Set your inner geek to “stunned” – Star Trek will return to the multiplex after all.

It looks like the rumored-dead Star Trek prequel has been moved from sickbay to spacedock for a complete retrofitting. Variety is reporting that Mission: Impossible 3-Lost-Alias wundergeek J.J. Abrams has been given the “engage” order to renew, reimagine, and generally give the Project Genesis treatment to the beleaguered lost-in-a-nebula franchise.

Can’t stop. Making idiotic Star Trek references. Brain. Starting to bleed. Must. Stop typing.

In what looks to be a downright loving, touching, squeezing-level of support to the M:I:3 team, Paramount has assigned an away team also tasked Abrams’ writing partners Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci with creation of the series’ prequel (and oh, how we sci fi fans do love us some prequels), which will return the Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock characters to their roots as they meet at Starfleet Academy and embark on their first missions in space. The feature will aim for a stardate release date in 2008.

Variety wisely implies, however, that Abrams’ task is not one to be taken lightly. Looking back at the last few attempts to extend the Star Trek universe, clearly it’s easier to find a Tholian living on a Class-M planet not always easy to please the fan faithful:

“Decision to relaunch Star Trek comes less than a year after UPN pulled the plug on Star Trek: Enterprise amid dismal ratings following a four-season run and four years after Star Trek: Nemesis turned in the worst performance of the 10 films with $43 million domestic.”

Additionally, one wonders if Abrams may end up stretching his geek cred a bit too far. M:I 3, for all of its genre conventions, does suggest an evolutionary step into less gimmicky, self-referential material than that afforded by the likes of Alias or Lost; it’s intriguing to contemplate why he might want to dive so deeply back into the waters of Geek Holy Grailery.

Regardless, it’s a compelling development that Abrams will be wise to handle cautiously. One thing that’s certain about his current Annointed One status in Hollywood is how one can go from Fleet Admiral to Red Shirt quicker than a transporter’s bio-filter removes contagious microbes from an individual during beam-up.

Chest. Feels squishy. Can’t go on. Much longer. Must stop. Or all. Will be lost.

And even though it’s so very March 2006 of us, we feel compelled to remind you that yes, Kirk and Spock did receive the Brokeback treatment.

Yeah, we might have stopped before that last bit.