Having long failed to take the Star Trek series seriously (and been berated on the letters page of this newspaper for such irreverence), even I was surprised to receive a press release stating that Shrek "is rumoured to be making a cameo" in Star Trek XI, the prequel directed by JJ Abrams and due for release in December 2008.

The press release - accompanied by a picture of Shrek with George Takei, who played Sulu in the series - was issued by the Irish publicists of the Shrek the Third DVD. "The giant ogre has become so popular that the makers of the film felt they just couldn't leave him out" the release continues. "With his slightly odd looks, Shrek will certainly fit into the 'alien' environment." No comment.