More than three years after the last “Star Trek” movie crashed at the box office, the venerable sci-fi franchise is being revived by the director of the upcoming “Mission: Impossible” sequel, Daily Variety reported in its Friday edition.

The as-yet-untitled “Star Trek” feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.

The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle “Mission: Impossible III” will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows “Alias” and “Lost,” will also help write and produce.

Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of “Star Trek” characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission. source

Wow, that sounds potentially (???) good. But given the decay of the franchise, who knows. I was really disappointed with last movie installment in the Star Trek series, “Nemesis.” While it was great to see the New Generation crew, I was disappointed that they rehashed material from “Wrath of Kahn” instead of delving in the more interesting implications of the cloning. But oh well, that’s over. Onward, or backwards to days of youth for Kirk and Spock…