Simon Pegg, the celebrated British actor and co-writer of the next Star Trek movie, has warned that an "obsession" with sci-fi is leading to society becoming "infantilized". The 45-year-old also spoke of his reservations about becoming the "poster child" for the "geekdom generation."

Simon PeggSimon Pegg was warned of the dangers of sci-fi

"Obviously," he told the Radio Times, "I'm very much a self-confessed fan of science-fiction and genre cinema. But part of me looks at society as it is now and thinks we've been infantilised by our own taste. We're essentially all consuming very childish things - comic books, superheroes. Adults are watching this stuff, and taking it seriously!"

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"It is a kind of dumbing down because it's taking our focus away from real-world issues. Films used to be about challenging, emotional journeys. Now we're really not thinking about anything, other than the fact that the Hulk just had a fight with a robot."

Pegg's words come after Alan Moore, writer of theWatchmen series, suggested that adult interest in comic book superheroes was "culturally catastrophic" and that "this embracing of what were unambiguously children's characters at their inception seems to indicate a retreat from the admittedly overwhelming complexities of modern existence."

Pegg is considered one of Britain's most talented and likable actors and first achieved cult fame in "geekdom" with the slacker sitcom Spaced. He followed it up with the mega-hit Shaun of the Dead in 2004, going on to collaborate with Edgar Wright on Hot Fuzz and The World's End. 

Star Trek 3, directed by Justin Lin, is released on July 8, 2016.

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