ZacharyQuinto Tagged Articles at Cinematical

This week's very solid edition of Saturday Night Live, starring Justin Timberlake (now officially one of the show's greatest all-time hosts), featured a few special guests during the "Weekend Update" segment. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto arrived first to assuage long-time Star Trek fans' fears about the new film, and then Leonard Nimoy came out to give his authoritative seal of approval (which, if you think about it, is why he's in the movie, too).

The segment is only mildly funny, but it does lead up to a classic closing line, one that's right up there with Shatner's "Get a life!" routine back in 1986. (If you're wondering, Shatner and Patrick Stewart have each hosted SNL once, but Nimoy never has, and neither have any of the various Star Treks' other stars.) The version on Hulu must be taken from the dress rehearsal (they do that sometimes), as it's ever-so-slightly different from the one that aired live on Saturday night. Enjoy.

Apparently there are some Star Trek trading cards making their way around (do people really use movie trading cards?), and MTV got their hands on a stack full of some new images -- including this hot shot of Diora Baird as an Orion Slave Girl ... and not an obsessed Incredible Hulk fanatic. The images also include a pretty cool spoilerish shot of Zachary Quinto's Spock giving the Vulcan salute to Leonard Nimoy's Spock (technically that means he was giving the Vulcan salute to himself), as well as images of the Enterprise, a new strange-looking alien, one of the Starfleet Academy and more. Yeah, they're all pretty cool, but we thought you'd have fun with this Orion Slave Girl -- kinda hot, no? Green, yes ... but still hot.

Orion Slave Girls are said to be vicious and seductive, and claim no human male can resist them. They first popped up in the original pilot, and have since been featured in Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise. This new version looks a little greener than in the past, but it's a change that works quite well in my mind. What do you think? We've added a few of the photos to our Star Trek gallery below -- along with the film's final poster -- and you can catch the rest over at MTV. Star Trek hits theaters on May 8.

"I've never been a fan of Star Trek. It's true, I never quite got it." -- J.J. Abrams

Last night Cinematical had the chance to screen roughly 20 minutes of footage from the new Star Trek film alongside select journalists, Paramount executives and Trek director J.J. Abrams. Four scenes in total, each was a fairly critical component of the film -- and while hardcore Trekkers may have a few problems with the final product, there's no denying this rebooted version of Star Trek will kick off the summer of '09 in spectacular fashion.

Below, I'll give you a very brief summary of each scene, then spit out a few initial thoughts on it all before providing a few movie facts (based on what we learned last night). Some of this info will come as a welcomed surprise to those faithful out there, and some ... well ... let's begin, shall we:

Note: We'll be discussing plot points, so there will be spoilers ahead.

Scene Summary

1. Kirk's Introduction -- This was our first introduction to the Chris Pine version of Kirk -- a somewhat disheveled, but great looking punk who hangs around the Starfleet bar looking to pick up chicks. His wooing of one such chick -- who goes by the name of Uhura (Zoe Saldana) -- winds up getting Kirk into trouble with some of the boys. A fight ensues, and a man by the name of Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) steps in to save the day before urging Kirk to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Starfleet.

Thankfully, this time around the images aren't spread clear across these internets on several different sites. Nope, this time the new Star Trek photos come courtesy of those nuts over at Empire, who've revealed two new stills from the film (one of which you can see above), as well as a cover featuring the new Kirk and Spock. I especially like the image they threw together below -- re-creating that classic Kirk and Spock pose with the newbies, played by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.



So far all the images released look pretty rad, though there's a lot riding on that new trailer playing before Quantum of Solace (in theaters November 14), and I have a feeling we'll be discussing that bad boy for awhile after it makes its official online debut. In case you missed them, check out all the previously-released Star Trek images in the gallery below. Star Trek beams itself into theaters on May 8.

Pictured: Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Zoe Saldana

Yesterday we told you about those new Star Trek images (revealing snippets of each), and now Entertainment Weekly has revealed their snazzy eight-page Trek spread, featuring all of the aforementioned images, as well as tasty plot information, action scene descriptions, interviews with the cast and, of course, director J.J. Abrams, who talks at length about what brought him to the franchise and which direction he'd be taking: "In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as The Dark Knight is raking in gazillions of dollars, Star Trek stands in stark contrast,It was important to me that optimism be cool again."

On what type of film they were aiming for, Abrams says, "We weren't making a movie for fans of Star Trek. We were making a movie for fans of movies." Regarding the plot -- and here come some mild spoilers -- EW tells us the flick begins when "a Federation starship, the USS Kelvin (pictured right), is attacked by a vicious Romulan (Eric Bana) desperately seeking one of the film's heroes. From there, the film then brings Kirk and Spock center stage and tracks the origins of their friendship and how they became officers aboard the Enterprise. In fact, the movie shows how the whole original series crew came together: McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoë Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin)." The mag goes on to reveal locations such as Earth, a harsh ice planet and Vulcan (calling the scenes they viewed "state-of-the-art pop), and also how Leonard Nimoy was an "essential element" of the new Trek. EW says Nimoy's "first scene" as Spock (which means he'll be in more than one) is "goose-bumpingly cool."

Abrams will take some scenes on an international press tour, screening them for select European audiences hoping to "educate people that this is a whole new franchise." Also, EW does indeed confirm that the new full trailer for Star Trek will play in front of Quantum of Solace, which hits theaters on November 14. Meanwhile, Star Trek will finally debut on the big screen on May 8.

Update: AICN has added one more Trek photo to the pack (which they call a Spock "outtake"). View it below, and click to enlarge.

I'm still holding out for the surprise announcement that William Shatner will indeed appear in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. In the meantime, though, I expect to hear another complaint from the original Captain Kirk after reading this juicy bit of goodness: George Takei has a cameo in the upcoming movie*, which will be a prequel-ish reboot of the TV and movie franchise. According to a Starburst magazine interview with the actor, Takei will feature in a flash-forward scene that will also showcase original Spock, Leonard Nimoy. From the sound of it, he will be returning to his iconic role as an older version of Sulu. Best guess is that Takei and Nimoy will be sitting in futuristic rocking chairs reminiscing about their beginnings at the Starfleet Academy, and this scene will be the prologue to the rest of the movie. Playing the younger versions of Sulu and Spock throughout the rest of the film are John Cho and Zachary Quinto, respectively.

Well, if Shatner doesn't put up more of a fuss, the fans should. After all, as long as we're getting two of the surviving original cast members, why can't we get the rest? Sure, it would be a sad scene, considering DeForest Kelley (Bones) and James Doohan (Scotty) aren't around to be a part of such a reunion, but the Trekkies would certainly appreciate seeing Nichelle Nichols (Uhuru), Walter Koenig and of course Shatner together again. Am I right? They could all have a few laughs while yelling at the kids to get off their damn lawns. And we could all feel better about having to accept all new actors as these beloved characters. So, who is going to start the online petition? Oh wait, that's already been done.

*UPDATE: Apparently this is just another rumor, one that has been debunked. According to TrekMovie.com, Takei will not have a cameo in the new Star Trek.

CNN is reporting that William Shatner is upset at not being asked to appear in J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek film. Adding insult to injury, the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is on board. I guess you could say the Shat has hit the fan. "I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," says Shatner. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision." I think Shatner may be overestimating his box office popularity here, but I certainly think that if you're going to have Nimoy, you need to have Shatner. No?

Director Abrams originally had said Shatner would likely play a role, but the pair had a couple of meetings that led to nothing. Chris Pine (Smokin' Aces) is playing the young Captain Kirk. Heroes' Zachary Quinto is playing the young Spock, and we don't know much about Nimoy's role in the movie other than that "there's going to be a sense of guidance in this film and beyond." Shatner says simply, "Having been in on the creation of it, I was hoping to be in on the re-creation." I think the guy's got a point. If I had to guess, perhaps Abrams is trying to make a serious, non-jokey Trek film, and the presence of Shatner would upset that balance? Shatner has become more of a comedic figure these days, with his work on Boston Legal and appearances like his Comedy Central Roast. What do you guys think?

Word from The Hollywood Reporter is that New Zealand actor Karl Urban has joined the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek re-start. Fans of fantastical cinema will no doubt remember Urban from his work in Lord of the Rings, The Bourne Supremacy, Doom, The Chronicles of Riddick and Pathfinder. Mr. Urban will be playing medical officer "Bones" McCoy, a character made famous by the late DeForest Kelley. Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but here's what the all-new Enterprise crew looks like...

Captain Kirk (previously played by William Shatner) -- Chris Pine (27 years old)
Spock (Leonard Nimoy) -- Zachary Quinto (30)
Sulu (George Takei) -- John Cho (35)
McCoy (DeForest Kelley) -- Karl Urban (35)
Scotty (James Doohan) -- Simon Pegg (37)
Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) -- Zoe Saldana (29)
Chekov (Walter Koenig) -- Anton Yelchin (18)


...and Eric Bana as the villainous Nero. (With a special appearance from Leonard Nimoy!) Production on the film is expected to run from November to March. So what do you think of the whole crew?

Also, feel free to pick through our numerous reports on this flick. Like right here, here and here.

In case you missed it during our liveblogged coverage of ComicCon's Paramount panel, here's the new teaser poster for Star Trek (click on it for a bigger image). If you missed the coverage altogether, you can go back and check it out (including the Paramount photo gallery) -- actually, you must go and check it out. It was awesome. And I rarely think things are awesome. Also, for those who did follow live, we've since put up the photo coverage, which you might not have seen yet (including a pic of Karen Allen on the Indiana Jones IV set!!)

Anyway, during the Star Trek portion of the panel, the forthcoming film's director, J.J. Abrams, officially revealed that Heroes' Zachary Quinto is going to play a young Spock. And then, after introducing Quinto, he brought out Leonard Nimoy, who will also be playing Spock. Like JoBlo.com, a lot of you probably got the idea that Nimoy would be bookending the new movie, which would serve as a sort of flashback. But considering Abrams also mentioned that he hasn't figured out yet how to get William Shatner into the movie (so he doesn't feel snubbed), JoBlo's reminiscing plot doesn't seem likely. The other big news revealed during the panel is that Abrams has still not found his young Kirk. And he was apparently looking for ideas from the audience. I wonder if he got any feedback.