Changes are coming to the Star Trek franchise. With director Justin Lin having taken over from J.J. Abrams for Star Trek Beyond, actor Zachary Quinto described a “different vibe” on set during a recent interview with MTV. Now, there’s evidence of Lin’s new vision, thanks to behind-the-scenes photos and footage from Screen Crush.
The upcoming sci-fi action flick began filming in Vancouver, British Columbia, in June, but was reportedly taking place inside until this week when Screen Crush captured behind-the-scenes footage (including a video which has since been pulled from YouTube) of the cast shooting an action scene outdoors. In the photo above, you can see Chris Pine (Captain Kirk) joined by Sofia Boutella, who will play a new alien character. In addition to giving us our first glimpse of Boutella’s role, you can see Kirk’s snazzy new Starfleet uniform on display.
The scene shows Kirk and Boutella’s still unnamed character climbing out of a spacecraft — with Scotty and Chekov following later on. Instead of the traditional uniform, Kirk is wearing a new one that seems more durable and practical than in the past; it includes leather, boots, and knee-pads as well as some new stripes on the collar — did Kirk get a promotion?
As for Boutella’s character, little is know, but she appears to be collaborating with Kirk and the crew. Her tattooed face and outfit definitely seem warrior-like, and she doesn’t look all that friendly. Her appearance is unlike any character that’s previously been introduced to the franchise.
It’s not surprising that changes would come with a new director. As Quinto said of Lin to MTV, “He knows exactly what he wants this movie to look like and that’s really exciting.” Although Lin’s energy is “a little bit more reserved and a little bit quieter” than that of Abrams, Quinto still finds it to be “very powerful and really sure-handed.”
Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Deep Roy, Joe Taslim, Lydia Wilson, and red-hot actor Idris Elba also star in Star Trek Beyond, which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016.
