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The 2009 Star Trek film by director J.J. Abrams managed to save a franchise that was borderline extinct. After the critical and commercial underperformance of Star Trek: Nemesis, as well as the cancelation of Star Trek: Enterprise, “trekkies” would not have been blamed for thinking that they would never be able to “live long and prosper” on the big screen ever again. However, the 2009 film managed to hook a new audience to the Star Trek lore by presenting charismatic young stars to play younger versions of the characters first introduced in the original series. Although Chris Pine‘s performance was certainly worthy of praise, Sebastian Stan auditioned to play Captain Kirk in Star Trek.
Chris Pine Almost Didn’t Play Captain Kirk
Given the pressure put on Star Trek to ensure the success of the franchise, the casting of a young Kirk was an extremely important decision that forced producers to do a wide search for potential talent. While William Shatner’s performance is almost synonymous with the science fiction genre itself, the young actor cast as Kirk had to have a unique spin on the role so that it did not feel entirely derivative of the past. Pine was a relative unknown when he earned the role, as his only real standout credits previously had been the cult comedy Bottle Shock and the romantic comedy The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. While his role in the three Star Trek films certainly elevated Pine’s star status, Stan admitted that he “desperately wanted” the part and got “really close” to landing it.
While Stan admitted that he had become obsessed with trying to recapture a lot of Shatner’s mannerisms during his screen test with Paramount Pictures, Pine was able to offer a different perspective on Kirk. The version of the future Enterprise captain that audiences meet at the beginning of Star Trek is simply an irresponsible underachiever who lives within the shadow of his departed father, George (Chris Hemsworth). Although Kirk initially has a lot of feuds with Spock (Zachary Quinto), he begins to mature as a leader as he develops a deep level of respect for every single member of his crew. It’s remarkable to see how well he transitioned the character throughout all three films; by the end of Star Trek Beyond, Pine’s version of Kirk has the confidence, charisma, and heroism that is reminiscent of Shatner.
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Sebastian Stan Would Have Been a Good Fit for ‘Star Trek’
While Pine’s inherent likability certainly helped make the Star Trek reboot more approachable for non-fans, Stan may have been able to delve into the feelings of self-doubt that Kirk faces in the film. Kirk is driven to succeed after Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) informs him about his father’s legacy. However, he spends most of the film wondering whether he is actually worthy of having the same family name. This level of interposition is key to many of Stan’s best performances; he showed the redemptive arc of Bucky Barnes within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, examined the plight of a struggling actor in A Different Man, and even captured the “rags to riches” story of Donald Trump in The Apprentice. Humor was certainly integral to the new Star Trek films, but Stan showed he had comedic talents in Logan Lucky and Pam & Tommy.
One of the primary reasons that Star Trek succeeded compared to other reboots was that it embraced the ensemble nature of the franchise. While the original series largely focused on Kirk, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and McCoy (DeForest Kelly), Abrams ensured that every crew member was given a substantial role. Stan has proven that he is an excellent ensemble player who can support his co-stars. Although Bucky has never led a solo MCU film, Stan has been able to support other actors he appeared alongside. Though Pine played the part well, Stan could have offered a different but still amazing performance. Given that Paramount Plus is intent on expanding the Star Trek franchise with multiple television spin-offs planned, Stan will hopefully get the chance at some point to appear within the universe that he clearly has a lot of passion for.
J.J. Abrams’ 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.
- Release Date
- May 8, 2009
- Runtime
- 127 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , Gene Roddenberry
- Budget
- $150 million
- Studio(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
Star Trek is streaming on Paramount Plus in the U.S.
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