Q & A with the Cast and Crew of Star Trek

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Director JJ Abrams and his hot new cast have boldy gone where many have feared to go for quite some time now in creating a re-imagining of the iconic American institution that is Star Trek, for the next generation. We sit down with the cast and crew to talk about the final frontier in film making.

Q: Why make a Star Trek movie now?
JJ Abrams: What makes it vital for now was not to try and do a skit. Everything was a choice. How do you make it work for now even though it is inspired by a show half a century ago?  I wanted to work on a version that appealed to me. We all go together to start talking about what Star Trek could be now. We had a range of feelings. The key was to find a story we all embraced. Star Trek is inherently an optimistic story with racial and social lines. We wanted to create an origin story and give people an emotional way in and move with a big heart. That prospect was exciting to me.

Q: How intimidating was the prospect of taking on such iconic roles?
Chris Pine: The film is a re-imagining. It's about making the characters our own. When I met JJ Abrams, he wasn't looking for a bad impersonation of William Shatner, he allowed us the freedom to make the characters our own which was very liberating for me.
Zachary Quinto: A lot of us felt a bit of pressure stepping into these roles. JJ encouraged us to use the original performances as a jumping off point - a point of departure only.

Q: How was meeting your predecessors?
Chris Pine: When I met William Shatner there was a feeling of handing over the mantle and he wished me the very best of luck.
Zachary Quinto: I knew I had Leonard's blessing. I was the first cast in the movie and I spent time hanging out with Leonard and talking about the character.


Q: What do you think of the new, more emotional Spock, who now has a love interest?
Zachary Quinto: I don't think the new Spock is radically different - there's a duality in Spock that makes him complex - a split between the two halves of himself - his humanity and his, well, his vulcanity! Plus he's young in this film, he has to grow into the more dispassionate Spock. I think Spock experiences deeply run emotions. In the confrontation with his mother he feels very deeply. That is the dilemma and conflict of Spock - he cannot experience these emotions in the normal way. He is constantly holding the feelings in.

Q: Were you a Trekker before making the movie?
Chris Pine: I was not a Trekker but I was aware of the series and what the Enterprise was. Star Trek is part of Americana. I wasn't a Trek fan but my grandmother was a big William Shatner fan and when I was round at her house we watched him on television so I was more of a casual observer than a fan. I am a Star Trek fan now. I've gained a lot of appreciation for it. I previously thought it was a bit camp. I grew up watching Star Wars, not Star Trek, but now watching it I see it has a lot of radical socio-political themes.

Q: Why do you think Star Trek has had such long lasting appeal?
Chris Pine: The story has had such an intense hold on people for so long. When it originally came out in the late 60s it was a time of great social unrest and great division. The idea that people can work together as one and achieve great things brings a sense of unity -  the deck of the Enterprise is like the United Nations and that idea has as much resonance in the late 60s as it does now. It presents a vision of people working together.
JJ Abrams: The genius of Star Trek is the paradigm of all of he characters. At the end of the movie they wouldn't be there if all of them hadn't done their job. I loved how each character was absolutely critical.

Q: Tell us about the physicality and fight scenes?
Chris Pine: We were on wires in the Paramount lot for a month and a half! There was also of physical preparation and the stunt team were amazing. We went through a 2 month Star Trek boot camp. While it was heavily choreographed we could change it up. We had stunt doubles that did a lot of the work and and shot some of it at Dodger Stadium.

Q: The film has very funny moments. Was is like that from the outset or was that developed during filming?
Eric Bana: The most significant factor for me was that the script wasn't taking itself too seriously. There was a sense of humor and a lightness. JJ allowed the actors to muck around and I could play Nero as a bit of a smart ass. He didn't have to be scary all the time. JJ let all of us do what we wanted but at the same time he knows exactly what he wants.
JJ Abrams: One day there was a scene where they were all together and all in the mood to just goof off. the 1st AD was looking at me like we're screwed because we were way behind schedule and the next day was going to be a nightmare and the actors couldn't get through the lines without laughing. I was trying to wrangle them and then I just walked off the set. I couldn't believe it. Its the only time their natural personality and camaraderie was a pain in the ass.

Q: Tell us about the makeup.
Eric Bana: When I first put it on I couldn't really move my face so there was a process of recalibrating your movements for camera as otherwise I would have looked frozen - like I had no expression. The makeup artists were incredible and the chance to disappear was fun. Each morning we'd sit there and get high off the chemicals and, after three hours, go onto the set. We don't recall much that happened before lunch on the film!

Q: Zoe, how did you like being the only girl?
Zoe Saldana: I loved playing Uhura because she was able to be comfortable in that environment. She is feminine and commanding and does her job excellently. It gives you the ability to be androgynous in an artistic and profound environment.


Q: We've heard that a sequel is already in the works?
Chris Pine: I think it's presumptuous to start talking about the future before the movie has come out. We're very excited about this one. I think people will enjoy this, whether they're fans or non-fans. I know that many of us are attached to do two more, if there is, in fact, going to be more. But, I know that I loved making this and I loved the team behind it, who were my fellow crew mates, so if I were to be asked, I know that I would sign up.

-Carly Steel