Star Trek: Episode I
I’ve never really been a Trekkie, mostly because I grew up in a country where Trek episodes weren’t readily available on TV. I do, however, enjoy the occasional dabble. I’ve seen a few episodes of TOS, several of TNG, and almost nothing of Voyager, DS9, or Enterprise. Of the movies, I’ve seen (and enjoyed) The Motion Picture, The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country, Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection. That’s right, I’ve never seen The Wrath of Khan. Nevertheless, I do appreciate many of the characters that the various movies and series have brought to life and the stories that have been told over the decades, so naturally I’m interested in news about the upcoming Star Trek XI (currently slated for 2008).
Reportedly this will be a “franchise reboot,” featuring Kirk and Spock and the rest of the original crew during earlier days. This has been in the works for quite awhile, and I’ve caught the occasional casting rumor as the months went by, but now at last it appears that there is a set cast. All of the original roles have been filled . . . and I am decidedly intrigued. Of course, some of these actors I recognize by sight only, rather than by name, which is why I found this link handy. It’s got all of the new cast members listed, and placed side-by-side with their ’60s TV counterparts. Fascinating.
For starters we’ve got Spock being played by Zachary Quinto (that’s Sylar from TV’s Heroes). Uhura will be played by Zoe Saldana, who was a feisty pirate captain in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. John Cho steps in as Sulu (Harold from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, which I’m guessing you didn’t see). McCoy, oddly, is Karl Urban . . . yes, as in Eomer from Lord of the Rings. Chekov is AntonYelchin, whom I’ve never heard of or seen in anything. Wait, I take that back. I saw him in a trailer for Charlie Bartlett, in which he plays the title character. Chris Pine has been cast as Kirk. I’ve definitely never seen him in anything. And finally, Eric Bana will play the villain, intriguingly named “Nero.”
Okay, not quite finally. I saved my favorite bit of casting for last. Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) will be joining the production as Scotty. I love this actor and I think he’ll do a fun and fantastic job. His presence alone makes me feel a twinge of anticipation. Actually, in general as I scan through the pictures of the new crew and try to visualize them in the respective roles . . . I think this might just work and be really really cool to boot. Thank goodness I’m not a purist.
Go check ’em out.
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