Today Hollywood fantasy man JJ Abrams, whose Star Trek Into Darkness will undoubtedly be one of 2013′s biggest sequels, scored a bit of great PR that almost—almost—makes us forgive him for all the hours we lost to Lost.

Star Trek is one of the most resilient entertainment franchises around, due in large part to the oft-mocked intensity of its biggest fans. Right around Christmas, one of those fans posted a heart-breaking request to the Reddit Star Trek subgroup on behalf of a friend whose wife describes him as an “amazingly healthy film buff” who recently received a devastating diagnosis: a severe vascular tumor that leaves him with “weeks to live.”

The man had a very specific wish for his remaining days: to see Star Trek Into Darkness before its official release in May. The post made its way around the Internet after Christmas, and today brought news that Abrams had seen the request and responded. According to the sick man’s wife, he already attended a private screening of the film nearly six months before its official release date. We are very impressed by Abrams’s response–and by the Star Trek web community’s ability to rally around one of its own.

This is kind of a no-brainer, guys. The move doesn’t just make JJ Abrams look like a nice guy; it makes him look like a director who understands and values the passion of his biggest fans. That’s enough to make us smile and leave us looking forward to the film’s May debut. Well played.

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