Franchise head Rick Berman bubbled with enthusiasm for 'Star Trek: Nemesis' in a recent tribute celebrating studio Paramount Pictures' 90th anniversary.

"I don't want to start talking in ridiculous superlatives, but fans are going to get one hell of a movie," Berman told the Hollywood Reporter, which devoted a series of feature articles to the Trek studio's birthday, including one on Star Trek's enduring appeal and longevity. "There are immense space battles and a good deal of humor, but there's also some extremely terrifying elements to the story."

Creator Gene Roddenberry's legacy looms large over all Trek projects, and 'Nemesis' is no exception. "[Writer] John [Logan] has tremendous respect for Gene's vision," Berman said. "We have been very careful to keep that vision alive with this story."

Berman promised a big future for Tom Hardy's Shinzon, the nemesis of the film's title. "He'll go down as perhaps the greatest 'Star Trek' villain ever, right up there with Ricardo Montalban's Khan," he said.

'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' is often regarded as the franchise's best big-screen outing, and the thematic similarities could pay dividends at the box office, according to science-fiction columnist and 'Free Enterprise' scribe Mark Altman.

"The producers have paid lip service to the influence of 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,' which is considered the finest 'Trek' feature," he said. "If 'Nemesis' can deliver the elements that made the show so popular - adventure, humor, intelligent storytelling - then there's the potential for the film to exceed the box office of the last several films."

'Star Trek: Nemesis' will be released on December 13. The original article is available here at the Hollywood Reporter, while several Trek-related extracts from the feature series can be found at Star Trek.com.

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