Star Trek 3 has had more than its share of problems already and they haven’t even put a single image on film (or, you know, whatever they use these days). Writer/director Roberto Orci stepped off after reports that he clashed with the Paramount Pictures execs over the direction of the franchise, but since then they’ve gradually pieced things together and it’s going to be interesting to say the least. Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin has taken over the reins, and series star Simon Pegg, who plays the rebooted version of Scotty, will co-write the script. Now it sounds like they might add one of the most badass living actors in a villain role, as well as a bunch of other potentially interesting characters.

According to Film Divider, the production is looking to cast a new antagonist who is supposed to be “Bryan Cranston-like.” While that’s intriguing, it’s not the potentially awesome part. The cool piece of this news is that not only do they want a Cranston-like figure, they want actual Bryan Cranston to play the part. There have even reportedly been talks between the two sides, and though there is no word on his reaction, that’s a prospect worth getting excited about.

Star Trek 3 has already had a bumpy road and the next installment of the revamped franchise hasn’t even shot a single frame yet. Roberto Orci was supposed to make his directorial debut on the film, something that incensed a fair number of fans, but he was ousted after disagreements with Paramount Pictures over the direction of the film, and replaced by the Fast & Furious Justin Lin, another decision many have questioned. Orci also left a void in the writing department as well, which has since been filled by Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in the new films. We adore Pegg, but while it remains to be seen whether or not this is a good fit, at least one of his costars has given him a resounding vote of confidence.

Chris Pine, who, of course, plays the new version of Captain James T. Kirk, is in Park City, Utah for the Sundance premiere of his post-apocalyptic ride Z for Zachariah. When MTV caught up with him, they asked what he though of the Pegg hire.

Whenever a beloved series gets cancelled, it opens up the doorway for the would-you-be-interested-in-more conversation. It feels like cast members of shows like Star Trek, The X-Files, Firefly, and others are destined to be asked this question in damn near every interview they do from now until the day they die. And I’m sure it has come up before, but someone recently asked Patrick Stewart if he’d be down for reprise his Star Trek: The Next Generation role of Jean-Luc Picard, and his answer is just about perfect.

Pumping up his new film, Match, where he apparently does a lot of cocaine, he took part in a Q&A session on Facebook. The topic of whether or not he’d be interested in revisiting the role he played for 176 episodes and a handful of movies came up, of course, and he gave this cheerful answer:

This is not exactly the name that we expected to hear connected to the writing job on Star Trek 3, but it could be awesome. It is being reported that, now that Justin Lin has taken over as director, Simon Pegg will co-write the script with Doug Jung.

Though he’s most recognized for his efforts in front of the camera, Pegg has an impressive resume as a writer as well. His highest profile work is obviously with Edgar Wright on the Three Flavours trilogy—Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, though their collaboration goes all the way back to Spaced—but he also wrote Paul, Run, Fat Boy, Run, and many more. Deadline reports that Pegg, who already plays Scotty in the revamped franchise, steps into the role after Roberto Orci was ousted as his duties as writer and director in the wake of disagreements with Paramount over the direction of the film.

We’re pretty big fans of Star Trek around these parts (shocking, right?), and we know that many, if not most, of you are as well. Because we exist in our insular little bubble, we often take it for granted that everyone loves Gene Roddenberry’s groundbreaking series, but that’s not always the case, and one actor recently made his disdain very public and very clear.

Donald Faison, probably best known for his role on Scrubs (though he’ll always have a special place in our hearts for his participation in Clueless) recently went on with Conan O’Brien and made a case for his stance in the age old Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate. Check out the clip below and see if you can figure out which side of the clash he’s on, it’s pretty subtle.

2014 was arguably The Year of the Crossover Event, with mash-ups happening all over the small screen with superheroes and animated comedies, as well as in the comic book world. And now we have the first issue of Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive, the new series from the pop culture loving folks at IDW Publishing and BOOM! Studios. The best way that someone could describe this comic is “Planet of the Apes meets Star Trek…” and then just shrug and smile as if you’re the only one in the room.

But really, this is a Star Trek comic — a delightful one, mind you — that has some damned dirty apes right at the beginning and right at the end, in true Issue #1 fashion. That’s my only problem with this particular release, that it didn’t come out as either a double issue or that this story wasn’t told in graphic novel form. But considering my reasoning behind this is to get a lot more of this story, I guess I can’t fault it. I’m beamed up and whatnot.