Damon Lindelof talks Star Trek Into Darkness
And stresses the importance of keeping things secret
Ever since a sequel was announced for J.J. Abrams' successful Star Trek reboot, fans and critics alike have been trying to uncover every last morsel of information, from the colour of Kirk’s shirt to the identity of the villain.
However, Abrams is always notoriously tight-lipped about his projects, a policy that writer Damon Lindelof wholeheartedly subscribes to.
“The audience needs to have the same experience that the crew is having,” he explains. “You’re Kirk, you’re Spock, you’re McCoy, so if they don’t know who the bad guy is going to be in the movie, then you shouldn’t know.
“It’s not just keeping the secret for secrecy’s sake,” he continues. “It’s not giving the audience information that the characters don’t have. [ Giving away the villain would give audiences ] a five-second rush of exhilaration followed by four months of being completely and totally bummed out.
“They can’t tell anybody else, and when it gets revealed in the movie it will have been spoiled for them. That’s why they’re called ‘spoilers,’ they’re not called ‘awesomes’.”
He makes a good point, although Lindelof did go on to reveal just the teensiest amount about what we can expect from the general theme of the sequel.
“If the first movie was about meeting and introductions, this movie is about becoming a family,” he explains. “The title of the movie is not just about the mission that the Enterprise is going on but what happens when you get to know each other a little better and the hurdles you must jump over in order to truly become family.”
Star Trek Into Darkness opens in the UK on 17 May 2013.
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George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.