The first trailer for Star Trek Beyond wasn’t exactly what longtime Star Trek fans or audiences were looking for, with its heavy focus on action set-pieces and poor choice of music. Even Simon Pegg, who co-wrote and stars in the film, expressed his disappointment when the trailer was released back in December 2015. Since that time, marketing for Beyond has been non-existent, but this week saw the first ever “Star Trek Fan Event” hosted by Paramount Pictures at their Los Angeles studio. Along with a lengthy Q&A session with the film’s cast and crew, a street naming ceremony dedicated to the late Leonard Nimoy, and the premiere of several clips from the film, Paramount also released the second trailer for Beyond.
Though the trailer may not engender the same levels of fever-pitch excitement like the previews for Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Captain America: Civil War, Star Trek Beyond is definitely starting to look like a proper Star Trek film.
Taking place several years after the events of Star Trek Into Darkness, Beyond sees the U.S.S. Enterprise well into its five-year galactic mission to explore the galaxy. After encountering a dangerous new enemy that destroys their ship and kills many unsuspecting Red Shirts, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the rest of his crew find themselves stranded on a mysterious alien world ruled by a savage warlord named Krall (Idris Elba).
Even after one viewing, it’s immediately apparent that Paramount took the criticism of the first trailer to heart. Aside from the explosive and fast-paced action, everything in this trailer feels like the tonal opposite of what he saw all those months ago. Director Justin Lin, who previously directed four entries in the Fast and Furious franchise, has proven he excels at establishing friendly and endearing relationships, and that talent is clearly on display here. Not only do we finally see some of that good natured rapport between characters that Star Trek is famous for, we also get hints that the crew of the Enterprise, particularly Kirk, are finally maturing and growing a little wiser. I especially like how every character in the film looks like they have something to do, and not solely there to react to what Kirk and Spock are doing.
In all honesty, I’m pretty surprised the lengths at which Paramount has taken to address concerns over Beyond and their handling of Star Trek as a whole. With the much improved trailer, the eagerly anticipated Bryan Fuller produced television series, and the massive fan event that honored the history and people of the franchise, I think it’s safe to say we have a lot to look forward to when it comes to anything Star Trek.
Star Trek Beyond arrives in theatres on July 22, 2016.
What about you reader? Did you like the second trailer for Star Trek Beyond? Do you feel like the franchise is going in the right direction? Let us know in the comments below!
