Zachary Quinto Talks Trek, Heroes and Production Company

Just found a nice little interview with Zachary Quinto over at SCI FI Wire in which he talks about everything from the next Star Trek movie to upcoming projects through his new production company (Before the Door Pictures) to the new season of Heroes and Sylar's fate.

One of the interesting things he says in the interview is about the possibilities for the next Trek movie.  After saying that the creative team behind this summer's blockbuster film aren't in a rush to produce the follow-up film, Quinto said, "I think it's going to be much better served by taking time and being clear about the story that they want to tell. Whether or not that involves Khan or Mr. Shatner remains to be seen" (emphasis mine).  He could just be responding to swirling rumors and fan speculation, but it's interesting that he mentioned Khan and William Shatner specifically. [SCI FI Wire]

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Star Trek Convention Report - William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy

The highlight of Sunday afternoon at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas was having William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in attendance.

William Shatner started off the afternoon with a solo appearance.  The man is 78 years young and as energetic and bombastic onstage as he was in the original Star Trek TV series.  While he did make a passing comment that made it clear he's still feuding with one of his former costars (*cough* George Takei *cough*—seriously, you two, it's time to call a truce already!) and that he hasn't gotten over not having role in this summer's movie, Shatner "got the joke" years ago.  He embraces his role in the sci-fi pantheon and has no problem poking fun at himself for an audience's amusement.

He also knows how to share the stage, especially with Leonard Nimoy.  Even with all of the Trek stars from all the television series and films, Shatner and Nimoy are still a huge draw at conventions because they both know how to work a crowd.  Separately, they're entertaining and riveting, but seeing them onstage together is a special treat that doesn't get old.

The two men talk together onstage like the audience isn't there and most of the time it really does feel like you're enjoying the best eavesdropping session ever.  In Vegas, Shatner and Nimoy swapped stories and harrassed each other in the way that only lifelong friends can, with Shatner starting off one part of their conversation saying, "During our forty-odd years of friendship—and they have been ODD!"

Nimoy gently chastised his friend for not embracing the new Trek movie, pointing out that he (Nimoy) watched the movie Shatner was in and he wasn't, in a reference to Star Trek: Generations.  When they polled the audience with a show of hands, it turned out that the vast majority of audience members were attending their very first Trek convention, proving that the film did something right.

[bxA]The two had a long discussion on the death of Captain Kirk and their mutual feeling that the character's end wasn't handled correctly.  Like Shatner, Nimoy is also 78 years old, and the subjects of age, death, "bucket" or "someday" lists were addressed very directly by both actors.

The conversation returned again and again to the new Trek movie.  The most hilarious moment of their shared time onstage was when Shatner told the story of trying to find out what the new movie was about.  After Shanter was no longer in talks with J.J. Abrams, he eventually called up his longtime friend Leonard, asked him what the movie was going to be about—and received the answer, "I can't tell you."  Shatner told the audience that The Powers That Be on every show he's worked on have always asked him to get Nimoy to make an appearance.  Shatner would call up his friend and make the pitch, but Nimoy almost always politely turned him down, saying he was busy or retired.  "But," Shatner said in a voice dripping with (humorous) sarcasm, "when J.J. called . . ."  And then the erstwhile Captain Kirk literally ran across the stage flailing his arms over his head squeaking "J.J.!  Oh J.J., can I please be in your movie!!" before turning back to his friend and declaring, "Whore!  Whore!"

Nimoy took it in stride, until the subject of J.J. Abrams and the movie came up again a few minutes later and Shatner repeated the performance, complete with flailing hands and "whore" declaration.  Nimoy leaned back in his seat for quite awhile with an expression that was half-amused, half "do you see what I have to put up with?"  Eventually he asked Shatner if he was quite done already and if they could move on.  Shatner, in response, took his seat and stage-whispered "Prostitute!" into his mic.  The audience couldn't stop laughing, and Nimoy got his own back by pointing out that the clip of Shatner's routine was sure to end up on YouTube (if only I'd gotten video of it!).

The former costars wrapped up their shared time onstage with Nimoy telling Shatner that he, Shatner, is one of his dearest friends and a heartfelt hug.

Leonard Nimoy has a different kind of energy onstage than Shatner does.  While still entertaining with plenty of great stories to share, he's more thoughtful and mellow, less physical and bombastic than his friend.  In response to audience questions, Nimoy talked about how happy and fulfilled he is with his life, that he's gotten to work in a field that he loves, has a wonderful family and even has a solo photography exhibit opening soon in a respected museum.  He also said that he was not planning on returning to producing because of the time commitment that being a producer demands.  Nimoy elaborated, explaining that he had been fortunate to have the opportunity to act as a producer and enjoy success as one, but that his true passion has always been acting.

Nimoy also told a fantastic story about sitting on an organization's board with screen legend Cary Grant. After working on a film with one of Grant's former costars, Grant walked up to Nimoy and said, "Well, you've been busy."  Nimoy was so flabbergasted and starstruck that he has no idea what he said in response.  It wasn't until later that he realized that Grant had been trying to strike up a conversation about their mutual costar.  To this day, Nimoy said, he regrets not realizing that sooner so he could have spent more time talking with Grant, but he is still blown away by the fact that Cary Grant came up to him to talk.

Nimoy's time onstage ended with a wonderful surprise.  Both Zachary Quinto and Jacob Kogan came onstage, uniting all three Spocks in public for the first time and causing the original Spock to exclaim to the audience, "Get your cameras out!"  Kogan, who had earlier said that he had not met Nimoy during the filming of the movie, was greeted with an enthusiastic hug and a huge smile.  The delighted audience ended the panel on their feet and enjoying one heck of a unique photo op.

Visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches to view more high-definition video clips from the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. Subscribe to our channel to be notified every time we add new videos!

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Star Trek Convention Report - Zachary Quinto and Jacob Kogan

The big annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas is always an entertaining weekend.  This year Pop Wench Joia and I checked out Sunday's events, starting off the morning with Zachary Quinto and rounding off the day with the incomparable Leonard Nimoy.

Becoming part of any sci-fi franchise with a devoted following is a daunting prospect for anyone.  Becoming part of the Star Trek franchise by successfully taking on the role of one of Trek's most iconic characters is a nearly unfathomable experience.  Yet somehow Zachary Quinto—who, of course, played Spock in this summer's Star Trek reboot—has stepped into this new role with an easy grace and zen-like calmness that's truly remarkable.

Not long after taking the stage, the Heroes villian and Trek hero was faced with one of the most awkward of convention situations—a fan at the microphone was so overwhelmed that she burst into tears and literally couldn't get out a coherent sentence.  If it phased the actor, he didn't show it, calmly asking if she was okay, giving her time to try to pull herself together without poking fun at her and eventually coming off the stage and giving her a big unsolicited hug, which actually helped the young fan pull herself together enough to ask him a question.

During his time onstage, Quinto fielded questions ranging from the regional vocabulary shared by Pittsburg natives (even slipping into a Pittsburg accent for those of us who haven't heard one before) to his earlier stint on the VH1 scripted series So noTORIous (he "enjoyed it while it lasted," but "wasn't sorry to see it go").

Quinto injected humor into his responses to the standard requests for stories from the filming of the Trek movie, jokingly claiming that the cast had all gotten tatoos and rings a la the Lord of the Rings actors and telling a fan who was wearing LOTR ears instead of proper Vulcan ears that she had to leave immediately.  When asked if he'd watched any orignal Trek episodes to prepare for the fight scene with Chris Pine, Quinto smilingly responded that he "didn't need any guidance on how to kick [Pine's] ass," although he did watch eps of the tv show in his trailer.  Pine and Quinto, as he pointed out, had been friends long before they were cast for the movie.

One of Quinto's most interesting and thoughtful answers was a response to a question about the differences between the characters of Spock and Sylar from Heroes.  Quinto said that both characters are "struggling to maintain control" which results in a certain stillness in each of the character's bearings, but that is the only similarity between them because their struggles are "rooted in different places."

[bxA]He also gave a very thoughtful and sincere response when asked what it was like working with Lenoard Nimoy during the film.  Although he's fielded this question before, Quinto explained that he and Nimoy hadn't discussed the details of playing Spock, and it was more about getting to spend time with the legendary actor and getting a feel for him and what he brought to the role.  Quinto described Nimoy as a "good friend" now, someone with whom he still speaks and has dinner when possible and said that working with him was one of the highlights of making the Trek movie.

With his calm stage presence, gently humorous attitude, sincere answers and appreciation for fan support, it would be hard for anyone to have walked away from Zachary Quinto's appearance without liking him and feeling that the iconic role of Spock is in good hands.

Fourteen-year-old Jacob Kogan also won himself a slew of new fans during his time onstage.  While fielding questions about his role of young Spock, his current schooling and his aspirations, Kogan showed himself to be unusually mature and well-spoken, while still retaining the irreverence that a teenager should have.  Demonstrating a surprisingly strong stage presence, he joked about how exhausted he was going to be from running across the stage to field questions and about the reactions he got at school when he returned from filming with the "Spock" haircut and no eyebrows (he said he should have had the haircut modified before going back to school).

One of Kogan's best answers came when a fan asked which actors he admired.  The teen's response was that he admired any actor making a living on the big or small screen or onstage who was doing it because they loved it and treated it as a craft instead of doing it for fame or money.  He was also realistic about his chances of returning to the franchise.  While Kogan was clearly enthusiastic about the idea of appearing in the next movie in another flashback or picking up the role when he's older and a young adult Spock is once again needed, he didn't hesitate to say that he was skeptical that another flashback scene would be needed.

After a short break, it was time for the original Captain Kirk and Spock to take the stage.  That report to follow tomorrow . . .

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Movie Review: Star Trek

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

For Radhika's take on the new Star Trek movie, click here.
For Joia's Star Trek movie review, click here.


The creators of the new Star Trek movie had a tall order to fill: reboot and refresh an iconic franchise that seemed to be nearly out of steam, appeal to the notoriously devoted fanbase that put the "fan" in "fanatic," draw in an entirely new audience that hadn't previously been invested in the Trek franchise and produce a summer blockbuster movie. Thankfully J.J. Abrams and company succeeded spectacularly on all fronts!

For the general moviegoer, Star Trek is the full package -- a strong storyline with a balance of intense action sequences and engaging, growing character relationships along with wonderfully executed visual effects that keep you engrossed in the story instead of taking you out of it (yes, I'm looking at you, Wolverine).

I went to two Star Trek screenings — one at a regular theater where you could tell that the audience was comprised mostly of folks who were new to Trek and the second at an IMAX theater where there were a large number of serious Trek fans in the audience. (By the way, just getting to see different trailers for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince made paying extra for the IMAX experience completely worth it.) From the spontaneous cheers during both showings of the film and the applause that started as the end credits rolled across the screen, it was easy to tell that both audiences found a lot to love in the movie.
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Abrams and his cohorts played it smart by focusing on creating a strong story first and letting the action and the moments for the fans fall into place from there. As a longtime fan of the franchise, I appreciated how many Trek references were included and that they fit organically into the scenes and never felt forced. Non-fans might not realize why McCoy's comment that "all he's got left is his bones" is important or know that the color of the suit the crazy, skydiving chief engineer wore was significant, but neither did they have reason to stop and think "why did they just do something that made no sense?"

Even the set-up for the next Trek movie was handled skillfully. Every moviegoer understood that Pike's infection with a slug that attaches itself to the host's brainstem was bad news. Longtime fans who watched the Next Generation series saw that slug, shuddered and then had to pick their jaws up off the floor (while being thankful that creature effects have improved since 1988).

Most of all, I appreciate the conceit the writers used to set up this shiny new Star Trek universe. When handled badly, alternate timelines feel like cheats. By setting this retooled Star Trek in an alternate timeline however, the movie creators avoid dismissing all the Trek television series and movies that came before (a move sure to anger fans) and provide an implied, feasible excuse for the differences between the new Enterprise and its crew and the one that was made famous by Shatner, Nimoy and company.

And speaking of the actors, the new crew couldn't have been more impressive. The only performance that felt a little bit like an imitation of its predecessor came, surprisingly enough, from silver screen veteran Karl Urban. As much as I like Urban onscreen and him as Dr. McCoy, there was something about his line delivery that made me feel like he was playing DeForest Kelly playing Dr. McCoy.

Chris Pine, however, gave Kirk the familiar cocky swagger and eye for the ladies, but successfully made the distinctive, iconic character completely his own. Zachary Quinto absolutely nailed the role of Spock. From the Vulcan's contained, intense energy to the famous eyebrow quirk, Quinto became Spock without ever becoming a caricature of the character. Quinto should also receive special recognition for delivering the line "live long and prosper" and, with the most subtle of inflections, turning it into the biggest bird to ever be flipped at a Vulcan council.

Leonard Nimoy's presence in the film allowed the torch to be passed to the new crew with class and dignity. Hearing the brittleness of the venerable actor's voice made me all too aware that two of the original Trek cast have already passed away and made me even more glad that this film has given us a "new" crew of the Enterprise who seem well equipped to carry on the franchise's legacy.

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Confessions of a Star Trek virgin

Warning: spoilers ahead.

The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Star Wars, and (more recently) Doctor Who — these are all the sci-fi TV and movie franchises I've been able to get into over the years. But for some reason, unlike my fellow bloggers here at Pop Wenches, I could never get into Star Trek. For one thing, I didn't know where to begin with all the spin-offs and movies. And frankly, I could never get into the random episodes I caught here and there. I knew enough about Star Trek to understand pop culture references, but I decided to leave it at that.

Then J.J. Abrams, who recently admitted he was never much of a Trekkie, came along and decided to give the series a bit of a reboot with a new movie. And suddenly, I found myself excited about the cast, especially Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, and Karl Urban. When I saw the trailer, I figured I didn't really need to know much more than I did about Star Trek, so I decided that I would check out the movie. And I actually wound up seeing it early this past Friday.

Readers, I have a confession to make: I loved every minute of it. Sure there were some plot holes here and there, and sure aspects of it were a little formulaic. But you know what else? It was fun, and not the crappy kind of fun movies like Wolverine and Constantine have been for me. (What? We all have our guilty pleasures). It was a classic space adventure with a lovely blend of wisecracks and serious moments, and a cast that made me wish I were onboard the Enterprise.[bxA]

Here are some of the things I enjoyed:

• The casting, which excited me the most, did not disappoint. I've been tired of seeing Sylar on Heroes, but I really enjoyed seeing Zachary Quinto play Spock. And I especially enjoyed the interaction between different characters, during both serious and slapstick moments. (I couldn't stop laughing at the "Stop it!" exchange between Kirk and McCoy when the latter kept following Kirk around to give him a shot in the neck every couple of minutes). John Cho's Sulu and Anton Yelchin's Chekov were also a ton of fun to watch. It was also a treat to see Simon Pegg as "Scotty" — you could tell he was enjoying playing the part.

• The action sequences were tons of fun, and the visuals were lovely (lens flares and all). These are just the sorts of things you need for a summertime action flick, and I felt all of this was done so much better than it was in last week's Wolverine. The scenery was lovely too — I really enjoyed what we got to see of Vulcan (until its demise).

• I actually did get emotional over certain aspects of the storyline. I found myself tearing up during Kirk's father's death (early in the film), and I also felt sad for Spock when he saw his mother die in front of his eyes. 

• Interestingly enough, the parts that had me feeling the most verklempt were those featuring Leonard Nimoy. Despite not being an actual Star Trek fan, I have to admit that so much of Star Trek has seeped into pop culture over the years, that it's hard to deny how iconic the original actors were. I actually gasped at Nimoy's first proper appearance, and I cheered on the inside when we finally got to see him stand face to face with Quinto's Spock. It was fun to see the metaphorical torch get passed along...

• ... and it was also fun to see Nimoy's Spock poke a little fun at the whole "rip in the space/time continuum" trope that is so rampant in the sci-fi/comics/fantasy genres. 

As previously mentioned, I will admit that there were some gaps in the plot, and Nero was a bit of an idiot at times. And maybe there were some elements that purists were not happy to see (I've seen some people complain about this alternate timeline even though I have gathered that Star Trek is one of those franchises that has always seemed to mess with different timelines). But as someone new to the franchise, I have to say that it was a successful reboot from my point of view. I actually find myself wanting to sit down and watch some of the original series, while checking out some of the spin-offs as well. In fact, after the movie was over, I found myself curious to learn more about Vulcans, Romulans and the Starfleet Academy.

I also had another thought, and I'm not sure if it's something that has occurred to everyone who watched and enjoyed the movie. But even though I was never a Trekker or a Trekkie to begin with, there was something truly comforting about seeing Star Trek on the big screen in today's world. It's no secret that the world is a mess right now. And in times of distress (such as during the Great Depression), people often find comfort in certain forms of entertainment. Star Trek has been around for decades, and seeing it brought back to life — revitalized with some twists added to an old formula featuring an iconic group of characters — was oddly comforting for someone like me. It was nice to sit in that theater, alongside longtime fans, and bond over a world where someone may bid you to "Live long and prosper."

At this point, I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to whatever may be next for Star Trek.

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Movie Review: A Trekkie's Answered Prayer!

Hailing frequencies open!! Incoming message from the Alpha Quadrant. J.J. Abrams (Lost, Mission Impossible 3) has taken an iconic sci fi series and successfully beamed new life into it with his new Star Trek movie! He has created an innovative, high speed and sexy new Trek all the while keeping true to the essence of the classic one. Not an easy task when trying to please both long time fans (like yours truly) and new comers alike.

Abrams' most notable home run decision was to cast actors based on their star quality and not their star power. By doing this, he maintains two important elements in Trek lore: the main characters and their relationship developments. The most important relationship being the one between James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his counterpart Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto). Pine shines in his portrayal of the youthful Kirk with his arrogant, skirt-chasing ways one minute to the subtle signs of vulnerability and even fear the next. But never does he deliver a lame imitation of the commander made famous by William Shatner. Quinto, too, gives an amazing performance as the young Spock as one witnesses his struggle with his Vulcan and human sides all the while trying to maintain his own assuredness and authority.

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It is anything but friendship at first sight when these two men meet for the first time at the renowned Starfleet Academy. But friction aside, they team up on the newly built starship Enterprise against the villainous Romulan Nero (Eric Bana), who has traveled from the future to exact revenge on Starfleet and Mr. Spock for the destruction of his home world.

What is a ship without it's crew? Whether as a collective or in their own scene stealing moments, the remaining cast is nothing if not remarkable. Zoe Saldana, as Communications officer Uhura, is not only sassy and strong as a Starfleet cadet but also in her dealings with Kirk and Spock. Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Simon Pegg as engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott infuse just the right amount of comic relief without being campy or trite. Urban and Pegg are spot on with not just the vernacular of their alter egos but their mannerisms as well. Even in Abrams' Trek, such things are sacred. Anton Yelchin as fresh-faced, junior officer Russian Pavel Chekov, proves how he earned his seat on the bridge. And John Cho shows everyone that helmsman Hikaru Sulu is more than just a pilot when he and Kirk have a showdown in a fantastic fight sequence with a couple of Romulan baddies. Above all, special recognition must be bestowed upon Leonard Nimoy who reprises his role as the elder Spock. He demonstrates why he was the perfect choice of the original series cast to play the "bridge" that connects the old with the new.

Star Trek will definitely keep the rapt attention of the geek and non-geek viewer. The components most responsible for that are the mind-blowing special effects. Abrams spared no expense with the top notch FX artistry seen in this film. It can hardly be argued that from the opening sequence to the last face off between the Enterprise and Nero's menacing warship Narada, there is a constant visual feast for the eyes. Even when the movie's plot drags, which happens slightly mid-way, the audience is never visually bored. Want to really heighten your viewing experience? Go see this movie in an IMAX theater if you can!

With the assistance of his screen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, J.J. Abrams has created a movie that not only earns its place in the history of the Star Trek universe, but also ushers the franchise into a new era. With such a hit on his hands, what could Mr. Abrams possibly do next? A sequel to this fascinating prequel, logically. Hailing frequencies closed!

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Star Trek @ WonderCon 2009

The Star Trek movie panel was one of Saturday's highlights at this year's WonderCon. We knew that "a special guest" would be attending for the panel and it was pretty easy to guess that it would probably be J.J. Abrams. It was also pretty easy to guess that some of the cast members would probably be rounding out the panel -- it was just a question of who. After a really energetic intro, J.J. brought out his fellow exec producers/writers Roberto Orci and Bryan Burk and Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock). The fans, of course, were thrilled!

(Apologies for the less-than-stellar video quality -- all the people walking around wreaked havoc on my camera's light sensor during this panel.)

We got to see the brand new trailer for the movie and it was incredible. I wasn't the only one in the audience who got chills watching it. They imploded a planet in the trailer. Imploded a planet in a matter of seconds. They also showed Kirk on the losing end of a bar fight during a clearly misspent time in his youth before he joined Starfleet Academy. The trailer included the moment when Kirk first takes command of the Enterprise. Bones (aka: Dr. McCoy) says that there's no one qualified to take over the captain's role (the context seemed to be that the original Enterprise captain--Captain Christopher Pike, perhaps?-- had been killed during a battle). Kirk replies that yes, there is, and the next shot we see is him taking his place in the "big chair" for the first time.

[Edited to add that the trailer is online now at http://www.startrekmovie.com/]

If the new stars of the Trek franchise were overwhelmed or (not unreasonably) terrified by the thousands of devoted fans who came to see them at WonderCon, they did a great job of hiding those feelings. JJ and Chris were especially appreciative and respectful, with JJ buttering up the audience with a well-worded soundbyte about how he knows Trek fans are smart enough to understand that the movie has to appeal to both them and the uninitiated to successfully reboot the 40+ year old franchise. It might have been a good soundbyte to get out there, but it's also a smart one that makes sense.

More pics and video from the panel below--including JJ and Chris performing a live "Star Trek Rap!"

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