This year marks the50th Anniversaryof the iconicStar Trekfranchise, with Paramount helping to celebrate by releasing the highly-anticipated sequelStar Trek Beyond, in theaters July 22. While we don’t know if any more footage will be released between now and then, starsZoe Saldana(Uhura) andZachary Quinto(Spock) recently shed new light on this latest adventure. We know this follow-up is set in the midst of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s five-year mission, and it seems their work has taken quite the toll on these crew members.
Entertainment Weeklycaught up with bothZoe SaldanaandZachary Quintoafter their taping of last week’s episode ofLip Sync Battle, where they shared new insight into the story.Zoe Saldanareveals that, when the plot picks up, the entire crew is just exhausted. Here’s what she had to say about the crew needing a break.
“We’re tired, we need time off, we’ve been working non-stop, and it’s become like a machine where you kind of forget about yourself, but you need to go back home and nurture yourself and rest,” she explains. “Life has a different journey for us, and instead of us having to go out and aid another population, another planet that has been the target of violence, we are the target, so this is very different. We are tested at the craziest level and not just our lives are tested, but our characters and our relationships are tested.”
Zachary Quintoalso teased thatSpockwill be facing some existential challenges inStar Trek Beyond. This iconic character will continue to grapple with his Vulcan roots, and he will finally realize the best path for him in this movie. Here’s what the actor had to say below.
“(He) is in this existential moment in his life and at a crossroads between his obligation to his Starfleet and his Vulcan roots. His planet was destroyed and they’re rebuilding, and he’s trying to figure out where his energy is best directed to help other people. He comes into a new awareness of his own mortality for a number of reasons, and there’s a lot of stuff that he’s trying to figure out in this film. By the end, I think he realizes the best path for himself moving forward. We spend a lot of time with unusual compatriots, like Kirk [Chris Pine] and Chekov [Anton Yelchin], Sulu [John Cho] and Uhura, and Spock and Bones [Karl Urban]. All of us are working to find our way back to one another and to join forces in order to defeat our common adversary.”
Star Trek Beyondis the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popularStar Trekfranchise, created byGene Roddenberryand reintroduced byJ.J. Abramsin 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In “Beyond,” the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.Zachary Quintoalso reveals that Spock is trying to figure out his relationship with Uhura.
“Part of Spock’s existential crisis is, does he need to be with a Vulcan? Uhura recognizes this, so they’re not necessarily at the height of relationship bliss in this film, but they love each other deeply and they want each other to be happy, to be fulfilled, to serve their purpose, and to realize their potential. It’s an ongoing relationship; I don’t think that it’s resolved necessarily in Star Trek Beyond. They’re learning about each other as well and figuring out the best way for each of them to move forward. You’ll have to see where it goes.”
The film starsChris PineasCaptain Kirk,Zachary Quintoas Spock,Zoë Saldanaas Uhura,Karl Urbanas Bones,John Choas Sulu,Simon Peggas Scotty,Anton Yelchinas Chekov andIdris Elbaas the new villain Krall. Directed byJustin Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced byJ.J. Abrams,Roberto Orci,Lindsey WeberandLin; and executive produced byJeffrey Chernov,David Ellison,Dana Goldberg, andTommy Harper. Based upon theStar TrekTV series created byGene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written byPegg&Doug Jung. Stay tuned for more onStar Trek Beyondas we get closer to the July 22 release date.
