Speaking as he dropped his hands in the cement at Hollywood’s famous Chinese Theatre, new Star Trek director went a long way to assuaging fans’ fears regarding his work on the franchise.

Lin was brought on board the project by J.J. Abrams himself in December 2014; the Fast & Furious director has been a Star Trek fan since childhood, growing up on the repeats of the original series, making this a “very personal and very emotional decision” to take on the movie.

Describing the haste with which he has had to prepare for shooting this month as like “an incredibly expensive indie movie”, Lin confirmed that the script by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung is “all new and fresh. The Klingons, Romulans and other species are great, but it’s time to go further. It has been fun to focus on creating whole new worlds and species.”

He also explained that “As great as JJ’s films were, there’s still a lot to be mined from these characters”… “what we experienced in the TV show hasn’t been touched on yet. That sets up an opportunity for exploration and the deeper you go, the more you are examining humanity.”

The third reboot film – unofficially referred to as Star Trek Beyond, although Paramount has yet to confirm the title – opens next summer to mark Star Trek’s 50th anniversary.