There’s a bit of good news and a bit of bad news for Star Trek fans today, we’ll start with the bad news..

J.J. Abrams’ rebirth of the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek XI, won’t be hitting theatres as expected on Christmas Day this year.. Paramount has pushed back the release until May 2009 stating that it believes the movie will be more profitable with a summer release as opposed to a winter release..

The good news is, Abrams now has plenty more time to perfect the movie.. Now listed with a 8th May 2009 release date, for the US at least, Abrams has time to alter the script as he sees fit.. Making changes wasn’t previously possible due to the writer’s strike which now fortunately is at an end, leaving Abrams free to make any revisions he sees fit..

It’s a win - win situation for Trekkies.. Yes, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer to get our fix of Kirk and co. on the big screen, but when we do get it, it should be even better, right?

The Star Trek teaser trailer, which premiered last month before Cloverfield and features Leonard Nimoy’s familiar voice intoning over images of the under - construction Enterprise, stoked fan interest..

This is no doubt fallout from the just ended Hollywood writers’ strike, which lasted long enough to seriously impact the movie and TV industry.. There has been no work done on screenplays for almost three months, and that will have a domino effect that will be felt not only this year but through 2009 as well..

This isn’t the first delay like this, soon after the writer’s strike began Sony Pictures similarly delayed is Da Vinci Code sequel Angels & Demons from the 18th December 2008 to the 15th May 2009.. Unlike that production however, Trek is through much of its shooting already..

Still, this is one of the few occasions where a delay of this magnitude can actually be seen as a good thing.. The new date makes a lot more sense from various perspectives, not the least of which is that nothing else has been scheduled to open that week..

The new date allows more time for exposure and publicity to sell the public on the idea of a Trek reinvention, and gives plenty of time for any necessary reshooting..

Abrams and crew previously admitted that they wanted to make changes to the script during the production, but the strike hampered their ability to do so.. In spite of the extra cost that may ensue, the delay gives them some good leeway to fix those problems..

So, apparently, while moviegoers couldn’t turn around in summer 2007 without smacking into a threequel, the summer of 2009 is shaping up to be the season of the prequel..

The prequel’s cast is certainly big, rich with both newcomers and familiar Vulcan faces..

Among those venturing to the final frontier are Winona Ryder, playing Mr. Spock’s Vulcan mother ( A twist on the original ); Zachary Quinto, playing young Spock ( Nimoy will also appear as the older version ); Chris Pine as Kirk; Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy; Simon Pegg as Scotty; John Cho as Sulu; Zoe Saldana as Uhura; Anton Yelchin as Chekov; and Eric Bana, playing the villainous Nero..

Talking about Eric Bana, during an interview on Australian radio, Eric Bana teasingly revealed the ” plot ” to Star Trek XI..

The actor slated to play Nero in Star Trek XI had a little fun during a radio interview, when asked the inevitable questions about the upcoming movie.. Bana said..

” OK, so here’s what happens.. You’ve got this ship right? And it’s flying through the air, like, really fast.. It lands, and these dudes get out.. Then there’s these other dudes, some of them have ears, some of them haven’t, and they get into a bit of a fight.. There’s heaps of bullets flying and one of the ships has trouble taking off.. Then they fix that ship and then there’s a couple of other guys flying around..”

Bana pauses before asking..

” Is this good? Then this other guy turns up and he’s had some problems with his missus..”

Bana’s early roots were in comedy.. He began his career as a comedian in the Australian sketch comedy Full Frontal before gaining recognition in Chopper, an Australian film based on stories from Mark Brandon ” Chopper ” Read..

Before Star Trek XI is released, Bana will be seen in The Other Boleyn Girl where he takes on the role of Henry VIII.. Bana will be playing opposite Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson..

The high quality of the Star Trek XI script enticed Leonard Nimoy back into the pointed ears..

Nimoy discussed what playing Spock in the past meant to his career and his return to the world of Star Trek via Star Trek XI..

Reading the Star Trek XI script tempted Nimoy back into the role for which he became famous.. He explained..

” I was very impressed with J.J Abrams and his writers.. I think they’re very good people, very talented’. They know the ‘ Star Trek ‘ story and respect it and have written a very interesting script.. Those elements together along with a bit of nostalgia and obviously being able to step back into character after something like 18 years.. I thought let’s do this..”

It wasn’t always easy being typecast.. There was a period of time during which Nimoy tried to move away from Mr. Spock.. He found though, that there were advantages as well as disadvantages to typecasting..

” Typecasting is a double-edged sword.. Yes it does preclude you from being offered certain kinds of work, but at the same time, it gives you an identity.. And that identity in the acting business can be very useful.. I have never been out of work since Star Trek went on the air.. I’ve never needed to look for a job.. There has always been some offer of something and very often things that are quite different from Mr. Spock, so I’ve been very comfortable with the career..”

Two more actors have been confirmed to be appearing in Star Trek XI..

The film has been joined by Dutch actress Lucia Rijker, and Asian - American actor Kelvin Yu.. Rijker will be playing a Romulan communications officer, while Yu will be playing a Starfleet medical technician..

Rijker is a professional boxer who branched out into acting after a fairly big role in Million Dollar Baby.. She currently has a recurring role on Showtime’s The L Word.. She landed her role in the new Star Trek film after two auditions, and has a ” decent - sized speaking role..”

Yu already finished his work on the film, in which he has at least a speaking role.. The actor has previously worked with Trek director J.J. Abrams on his show Felicity, and also appeared in Abrams’ recent monster movie Cloverfield.. He has also had guest roles on shows ranging from Frasier to ER to 60 on the Sunset Strip..

Star Trek is directed by J.J. Abrams ( Of Lost and Mission: Impossible III ) and written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ( Of The Island, Mission: Impossible III, Transformers ).. The film is the 11th movie in the Star Trek universe.. Star Trek XI will be warping into a theater near you from the 8th May 2009..