J.J. Abrams, the man behind the new reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise (and the amazing new issue of Wired magazine, which is one big puzzle), gave a fascinating and entertaining TED lecture about the use of mystery and the intentional withholding of information a while back. Coming from one of the co-creators of ABC’s “Lost,” it should come as no surprise to hear this strategy. What was interesting to me, however, was hearing how George Lucas’ “Star Wars” was an influence on the man who is charged with making “Star Trek” a valuable movie franchise again.

“Look at Star Wars. You got the droids, they meet the mysterious woman, who’s that? We don’t know—mystery box. Then you meet Luke Skywalker, he gets the droids, you see the holographic image, you learn, “Oh it’s a message, she wants to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, he’s her only hope,” but who the hell is Obi-Wan Kenobi—mystery box. So then you go and he meets Ben Kenobi. Ben Kenobi is Obi-Wan Kenobi—holy shit, you know?”

Another highlight: What are stories but mystery boxes? The withholding of information intentionally—“Jaws,” “Alien,” “The Graduate”? You’ll have to hear his explanation of “The Graduate” for yourself. Watch the video.

About that , he says: “Don’t rip off the shark, rip off the character—that’s what makes it interesting.”

Having seen “Star Trek” this past weekend, I can assure you that the “mystery box,” as Abrams calls it, is alive and well and goes a long way towards building a sense of wonder in the new storyline of the Enterprsie and its crew.

Tags: Alien, graduate, influence, j.j. abrams, Jaws, magazine, mystery box, Star Trek, star wars, video, wired