NASA's Carolyn Porco has signed on to be a consultant on planetary science and imagery for Star Trek XI.

As reported at SpaceRef.com, Porco, who is the leader of the Imaging Science team on NASA's Cassini mission at Saturn, has joined the Star Trek production crew.

"Carolyn and her team have produced images that are simply stunning", said J.J. Abrams. "I'm thrilled that she will help guide our production in creating an authentic vision of space, one that immerses our audience in a visual experience as awe-inspiring as what Carolyn's cameras have captured."

Porco will be working directly with Roger Guyett, the film's supervisor for visual effects. "Everybody is very excited about Carolyn's involvement in the film", said Guyett. "Her incredible knowledge and expertise is obviously something we're going to tap into. And the breathtaking imagery that she brings to the collaboration will inspire us all to create some awesome images for our movie!"

Not new to film production, Porco has been a frequent commentator on science, astronomy and space exploration for television, radio and print media. She was a consultant on Contact, starring Jodie Foster and a scientific advisor and animation director for the A&E television on the 25th anniversary of the Voyager Mission, Cosmic Journey.

In an interview with Trekmovie, Porco revealed that she wasn't a hardcore Trekkie. "I couldn’t tell you the year Kirk was born," she said, "but I am part of the original crowd. I was young when it was first on and I watched the original Star Trek when it was on in the 60s. And I've checked in every once in a while with the Next Generation series and I liked that very much. I've also seen the best of the previous ten movies."

She is optimistic about Star Trek XI. "I have a feeling from everything I have seen and heard, that this Star Trek production is going to be very different," she said.

To read the story, head to the link located here. The Trekmovie interview is located here.

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