Bringing the Cool Back to 'Star Trek'

The most famous nerd-fare of all time, 'Star Trek,' has spawned 5 spin-off TV shows, 10 feature films, hundreds of novels and literally thousands of Fan Fiction stories, a themed Vegas attraction, comic books, parodies, and multiple documentaries about fans of the 'Star Trek' universe - and all because of a huge and rabid fan base. Chances are, if you're not a Trekkie, you know one... whether or not he or she admits it. Despite the growing number of fans for a 40-year-old franchise, it's not cool to love 'Trek.' Yet. That's where J.J. Abrams comes in.

The unassailably cool creator of 'Lost' and 'Fringe' is bringing 'Star Trek' back for a new theatrical release in May - it's a prequel to the original series, with a hot, new cast including Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, and Chris Pine. Entertainment Weekly snagged a visit to the set -- Read their exclusive interview to learn how J.J. Abrams brings the cool back to 'Star Trek.'

Here are some of the highlights from the Entertainment Weekly interview.

"I don't think people even understand what Star Trek means anymore."

"I think a movie that shows people of various races working together and surviving hundreds of years from now is not a bad message to put out right now."

"In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as The Dark Knight is raking in gazillions of dollars, Star Trek stands in stark contrast. It was important to me that optimism be cool again."

"This is a franchise that offers hope for unity ? and so does Barack Obama. When this movie comes out, and Obama is president, hopefully there will be some parallels."

"I don't know how my life has become a thing where William Shatner talks to me through YouTube. I was such a huge fan of his, but we wrote a scene for him in the movie and it didn't feel right. And he said to us ? he said publicly ? that doing a cameo didn't interest him. Which I totally appreciate. But we did try."