In an interview with the L.A. Times, Star Trek prequel director J.J. Abrams discussed what he has in mind for the sequel to his quasi-reboot of the series. Specifically, he referenced a style of allegory akin to that of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

He told the Times:

"The ambition for a sequel to 'Star Trek' is to make a movie that's worthy of the audience and not just another movie, you know, just a second movie that feels tacked on. The first movie was so concerned with just setting up the characters -- their meeting each and galvanizing that family -- that in many ways a sequel will have a very different mission. it needs to do what Roddenberry did so well, which is allegory. It needs to tell a story that has connection to what is familiar and what is relevant. It also needs to tell it in a spectacular way that hides the machinery and in a primarily entertaining and hopefully moving story. There needs to be relevance, yes, and that doesn't mean it should be pretentious. If there are simple truths -- truths connected to what we live -- that elevates any story -- that's true with any story."

Writer Robert Orci was a little more specific (minor spoilers ahead). When Geoff Boucher of the Times asked, "flippantly," whether contemporary issues such as terrorism and torture would be tackled, Orci responded, "Well yeah, those are the kind of issues we're talking about."

While Abrams is right that his Trek sequel will likely need to go somewhere meaningful in order to carry on the success of his film, the danger in any case such as this is that the director becomes too conscious of the message and lets it take over. In the worst cases, this can result in a contorting of the story so that the point can be conveyed. Abrams seems to be aware of this, however, when he says that the allegory should be told "in a spectacular way that hides the machinery and in a primarily entertaining and hopefully moving story." Also, given the quality of his Trek prequel as well as his handling of national catastrophe in Cloverfield, there seems to be no real reason to worry that the next Trek film will lack entertainment value in the least. Particularly for fans of the original Star Trek series, Abrams' plan for his sequel should come across as good news.