Back in April, director Justin Lin revealed that his new sci-fi sequel Star Trek Beyond will "deconstruct" the entire Star Trek franchise, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year. Of course, he wouldn't offer too many details about what exactly will be deconstructed, but today we get a few hints in a sneak preview, featuring the director, actor/screenwriter Simon Pegg and Idris Elba discussing his villainous new character Krall. This preview sheds some light on why Krall is such a unique villain, while confirming that he does in fact destroy the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Idris Elba revealed in this featurette, which comes courtesy of YouTube, that he felt like he was "destroying a legacy" by watching the U.S.S. Enterprise "crash and burn." When this rebooted franchise started, the Enterprise ship was NCC-1701, and not the original NX-01 from the original TV series. During an interview from April, Simon Pegg made reference to an NX ship, and since we've seen the NCC-1701 ship get destroyed in posters and footage, many believe that the U.S.S. Enterprise crew will transition to the NX-01 ship at some point during Star Trek Beyond, to pay homage to the iconic original series.
As for Krall himself, Idris Elba teases how complex this villain is, while director Justin Lin adds that he wanted a character that will "deconstruct the Federation's ideals" in a way that still seems valid. Simon Pegg teased that they wanted a "complex reason" of why he's such a bad guy, while Idris Elba adds that he's damaged but fans will feel empathy towards him. Finally, Chris Pine reveals that Idris Elba brings an "incredible amount of nuance" to the role, describing Krall as a "soloist" and a "nihilist."
Star Trek Beyond, the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 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.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance's Star Trek Beyond is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production. The film stars Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoë Saldana as Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, John Cho as Sulu, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Anton Yelchin as Chekov and Idris Elba as the new villain Krall. Directed by Justin Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber and Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon the Star Trek TV series created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Pegg & Doug Jung. Take a look at this new preview for Star Trek Beyond, hitting theaters July 22.