"Star Trek" news is usually the stuff of MTV Movies Blog, but we're making an exception today since this news in particular ties to "Cowboys & Aliens." The comic book adaptation's co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are also the writers on J.J. Abrams' reboot of "Trek" and its coming sequel, which is planned for a June 2012 release — and the duo recently revealed that there's a bigger tie between their work on the two projects than fans might realize.
"['Cowboys and Aliens'] inspires it a little bit," Orci said in an interview with Airlock Alpha. "'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 were doing here, I'm hoping that being out in the woods a little bit will kind of inspire the right decisions hopefully," he added.
They've got a point. The series' opening monologue famously refers to space as "the final frontier" and there's a very Wild West quality to the adventures of the Enterprise, especially in its earliest incarnation with William Shatner's James T. Kirk at the helm. Kirk, Spock and company are space-age cowboys, and there's a sense of discovery to each of their missions that is frequently captured in the Western genre.
"Cowboys & Aliens" is out on July 29, and the press push should be gearing up in a bigger way very soon. The latest trailer premiered during the Super Bowl, leading to director Jon Favreau dropping a few hints about what to expect. The first trailer debuted late last year, and Favreau was kind enough to sit down with MTV News to provide a director's commentary of sorts.
Do you see the link between "Star Trek" and "Cowboys & Aliens"? Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter!
