Covered under layers and layers of alien make-up, it’s not surprising that you might not recognise actor Idris Elba in this Summer’s “Star Trek Beyond”. Playing the lead villain Krall, the actor tells EW that his character is a new species to the franchise and not a Gorn as some have speculated. Elba also spoke about his specific character motivations:

“What’s interesting about him is that he has a real beef with what the Enterprise stands for. Krall’s a character who’s deeply steeped in hatred, in my opinion, a well-earned hatred, for the Federation. It felt quite political. There’s a relatability to what’s happening in our world. Not everybody’s happy with what everybody calls the good guys. There’s some history that we explore, to understand why he feels the frontier needs to push back. There’s definitely an opposing argument to the good that the Federation think they do. There are purists that believe in independence, and believe that we’re all made differently for a reason, and will fight tooth and nail to defend that. There’s massive relatability to modern world politics in that sense.”

Justin Lin helms the new film which opens in July and is said to offer a lighter tone than the previous two films in the rebooted franchise. The next trailer for the film is due for release at a 50th anniversary event for the franchise next month.