Heads up, Trekkers! Last night we had the opportunity to attend the official Star Trek Beyond Fan Event on the fabled lot of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek and the the latest film chapter in Paramount’s “supreme space adventure.” Yesterday, we showed you the latest Star Trek Beyond trailer, unveiled at the event (and shared the news that the film would make its world premiere on the opening night of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con). In addition to the trailer we also had the chance to view some new footage from the movie, and a selection of props and costumes, all of which we’ll break down for the edification of Trek fans far and wide.
The night began on Stage 31, where the original Star Trek TV series’ engineering set once stood and where the show’s various planet scenes were often filmed. Mythbusters host Adam Savage greeted us, and brought out Star Trek Beyond executive producer J.J. Abrams and director Justin Lin.
Both men spoke of their pride in presenting the franchise’s 50th anniversary chapter, and Abrams announced that Paramount’s recent headline-making lawsuit against Axanar Productions for its Star Trek fan film project was now a thing of the past, due in no small part to Lin’s outrage at the situation.
“The fans should be celebrating this thing,” said Abrams. “Fans of Star Trek are part of this world; so [Justin] went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and, within the next few weeks, it will be announced this is going away, and that fans [will] be able to continue working on their project.â€
It was, needless to say, a very fan-friendly way to start the night. Savage then brought out stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban, whose affection for one another appeared to have grown in the years since we last saw them together, which should improve the already strong on-screen dynamic between their Kirk, Spock, McCoy.
The audience was then escorted outside the sound stage, where we were given a glass of champagne and invited to join Zachary Quinto in toasting his late friend, Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy, as part of a street-naming ceremony. We were honored to witness the unveiling of the new sign for Leonard Nimoy Way, visible in the far left of the photo below…
Next, we were escorted onto Stage 32, where we were treated to the premiere of the new trailer, and additional footage introduced by a video greeting from actor-writer Simon Pegg. Warning: if you wish to avoid any and all spoilers for Star Trek Beyond, stop reading this article now!
The first of the new scenes was a pan through the corridors and bridge of the Enterprise, with Kirk, via Captain’s log voiceover, explaining how the crew is now in the third year of its five-year mission. We hear how relationships have been forming, and virile young crew members are shown fraternizing (including a partially undressed Chekov, who’s thrown out of an alien female crewmember’s quarters). Longtime fans will be impressed by the film’s adherence to the original Trek here, evident in such shots as that of a photo of Sulu’s daughter mounted on his helm console.
The second scene we saw depicted an onboard conversation between Kirk and McCoy, taking place on the Captain’s birthday. Kirk states he is now one year older then his father was on the day he died, and he’s starting to feel it, questioning his worth as a leader, and noting how he took command of the Enterprise as the result of a dare. There’s a fantastic little grace note, a charming character beat, in this scene when McCoy presents Kirk with a bottle of liquor he swiped from Chekov, and the two friends note simultaneously how surprised they are that it’s not vodka.
The final sequence we saw was a montage of shots in which the Enterprise is under attack by the forces of the villainous Krall, who apparently has some serious philosophical differences with Kirk and Starfleet. As the warp nacelles are violently destroyed, and the hull is smashed to bits, a heartbroken Kirk commands his crew to evacuate, with a panic-stricken Scotty the last to leave. After which Krall’s troops board an empty vessel. It’s balls-to-the-wall action, of the kind familiar to fans of Lin’s Fast and Furious films, but infused with a familiar kind of pathos one can only assume is the result of screenwriter Pegg’s well-documented love of Trek.
After the footage, we were escorted into a large adjoining room for a cocktail party, in which props and costumes from the film were on display. I took a number of photos at this reception, which you can view in the gallery below. Enjoy! And then let us know in comments if this gets you more hyped for some Star Trek Beyond.
Featured Image: Paramount Pictures
Images: Paramount Pictures
