Although he turned theStar Warsfanbase intoa family part against itself , J.J. Abrams did give theStar Trekmovie enfranchisement a slam in the arm with his 2009 reboot . Abrams regress to helm its 2013 continuation , Star Trek Into Darkness , then when he bound ship to create the aforementioned divide amongStar Warsfans , Justin Lin took over to complete the trilogy with 2016’sStar Trek Beyond .

This   narrative timeline has been dubbed “ the Kelvin Timeline , ” after the USS Kelvin , the ship seen in the opening scenes , which was itself describe as a tribute to Abrams ’ enatic grandfather . Here are 10 fascinating item from the making ofStar Trek ’s Kelvin Timeline moving picture .

Chris Pratt Screen-Tested For The Role Of Kirk

When the initialStar Trekreboot was first try out its main casting , Chris Pratt did a screen mental test for the function of Kirk . Joshua Jackson , Chris Prangley , and Mike Vogel all did screen tests toobefore Chris Pine landed the part .

Adrien Brody was also approached for the part of Spock before it went to Zachary Quinto , and Russell Crowe was the second choice for the villainous Nero if Eric Bana had slump .

Star Trek Into Darkness Was Originally Called Star Trek: Vengeance

The original title forStar Trek Into DarknesswasStar Trek : Vengeance , in reference to the final conflict , which pits the enterprisingness against the Vengeance , the first Starfleet ship design specifically for combat . J.J. Abrams commute the title when theGhost Ridersequel , which was hit theatre a year earlier , was titledGhost Rider : Spirit of Vengeance .

The Russian release of theStar Treksequel kept theVengeancetitle . Funnily enough , the initial title ofStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan , from whichInto Darknessborrows heavily , wasStar Trek II : Vengeance of Khan .

Edgar Wright And Brad Bird Were Considered To Direct Star Trek Beyond

Although J.J. Abrams was initially slated to direct the movie that becameStar Trek Beyond , he ended up leaving the task when the opportunity to helmStar warfare : The Force Awakenscame along . Justin Lin , best known for directing most of theFast & Furiousmovies , was finally make for on as   Abrams '   surrogate .

But before Lin was rent , the director considered for the job included Brad Bird , Joe Cornish , Jon M. Chu , Daniel Espinosa , Duncan Jones , Morten Tyldum , Edgar Wright , and Rupert Wyatt .

Ricky Gervais Was Offered The Role Of Scotty

Before Simon Pegg was cast in the role of Scotty , Ricky Gervais was offer the part . However , he turned it down , due to his unfamiliarity with theStar Trekfranchise . Pegg , a well - know sci - fi fanboy , was more than glad to accept the theatrical role in his place .

He was n’t expected to audition ; he was offered the function in a flash in an email from J.J. Abrams . Pegg has since tell that he would ’ve played the part for costless , or even pay Abrams for the opportunity .

The Khan Twist Was So Secretive That Even Benedict Cumberbatch Didn’t Know It At First

The big braid inStar Trek Into Darknessreveals Benedict Cumberbatch ’s character , John Harrison , to be Khan . The twist is problematical for a figure of reasons , like the fact it has no weight in the movie itself , andrelies on fan ’ noesis ofTreklore to have any shock .

Cumberbatch himself did n’t lie with about the twist until a week after he ’d been interlace in to meet the part ( having record his screen exam on an iPhone in his friend ’s kitchen ) . A representative from the studio apartment fly out to fit him with the script cuff to   their carpus , which seems a trivial excessive to protect a whirl that every Trekkie see come and every non - Trekkie did n’t interpret .

Jaylah Is Named After J-Law

After play Scotty in the first two rebootedStar Trekmovies , Simon Pegg was hand the chance to co - compose the third one with Doug Jung . One of the fictitious character they introduced was Jaylah , a scavenger . The two writers did n’t have a name for the fiber , but she was partly based on Jennifer Lawrence ’s character inWinter ’s Bone .

Using the phrasal idiom “ Jennifer Lawrence inWinter ’s Bone ” over and over again became exhausting , so they shortened it to “ J - Law , ” and that ’s where “ Jaylah ” came from .

George Takei Himself Encouraged John Cho To Play Sulu

When he was offered the function of Nipponese - American character Hikaru Sulu , Korean - American doer John Cho was unsure about swallow it , feel that he could n’t properly typify Sulu .

However , George Takei himself   — who limn Sulu onStar Trek : The Original Series — encouraged Cho to take the part . Takei has always see Sulu asStar Trek ’s congressman of Asia as a whole , so he did n’t want Cho to worry about his specific inheritance .

The Klingons In Into Darkness Were Designed For The First Movie

Star Trek Into Darknessintroduced Klingons into the Kelvin Timeline . The designs for the rebooted Klingons had in reality been done for the first movie , but all the scenes regard Klingons were cut .

In reliable sequel fashion   — going back to the likes ofIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — the Lord ofStar Trek Into Darknessstarted by poke into idle construct from the first one that they could use as a springboard for the follow - up . As such , Klingons were included , as the design were already done .

Idris Elba Gave Chris Pine A Real Black Eye During A Fight Scene

According to Idris Elba , the black middle that Kirk has during his final fight sequence with Krall was not reach using makeup . During filming , Elba got a little rough with Chris Pine , and really made liaison with his face , give him the shiner that appears in the final film .

The Writers’ Strike Nixed A Nichelle Nichols Cameo

When the 2009Star Trekreboot was in maturation , Nichelle Nichols suggested making a cameo appearance as Uhura ’s nanna ( having roleplay Uhura herself inStar Trek : The Original Series ) .

However , the author ’ tap had started , which keep J.J. Abrams from writing a scenery in which Nichols could appear . It ’s a disgrace , because a Nichelle Nichols cameo would ’ve been a marvellous second of fan service .

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