Los Angeles, CA – Citing a lack of creative freedom, super-star director Quentin Tarantino abruptly pulled out of the planned next installment of the Star Trek franchise after being informed Friday that the N-word no longer exists in Star Trek’s Utopian 23rd century universe.
“How am I supposed to express myself as a writer with such oppressive restrictions on the words I can use?” Quentin asked rhetorically in an open letter to the producers. “Every author has a unique voice. It just so happens that my voice says the N-word a lot. And I will not allow my voice to be stifled by some ridiculous conception of a future where there are no more racial slurs.”
Tarantino emphasized the tremendous effort he made in attempting to reconcile his vision with the Star Trek universe he inherited: “I tried so hard to find a middle ground. I told them, ‘look, it doesn’t even necessarily have to be the N-word itself. It could be some kind of futuristic slur for Klingons or Romulans or whatever. It just has to be as inflammatory and offensive to them as the N-word is to us now.’ But they just kept insisting that such vile discriminatory labels disappeared long before the Star Trek story takes place. I mean I know this is science-fiction, but gimme a break.”
