While Star Trek 3 has floundered for months, but a new screenwriting team should put it back on a stable trajectory. Deadline learned that Paramount Pictures has picked up Simon Pegg and Doug Jung to write a new script for Star Trek 3. Combined with the hiring of Justin Lin to direct Star Trek 3, the new screenwriting team spells a fresh start for the troubled production. Can Pegg and Jung fix what Roberto Orci worked so hard to mess up?

Star Trek 3: The New Team

Orci, one of the screenwriters for both the 2009 Star Trek reboot and its sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness, was originally slated to both write and direct Star Trek 3, but was booted from the project, reestablishing the slightest possibility of Star Trek 3 being good. Orci was quickly replaced with Fast Five and Furious 6 director Justin Lin. Now, with Pegg and Jung on-board, Star Trek 3 will begin the headlong rush to a 2016 release date in order to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series.

Under Roberto Orci Star Trek 3 was shaping up to be a stinker, but what about with this new team of writers and directors? Here are the pros and cons of the new Star Trek 3 team.

JUSTIN LIN

Director, Star Trek 3

Datas (Pros):

• One of the hottest directors working, indicating Paramount’s commitment to making Star Trek a hit
• Justin Lin movie means a big budget to match.
• Fantastic at building ensemble characters, look at the family dynamic in Fast Five and Furious 6 for proof
• Great director of action sequences, offering a change of pace from Star Trek: Into Darkness and its space jump retread
• Has shot both action (Fast Five) and comedy (Community), both important to Star Trek
• Transformed The Fast and the Furious into Universal’s biggest franchise
• After Furious 6 Justin Lin is in position to make whatever he wants, suggesting a personal passion for Star Trek.

Anton Chekhovs (Cons):

• While the studio probably disagrees, Star Trek fans want a Star Trek 3 with less action, not more.
• Has never shot science fiction: “Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy!”
• Justin Lin is not Edgar Wright.

SIMON PEGG

Screenwriter, Star Trek 3

Picards (Pros):

• Genuine Star Trek fan (but so is Orci and look how that turned out)
• Might actually make Scotty funny this time (so far the Star Trek franchise has relied on Simon Pegg’s charisma to squeeze laughter out of unfunny material)
• Co-wrote Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End
• Understands the Star Trek characters
• First-hand experience with the rebooted Star Trek series

Lwaxanas (Cons):

• Defended Star Trek: Into Darkness (to be fair: he is right that “it absolutely isn’t the worst Star Trek movie”).
• Probably diplomacy, but Pegg also defended Roberto Orci: “I’m really happy he’s doing [Star Trek 3].”
• Scripts written without Edgar Wright (Run, Fatboy, Run and Paul) aren’t very good.
• Star Trek fans may have to live with more of this guy:

DOUG JUNG

Screenwriter, Star Trek 3

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Pros):

• Wrote for excellent ensemble show Big Love
• Primarily a TV writer with an understanding of on-going character work and multiple story threads
• Fresh blood for a Star Trek reboot in the shadow of Kurtzman & Orci
• Jung’s Bad Robot heist movie, Diamond, sounds cool.

Star Trek: Generations (Cons):

• Primarily a TV writer
• Has never written science-fiction
• Who the hell is Doug Jung?

Star Trek 3: A New Hope

There you have it, the pros and cons of the new Star Trek 3 writing and directing team. On balance it looks like more pros then cons. It will be interesting to see what Lin, Jung and Pegg do with Star Trek 3. This new team has a much better chance of creating a vision for Star Trek that will satisfy both Trekkies and mainstream moviegoers.

With the Star Trek 3 team in place, the only remaining stumbling block seems to be the narrow window until the current Star Trek 3 release date slated for July 8, 2016.

What do you think of the new writers and director for Star Trek 3? Let me know in the comments or @AndWhalen.