Just when we thought we’d hit the weekend without getting more STAR TREK BEYOND info, a new batch of photos from this summer’s production in Dubai have shown up, revealing several new things… including the whereabouts of one cast member we thought was staying home for the summer!
Possible spoilers below!
As we learned from Simon Pegg a few days ago, Dubai’s futuristic locale is standing in for a new starbase far from Earth and the Federation central planets: Starbase Yorktown. Back in the summer, we saw plenty of photos of the local cast in special Yorktown uniforms, along with a confirmed sighting of Chris Pine wearing one himself.
Now, photos from Monday’s “sizzle reel,” screened by the Dubai Film and TV Commission, have made their way online courtesy of @Brand_Dubai, showcasing some of the city’s more prominent landmarks, along with what we now know are reaction shots of an incoming Swarm attack (as seen in this week’s newly-released trailer).
While our look at Chris Pine (linked above) was captured during an evening shoot, here’s our clearest look yet at his meeting with what appears to be the female commander of Starbase Yorktown — and likely not, as some have speculated, the Federation President.
Along with these location photos come one surprising appearance: Zoe Saldana, who from all indications was not part of the team filming in Dubai, apparently did make it into town for at least part of the three-week visit to the city.
Here she is, filming a scene with Zachary Quinto at the Meydan Racetrack (as Starbase Yorktown personnel wander the halls nearby):
Finally, our last new photo today may be the most telling as to where the story takes the Enterprise crew, as this shot features Karl Urban and Anton Yelchin… but also Sofia Boutella’s character Jaylah and Simon Pegg (barely visible, trailing behind her).
We’ve known since the days of filming that Boutella followed the cast and crew from Vancouver to Dubai, but after seeing the trailer — where the implication seems to be that the Enterprise crew meets Jaylah mid-adventure — it now seems that she’s also part of the visit to Starbase Yorktown.
This scene, which obviously shows the crew off-duty, would then likely take place before the Swarm arrives at Starbase Yorktown, given the somewhat informal and relaxed appearance of the crew — so maybe she’s already along for the ride when the Enterprise is torn to pieces.
We don’t know if John Cho is hiding somewhere off-camera, though we do know that that he was spotted in Dubai back in October.
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