Star Trek

Settle in and make yourselves comfortable. Benedict Cumberbatch is taking off his tie. Only a few minutes into an interview about his villainous turn in “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the English actor was all apologies for the distraction. But a painful pinched nerve required some tending to before he walked the red carpet at the New York premiere of J.J. Abrams’ highly anticipated sequel. A pinched nerve in the left shoulder? Perhaps Cumberbatch has been spending too much time in the company of angry Vulcans of late? “Ah, I see what you did there,” Cumberbatch said with a laugh. “Those who pay attention to these things will notice that’s the one that Zach grabs in the film.” Zach, of course, is Zachary Quinto, who, in reprising his role as Mr. Spock for “Into Darkness,” spends considerable time pursuing, punching and, […]

With 2009′s “Star Trek,” filmmaker J.J. Abrams breathed new life into one of science fiction’s most venerable franchises. His sleek cinematic reboot re-introduced moviegoers to brash but loyal Capt. James T. Kirk and his level-headed foil Spock, played with a winning hint of modern bromance by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Now, Abrams has returned to the USS Enterprise with “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which beams into theaters on a course toward what’s expected to be a roughly $100-million opening. The Times’ Betsy Sharkey raved in her review that the film, “bursting at the seams with enemies, wears its politics, its mettle, its moxie and its heart on its ginormous 3-D sleeve.” She went on to describe the movie as the best release of the summer movie season so far. Late last month, before Abrams embarked on a whirlwind publicity […]

The highly anticipated sequel to J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot “Star Trek” opens in theaters tonight, but Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Leonard Nimoy and more “Star Trek Into Darkness” stars walked the silver carpet Tuesday evening for the film’s Hollywood premiere. The film follows Capt. James T. Kirk (Pine) and his Enterprise crew as they embark on a revenge-fueled manhunt to capture the man behind a terrorist attack on Starfleet. The search takes them to a war-zone world, putting the ship and the lives within it in danger and causing Kirk to question his abilities as captain. “I think a lot of maturing happens in this film for Kirk, for a man who thinks he knows everything and leads with his gut and leads with his heart, and is all kind of passion and heart,” Pine said during the film’s presentation […]

A new ad from Audi pits classic Spock against new Spock, capitalizing on the hype surrounding “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which opens in theaters May 16. The car commercial features Leonard Nimoy, who played the pointy-eared Vulcan for two decades in the original series as well as in half a dozen movies (not including his 2009 cameo in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek”), and newcomer Zachary Quinto, who took the reins in the reboot. In the ad (watch it above), Nimoy schools Quinto on a game of chess, and Quinto challenges the victor to a round of golf and a race to the country club. “Whoever gets to the club last buys lunch,” Quinto says. “Stand by to have your wallet emptied by a tractor beam,” Nimoy retorts. During the car ride, Nimoy treats fans of “The Lord of the Rings” […]

The wait to see J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek Into Darkness” just got a little shorter. Paramount announced Tuesday that it will release the film May 16, one day earlier than its original opening date of May 17. Directed by Abrams and written by Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and Roberto Orci, “Into Darkness”  sees the return of Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine), Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew as they face a new villain, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). As with so much in the fictional worlds Abrams creates (“Lost,” “Super 8”), many details around the movie have been cloaked in mystery, including the true identity of Cumberbatch’s character. But in a recent interview with The Times, Pine and Quinto shared insight into John Harrison — and the movie’s present-day parallels. “This film is about earthbound terror,” […]

When Disney announced in January that J.J. Abrams would direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,” the news had major implications for the geek faithful. While some rejoiced at the prospect of Hollywood’s A-list nerd-auteur shepherding the next entry in the beloved sci-fi franchise, many fans of that other beloved sci-fi franchise, “Star Trek,” wondered what Abrams’ new gig would mean for them. After all, Abrams had successfully revived “Star Trek” with his 2009 Paramount film, casting Chris Pine as a young James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, and crafting a movie that managed to win over both “Trek” die-hards and newcomers to the series. He had already shot “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which opens May 17, and was on track to make a third movie. It turns out it wasn’t just fans wondering what Abrams taking on “Star Wars” […]

The first voice you hear in “Star Trek: The Video Game” is Capt. James T. Kirk screaming “ambush!” Moments later, Spock — Kirk’s familiar second in command and traditionally a more logic-oriented presence — hollers “grenade!” It doesn’t have the poetic heft of “space, the final frontier,” which opened almost every episode of the original series and its follow-up, “The Next Generation.” But that sort of thing is not part of the mission for this game, which begins with quick-cut glimpses of guns blazing, giant lizards and explosions. The goal here is not all that different from the J.J. Abrams-helmed film “Star Trek,” which rebooted the franchise in 2009. Co-publishers Paramount Pictures and NAMCO Bandai hope to reenergize the franchise by turning to one of the most successful gaming genres of the past decade: the third-person duck-and-cover shooter. “Star Trek: […]

“Star Trek” has always been about more than a spaceship crew hurtling through the cosmos — over the decades, the sci-fi series in all its forms has tackled earthly issues such as race, gender and the Vietnam War. When it comes to shining a spotlight on contemporary conflicts, the film and television franchise’s newest entry, the movie “Star Trek Into Darkness,” is no exception. Directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and Roberto Orci, “Into Darkness,” which opens May 17, sees the return of Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine), Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew, as they face a new villain, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). As with so much in the fictional worlds Abrams creates (“Lost,” “Super 8”), many details around the movie have been cloaked in mystery, including the true […]

“Star Trek: The Video Game” hit shelves Tuesday, featuring an original story set between 2009′s “Star Trek” and this May’s sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness.” The game, three years in the making, allows players to step into the roles of Starfleet officers Spock and Capt. James T. Kirk. Game developers aimed to create a cinematic experience for gamers, recruiting “Star Trek” composer Michael Giacchino to create custom music and actors from the film, including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, to lend their voices to the game. “This had to feel like it was a ‘Trek’ adventure that could have been a movie but happened to fit the gaming space better,” Brian Miller, senior vice president of Paramount Pictures and the game’s executive producer, told Hero Complex writer Todd Martens last month. “We would not have made the game unless we […]

“Star Trek Into Darkness” is only a month away, but fans who can’t wait for the film to hit theaters May 17 (or May 15 in IMAX theaters) can sate their otherworldy appetites with a new trailer and new posters. Paramount Pictures released the final trailer for “Star Trek Into Darkness” today, and it boasts an epic score, plenty of action and a more desperate tone than the previously released trailers that in turn focused humorously on James T. Kirk’s brash recklessness and on John Harrison’s deadly threat. “You think you can’t make mistakes,” Bruce Greenwood’s Christopher Pike tells Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) at the beginning of the new trailer. “But the choices you make could get yourself and everyone under your command killed. But I believe in you Jim.” What follows is a rundown of the events fans have […]