Justin Lin declares his trekkie credentials

Anyone worried that Justin Lin, director of Star Trek Beyond, didn't have a trekkie leg to stand on, having come to this franchise after a multi-movie stint working on Fast and Furious films, should have their fears allayed by a recent interview with Lin from Deadline. He discussed his life long affinity for Trek, and perhaps most interestingly, in contrast to J.J. Abrams' declared preferences, makes clear how that is distinct from being s Star Wars fan:

I thought about how much a part of my life Star Trek was. Growing up, my parents had this little fish and chips restaurant in Anaheim in the shadows of Disneyland, and they didn’t close until 9 PM. As a family, we didn’t eat dinner until 10 PM, and we would watch the original Star Trek every night at 11. My dad worked 364 days a year, only took Thanksgiving off, and from age 8 to 18, the only time I could hang out with my parents was by staying late. And every night, it was Star Trek on Channel 13 in L.A. That was my childhood. All my friends were Star Wars kids but I didn’t go to the movies, so I was the Star Trek kid. Thinking about this, it became a very personal and very emotional decision.

Lin also talked a little about the direction the new film will be going, emphasising as others have before the five-year-mission setting:

As great as JJ’s films were, there’s still a lot to be mined from these characters. They haven’t really gone on their five-year mission, so what we experienced in the TV show hasn’t been touched on yet. That sets up an opportunity for exploration and the deeper you go, the more you are examining humanity. Those are the things that I absorbed as a kid and hope to tap into and embrace and celebrate. By the time this movie comes out, Star Trek will have been around for 50 years.

It’s all new and fresh. The Klingons, Romulans and other species are great, but it’s time to go further. It has been fun to focus on creating whole new worlds and species.

You can read the full interview on Deadline. Meanwhile Star Trek Beyond is set to start shooting this month, starting a year long dash to release next July. To keep track of all the news about the film, visit my Star Trek Beyond guide page.