The band's back together
One of the reasons why we fell in love with JJ Abrams' rebooted Star Trek (and, to a lesser extent, sequel Into Darkness) was the pitch-perfect casting of the young actors playing iconic Trek characters.
We therefore can't wait to welcome back the central duo of Chris Pine's cocky Captain James Kirk and Zachary Quinto's cerebral Spock, whose mutual friendship (and antagonism) has always been at the heart of the franchise.
And they're not the only ones coming back: Guardians of the Galaxy's Zoe Saldana returns to kick-ass duty as Lt. Uhura, Simon Pegg once more rolls out the wobbly accent as engineer Scotty and Karl Urban is again set to deliver his uncanny impersonation of DeForest Kelly as the perpetually frustrated Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy.
There's a new director piloting the ship
Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams may have been responsible for reinvigorating Trek for the 21st century, but this time he's handed directorial reigns to Fast and Furious veteran Justin Lin.
The latter directed films three to six in the automotive series and has proven himself an expert at handling frenetic action and ballistic set-pieces - who can forget the ludicrously entertaining tank chase from Fast and Furious 6? We're intrigued to see how this change in filmmakers will steer Star Trek Beyond in a fresh direction.
Simon Pegg's on screenwriting duties
Given Pegg was responsible for the Cornetto trilogy of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End, arguably three of the finest British comedies of recent times, we feel right in describing him as one of Blighty's finest writers.
We're therefore beyond excited to see what he's cooked up with co-writer Doug Jung for the new Star Trek movie. Pegg is an acknowledged fan and with his penchant for smart, witty humour, we could potentially be looking at the funnest film in the series so far.
Idris Elba's the baddie
He was shamefully passed over at both the Oscars and the BAFTAs for his chilling performance in Beasts of No Nation, but it's time to put that awards debacle behind us and welcome man-of-the-moment Idris to the world of Star Trek.
He's playing villain Krall, a character about whom we know very little. However, the actor is promising "groundbreaking" things from his role as Kirk and Spock's latest antagonist, following in the footsteps of both Eric Bana and Benedict Cumberbatch.
"I think Star Trek has prided themselves as being quite classic when it comes to villains, like 'he’s a guy who wants to end the world,’ there’s no doubt about that," he tells MTV. "But in this version of the film, there’s a slightly different twist to that. It’s quite an interesting journey, which I think is groundbreaking for the franchise. But, it still keeps with the 'classic bad guy is a classic bad guy' tone."
Sulu's daughter could be featuring
An intriguing bit of news confirms that the daughter of Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), Demora, is set to join the Enterprise crew for their latest adventure. Although this might not mean much to casual moviegoers, as far as Trekkies are concerned this is big business.
Demora is a fan-favourite having turned up in 1994 movie Star Trek: Generations as a Starfleet ensign aboard Enterprise B. Given the rebooted movies operate within their own timeline, it's not clear what her history will be but fingers crossed we'll find out more soon. It also promises to add intriguing emotional dimensions to the now-paternal Sulu, given his role was fairly sidelined in both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.
There are rumours it links back to the original TV series...
The rebooted Star Trek series prides itself on fusing a modern audience's need for spectacle with fan-pleasing callbacks to the rich history of the franchise.
But according to Zachary Quinto this latest movie could feel more nostalgic than ever, as the actor has suggested the movie will reference the famous "five year voyage" outlined by William Shatner's Kirk in the narration from the TV series. This would make sense as Beyond is being released to mark Star Trek's 50th anniversary; fans are allowed to go 'squeeee' right now.
"I think the five-year mission will be a part of this next film in some way," Variety reports Quinto as saying."We’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic sci-fi series in entertainment history so it’s inherently an ongoing story. But I do think that we’ll feel some sense of evolution in these characters that’s been building through the first few films."
Do you all feel suitably amped for the release of the movie? Then make a note on your calendars: Star Trek Beyond surges onto Cineworld screens on 11th July. Check out the trailer below.
