Top 10 Star Trek Beyond Facts

Top 10 Star Trek Beyond Facts

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  The voyage continues. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Star Trek Beyond Facts.   For this list, we’re taking a look at trivia and facts surrounding the third entry in the rebooted “Star Trek” series.

  After screenwriter Roberto Orci stepped down as the director for “Star Trek Beyond,”Edgar Wright, many directors were considered for his replacement. The job ultimately went to Justin Lin, who’s best known for his work on the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Lin also has an impressive television background, directing episodes of “True Detective” and “Community.” “Star Trek Beyond” will be his first sci-fi directorial effort, though. Since this is a new frontier for Lin, some fans are concerned that “Beyond” won’t be a traditional “Star Trek” film. Of course “Star Trek” is all about boldly going where no man has gone before. So let’s see where Lin takes us.  

#9: NX-Class Film Debut

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  Some Trekkers prefer the original series. Others prefer “The Next Generation.” Yet, “Enterprise” is definitely considered the black sheep of the franchise. The series acted as a prequel to the Original Series, and followed a Starfleet in a pre-Federation era aboard the NX-01 class vessel, The Enterprise. Given the alternate timeline introduced in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot, there’s been some debate over whether or not “Enterprise” is canon. Fans received confirmation in “Star Trek Into Darkness”, wherein an NX-class model appeared in the background. In “Star Trek Beyond,” we’ll finally get to see an NX-class Federation starship in action on the big screen. The question is if the NX ship will play a major role or if it will just be another Easter egg?  

#8: William Shatner Won’t Return

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  With Leonard Nimoy’s return to “Star Trek” as Spock Prime, everyone started to wonder if William Shatner would make an appearance as Captain James T. Kirk. An early script for “Star Trek Beyond” reportedly would’ve brought the original Kirk back to the big screen. This idea started to fizzle out though, as Justin Lin took over Roberto Orci’s directorial duties and new screenwriters were brought on board. Shatner has since confirmed that he will not make a cameo in “Star Trek Beyond,” but expressed interest in reprising his career-defining role. So maybe Shatner’s “Star Trek” days aren’t over yet. It’s just a shame we’ll never get to see him reunite with Nimoy, who tragically passed away in 2015.   

#7: Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary

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  In 1966, an iconic sci-fi series hit the small screen and spawned a devoted cult following. Five decades later, “Star Trek” is still one of the most prominent franchises in popular culture. In celebration of this landmark, Paramount Pictures decided to release “Star Trek Beyond” to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s creation of the Original Series. In December of 2014, it was announced that the film would come out on July 8, 2016. This release was later pushed back a couple weeks to July 22. It’s safe to say that “Star Trek” has lived long and we can only hope it will continue to prosper.  

If you’ve seen “Paul,” “The World’s End,” or “Spaced,” you know that Simon Pegg adores sci-fi just as much as he loves comedy. In addition to reprising his role as Scotty in “Star Trek Beyond,” the English actor also co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Doug Jung. The two were enlisted to rewrite the script after Paramount rejected Roberto Orci’s draft, which was deemed “too Star Trek-y," according to Pegg. To reach a more mainstream audience, Pegg says that they essentially decided to quote: “make a Western or a thriller or a heist movie, then populate that with ‘Star Trek’ characters”. Now if we could just get Pegg’s buddy Nick Frost to join the “Star Trek” universe, preferably as Harry Mudd.  

#5: The Mission’s Half Over

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  The latest “Star Trek” film will take place two and a half years after the events of “Star Trek Into Darkness.” This means that the starship Enterprise’s five-year mission is half over. Zachary Quinto believes that the five-year mission will likely be an important factor in “Star Trek Beyond,” stating that quote: we’ll see “some sense of evolution in these characters that’s been building through the first few films.” We’re not entirely sure what Quinto might be hinting at here however. Still, we’re confident it will involve exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations, and boldly going… oh you know the drill…    

#4: Star Trek Meets Marvel

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  In “Star Trek Beyond,” Idris Elba will appear as the villainous Krall. Elba notably played Heimdall the Gatekeeper in the Marvel’s “Thor” films, and kicked ass at it. This isn’t the first time “Star Trek” and Marvel have crossed paths. Eric Bana, who once portrayed the Incredible Hulk, starred as Nero in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” reboot. Benedict Cumberbatch, who will make his MCU debut as Doctor Strange later this year, played Khan in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Thus, every big bad in this reboot series has also been a Marvel hero. As if that’s not enough to blow your mind, both Chris Hemsworth and Zoe Saldana have played significant roles in these two franchises as well. Can we please get an official crossover already?  

#3: Director Younger Than Franchise

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  As we mentioned before, “Star Trek” has been around for a long time. As a matter of fact, the franchise is older than the director of “Star Trek Beyond.” Justin Lin was born in 1971, just a couple years after the original “Star Trek” series ended in 1969. This makes Lin the first director of a “Star Trek” movie to be younger than the franchise. Even J.J. Abrams was born shortly before the first episode of “Star Trek” premiered in 1966. It just goes to show what an enduring series “Star Trek” is, spanning several generations with no end in sight.




As the Enterprise’s resident navigator Pavel Checkov in the rebooted “Star Trek” world, Anton Yelchin won audiences over with his ability to inject humor into the franchise. Sadly, on June 19th, 2016, just over a month before “Star Trek Beyond” was set to premiere, Yelchin was killed when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway and pinned him to a pillar outside his California home. Early reports connected the freak accident to a safety recall issued on his 2015 model Jeep: some drivers complained it was difficult to identify whether the vehicle was in park, increasing the risk that it would roll away. Out of respect, his fellow “Star Trek” actors cancelled their appearance at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, while tributes to the fallen star poured in from around the world.   

#1: J.J. Abrams Left Star Trek For Star Wars

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  Although J.J. Abrams’ first two “Star Trek” movies received almost universal praise, there were a few purists that took issue with his direction. Some diehard Trekkers felt Abrams’ “Star Trek” was more in the tradition of “Star Wars.” This made Abrams the perfect candidate to helm 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” Since one man can only juggle so many blockbuster franchises, Abrams declined the chance to direct “Star Trek Beyond” in favor of “Episode VII.” Nevertheless, Abrams stayed on as a producer and his production company, Bad Robot, is still piloting the “Star Trek” franchise. Although “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” have divided fans for eons, Abrams has taught us all that it’s okay to like both.    Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Star Trek Beyond Fact? For more entertaining Top 10s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.