Star Trek Beyond: 25 Easter Eggs, References & In-Jokes

If anything, this is a flawless example of the tolerant, understanding society of the future which Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry envisaged when he created these iconic characters. Elba plays a villain who questions whether the Federation is a force for good or not, adding a moral dilemma to the more usual acceptance that the Federation in the Star Trek universe is made up of (mostly) good guys.

Thanks to director Justin Lin, “Star Trek Beyond” is the most fierce in the 50-year history of the franchise.

“Beyond”, then, is in the position of representing all that Trek stands for on its golden anniversary.

Stepping in for J.J. Abrams – who’s been a little busy with the Star Wars franchise – is Justin Lin, who’s clearly learned something about orchestrating complex action sequences while juggling large casts of characters on four Fast & Furious movies.

The Enterprise crew is separated on the planet, and characters are paired up to prevent any from being lost among the ensemble – Kirk and Chekhov (Yelchin); Spock and Bones; Uhura and Sulu (John Cho); and Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Pegg) and the resourceful alien woman who comes to his aid, Jayla (Sofia Boutella). It’s like a big screen, huge-budgeted episode of “Star Trek”.

Unbeknownst to one another, Captain James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) and Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) are individually having an internal struggle about continuing on with the USS Enterprise. Specifically Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg, who co-wrote this installment, so go figure, there) and Chekov (the late Anton Yelchin), who all play equally important roles alongside the main characters. Trapped on an unknown planet, crew members struggle for a way off and to thwart an imminent attack on a nearby starbase by the villainous Krall (Idris Elba).

Prior to seeing the new film Star Trek Beyond I had never seen any of the Star Trek movies. It is soaked in nostalgia and reference points not only to that series, but also to the film franchise, and it’s very clear Lin knows where his film came from. This is a movie that’s well worth seeing, so unless you really dislike science fiction, I suspect it’ll please you. “Yeah”, agreed Cho. “We can’t watch any Disney movies because they always start out with mama dying”. The famously contentious duo share witty banter and even some emotional moments, as Spock tries to process the death of his “other” self in a lovely tribute to original Spock Leonard Nimoy.

He does not want to call himself a Trekkie when he felt that he has not earned his stripes for it but he is a devoted Star Trek fan through and through.