A Note to Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci

When Zachary Quinto suggested that he would be leaving the Star Trek franchise and retiring his Vulcan ears, fans nearly went into cardiac arrest. ZQ has thankfully clarified his statements, but the internet furor got us thinking: if ZQ's Spock is something that we definitely want to keep in the sequel, what sorts of things could we do without? Behold: our wish list for the next ST movie.

Things We'd Like to See in the Sequel

1) Christine Chapel and Janice Rand

ST: TOS never lacked women in its cast, and we're not just talking about Kirk's love interest of the week. Besides Uhura, there was also Christine Chapel and Yeoman Janice Rand. The addition of these beautiful, professional women would be a nod to the old series and a nice way of balancing the number of dicks currently on the dance floor (thanks Flight of the Conchords!) We briefly heard Dr. McCoy bark out Chapel's name in the reboot, so we know that she's on the Enterprise somewhere. Plus, it would be highly entertaining to see Janice Rand's basket weave again.

2) Moar Scotty

Puir wee Scotty. He never gets enough love. Simon Pegg is one of our favorite actors ever, but next to his extremely attractive cast mates, he tends to get overlooked. We'd love it if Scotty had a moment in the next sequel in which he could really shine: for example, TOS Scotty showed his bad-assery by dismantling tubes and wires that threatened to blow up the entire ship. We also wouldn't be adverse to a Scotty/Uhura relationship. It's canon, has the attraction of a beauty-and-the-geek romance, is infinitely more palatable than the Spock-Uhura travesty, and is one way to transform Scotty from mere comic relief to an emotionally complex character.

3) Kirk Being the Genius We Know He Is

In the first movie, we were told that Kirk was the only "genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest." We've already seen Kirk's unique style of leadership emerging in the first film, and we can't wait to see what sorts of villains and conflicts the scriptwriters create in order to show the evolution of the young Captain.

4) Spock and McCoy Bickering like an Old Married Couple

The good-natured rivalry between these two characters gave TOS some of its greatest moments. Honestly, we just want to see McCoy rib Spock about his alien background, and then see Spock lay the verbal smack down on the good doctor.

5) Interiors of the Enterprise

Most of the action in the first film takes place on the bridge or in the hallways of the Enterprise, with brief sojourns to the Engineering Room, Transporter Room, and Sick Bay. Nevertheless, we think that an inside peek at the Captain's quarters, the Officers' Mess, or Sulu's famous botanical garden in the sequel certainly wouldn't go amiss.

Things We Could Really Do Without

1) The Spock-Uhura-Kirk Love Triangle

Please, scriptwriters, for the love of God. PLZ JETTISON THIS TERRIBLE PLOT DEVICE. Kirk has no time for a serious romantic relationship - the Enterprise is a jealous mistress, after all - and he's got to start developing a closer connection with his First Officer (which won't happen if he's too busy looking up Uhura's skirt.) And we're still not convinced by Spock/Uhura. If the first film had done a better job of setting up their romance, we'd have less of a problem. As it is, the teacher-student vibe squicks us out, and the turbolift scene looked like Spock was rejecting Uhura's advances rather than confirming their love. We can't figure out the point of their relationship. Please. No more.