Chris Pine Discusses the Future of the Star Trek Franchise

In 2009, J.J. Abrams released his big-screen reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which garnered success on a popular, critical, and financial level. Three years later, details continue to emerge involving the film's sequel. But can the cast and crew that managed to create such a fine product the first time manage to build upon their previous achievement?

Quick Poll: Who is more attractive? 
Chris Pine . . . 

Chris Pine, who will resume his role of Captain James T. Kirk and also act as co-writer for the currently untitled sequel to Star Trek, remains confident that this task can be accomplished. What especially excites Pine is the prospect of developing a highly character-focused story which will delve deeper into the relationships between the crew members manning the Enterprise. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise on an alternative timeline, meaning that the film has the freedom to differentiate the way its crew operates from the way the crew operated in the original television series. This provides an avenue to explore how the crew developed before they became the sort of cohesive and highly functional unit presented on the show. “Even though they’re a crew from what we know about the original team, the fun of getting there is following that journey to where they become that tight-knit crew. It’s no fun if they’re already a tight-knit crew. So suffice to say, they’re still learning how to get along,” says Pine. “The crew from the original series had gone on many, many journeys, they were a well-oiled machine in terms of how they function, and these characters are still figuring out who they are and who they are to each other. And I did not want to jump so far ahead that we missed a really important emotional connection to that transition for them.”

Despite the fact that this sequel holds no obligation canonically to make their characters act similarly to the way they acted in the television series, it appears unlikely that the writers will stray far from the source material. The franchise has a wide enough fan base to not necessarily need to worry too much about alienating the die-hard Trekkies in attendance. However, there seems to be little reason for the makers of the sequel to Star Trek to want to write drastic diversions from the original series that would inevitably anger the series’ most devoted supporters. As this new Star Trek franchise continues to unfold, one can expect to see a sort of balancing act between innovation and Trekkie tradition.

. . . or Benedict Cumberbatch?

Returning once more to discussion of the Enterprise’s crew, Pine states that each member will have their work cut out for them as they become enveloped in the story of the Star Trek sequel: “What I’m more excited about [than the visual aspects of the Star Trek sequel] and what I think [the creators of the Star Trek sequel] did so well is that really the story is that much better, and the journey that these guys go on is that much more.” One member of the crew who, as expected, will be especially developed over the course of the sequel to Star Trek will be Captain Kirk. “['Star Trek 2'] is structured so that the antagonist brings out all of the qualities in Kirk that need to happen in order for Kirk to grow,” says Pine. 


The antagonist to which Pine refers will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch, a man Pine seems to love working with and who works excellently as an opponent to Captain Kirk. “As you know from Benedict, just watching him, vocally, he’s fascinating. He’s got this deep resonant voice. He has a fascinating face. He’s a lovely guy and just super smart. You want to see something firing in his brain, so he’s not just a blood-dripping-from-the-fangs bad guy. Benedict brings those kinds of smarts.” Hopefully those working on the story of Star Trek’s sequel can “bring those kinds of smarts” as well and craft a tale worthy of the characters that fill it and which pleases critics and Star Trek fans new and old alike.

Let's hope Abrams and company don't try too hard to please the old fans, though.