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Rihanna is as big a Star Trek nerd as you, and films the first ever IMAX music video to prove it

Dave Palmer
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Rihanna - Sledgehammer (From The Motion Picture "Star Trek Beyond")
International pop superstar Rihanna has a habit of making history. Just last year, she was recognized as the most successful digital singles artist of all time. She accumulated an impressive 100 million gold and platinum song certifications. She was the first to surpass the 100-million-downloaded-and-streamed mark, leaving mega popular artists like Taylor Swift and Kanye West in her dust.

Rhianna just made history again with a music video filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. It is the first music video ever shot completely in the large screen format, according to Entertainment Weekly. The video was released on June 30 and is available in Imax theaters. For fans that cannot wait to see it in IMAX, the video is also available on Tidal and Vevo. The video’s Star Trek-inspired theme will not leave fans disappointed.

rihanna-star-trek-shirt
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
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Rihanna released a featurette promoting the new Star Trek installment. She wears a Star Trek T-Shirt, and confesses to be a huge Trekkie. “Star Trek has been a part of my life since I was a little girl,” she said. “It just took me one episode to fall in love … I was very very honored to be a part of this film.” Her work on the video aptly shows the influence Star Trek had on her.
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The Sledgehammer IMAX video has a futuristic sci-fi theme that pays homage to the genre. The video features the Star Ship Enterprise racing toward a rocky planet. The camera zooms past the Enterprise and in on the planet to show Rihanna standing in a rocky landscape wearing flowing otherworldly robes and sporting facial tattoos.

As she sings, she channels her inner alien and displays supernatural powers throughout the video. She makes rocks float into space, creates glowing spheres of light, and projects spectral images of herself across the planet and into space. As the Enterprise races away, her face looms large in the cosmos gazing at the ship.

Rihanna’s Sledgehammer was written for the upcoming Star Trek Beyond film, which is set for release on July 22. The song is filled with haunting emotional undertones and is hinged on the inspirational hook “You’re just another brick and I’m a sledgehammer.” Sledgehammer premiered in Star Trek Beyond’s most recent and final trailer, and is now streaming on Spotify and available on iTunes.

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Dave Palmer
Dave Palmer
Former Digital Trends Contributor
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