Star Trek news

Today Paramount announced they are moving up the North American release date of Star Trek Into Darkness by one day to Thursday May 16th. More details in the official press release sent out today by Paramount. Read it below.
 

Paramount Moves Up Star Trek Into Darkness

press release

IMAX® THEATRES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SELL OUT FOR “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS”

OPENING MOVES UP A DAY TO THURSDAY, MAY 16TH

HOLLYWOOD (May 7, 2013) – IMAX® theatres are reporting sell-outs of its special “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” sneak peek shows on Wednesday, May 15th, with showings in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego and Minneapolis now at capacity. Interest continues to be strong at other IMAX locations across the country, which are offering fans the opportunity to be the first to see the film at 8:00 p.m. that evening. In response, Paramount Pictures has moved the film’s Friday, May 17th release up a day to May 16th.

Tickets are available on the film’s first-of-its-kind movie App, a technology that allows users to delve deeper into the Star Trek universe, and can also be accessed via www.IMAX.com or through www.Fandango.com, www.Movietickets.com, as well as other ticketing platforms and at theatre box offices. While supplies last, all 8:00 p.m. IMAX fan sneak attendees will receive a limited-edition IMAX FANFIX™ “Star Trek” Gallery 1988 movie print by Mark Englert.

The IMAX release of “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” will feature approximately 30 minutes of footage filmed with the extremely high-resolution IMAX® cameras. These specific sequences, which will expand to fill more of the screen exclusively in IMAX, will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for moviegoers.

Paramount’s “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS,” based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, is written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and directed by J.J. Abrams. Abrams is producing with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman and Orci. Jeffrey Chernov and Skydance Productions’ David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake are the executive producers.

“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” opens in theaters everywhere May 16th, 2013.

Star Trek #20 arrives in stores tomorrow, but fans can have a peek at the issue now.

In Star Trek #20, the origin stories of Sulu and Chekov are explored.

Overseen by Roberto Orci, Star Trek #20 was written by Mike Johnson, with art by Claudia Balboni and the cover art done by Tim Bradstreet. Alternate covers include a photo cover and a Bradstreet sketch cover.

Star Trek #20 is thirty-two pages in length and will cost $3.99.

Click on thumbnails for larger photos. More photos can be found at the referring site.

Star Trek into Darkness Co-Producer/Co-Writer Damon Lindelof spoke about his work on the movie and one of the topics was the mysterious John Harrison.

In this latest Trek movie, the events of Star Trek (2009) weigh heavily upon the Federation.

Star Trek is “the idea of keeping the vision of optimism, keeping the idea of mankind – and I include all genders in there – going where no person has gone before,” said Lindelof. “I think it’s the idea that we can all achieve the best of ourselves and, although there is a part of us that is less than great, that is inclined to bad behavior, or war-like behavior, or just violent behavior or dystopian thought processes, Trek is always about striving for utopia and optimism.

“But the world is complicated, and I think when you weigh what happened in the first movie, which is the destruction of Vulcan, it has cast a pallor over this entire Federation that needs to be reconciled. So I think, in a lot of ways, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise is fighting for the soul of Starfleet in this movie. I think that’s one of the really powerful themes there.”

Harrison, the villain of the piece is a “distorted mirror image” of a protagonist,” said Lindelof. “John Harrison in many ways is a cautionary tale for what Kirk could potentially become if he allowed himself to go down a certain road.”

Although speculation about Harrison abounds, Lindelof firmly agrees with not letting details emerge before the film is released and before fans see the story themselves. “We’ve always prided ourselves on the fact that Kirk and Spock and the crew of the Enterprise, they are you,” he said. “They are the audience. So the audience shouldn’t know more than Kirk and Spock do when they buy their tickets to the movie. We’re trying to preserve that effect for them. That’s really why we’re keeping our mouths shut. And, ultimately, I feel like there’s been so much fanfare about ‘Who is Benedict playing?’ and ‘Is it such a character?’ that, if it’s not those things, that there’s just going to be a fundamental letdown or a sense of disappointment. So, like I said, we’re only keeping the secret to preserve the relationship that the audience has with the characters going into the story.”

In a new Audi car commercial, Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy try to outdo each other in various pursuits.

The pair best known for playing Spock begins with an online 3D chess match. Then it’s a race to the club, where they will play a round of golf, but the one who arrives first must buy lunch for the other.

Quinto has the clear advantage with his speedy Audi, but Nimoy has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Watch for the various Trek references throughout the ad, and listen, if you dare, to Nimoy singing.

The latest videos featuring characters from Star Trek into Darkness went online today, and the videos feature Carol Marcus and Hikaru Sulu.

The videos show some Star Trek into Darkness scenes and interviews with Alice Eve and John Cho. Mild spoilers are behind the cut.

Carol Marcus is introduced as Science Officer Wallace, and fans will find out in the film why she is using a different surname. But for Spock, her identity is not the problem; her presence is. “Spock’s threatened by her position and where her specialty lies,” said Eve. “But also Spock is quite close to Kirk and I think he’s maybe threatened by that as well.”

Director J.J. Abrams explained the necessity for the character’s presence in the film. “What we needed was someone who felt like a very different flavor from everyone else in the cast,” he explained, “and yet would fit in, in a wonderful way, and become part of the team.”

“To me, this movie is about morality more than anything else, and the stakes could not be bigger,” said John Cho. “This is a movie…that is heavy with ideas and questions. That to me is Star Trek at its best, which is asking the biggest questions possible using fictional and fantastical variables.”

Star Trek fans in the US will be able to see Star Trek into Darkness a day early.

The regular version of Star Trek was due to open May 17, two days after the Star Trek into Darkness IMAX opening, but the date has been changed to May 16 instead.

Fan demand to see the movie is high, with IMAX screenings already sold out in major markets.

The two Spocks are back together again. Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy have teamed up for a promotional video for Audi that is rife with fun Trek references (although it is not an official Paramount co-marketing thing). Watch ‘The Challenge’ below.

Spock vs Spock for Audi

See what happens when the apprentice and the master go head to head in a fun new  video (called "The Challenge") from Audi featuring the original Spock Leonard Nimoy and the new Spock Zachary Quinto. This is their first on-screen reunion since the 2009 Star Trek movie.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled anticipation of Star Trek Into Darkness for a brief, but entertaining visit with Sulu and Chekov in Star Trek #20, the last prequel issue of IDW Publishing’s ongoing series. Comic spoilers ahead.

Star Trek #20
Written by Ryan Parrot, story consultants Mike Johnson and Roberto Orci, art by Claudia Balboni (pages 1-11), inks by Erica Durante (pages 1-11), art by Luca Lamberti (pages 12-22), colors by Arianna Florean, color supervisor Claudia SGC, letters by Tom B. Long, edited by Scott Dunbier

Story

Red Level Down: Starfleet Academy Cadet Hikaru Sulu is in the running for the last available spot in Red Squad. Cadet Amy McKenna reminds him what success or failure can mean for his career. On a training run, Cadet McKenna trips Cadet Pavel Chekov out of her way. Cadet Jim Kirk gives the young man a hand up. Kirk has been looking for Chekov. McKenna has instructed Sulu to buzz the crowd during her Federation Day speech as his final Red Squad initiation task. His friend David tells him it’s too dangerous. Kirk meets Chekov in his dorm room and asks him if it’s possible to reprogram a training simulation. He also learns that Chekov is planning something special for McKenna’s speech and warns him not to do anything he’ll be ashamed of later. On Federation Day, Sulu and Chekov must each decide who they are and how they will live their lives.

Noooo, not Belzodian fleas!

Review

Writer Ryan Parrott tells an illuminating story of character featuring Sulu and Chekov at Starfleet Academy, with an amusing cameo appearance by fellow cadets Kirk and Gaila. In this alternate universe, it seems that the most of the original series gang are at Starfleet Academy in some capacity, mostly as cadets. We learn how Kirk began his Kobiyashi Maru campaign, but mostly we see Sulu and Chekov grow up. This is a novel moment in Star Trek history. Of course, we knew they would do the right thing, but I appreciate Parrott’s efforts to give us a thoughtful backstory for these underutilized characters.

The artists for this issue, Claudia Balboni, Erica Durante, Luca Lamberti, with colorists Arianna Florean and Claudia SGC, have also done a nice job. They’ve captured Sulu’s seriousness, Chekov’s youth and Kirk’s insouciance in their artwork. They gave Red Squad some cool black uniforms with red piping. That’s a step up from the red jammies all the other cadets have to wear. For the record, Gaila looks terrific in her red jammies.

There are three covers for Star Trek #20. Tim Bradstreet’s regular and retailer incentive sketch covers feature a portrait of Sulu and Chekov at attention, while a worried-looking Chekov has the retailer incentive photo cover to himself. The regular cover is colored by Grant Goleash. The Starfleet delta over the Federation logo and starship blueprints looks very elegant on the art covers.

Cover: Art by Tim Bradstreet, color by Grant Goleash

 

Cover RI A: Art by Tim Bradstreet, Cover RI B: Photo cover

Preview of Star Trek #20

Star Trek #20 will be at your local comic shop Wednesday, May 8, and will also be available in digital format. This issue will be collected in trade paperback this summer.

This is the last issue of the ongoing series to feature prequel tales. After the new movie arrives in theaters on May 17, the comics will continue with issue #21, the first installment of a three-issue story arc, After Darkness, set after events in the film. There isn’t much else in the way of comic news to announce. There are a few trade paperback reprints coming this summer and fall. IDW panelists at a recent comics retailer convention announced they would be revamping stardates in the ongoing series. I’m not sure why. Comic book stardates are as varied as the stars themselves, but the new stardates will be canon. Woohoo! I can hardly wait! I wonder if they’re going to fix stardates in the previous 697 Star Trek comics?

We now return you to TrekMovie’s regularly scheduled programming. See you at the movies!

Mark Martinez is an obsessive-compulsive Star Trek comics reader and collector. You can visit his website, the Star Trek Comics Checklist for more than you ever needed to know about Star Trek comics.

More Star Trek Into Darkness co-marketing promotions are cropping up around the world including a few for consumables. These include Fisherman’s Friend in German, Burger King in Malaysia, KFC in Mexico and Budweiser in the USA. See commercials and outdoor advertising for these below.

Star Trek Into Consumables – Around The World

As we have been reporting, Paramount is working with a number of promotional partners across the world for Star Trek Into Darkness. Over in Germany, Paramount has teamed up with Fisherman’s Friend lozenges, who have created an wacky commercial. Check it out.

German reader Nooneimall translates the ad: “If to you they are too much “star date” (Sternzeit), you’re just too much “stone age” (Steinzeit)” Which is a variation on their usual tongue-in-cheek slogan: “Sind sie zu stark, bis du zu schwach”. (“if they’re too strong for you, you are only too weak.”)

Sadly there is no fast-food tie-in in the USA, but Paramount are working with KFC Mexico and Burger King in Malaysia (and possibly other territories). Here is a commercial for STID and BK in Malaysia. 

No TV spot for KFC Mexico is online yet, but here is an overview of their "Chicky Pack" toys for the movie.

And it turns out there is one consumable tie-in for the USA, Budweiser Beer. Bud has just started an outdoor campaign. No word yet on if there is more to this tie-in but here is the billboard.

If you have seen more Star Trek Into Darkness co-marketing in your country that has not mentioned yet here at TrekMovie please send in a tip to tips@trekmovie.com.

For fans of Star Trek, a ten day tour scheduled for this summer will be a pilgrimage to Star Trek filming sites from the original series though Star Trek: Enterprise and the Trek movies.

Geek Nation Tours will be teaming up with Larry Nemecek to offer a “truly extraordinary experience” for Star Trek fans.

The tour will run from August 3-12 and include the following events in the Vegas and L.A. areas:

Los Angeles sites:

• Welcome dinner at Cirroc Lofton‘s (Jake Sisko) restaurant and Sara the Wine Bar.
• Trip to Griffith Observatory (Voyager: Future’s End)
• Visit to two “Starfleet Academy” filming sites
• Will Rogers State Historic Park (Star Trek IV)
• Santa Monica Pier (Voyager: Future’s End)
• Bronson canyon (Rura Penthe scene, Bread and Circuses, Bajoran refugee camp)
• Franklin Canyon Park (The Paradise Syndrome)
• Paramount Studios
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Vasquez Rocks County Park (Arena, Star Trek IV, Star Trek 2009 and more)
• Club Ed Movie Ranch (Voyager: Death Wish)

Las Vegas site:

• Valley of Fire State Park (Star Trek: Generations)(accompanied by Michael Westmore)

The tour is just ahead of the big Star Trek Las Vegas convention in August, so participants can do both if they choose.

The tour, which will cost $2677.00, includes “Star Trek expertise from Co-Guide Larry Nemecek, all hotel nights including six nights at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, motor coach transportation, entrance fees to most venues, ‘How to get the best out of your tour’ exclusive Welcome Dinner, all breakfasts while in Los Angeles, lunches on Day 3 and Day 4, Paramount Studio tour, Valley of Fire tour, airport transfers to and from the hotel(s), tour guide service, Commemorative (and stylish) Hollywood2Vegas bowling shirt, Star Trek Towel, Creation Entertainment discount voucher, and all taxes and fees.”

For more information, head to the link located here.

The third character profile video for Star Trek Into Darkness features a look at Uhura, including some more glimpses of the movie and some behind the scenes. You can watch that below along with actress Zoe Saldana’s official EPK soundbite video.

Uhura Character profile

Speaking of Uhura, here is Saldana’s EPK Soundbite video

Note: subjects discussed on soundbite videos are listed briefly at the beginning

More Profiles and from Paramount EPK

If you missed them, here are links to the previous two character profiles…

• Kirk Profile
• Scotty Profile

TrekMovie will post more from the Paramount electronic press kit soon. Here is what we have posted so far…

• Behind the scenes on Star Trek Into Darkness
• Peter Weller Soundbites

Fans of the single episode Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray releases will be happy with the announcement that a new release will occur this summer.

The two-part Redemption will be re-edited and released as a feature-length presentation.

In Redemption, the finale of Season Four and the first episode of Season Five, Worf tries to clear his father’s name to regain family honor, as Picard and the Enterprise become involved in a Klingon civil war.

Redemption, which will sell for $19.99, will be released on July 30.

The last of the origin stories of the Enterprise crew will appear this Wednesday in Star Trek #20.

Featured in this latest IDW Publishing comic are Chekov and Sulu.

In Star Trek #20, fans learn how the pair met at Starfleet Academy and “how their paths converged all the way to bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.”

Overseen by Roberto Orci, Star Trek #20 was written by Mike Johnson, with art by Claudia Balboni and the cover art done by Tim Bradstreet. Alternate covers include a photo cover and a Bradstreet sketch cover.

Star Trek #20 is thirty-two pages in length and will cost $3.99.

In a short video, Anton Yelchin explains what to expect in Star Trek into Darkness.

The topics include: the main theme of Star Trek into Darkness, Kirk’s journey, and Yelchin’s opinion of the film.

Star Trek into Darkness can be summed up, according to Yelchin, as “one man’s journey to understand what it means to be responsible for everyone’s lives and to understand the meaning of being able to lose, but winning in the long run, winning what’s important.”

The video can be seen here.

Even though Carol Marcus is a part of Star Trek history, actress Alice Eve has made the character her own.

Playing a younger version of the character means that Eve was free to make some changes to Marcus.

“In the original, when she was in The Wrath of Khan, she was older and she had a child,” said Eve. “I guess she was tough. This Carol Marcus that I was playing, I didn’t feel she was tough. I wanted to bring a vulnerability to her, because she was at the beginning of her journey as a woman, rather than the middle, where she had a child and she’s raising it. I wanted to bring that sense of hope and softness to her, along with the list of capabilities that are on the page. And she became mine at some point, I understood that there was a tradition, but I didn’t hold too tightly to any of it because she was mine now.”

One thing Eve did have to do was wear a certain type of uniform, but her hairstyle was the result of a debate on futuristic hair, and what was chosen was due to emphasize Marcus’s youth. “Well, the costumes were already established, so it was understood I was a science officer in the Medbay, so I would wear blue in the sort of the shape of the dress that Zoe [Saldana] wore before,” said Eve. “In terms of the hair, obviously this is the future, and there was this interesting debate that raged about what hair was like in the future.

“We used the famous Vidal Sassoon bob from the ’60s to build a hairstyle. We think it showed a sense of youth, and it was in keeping with the original imagery of the ’60s show, but we modernized it and it added a clean efficiency to the line.”

As for Kirk and Marcus? Don’t expect Marcus’s appearances to be all about Kirk. “I am [part of Kirk's Enterprise],” said Eve, “but it’s not always about Kirk. There are very heavy emotional journeys that we went on, but I think the most challenging thing for me was running around the Enterprise. I had funny shoes, and I felt like I was running always, and everything was very high-intensity.”

Even though he’s the villain of Star Trek into Darkness, fans may at times feel sympathetic towards John Harrison.

There are mild spoilers behind the cut, and speculation on the character that is spoilerish in the original article.

Harrison, according to Benedict Cumberbatch, is a “home-grown terrorist.” “He’s somebody who has the most extraordinary proficient ability as a warrior with close hand combat and weaponry,” said Cumberbatch. “But also with psychological warfare – like a master chessman he can…or I should say chess player, chessman could be a piece I guess! He’s a tactician with the most extraordinary kind of mind and ability to manipulate a situation and get people to trust him and do his bidding almost actually, a Hannibal Lecterish quality I guess.

“There’s no tricks involved, it is purely about knowing the person and the dynamic that they’re part of. And that means that within the range of acting I got to do I had the great boy/man thrill running around and doing a lot of live action stunts, with wire work and carefully choreographed and rehearsed fight scenes and chases. And that’s the great thing about the film – there’s lots of live action and stuff that is not CG. It’s very much real and gravitationally bound in some parts as well, and earthbound. And then on top of that, the icing of the cake and the real treat and meat of it as well was to have really juicy acting scenes as well.”

Harrison could be described as a “sympathetic bad guy.” “I don’t know what character in recent film history hasn’t been,” he said. “The more I say that the more I realize that doesn’t really distinguish him. But there will be a reveal in the…piece – I was about to say play! But it’s interesting that I was going to say play because there is an aspect of it where it is much more of a morality play, the kind of depth of story is much more in tune with the original series I think than had previously been the case in this type of genre film. But anyway that’s detracting from what I was saying which was…what I said about being a terrorist. I think I definitely touched on this in front of you guys this morning [at a press conference].

“Well basically I believe like modern terrorism, and there sadly a lot of parallels that make this very relevant. It’s not that the means may be disgusting, the level of violence and death and destruction and distress caused. But often the intentions are noble – and I mean that in the broadest sense. It’s an underdog fighting a superpower. It’s a minority. And elements of that superpower can get corrupted; in this case it’s Starfleet. And he believes in what he is doing and hopefully at the point where that’s explained it might garner some sympathy.”

But Harrison is “still a bad arse,” said Cumberbatch.

In a new interview, Zachary Quinto explains what it’s like working with two of his co-stars, Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana, and he also describes the Spock-Uhura relationship in Star Trek into Darkness.

There are mild spoilers behind the cut.

After the smooth sailing of the Spock-Uhura relationship in 2009′s Star Trek, the pair is tested in Star Trek into Darkness. “…it was such a surprise in the first movie for the audiences to be faced with the fact of that relationship,” said Quinto. “I think in this one the writers done such a great job of taking us in yet another unexpected direction, where the convergence of work and personal relationship actually provides more conflict than either of these characters would ever have expected, and are comfortable with. There’s a lot of upheaval in this film, and all of us have to deal with it in our own unique ways. I really liked those relationships.”

Working with Saldana was no problem though. “Zoe Saldana is such an angel,” said Quinto. “She’s got such an openness and vulnerability on camera and yet such great strength. She can kick ass with the best of them, but then she can soften and open up in a way that is magnetizing whether you’re watching her on set or on screen – she’s got a real power to her. I love her; we’ve known each other for years and it’s great to come back to that kind of familiarity, especially when you’re working with such intimacy.”

When it comes to co-star Pine, Quinto and Pine have had similar experiences in their careers and it’s a comfort for Quinto to have someone else around who knows what it’s like to be where he is now, career-wise. “The great thing about working with Chris is that we really check in with each other creatively and personally,” said Quinto. “We’ve both gone through a lot of stuff since the first movie came out and it’s really nice to be able to connect with him about that, and bring it to our work together.

“There is an implicit trust, and I think something that happened to both of us in this film, we both came to realize the impact that being a part of this franchise is not only going to have on our careers, but on our lives. And it’s always a blast. Chris is an incredibly hard working actor; he’s enormously talented; he’s very serious about what he’s doing. He’s really able to bring the bravado of this character and complexity of this character to life in a really exciting way.”

A video showing part of the filming process of Star Trek into Darkness has been posted online.

The video shows the filming of some scenes, and the behind-the-scenes action that takes place on a movie. Spoilers are behind the cut.

Scenes include ones with Kirk/Marcus, Spock and the volcano, several bridge scenes and more! Plus – hear McCoy utter a familiar phrase.

Paramount has released a number of EPK ‘Soundbite’ videos from the cast and crew of Star Trek Into Darkness and we will be sharing them with you here at TrekMovie but we thought we would start with actor Peter Weller’s vid. If you pay attention to the video you will be able to discern a clue about his character from the movie. Watch it below. [beware of spoilers]

Peter Weller talks JJ Abrams and Into Darkness production design

Here is Peter Weller’s official Electronic Press Kit Soundbite video.

What’s new? Scroll down

In addition to what Weller says, it is interesting to note what he is wearing. We have seen Peter Weller’s Admiral Marcus in previously released trailers wearing the same Starfleet Admiral dress uniform (worn when at Starfleet HQ) that Admiral Pike wears.

But in his EPK video his outfit looks like those being worn by the guys seen below

More Paramount EPK

TrekMovie will post more from the Paramount electronic press kit soon. Here is what we have posted so far…

• Behind the scenes on Star Trek Into Darkness

Bad Robot’s iOS app Action Movie FX has been updated with five brand new Star Trek FX, including transporter, warp, phaser, photon and an Enterprise flyby. Check out some sample movies from this cool new update below.
 

Action Movie FX adds Star Trek FX To your movies

Bad Robot’s Action Movie FX is an app for iPhones and iPads that lets you added Hollywood-style effects to your movies. The free app has just added a brand new Star Trek Into Darkness update.

The Into Darkness update features 5 FX (3 for free) that include models and assets from the actual film, all created by the VFX masters at Industrial Light & Magic.

The five new Star Trek FX are:

• PHASER FIGHT
• ENTERPRISE FLYBY
• PHOTON TORPEDOES
• TRANSPORTER*
• WARP*

* The Transporter and Warp FX are a $0.99 add-on (for both) and 100% of proceeds will be donated to THE MISSION CONTINUES, a charity that supports post-9/11 veterans.

The app is available now in the iTunes App store.

Sample videos

TrekMovie reader Shawn ‘Mad Man’ L. has taken the app out for a spin and had a lot of fun with it. Here are some sample videos that show what you can do with the app.

Photon Torpedoes

Enterprise Flyby

Phaser Fight

Transporter

Warp

Start making your own Star Trek movies, get the app on iTunes. Post links to your movies below or to @trekmovie on Twitter.

Thanks to Shawn for the videos