Chris Pine was one of many Star Trek Beyond stars to sit down with Britain’s biggest SF and fantasy magazine, SFX, to talk Trek and more. On making Trek in 2016, Pine said that, while the JJ films have tried to touch on “demanding questions and themes”, it’s just not possible to make a movie without “wham-bam explosions and planets blowing up”. Plus, SFX grabbed exclusive interviews from Director Justin Lin, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Soufia Boutella, who joins the cast as Jaylah.

[UPDATE]: Quote from Sofia Boutella on her new character, Jaylah, who has the most in common with Kirk.



Issue 276 of SFX, Britain’s best-selling science fiction and fantasy magazine, is celebrating the release of Star Trek Beyond with the film’s first UK cover story and exclusive interviews with the cast and crew.

Chris Pine spoke about how Star Trek can compete in the modern cinema marketplace.

“You can’t make a cerebral Star Trek in 2016. It just wouldn’t work in today’s marketplace. You can hide things in there – Star Trek Into Darkness has crazy, really demanding questions and themes, but you have to hide it under the guise of wham-bam explosions and planets blowing up. It’s very, very tricky. The question that our movie poses is “Does the Federation mean anything?” And in a world where everybody’s trying to kill one another all of the time, that’s an important thing. Is working together important? Should we all go our separate ways? Does being united against something mean anything?”

On rumors making the rounds way back when that Chris Pine was originally going to share scenes with William Shatner, Chris said:

“At this point there’s been so much built up about this potential portentous meeting between the two Kirks… Fuck the movie, it would just become about that. The movie can’t become about that. The movie has to be about whatever story we’re trying to tell. It’d be fun, it’d be kitschy, it’d be a great piece for you guys to talk about, and for late-night TV, but above and beyond that I don’t know what it serves for our storytelling purposes, you know?”

SFX also spoke with Director Justin Lin, who said that remembering Star Trek’s mission statement was key to making Beyond.

“What was so great about Star Trek in the last 50 years was not only the characters, the sense of exploration, and these themes that connect to us as human beings, it also had the ultimate mission statement — which is to try new things. I think sometimes that gets lost. Let’s sometimes go to places where we’re not that comfortable. If anything, this is the one franchise where you can do that.”

And, Lin’s favorite character? Why, Dr. McCoy of course:

“Bones was my favourite growing up. So to be able to re-engineer Bones, and to see where he is today but then at the same time how he would interact with new challenges and how that would shape who he is and evolve him… That was part of the joy.”

SFX 276 is on sale from Wednesday 22 June and available to order online.

[UPDATE 6/17]: Sofia Boutella talks Jaylah

Sofia Boutella’s new character Jaylah has been at the forefront of advertising for Star Trek Beyond. It’s obvious she is going to play a pivotal role in the film, but who is she? What’s her story? The actress elaborated on her character, telling SFX: