'Star Trek 2' Inspired By 'Cowboys And Aliens'

Space always has been the final frontier, but the sequel to J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" will take some cues from the old Western frontier thanks to the latest Hollywood genre mash-up, "Cowboys and Aliens."

Details on the plot of the new movie are being carefully kept under wraps (although that hasn't stopped wild speculation swirling the web) and the script hasn't even been finished, but writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman insist the follow-up will remain immensely loyal to the original canon and bring the series back to the very origins of the franchise.

"['Cowboys and Aliens'] inspires it a little bit," Orci said. "'Star Trek' was 'Wagon Train [to] the Stars.' Isn’t that how Gene Roddenberry pitched it? So right now we’re just doing 'Stars Come to the Wagon Train' and now we start turning. Once we start relaxing about what we’re doing here, I’m hoping that being out in the woods a little bit will kind of inspire the right decisions hopefully."

How far are the duo in scripting? Right now, they are about half complete, but events are still subject to change ... and change they might once fellow scribe Damon Lindelof returns from his vacation. The "Lost" co-creator, who has been consulting via e-mail, is enjoying a break from Hollywood following his six-year odyssey on a mysterious tropical island.

"I’d say we’re halfway through the story," Orci said. "Halfway through all of us going back over what we’ve talked about and seeing if it really sticks. We’ve built a little Jenga castle storywise, and now we’re going to go pick at it and pull at it and if it stays standing. We know what we have."

In the meantime, Orci and Kurtzman are heavily embroiled in new adventure of "Fringe," and the problem they are up against is that there is just too many options to explore. Thanks to the alternate reality storyline, writers have a seemingly infinite source of ideas to fuel the series.

"There’s too much freedom," Orci said. "In a way, you just want to play with the show for 12 years, but I think all the actors would kill us before they allowed us to do that. You can’t help but imagine a million things though.

"What could your other life be? Do you have a soul, or if there’s copies of you out there, do you share the same soul? When two genetically similar people lead vastly different lives and potentially side with vastly different causes, good or evil."

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