Decoding the 'Star Trek' Trailer

by Matt McDaniel * November 17, 2008

If you were one of the millions of moviegoers who saw "Quantum of Solace" in theaters this weekend, you may have also seen the trailer for director J.J. Abrams' new film version of "Star Trek." It's the first look we've had at Chris Pine in the role of the young Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock. But the preview is edited so quickly even if you saw it on the big screen you might not have deciphered all the information packed into the 2-minute trailer. So we've broken it down to uncover the biggest revelations it contains, plus we have the video so you can watch it yourself.  Watch it now >>

Kirk was always a troublemaker.

James T. Kirk has always had a reputation for bending the rules and living on the edge. Apparently, he started early. The trailer begins with an 11-year-old Kirk fleeing from a robotic police officer in a classic Corvette and leaping away right before the car sails off a cliff. It also appears that in this version the Enterprise was built in rural Iowa where Kirk was raised, and not constructed in space as stated by the late series creator Gene Roddenberry.

Spock's home world is falling apart.

After getting a glimpse of Spock as a pointy-eared child, we see him as an adult beaming onto the planet Vulcan as rocks are crumbling around him. Later, there is a shot of him helping his human mother Amanda (played by Winona Ryder) down a hill as the ground quakes. In subsequent scenes, it looks like a giant laser is blasting into the surface of Vulcan from a spaceship above.

It's a long way down.

We see three figures in helmets and jumpsuits plummeting past a spire down towards the surface of a planet. They deploy parachutes as they fly past the camera. Reports from a preview screening say the away team is made up of Kirk, Sulu and Chief Engineer Olsen, a crewman in a "red shirt." Ironically, the original Kirk, William Shatner, was originally going to skydive from space in the beginning of "Star Trek: Generations," but that scene was cut.

Scotty is having fun, but Bones isn't.

We get brief glimpses of the rest of the ship's crew. Chekov (Anton Yelchin) is seen at the helm on the updated bridge. A dripping wet Scotty (Simon Pegg) happily announced "I like this ship; it's exciting!" Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), on the other hand, tells Kirk that, "Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence." We also see the original captain of the Enterprise, Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) still in command. Sulu (John Cho) shows off his fencing skills, and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) just shows off.

Kirk and Spock aren't friends yet.

In "Star Trek II," Spock tells Kirk, "I have been and always shall be your friend." But it doesn't look like they're quite that chummy yet in this film. They face off in the bridge, and when Kirk pushes Spock too far he responds with a seemingly illogical beatdown. Plus, there is a brief shot of Spock choking Kirk against a consol. Still, there is a moment where Kirk pats Spock on the shoulder and tells him to "Buckle up," so they may well be pals by the end of the movie.

It boldly goes where no 'Trek' has gone before.

If there's one message this trailer is trying to convey, it's that this is the biggest and most dynamic "Star Trek" film yet. We see phasers blasting, fists flying, monsters roaring, and spaceships exploding. The trailer ends with the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) announcing, "The wait is over." Unfortunately, that's not true yet. "Star Trek" doesn't beam down into theaters until May 9th.