We just got back from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where the classic USS Enterprise filming model has been returned after nearly two years away for a massive renovation project (as we’ve reported since early 2014).
Here’s the first of our latest round of video interviews with the renovation team, as chief conservator Malcolm Collum tells us all about the new nacelle lighting array, keeping the Enterprise moving at warp speed.
Stay tuned for a whole lot more, including high-resolution photos of the completed model, and additional interviews on the starship’s new home!
We’re still making our way back from Washington, D.C. today, where the fully-renovated USS Enterprise filming model is back on display at the Smithsonian Nation Air and Space Museum – but here’s a preview of the restored starship, brought back to life and debuting to the public officially on July 1!
Stay tuned for more video and photo coverage of the classic starship in the next several days!
First up is the aft section of the USS Franklin bridge, where Chekov, Scotty, Jaylah, and Kirk are working out their plan of attack on Krall’s base, using bits and pieces of the battered old starship to lay out their strategy.
Making the ascent. (Paramount Pictures)
In the second shot, Kirk stands watch over Chekov and their alien colleague (played by Lydia Wilson?) as they climb up the downed primary hull of the Enterprise.
Blasting away. (Paramount Pictures)
Lastly, in a companion article about their new issue, Empire also dropped this explosive photo of Chekov and Kirk’s escape from the Enterprise crash site, seen in multiple trailers.
The previews of this movie are going to be coming more and more quickly as we ramp up to July 22 – hang on to something!
Breaking news this morning: the third and final STAR TREK BEYOND trailer has arrived, featuring Rihanna’s single “Sledgehammer” accompanying a host of new footage from this summer’s adventure.
We’ll have our full breakdown and analysis soon, but for now, check out the new preview and share your thoughts in the comments below!
There have been several STAR TREK BEYOND TV spots airing in the United States over the past few weeks – mostly we’ve not covered them as they’re just recuts of the existing trailer footage – but a new one arrived last night with several new scenes of the Enterprise crew and their adventure in this summer’s outing.
Featured in this commercial are several new shots of the USS Franklin, as well as the film’s opening attack on the Enterprise – and the answer to McCoy’s question: “You really want to go back out there?”
The USS Franklin heads back into space. (Paramount Pictures)Kirk thinks he and Spock make a good team. (Paramount Pictures)The USS Franklin prepares for liftoff. (Paramount Pictures)Kirk prepares to take on the Swarm soldiers boarding the Enterprise. (Paramount Pictures)Spock fights off the Swarm soldiers invading the Enterprise. (Paramount Pictures)The USS Franklin makes a fiery escape. (Paramount Pictures)
Finally, after seven years, there’s no longer a need to make up a title for the alternate reality Star Trek film series, as CBS has finally put a name to this new universe: the Kelvin Timeline.
The USS Kelvin encounters Nero’s ship as it arrives in alternate 2233. (Star Trek)
Based upon the starship destroyed at the divergence of the two universes in 2009’s Star Trek film, this label for the ongoing film series is certainly simpler than some of the unwieldy, unofficial monikers for the “reboot timeline” – it’s about time that a formal title is set for the Bad Robot productions.
Fifteen AMC Theatres – along with several other movie theater chains in the USA – will be holding three-film movie marathons of 2009’s Star Trek, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, and this year’s new arrival STAR TREK BEYOND in one big sitting on July 20.
That’s right, if you’re near one of the participating theaters – and you have the cinematic fortitude to hang out in a movie theater for seven hours or so – then you can join those viewing the film at San Diego Comic Con as some of the the earliest BEYOND attendees in the country.
In addition, those who make it to the marathon will also score some special swag, including a special lanyard for the event, an exclusive poster, and a Starfleet patch as featured in the film.
UPDATE: Paramount has now released the full list of participating theaters.
The Star Trek Marathon is playing at the participating theaters:
Atlanta
Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station 18 in IMAX
Austin
AMC Barton Creek Square 14 in IMAX
Baltimore
Cinemark Egyptian 24 in XD
Boston
AMC Loews Boston Common 19 in IMAX
Showcase Cinemas Lowell in XPlus
Chicago
Navy Pier IMAX
Regal Cinemas City North 14 in RPX
Cleveland
Regal Cinemas Crocker Park 16 in IMAX
Dallas
AMC Northpark 15 in IMAX
Cinemark West Plano in XD
Denver
AMC Westminster Promenade 24 in IMAX
Detroit
AMC Livonia 20 in IMAX
Houston
Regal Edwards Marq*E 23 in IMAX
Kansas City
AMC Town Center 20 in IMAX
Knoxville
Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 in RPX
Los Angeles
AMC Burbank 16 in IMAX
AMC Orange 30 in IMAX
Regal LA Live Stadium 14 in Barco Escape
Miami
AMC Aventura 24 in IMAX
Milwaukee
Marcus Majestic Cinema of Brookfield in UltraScreen
Minneapolis
AMC Southdale 16 in IMAX
Nashville
Carmike Thoroughbred 20 in IMAX
New York
AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 in IMAX
Regal Cinemas E-Walk Stadium 13 in RPX
Orlando
Regal Winter Park Village 20 in RPX
Philadelphia
UA King of Prussia Stadium 16 in IMAX
Phoenix
Harkins Theatres Arizona Mills 16 in IMAX
Sacramento
Century Sacramento Greenback 16 in XD
San Diego
AMC Mission Valley 20 in IMAX
San Francisco
AMC Metreon 16 in IMAX
Cinemark Century Redwood City 20 in XD
Seattle
Boeing IMAX at Pacific Science Center
Cinemark Lincoln Square Cinemas in Barco Escape
St. Louis
Wehrenberg Theatres Ronnies 20 in IMAX
Tampa
AMC Veterans 24 in IMAX
Washington, DC
AMC Tysons Corner 16 in IMAX
Calgary
Cineplex Scotiabank Chinook in IMAX
Edmonton
Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton in IMAX
Montreal
Cineplex Scotiabank Montreal in IMAX
Ottawa
Landmark Cinemas Kanata in IMAX
Toronto
Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre Toronto in IMAX (Downtown)
Admiral Jonathan Archer has barely settled in as Starfleet Chief of Staff when new crises demand his attention.
The Starfleet task force commanded by Captain Malcolm Reed continues its fight against the deadly Ware technology, but one of the task force ships is captured, its Andorian crew imprisoned by an interstellar Partnership that depends on the Ware for its prosperity.
Worse, the Partnership has allied with a renegade Klingon faction, providing it with Ware drone fleets to mount an insurrection against the Klingon Empire. Archer sends Captain T’Pol and Endeavour to assist Reed in his efforts to free the captured officers.
But he must also keep his eye on the Klingon border, for factions within the Empire blame Starfleet for provoking the Ware threat and seek to take revenge.
Even the skill and dedication of the captains under Archer’s command may not be enough to prevent the outbreak of the Federation’s first war!
Ever since the Rise of the Federation series started back in 2013 with A Choice of Futures, I have been a fan. Christopher L. Bennett has managed to craft an expansive story from the many threads left unexplored from the early days of the Federation.
The first three novels have allowed us a glimpse into this fascinating period of Trek history and the stories have not failed to entertain – and Live By the Code is no exception.
The novel, like its predecessors, juggles a myriad of storylines, and I feel like a lesser author would not have been able to keep it all straight and coherent like Bennett is able. We have a lot going on here: Reed and the Pioneer are joined by T’Pol and the crew of the Endeavour in their attempts to defeat the Ware, Klingon internal politics come to bear against the young Federation, and Archer and Phlox deal with racist attitudes on Denobula and Antara.
Live By the Code does something that I really wish the series Enterprise had done more of. In this book, we see the fallout of a cavalier attitude towards exploration and interference in extraterrestrial cultures.
In an attempt to liberate planets from the influence of the Ware, the officers of Starfleet must come to terms with the fact that they may have left these worlds in worse shape than when they found them.
Racial tensions between the Denobulans and the Antarans play a critical role in ‘Live By the Code.’
Bennett is unafraid to confront this idea head-on, while with a few exceptions, the television series tended to shy away from the idea that humanity might cause some mayhem out among the stars. However, in order for the Prime Directive to evolve into what we see in later series, there must be some inciting events that lead to its adoption.
I also really enjoyed the story surrounding Phlox’s daughter’s marriage to an Antaran. The Antarans have had a very troubled history with the Denobulans, as outlined in the Enterprise episode “The Breach.” The marriage ignites tensions in a Denobulan hate group, of which Phlox’s son Mettus has become a member.
Live By the Code feels very relevant to a lot of what is happening in the world today. Prejudices and racism are things that must always be fought against, and this idea is very much in keeping with the principles for which Star Trek has traditionally stood.
Award-winning mega-star Rihanna will be contributing a new song to the STAR TREK BEYOND soundtrack when the film releases this summer, as the news of the upcoming single arrived on the iTunes store last night.
Seen in the “Pop” section of the mobile iTunes app.
In addition, the cover art (in low resolution) has also made its way to the web, featuring the artist appearing as some kind of alien among the BEYOND teaser poster clouds (via Gaga Daily).
This is actually less of a surprise than it might seem, as Rihanna was one of the many Trek fans to appear on-camera at the May 20 fan event, talking about their love for the franchise (video by TrekNews):
This song will most likely appear during the film’s end credits, though we wouldn’t be shocked if Captain Kirk includes Rihanna in his historical music database next to the Beastie Boys.
UPDATE: The new single will arrive Monday, July 27.
I’ve read that we’re [set] before “Next Generation,” after [“Star Trek VI: The] Undiscovered Country,” which is false.
I’ve read that it’s an anthology show, which is not accurate. So it’s interesting to see those suggestions, and seeing the truth mixed in with them and going like, “Oh, they got that part right…”
But it’s sort of on the truth-o-meter on PolitiFacts. It’s sort of like some truth, and a lot of like, “No — pants on fire! That’s not true.”
Fuller’s comments here seem to indicate that parts of what’s been reported around the web may be close to the truth, but it appears that the two big rumors – the pre-TNG era as setting, an anthology series as format – are definitely out.
I think we will be seeing lots of crews in the story. One of the things that is exciting for me is that we are telling a “Star Trek” story in a modern way. We’re telling a 13-chapter story in this first season.
It’s nice to be able to dig deep into things that would have been breezed passed if we were doing episodic and had to contain a story to an episode.
Lastly, he also hinted towards a revisit of previously-seen Trek characters:
MOVIEFONE: Would you like to revisit any characters? Is there a window open to bring in characters that have been established in the canon?
FULLER: Eventually. Eventually.
All right, everybody – time to throw out those rumors and start the speculation fires burning again!
