Star Trek 2 Co-writer Roberto Orci explained why it took so long to get the Star Trek script finished and what type of changes will occur in the story during production.

Orci spoke, according to TrekMovie.com, to calm fans who were worried about changes happening so close to filming.

First, Orci explained the original delay in finishing the script. The reason the script wasn’t finished until recently is mostly for strategic philosophical reasons,” said Orci. “We were not willing to turn anything in until we knew for sure that we had a start date, based on J.J.’s availability. If we had written the script a year ago and it sat on the shelf, it would not have been current. Nothing messes up a script like it sitting on the shelf, because then everyone does get time to second guess and wonder, and then movies fall apart.”

Then Orci explained that evolving filming technology can cause changes in the script. “…the weirdest kind of changes comes from how J.J. wants to move the camera,” he said. “Thanks to advances in film making, we can move the camera around the ship in ways you couldn’t before — so sometimes lines will change or even who says them may change based on their position on the set relative to the coolest choreography of the camera moves. Keeps you on your toes as a writer for sure, but it is fun and worth it.”

When it comes to changes, there is nothing that should give fans reason for concern. “Finally, you should know the story hasn’t changed, the structure hasn’t changed, and the action sequences haven’t changed,” said Orci. “Most changes are minor.”

Star Trek 2 is due out in May of 2013.

The word over at Showbiz 411, from a “source close to the next film,” claims that none or the original series actors would be returning for Star Trek 2.

However, a guest star from Star Trek XI may be returning. Blastr reports that a part has been written for Bruce Greenwood. “Spoiler alert,” Roberto Orci told TrekMovie readers. “We wrote a part for Greenwood. Let us hope he says ‘Yes!’”

Finally, J.J. Abrams gave a progress report on Star Trek 2 to MTV. “It’s a little early to be talking about Star Trek,” he said, but I will say that they wrote – the three writers, Damon, Bob and Alex – they wrote the most amazing script, and I’m thrilled to get a chance to direct it. It’s totally mine to screw up, so if you don’t like it, it’s completely on me.

“Our sets are almost done, so we’re going to go back and start shooting next month.”

Abrams also spoke about how the movie will be filmed. “We’re shooting on film, 2-D, and then we’ll do a good high-end conversion like the Harry Potter movie and all that,” he said. “Luckily, with our release date now we have the months needed to do it right because if you rush it, it never looks good.

“We were talking about [shooting in IMAX] and I would love to do it. IMAX is my favorite format; I’m a huge fan.”

The original script has already been, “done for a while,” according to Roberto Orci, and the writers are working on a third draft. “Rewriting is a good thing which normally makes the script better,” Orci added. “We like to keep pushing the script, even if no one gives us notes.”

Locations are being scouted for the movie, including Hawaii, which is being considered for a “jungle planet.” In addition, a Los Angeles museum will be used for a “famous Star Trek location.” Sets used in Star Trek XI will be brought back out and used again for the sequel.

No plot details have yet been released, and it’s expected that secrecy will be the order of the day, but the new movie will supposedly be “bigger in scope” than Star Trek XI.

Kurtzman and Orci’s deal with DreamWorks is due to expire at the end of the year, and the split from DreamWorks is “said to be a friendly one.”

The duo is in negotiations to move K.O. Paper Products from DreamWorks to David Ellison‘s Skydance Productions. Sources claim that the deal will be “more than a basic production pact,” but details are not yet available.

Ellison, Kurtzman and Orci will produce the thriller Without Remorse, based on the Tom Clancy book of the same name, with Skydance Productions. Star Trek 2 will also be co-produced through Skydance.

This time, Abrams is teaming with screenwriter Billy Ray on the untitled project, which is said to be a mystery adventure. The project has been purchased by Paramount.

Abrams will be directing Star Trek 2, and those associated with the sequel are eager to get going, according to postings on Twitter. “I absolutely cannot fucking wait to get back aboard that ship,” tweeted Simon Pegg, Star Trek XI‘s Scotty. “She awaits you with open nacelles,” said Damon Lindelof in reply.

Meanwhile, Roberto Orci interacted with fans over at TrekMovie.com, saying that when it came to progress on Star Trek 2, it was “steady as she goes.” Another fan asked about Bruce Greenwood, hoping to know if Captain Pike would be making a return in the  next movie. “Are you getting this, Bob Orci?” the fan asked. When Orci replied “Yup,” the fan then asked “Does ‘Yup’ mean that you have got my message and/or Bruce Greenwood will appear in the movie.” “Yup,” replied Orci, no doubt to the sound of gnashing teeth.

It should be no surprise that fans hungry for news about Star Trek 2 will be in for another round of closely-guarded secrets, careful answers, and a bit of teasing as this was also the case with the first movie. It’s all part of the fun while waiting for the highly-anticipated sequel.

Once Star Trek XI hit the movie screens, co-writer Orci found out that the reaction to the film was diverse – with some loving the new take on the original series and others not happy with some of the events of Star Trek XI. “I’d like to say I was surprised [by the reactions], but as a fan I was going through all of those reactions myself as we came up with the story and how to revisit the characters for the new movie,” he said. “The only surprise was how well-received it was.”

Johnson explained what readers will see in the new series of Star Trek comics, based on the Abrams’ Trek world. “The first few issues of the series are adaptations of TOS episodes, as the ‘new’ crew encounters some of the same threats the original crew did, but with differences that reflect things like Kirk being a younger captain and Spock losing his homeworld,” he said. “As we get closer to the next movie, the stories will begin to foreshadow the events of the movie, such as possibly introducing new characters we will see onscreen…pun very much intended.”

“Re-visiting original episodes in the new timeline is great for two reasons,” said Orci. “First, we can do things we can’t do in the movies, simply because we don’t have the time to explore so many different adventures in the course of one film. And second, it’s so much fun to revisit the classic stories.”

Orci also spoke about progress on Star Trek XII. “The cast is excited,” he said. “We have a director. We’ve started scouting locations. The second time around the crew is already together from the start, so we can jump right into the adventure.”

Star Trek #1 is already on newsstands, with Star Trek #2 to follow this month. Both issues are based on the Where No Man Has Gone Before original series episode. Issues #3 and #4 will be based on The Galileo 7. These two issues will debut in November and December.

No date has been set yet for the release of Star Trek XII.

Appearing on the My Geek Time radio show, the two revealed that they are seriously investigating the possibility of making the animated Star Trek. “We have asked about [an animated Star Trek series],” said Orci. “We have asked what the rights are and who owns it and what are the possibilities. It is a very early – kind of ‘is this a possibility?’ and we are waiting to hear back. But we would love to do it.”

“We just had the experience of doing Transformers: Prime on The Hub,” said Kurtzman. “We learned a lot from that experience and it would be cool to do something like that from Trek.”

Star Trek #2 is billed as a “lead up to 2012′s eagerly awaited Star Trek sequel” and revisits an episode from the original series.

In Star Trek #2, “Kirk and Spock face off against one of their own when crewman Gary Mitchell is possessed by an entity of unfathomable power.”

The comic will be written by Mike Johnson, with art by Stephen Molnar and covers by Tim Bradstreet and Joe Corroney. The comic will be produced by Star Trek XI co-writer/producer Roberto Orci.

Star Trek #2, available in October of this year, will be thirty-two pages in length and sell for $3.99.

Neither a start date nor a release date has been settled yet. “We’re still in open conversation,” said Kurtzman.

“I’ve heard so many things mentioned, but we have so much… it’s a matter of someone putting the date on paper and saying, ‘We’re starting,’ said Orci. “‘Is it a good date? ‘How much post schedule does the production really want?’ ‘Is it better to rush for a date we want?’”

Setting a date and then trying to rush to complete the movie “can be a very bad idea,” said Kurtzman. “Especially on Trek.”

With Star Trek movies having many special effects, it’s necessary to leave the proper amount of time to get them done right. “It’s just so effects-heavy,” said Orci. “You go, ‘Oh, we only need so many weeks for ILM to [finish] that.’ Then you get there, and you’re like, ‘Oh, maybe we didn’t give them enough time…’”

“You just don’t want to do that,” said Kurtzman, “especially on a movie that we all love so much and has high expectations.”

“Rushing means more expensive, and that’s a question for our benefactors, who have to decide how bad they want it in terms of that kind of stuff,” said Orci. “You can finish stuff [quickly], but it means more people working simultaneously. So those are, in a way, production things that aren’t just based on time.”

The characters in Star Trek XI weren’t quite what fans expected, but that was due to their youth. “Well, Spock, he’s pretty emotional in this one,” said Roberto Orci. “That’s because he’s younger.”

As for Kirk? “Well he’s known as this bookworm on legs who really understood the chain of command,” said Orci. “Well, He’s not quite there yet.”

In Star Trek 2, the characters will get “closer to what you know,” said Orci. “It was all about earning what you know and earning the fact that hopefully when you’ve seen them now, they’ve been through a couple of adventures, but they don’t know each other completely either. So there is still discovery, but there is also a little more familiarity and so hopefully, like the first one, it’ll feel like Trek but it will also uncover new ground.”

The writers, fans of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, were especially drawn to the relationship between Kirk and Spock. For Star Trek IX, said Kurtzman, “Our first instinct was that Kirk and Spock should not get along.”

“There was a moment, where right after Vulcan was destroyed, we knew there would be a big fight scene between Kirk and Spock over how to proceed,” said Kurtzman. Trying to pen that scene gave the writers insight into why they cared so much about the characters.

“It was getting really heated and suddenly we realized that this was ‘the scene,’” said Kurtzman. “That was the moment in some ways we realized that we were kind of writing about oddly our partnership because Kirk and Spock had been such an inspiration to us. And so that was a nice moment of “Oh wow, this is…” feeling and now we realized why we were so connected to the material. And that was a great moment of revelation.”