FIRST LOOK

Even More Star Trek Photos, Big Reveals, and Information!

by Alex Billington
October 16, 2008
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo

Thought yesterday's photos were all from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek we'd see this weekend? Guess again - there's quite a few more updates that'll be hitting over the next few days. In addition to a few more new photos, we've got an excess of information from Entertainment Weekly's actual feature article and other various Trek sources around the web. It may be Star Trek overload for those who aren't hardcore fans, but at least we're finally getting all the juicy details that we've been waiting ages for. And if you need a teaser of what's to come, there is another full photo of the USS Kelvin, explanations for all of the other photos (that you probably really want to hear), extensive details on the plot and budget, and so much more!

So where do we begin? Well that new photo of Spock above comes from AICN, where you can see it bigger than you've ever seen Spock before. Additionally, two new photos of the USS Kelvin and John Cho as Sulu can be seen below and come from an all-in-one feature over on Yahoo. Over on their site you can flip through each of the nine photos from Star Trek revealed so far and get a quick explanation behind them by writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. We've worked in a few of their quotes into the remaining coverage below, since they mention some very important things. And without any further ado, let's dive right into all the juicy details that have surfaced from within EW's feature article, including quotes from Abrams.

The photo above is of the USS Kelvin, a ship that we haven't ever seen before in the Star Trek universe. How do we know this? Because J.J. Abrams' named it after one of his grandfathers. In the film, the Kelvin is attacked by a vicious Romulan named Nero who is desperately looking for one of our heroes. This takes place "before Kirk was born" and the film eventually explores the origins of Kirk and Spock's friendship as well as how the USS Enterprise crew came together. In regards to spaceships, Orci called the ships from the original series "lovely works of art" and thought that reworking their look without retaining that classic style would be an "affront to the fans." Yesterday's batch included another photo of the Kelvin under attack.

Inspired by the way SlashFilm presented the new information today, I thought I'd do a quick recap of news from the EW article - which can be read in full here - in list format. Let's get right into it, because I know every Trekkie is anxious to find out more and there's a lot to be uncovered from the lengthy exposé.

» Kurtzman said that with advances in technology and the investment the studio was putting into the movie, which was confirmed as a $150 million budget, it was natural that this Star Trek would have far more action sequences than any previous installment. Paramount's president of production Brad Weston puts it all into perspective: "We have worldwide aspirations and we need to broaden [Trek's] appeal. Doing the half-assed version of this thing wasn't going to work."

» Still worried about that past Star Wars reference? J.J. Abrams explains: "All my smart friends liked Star Trek. I preferred a more visceral experience." So he accepted the offer to do this film back in 2005 and was interested mostly in the possibility of a Star Trek movie "that grabbed me the way Star Wars did." Fans may not like that idea, but it means Abrams wants to kick start this franchise all over again and turn it into "a movie for fans of movies," as he has said many times before.

» Did you notice in the second photo that Spock is choking Captain Kirk? How about that Kirk isn't wearing his a uniform at all in that first photo of the entire supporting crew? While we won't know why both of these are happening until next year, they are definitely hints at something in the plot. Spock will stay "very consistent" to his Vulcan roots, but the movie is getting an "action upgrade." And as for Kirk's uniform - "there's a definite reason for that in the plot."

» The new phasers in this are described as "sleek silver gizmos with spring-triggered barrels that revolve and glow in the transition from 'stun' to 'kill.'"

» The original Spock, aka Leonard Nimoy, will definitely be showing up at some point. He'll be "appearing in scenes with at least one of the actors on our cover — and maybe both." The movie is "newbie-friendly", but also includes Trek nuisances, like Captain Pike or Sulu's swordsmanship or classic lines like, "I have been, and always shall be, your friend."

» Without spoiling too much, Abrams gives us some juicy details on what we'll see. It stretches from Earth to Vulcan, and includes the "awe-inspiring introduction of the Enterprise" as well as "thrilling action sequences on a harsh ice planet and in the skies of Vulcan." Kurtzman also adds that the original show was as much about the "away missions" as it was the bridge and that those experiences "tested relationships the most" and they really wanted to bring that to this film.

» Even Nimoy himself confirms that he believed in Abrams vision. "I felt J.J. and his writers had a very strong sense of who the characters were and how they should work. To find a team that was interested in putting it all back together was very exciting." And that first scene with Nimoy? It's apparently "goose-bumpingly cool."

Of course we'll be back again as soon as there is more news on Star Trek to share. But for now I expect we'll be patiently waiting to see the new trailer in front of Quantum of Solace on November 14th. I'm not sure how he did it, but Abrams literally did reboot Star Trek completely. He's given it new life, made it fascinating and exciting again, and even came up with an entirely new story and crew, and I personally can't wait to see what it all looks like. Next summer already had one of the most exciting line-ups for fanboys, but Star Trek has rapidly become what I expect to be one of the best movies we'll see all summer long!

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