“Space: The final frontier… These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise.
Its five-year mission - to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
September 8 will mark the 50th anniversary of the TV debut of Star Trek, a ground-breaking series following the adventures of James T. Kirk and the crew of the star ship Enterprise, as they embark on their mission.
The opening monologue has become entrenched in the annals of TV history (‘no man’ changing to ‘no one’ when The Next Generation took over…). Yet it can be safely assumed that series creator Gene Rodenberry and original stars William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Commander Spock) et al never imagined the impact the show would have.
In five decades it has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. The original series and its myriad TV and film spin-offs continuously were watched by viewers across the globe. Its cultural impact similarly knows no bounds, with annual Star Trek conventions attracting millions of so-called “trekkies” or “trekkers”
The franchise’s popularity endures thanks to the latest reboot on the big screen, launched in 2009 under the guiding hand of director/producer/writer JJ Abrams. Star Trek and 2012’s Star Trek: Into Darkness brought in a new cast led by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock respectively.
The critical and fan approval that greeted the first two instalments in this reboot has been repeated by Beyond
“The first film was all about forming the group that would become this family; the second was about galvanizing them in the face of a new threat,” says Abrams. “Both were ultimately Earth-bound, so Beyond is the first time we see them on their five-year mission. It’s a chance to see the Enterprise having the kind of adventure you’d associate with the original series, out in the far flung reaches of the galaxy.”
For the third in this series, Abrams handed over the directorial reins to Justin Lin (Abrams of course having to direct the return of that other ‘Star’ franchise).
“Justin has proven himself again and again as an incredibly strong storyteller,” Abrams explains in the movie’s production notes, “but what struck me more than anything was his genuine love of Star Trek. I knew he’d be able to handle the action sequences, but what got me most excited was hearing him talk about these characters if they were people he knew. He’s really the perfect fit.”
The franchise is noted also for its strong emphasis on character. The structure of Beyond’s plot allows us to get to know more about the crew. As the story unfolds, they are stranded on Altamid, an unexplored alien planet. Abrams explains that they are “thrown all these different directions and forced to survive and reconnect with the rest of the crew. It’s wonderful because we get to see how well these separate pairs work together towards a common goal.”
Co-writers Doug Young and Simon Pegg (who also plays chief engineer Scotty) enjoyed pairing characters who had previously shared little screen time, to see what made each character tick. For example, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) finds himself stranded with youthful optimist Chekov (Anton Yelchin).
Jung explains: “Kirk has proven himself and moved out of his father’s shadow, but now he’s faced with the existential question ‘What now? We liked the idea of putting the more jaded, cynical Kirk with Chekov, who’s young and eager, and much less cynical.”
Another unusual pairing is that of half-human, half-Vulcan Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) with Doctor “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban).
“The relationship between Spock and Bones has always been ‘fascinating’, to coin a phrase and very funny as they are diametrically opposed to each other in so many ways,” Pegg explains. “Yet somewhere beneath that is a great friendship we wanted to explore.”
In the meantime, Uhura (Zoe Saldana) is with Sulu (John Cho), while Scotty pairs up with Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), a strong-willed, technologically adept alien ally, after she saves his life on the surface of Altamid.
The critical and fan approval that greeted the first two instalments in this reboot has been repeated by Beyond. Since its premiere in Sydney earlier this month, the film has grossed $89 million worldwide, underlying the endorsement of the new Star Trek team both in front of and behind the cameras as they expertly and reverently carry the torch into the next half-century.
And yet, celebrations of this episode’s success must surely be tinged with sadness at the unexpected and shocking death of 27-year-old Anton Yelchin in an accident in June.
Yelchin will be remembered for his deep, abiding love of film and personal gratitude to be doing the work he was so passionate about. “I loved working with Anton,” says J.J. Abrams. “He was a deeply good soul. I can’t believe or stand that he is gone.”