Emmanuel Itier: Do you feel like The Rolling Stones?

J.J. Abrams: I felt that way a little at this Wonder Convention, coming downstairs, people cheering. I felt like singing a song.

EI: Can you?

JJA: Not today. It’s a big group of people that care about it. The goal is to make people happy who were huge fans but also make the movie for people like me who weren’t fans at the beginning of this.

EI: You are a well-documented Star Wars fan. Is it blasphemous to then do a Star Trek movie?

JJA: I don’t think it’s blasphemous, but I felt like I wanted to do everything I could — this movie had a way in and emotion that, for me, never felt present in the original series. That doesn’t mean it isn’t present now — I appreciate it now; I get it. But what Star Wars did is it had a few characters that you completely connected with and then went on an insane adventure with. In Star Trek, it was just assumed that you would care for these people but I never knew why. I never got why they mattered.

EI: So, Kirk is more Luke Skywalker in your movie?

JJA: He’s very unlike Luke Skywalker. Luke was this good farm boy. Kirk is rebellious; he’s a mess — full of potential, but an aimless guy — goes to bars every night, picks up different women, gets in fights with whomever he can… This guy, who lost his father, is without a role model but, when challenged, he makes something from his life and then acknowledges his calling to become the captain. To me, I don’t care where this story takes place — I’m just interested in seeing it — this spectacle in the Universe.

EI: Why do you think this Star Trek universe still exists, when some of the topics that made the original series so special, like the Cold War and the Civil Rights movement, are somewhat outdated?

JJA: Well, first of all, while the fear of the Soviet Union has gone away, there are fears of many other things that have taken its place. The Civil Rights movement may not be where it was in the ’60s, but it still has a long way to go. I would argue that the sense of optimism that Star Trek naturally has the idea that it’s not a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, but in our future — certainly a fantasy, but a vision of our future that we thrive towards together, inter-culturally, inter-spatially. There’s an optimism that is necessary when times are tough. The ecomomy is what it is and there is fear and uncertainty. To see something that’s not a post-apocalyptic vision — not a grim, pessimistic view of the future — that’s not a bad thing. That’s one answer. The other is that there’s a studio that has a property. Cynically, they want to exploit the property. The key is not to make the film because of it. That can be the agenda of the owners of the copyright, but the filmmakers need to make the movie because they care and because it’s their passion. I met with Chris Nolan before he made Batman, and that guy had a vision — he loves Batman. He had a feeling for what that world should be. It was clear in the film that his vision was realized. It’s a darker view of our world, but it was nice to see somebody do something, because I’m sure WB was saying, “Oh, we need another Batman movie,” and then marrying that with a filmmaker who was completely passionate about the project and made it work.

EI: Would you say now is a better time for a Star Trek movie than in the ’80s or ’90s?

JJA: It depends on what Star Trek movie would have been made in the ’80s or ’90s. The series has been around so long in so many different versions, some more successful than others. The good thing about that is it could adapt to and be an allegory for any time. But to me, Star Trek is always Kirk and Spock. I know there are huge fans of The Next Generation and the other series. But for me, it was Kirk and Spock, and all the other series made it unclear what the common denominator between them really was, except for people on a spaceship. This movie connects to the core of what [Gene] Rodenberry did at the very beginning, and it does it with recourses that allow this movie to be much faster-paced and full of visual spectacle that wasn’t possible in the past.

EI: You are a creator of several amazingly successful TV shows. I’ve had the good fortune of talking to Chris Carter last year, and your name came up quickly and he said to be careful with the intellectual rights to your property. He warned about keeping your intellectual property yours.

JJA: It’s incredibly difficult to be part of the system and not be part of the system which owns the rights to what you’ve created. There’s certain protection for you, but at a certain point, if there’s something you want to own on your own, which is increasingly possible with the technology that exists — if you want to put up that fight, you can do that. At the moment, I feel very lucky to be doing what I’m doing with the people I’ve dealt with.

EI: So you wouldn’t have a movie if people made a “Lost” movie after the TV show ends?

JJA: There are certain things that they either can’t do contractually… It’s different things for different projects. People have said, “What if there’s an Alias movie?” I feel like hopefully it would work out well, whether I was involved or not. That show is owned by Disney. But they were also the ones that allowed me to make it at a time when nobody else did. They supported that show in a big way. Yes, I created that show, but we were all collaborators on it, and it is the system. You do what you have to do to do what you want to do. Maybe eventually I can own the property I’m creating completely, but at the moment, I feel very lucky to be able to make films at all.

EI: Zachary [Quinto] said that you are not very precious about your material. You can let go of things when they don’t help the film.

JJA: He is amazing. I love working with him. The collaboration… I work with the same people over and over again, and all of those people who are tough on story — none of us are “yes men” and we are honest about things that aren’t working. The best idea wins. The ego should be “what’s the best thing for the movie” and not “that was my idea; I wanted…” and stuff like that. There’s no room for that.

EI: It seems this Star Trek is a slightly different version from what we know.

JJA: This is a movie that doesn’t start over in a way that is playing with what is known. That would upset people, and yet it allows us to deal with the same characters and relationships. For me, Star Trek is tricky, since it never dealt with why these people came together and why we cared about them as a group. This is a movie about these sort of orphans that we get to know throughout the movie. At the end of the movie, you love all of them. Before, I didn’t have a favorite character since I didn’t connect with any of them. But now, I couldn’t even choose because I love all of them. This is a wonderful group. When John Cho came in — this comedian…he’s so good. I love Sulu — how thoughtful he is, how brave he is. But before, I didn’t have any feelings for George Takai’s version of the character. Kirk is now I guy I relate to. Before, I never did. Even though I love what [William] Shatner did now — this movie is not made for people who know the back-story. If you do, you get to see scenes you’ve never known about.

EI: How do you balance all the projects that you juggle at the same time? How involved are you in all of them, like Lost?

JJA: I’m not involved with Lost anymore. My partner, Damon Lindelof, who produced Star Trek and created Lost with me, is running that show. Whenever anyone tells me, “I love that episode of Lost…” I always say, “Thank you from Damon.” He does amazing stuff. It’s tough. We were working on Cloverfield and prepping and prepping that, and then writing Fringe while prepping Star Trek. But I work with really great people who I have a shorthand with. Alex (Kurtzman) and Bob (Roberto Orci) I’ve worked with for years on Alias, and then we did Mission Impossible. This guy who runs Fringe is Jeff Pinkner who I worked on Alias and Lost with. I’m not doing everything. Bryan Burk, my producing partner, was there for the shoot of Fringe when I was shooting Trek. Usually, when I put my kids to sleep, I work for another five hours at night. [Laughs]

EI: The secret is to keep people around who you trust…

JJA: Yeah, to keep honest people around who are talented and worthy, and who will tell you the truth when you have an idea. The scariest idea is people who are really talented who surround themselves with these sicko-fans who keep telling them how good they are and say yes to everything. I’m always grateful for people who are able to encourage me and inspire me to do better, and vice versa. Alex and Bob are incredible collaborators, and we have an easy way of working hard together.

EI: When did you realize you were good at writing?

JJA: I’ll call you when that happens. [Laughs] Writing is hard, as you know. It’s more the satisfaction that you get after struggling so long with a story or a character. Directing is what I love to do, and writing always feels like the necessary step to get the chance to say “Action.”

EI: Speaking of Fringe, will it get renewed?

JJA: I think so, yes.

EI: Would you say you had to become a Trekkie to direct this film?

JJA: As a byproduct of reading the script, loving it, wanting to make the movie and then making the movie, I became a Trekkie. I wouldn’t go in full gear to a Star Trek convention like the connotation. I love these characters and I love their world, and I guess that makes me a Trekkie. Hopefully this movie will appeal to people that aren’t pre-existing fans. I don’t know if there were Trekkies when Star Trek was on originally for only a few years. I think what happened is that this subculture who loved this show started to make a lot of noise. That’s one of the reasons why the movies were made and the series got spinoffs. So hopefully you can just be a fan of this movie and be considered a Trekkie without being a card-carrying member of the fan club.

EI: You must be used to obsessed fans since a lot of your shows have generated a sicko-fanbase. Now you’ve added a whole new base of Star Trek fans. Did you see our journalist colleague in full Star Trek gear?

JJA: Yes, and I’ve met him before. He told me he was going to wear a Star Trek uniform today. That’s awesome. I’m very grateful to them. These are the people that are partially responsible for this movie being made. It is also a bit intimidating, meeting people who truly seem to live for Star Trek. There are people who love to eat chocolate sometimes and then there are people who eat way too much chocolate all the time. It’s good to enjoy something, but at a certain point, it can get scary.

EI: You seem to have so much going for you. Do you feel at all that the world is in a crisis?

JJA: Of course, everyone does. The studios are nervous about spending money. But when times are hard, people need entertainment, distraction and reminders of things that make them feel better and give them a sense of hope. I hope people who see this movie will remember that there’s always an up after a time of down. Like in ‘66, when Star Trek was created — it speaks of the tenacity and endurance of humanity. I hate talking like it is more important than it is, but so many Sci-Fi movies have that dire outlook on life, and Star Trek never did, and that appealed to me from the beginning.

EI: Have you spoken to William Shatner? He seemed upset that he wasn’t in the film.

JJA: We spoke to him in the beginning. He wanted to be in the film. He made it clear to us that he didn’t want to do a cameo, which meant not only changing our story significantly but also bringing his character to life since he died. Every time we tried to figure out a version of that, it felt like we were just trying to bring a character back to life that we liked. But if we’re lucky and there will be another movie, I’m sure there will be another opportunity to work with him.

EI: So Leonard Nimoy was easier to work with?

JJA: Well, not only was his character, Spock, alive, his story was important to tell for our story. He’s an important connection in the film. But also, he’s the most gracious and thoughtful guy. Here’s a guy who played this role for 40 years and never wanted to come back. But when he read the script, he loved it and wanted to come back, thank God. I kept trying to imagine what it would be like to see a guy, Zachary, who looks so much like him, taking over that role. That’s a very emotional thing. He was so gracious and supportive of Zachary. He could have been any number of things, but he wasn’t. Working for him was such a treat.

EI: Anatomy of Hope – will that happen?

JJA: No, unfortunately not. It’s a show about cancer patients for HBO. It was heartbreaking because, when I read it, it was the opposite of what I’m usually attracted to because it was so heavy and dark, and yet the script was so good. But ultimately, it was just too depressing. What I loved about it: it demystified the experience of getting the diagnosis of getting cancer and being treated for it. This is something that everybody will experience, either themselves or through a loved one. It was this wonderful platform for discussing a taboo topic that normally doesn’t get discussed. But HBO seemed to think there weren’t any cancer T-shirts to be sold with it.