Abrams Trek Into Darkness With Fan

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Star Trek director J.J. Abrams had a fireside chat with a fellow movie/trek fan during the week. I must say it was exciting to see him hanging out with a fellow trekker. Abrams revealed Star Trek Into Darkness is clearly for movie fans, telling us theres plenty of stuff in the movie for trek fans to enjoy also, expounding on extra tid bits about the villain. Heres the entire transcript.

Trekker: The shock that we've seen in the Japanese trailer and we've seen in the foreword trailer of two hands separated by glass, of course for any trek fan that feels like Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan and you have to know that, you're a smart man.

Abrams: Of course, but heres the thing, (pause) This movie you know was not made for Star Trek fans, it was made for movie fans but if you're a Star Trek fan, I think you'll be really happy, theres allot of stuff in here for you. (WOO HOO! I'm SOOOO EXCITED,) umm but we couldn't just make the movie only for fans of Star Trek. The thing about the movie that I love also is we didn't even make it for fans of the first film we did. You know allot of sequels I've seen, eh tend to assume you love the characters and know them really well and you know get off being in the movie, sort of to a fast start where you don't have any sense of investing in the character from the beginning. So we try and treat this as a movie that works on its own, certainly its a sequel, certainly if you saw the first movie great, you don't have to seen the first film. So this movie is kinda its own thing but there are definitely nods to prior trek lore in the film.

Trekker: Benedict's character which obviously you know has been subject to much umm speculation... Abrams: ehem (in agreement) Trekker: ...his name is John Harrison. Harrison is the name of the character on 'Space Seed' (Star Trek's classic series) and is that something I'm reading way too much into or is that coincidence?

Abrams: sighs in amusement: God you're such a geek
.
Trekker: grins and chuckles, I went to Star Trek conventions don't act surprised...

Abrams: I love it. Ehhh rather than.. you know, answer anything that would sort of give away the fun of the movie, I would say the character Benedict plays, eh, you know, he he brings, I mean, such an incredible like power. His voice alone is unbelievable eh, you know. I actually just as a joke should have had him read the lunch menu.

Trekker laughs and jests, That could have been the first teaser.

Abrams: I'm telling you it would have been like egg salad sandwich. He makes anything sound great. eh, he brings such a force to it that, eh, I think when you see the movie, hopefully this character, all speculation aside, will be really compelling not because of any connection to anything you know...past but because of kind of who he is and what he thinks of.

Trekker: Is his character (Benedict) shrouded in mystery in the film or are his motivations and back stories part of a plot or do we know who he is from the get go?

Abrams: No no no, the whole thing, not just his back story but his agenda, his plan, his secret, all of that is what I think, for me at least, makes him such a frightening and cool villain... but also, the real villains, when they're not just 2d, you know, angry vengeful types, eh, don't see themselves as the bad guy. They are the good guy and have complete rationale and motivation. So I think true to form, the character you know, that Benedict plays, you know has an absolute sense of right and wrong, and he's on the right side.'


Is it possible Star Trek's Into Darkness villain is a Gary Seven character? (read last bit) hehe.
Do you think Abrams is the master puppeteer?