge of what is going to happen.

It is important to remember, though, that no matter what you read or hear, you never know what actually takes place until you witness the final product. After all, if one were to go into the movie theater next Christmas expecting to see Matt Damon playing Captain Kirk, that person would be quite surprised to see someone else playing the infamous starship captain.

Spoilers or no spoilers, I eagerly await and welcome the coming production of Star Trek, whether the rumors that circulate around the Internet are true or not. Hopefully, this will be a Trek film that truly does boldly go where no one has gone before.

Learn more about this author, Jonathan Sears.
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