I saw “Star Trek” on IMAX and was so blown away I can’t wait for the disc to come out, especially since the Blu-Ray has three discs worth of cool features!

Says J.J. Abrams – “The behind-the-scenes features on the DVD — and especially the Blu-ray — give a wonderful look at the crazy hard work and incredible fun that went into making this movie. The cast and crew were truly extraordinary to work with — watching these special features, you’ll see why.  And for people who didn’t catch Star Trek in the theater, I hope they do now, as Paramount has done an exceptional job with this release; the picture and sound quality are both excellent.”

Uhm.. I guess there are still people who missed the movie?!

So the STAR TREK DVD and Blu-ray discs include an indepth exploration of how the franchise was re-imagined, commentary by J.J. Abrams, the writers and producers and bloopers! The second disc for both DVD and Blu-ray is a digital copy and deleted scenes including a side story of Nero, and free-trial games of STAR TREK. The Blu-ray has sensational bonus footage and features on the starships, props, costumes and sounds, as well as access to the latest NASA news about real-life exploration.

But the coolest thing I read is an augmented reality technology. “Using a webcam, a Star Trek visual cue will morph into a 3D holographic tour of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the screen, providing a unique immersive and interactive experience.”

Specifics of each discs appear after the cut.

Courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment:

DVD:
The STAR TREK two-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  Special features are as follows:
Disc 1:
       •    Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
     • A New Vision— J.J. Abrams’ vision was not only to create a Star Trek that was a bigger, more action-packed spectacle, but also to make the spectacle feel real.  Every aspect of production—from unique locations to the use of classic Hollywood camera tricks—was guided by this overall objective.
        •    Gag Reel—Bloopers featuring the entire principal cast.
Disc 2:
        •    Digital Copy
        •    Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
            o    Spock Birth
            o    Klingons Take Over Narada
            o    Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank
            o    Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock Fights
            o    Prison Interrogation and Breakout
            o    Sarek Gets Amanda
            o    Dorm Room and Kobayashi Maru (original version)
            o    Kirk Apologizes to the Green Girl
            o    Sarek Sees Spock
        •    To Boldly Go— Taking on the world’s most beloved science fiction franchise was no small mission. Director J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof, and executive producer Bryan Burk talk about the many challenges they faced and their strategy for success.
        •    Casting— The producers knew their greatest task was finding the right cast to reprise these epic roles. The cast, for their part, talk about the experience of trying to capture the essence of these mythic characters. The piece concludes with a moving tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
        •    Aliens— Designers Neville Page and Joel Harlow talk about the hurdles they faced creating new alien species, recreating the Romulans and Vulcans, and designing the terrifying creatures on Delta Vega for the new Star Trek.
        •    Score— As a fan of the original series, composer Michael Giacchino embraced the challenge of creating new music for Star Trek while preserving the spirit of Alexander Courage’s celebrated theme. 
        •    DVD-Rom:
            o    STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
            o    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
            o    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network
Blu-ray
The STAR TREK three-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  Special features are as follows:
Disc 1:
        •    Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
        •  NASA News— This BD-Live feature gives viewers access to the latest NASA news about real space exploration.  Learn about new mission developments and check out featured imagery from around the universe.
Disc 2:
        •    To Boldly Go—See description above.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    The Shatner Conundrum
                •    Red Shirt Guy
                •    The Green Girl
                •    Trekker Alert!
        •    Casting—See description above.
        •    A New Vision—See description above.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Savage Pressure
     • Starships—Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss were careful to pay tribute to the design of the original Enterprise, but they also wanted to make it futuristic and cool for a modern audience. This chapter focuses on the unique stories behind the creation of the film’s starships.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Warp Explained
                •    Paint Job
                •    Bridge Construction Accelerated
                •    The Captain’s Chair
                •    Button Acting 101
                •    Shuttle Shuffle
                •    Narada Construction Accelerated
        •    Aliens—See description above.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    The Alien Paradox
                •    Big-Eyed Girl
                •    Big Bro Quinto
                •    Klingons
                •    Drakoulias Anatomy 101
        •    Planets— >From the frozen landscape of Delta Vega to the desert plains of Vulcan, Scott Chambliss and the art department had a number of radically different planets to create. Abrams’ desire to shoot on real locations whenever possible led the production team to a number of strange and surprising locations.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Extra Business
                •    Confidentiality
        •    Props and Costumes— Property master Russell Bobbitt had the unique challenge of designing props that were both true to the original series and pertinent to today’s technology.  Likewise, costume designer Michael Kaplan talks about how he designed costumes that paid homage to what came before yet were relevant and timeless.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Klingon Wardrobe
        •    Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek— When famed sound designer Ben Burtt was hired to create sounds for the first Star Wars film, he took his inspiration from the original “Star Trek” series. Burtt jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to the sounds that sparked his career with the sounds he created for the new Star Trek.
        •    Score—See description above.
     •  Gene Roddenberry’s Vision— J.J. Abrams, Leonard Nimoy, previous Star Trek writers and producers, and scientific consultant Carolyn Porco describe and commend the optimistic and enduring vision of Gene Roddenberry.   
        •    Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary—See details above.
        •    Starfleet Vessel Simulator—Explore extensive data on the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Romulan ship, the Narada. Submerse yourself in breathtaking 360° views and close-ups and review detailed tech information.
        •    Gag Reel—See description above.
Disc 3:
        •    Digital Copy
        •    STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
        •    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
        •    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network
The STAR TREK single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  The single-disc DVD includes the commentary, “A New Vision” and the gag reel.

Artwork: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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And for some of us who can’t get enough of Zachary Quinto and his adorable smile, I added a photo of Zach at a press call for Star Trek. You’ll love his expression in this one! So more photos after the cut…

Images: Newscom

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Well, I talked to one of the supporting actors on the film – Antonio Elias – and I asked him about his experiences working with JJ Abrams and being on “Star Trek”.

Antonio made his feature film debut on “Star Trek” as Communications Officer Pitts, and he got to work with “a lot of very cool people” like Faran Tahir, Jennifer Morrison (as Winona Kirk) and Chris Hemsworth (as George Kirk).

“I didn’t actually get to work with Zach Quinto or anybody like that, but I did get to see him doing his makeup tests and all that and camera tests and, I swear, when he walking into the sound stage dressed up as Spock, I had to do a double take because I thought I was looking at Leonard Nimoy. It was kind of cool,” gushed Antonio of his fellow actor.

And Antonio was even more excited to talk about Star Trek director JJ Abrams. Antonio had done TV shows before, but this was his first feature, and to be on a major film must be nerve-wracking!

“I was nervous, but from the get-go he was just the nicest guy. And he works with a lot of the same crew from project to project that he does so, even with him and his crew, they have such a nice relationship already with each other so the energy on the set just set the example for everybody else.”

It was easy to see how infectious JJ Abrams can be. The man always seems to have a twinkle in his eyes, so I was all-ears as Antonio continued about the director.

“There was such a positive energy on set and everybody was joking around, having a great time, and he was just a really, really great director. He gave simple directions, but it was to the point and easy to understand. It was a lot of fun and you could tell how much fun he was having with it. The idea of taking on a huge franchise like that with so many fans waiting to see how it’s going to turn out – and it’s the first Star Trek film since 2002 – there’s got to be a lot of pressure on both the writers, the director, the studio, and the actors, but if J.J. felt the pressure, you couldn’t tell. At least I couldn’t tell because it seemed like he was having a blast.”

No doubt it was a really fun experience! I was curious to know how it felt like on set.

“The sets were honestly unbelievable. I was doing the walk-through preparing for filming and I’m with a few of the other actors and we’re all walking through our dialogue and I walk on-set and I literally had to stop and look around me because everything looked so real. The consoles, the doors, the computer screens had actual graphics programs running whatever they had on there, the chairs, everything. The amount of detail was unbelievable!”

I knew it! Man, to be able to walk on a set like that… Where the details as good as they looked in the film preview? Die-hard fans like me are always interested to find out how good the set looks, and not just as a product of CG. And Antonio confirmed that the amount of detail in the set was incredible.

“There are things on there that, unless you knew where to look and you pause the film and stood up right against the screen with a magnifying glass, you would not be able to see, but it’s there and it’s true to Star Trek. So if the fans knew that or could see that, they would really, really appreciate it.”

And what kind of experience does Antonio walk away with, from being part of “Star Trek”?

“I learned a lot and I definitely got a crash course on what it is to be on such a large-budget film and how exciting it can really be. Honestly, the main thing is I just really had a lot of fun. I took away nothing but positive things and it was like a dream come true.”

“To be part of a Star Trek film – something so big and something that has such a following – and also knowing what they’re doing with the film and how they’re rebooting it, it was just a really, really exciting thing. You’ve got to be just grateful to be a part of it. Words can’t describe how it really makes you feel to be a part of something like that.”

And so after filming “Star Trek”, Antonio got involved as one of the lead actors in an new film called “Spoken Word”, directed by Sundance Film Festival winner Victor Nunez. I briefly asked him what “Spoken Word” was about.

“It’s a small independent film that’s more about relationship between a family in New Mexico. I play one of the lead roles. I play the brother of the actual lead role. The actual lead role is played by Kuno Becker, who plays the actual spoken word artist, and I’m his younger brother. Our father is played by Ruben Blades.”

Right now, “Spoken Word” is working on the film festival circuit and distribution, so hopefully we’ll see it late 2009 or early 2010. Last question I asked Antonio was the coolest thing about his job as an actor.

“Oh, man, that’s probably really hard to sum up… The idea of being a character that someone else wrote, and developing a relationship out of that and getting into the psyche of someone else’s mind and creating something out of the character and being somebody else for awhile…  It’s a lot of fun for me and it’s an experience that’s just fun. I have a blast doing it and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Well, let’s wish Antonio Elias all the good things in his career shall we?

Antonio Elias image: Electronic Press Kit;
Star Trek image: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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Paramount released seven new images for “Star Trek” including 4 behind-the-scene photos of JJ Abrams directing the cast, plus a sneak at what a Starfleet bridge really looks like!

 
Zachary Quinto as Spock in “Star Trek” (2009).

Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek” (2009). 

Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Christopher Pike in “Star Trek” (2009)

JJ Abrams directing Chris Pine in “Star Trek” (2009)

JJ Abrams directing Zoe Saldana in “Star Trek” (2009).

Behind the scenes with JJ Abrams talking to the cast aboard a Starfleet vessel in “Star Trek” (2009)

Just take a look at that bridge! The photo above shows what a Starfleet vessel looks like to the cast, before any CG was added. How cool does that look! That should make anyone feel like you’re almost in a real spaceship!

Image credits: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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For his appearance on Letterman, Zachary sported a new hair cut, which oddly looks familiar. I know I’ve seen it on someone else.

Zachary Quinto at the David Letterman show promoting Star Trek. Image: Newscom

More photos after the cut.

Zachary Quinto at the David Letterman show promoting Star Trek. Images: Newscom

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Get to know the rest of Starfleet Academy’s students and crew in the released dosier, and check them out in action with the following photos.

Zoe Saldana as Uhura. 

Chris Pine as James Kirk, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu.

(More photos after the cut.)

Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov.

Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy.  (Behind) Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott.

Image credits: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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If you think Star Trek is a guy’s movie, then sisters, you’re mighty wrong. There are a lot of reasons why the film appeals to women as well… let me start with this one.

Chris Pine.

How can we ladies resist a deadly look like that?

Check out the future’s newest James Dean – Chris Pine as James T. Kirk.

Kirk’s dosier includes:

• Top of his class in survival strategies and tactical analysis.
• Assistant instructor in Advanced Hand-to-Hand Combat.
• Treasurer of Starfleet Academy’s Xenolinguistic club.

(more photos after the cut).

Image credits: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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The opening date of Star Trek in France is on May 6, 2009.

Star Trek cast at Paris photocall: JJ Abrams, Eric Bana, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine. Image: Newscom

Star Trek cast Zachary Quinto as Spock. Image: Newscom

Star Trek cast Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Image: Newscom

Star Trek lead stars Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine as Spock and Kirk. Image: Newscom

Star Trek cast Eric Bana as the Romulan villain Nero. Image: Newscom

Star Trek cast Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Image: Newscom

Star Trek director the cool and casual JJ Abrams. Image: Newscom

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Paramount released several clips of the film that show glimpses of the main character’s personalities.

The first Star Trek clip “Disease and Danger” (at Yahoo! Movies) showed Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban) getting all antsy as a shuttle prepares to take off with passengers, and he happens to sit beside James Kirk (Chris Pine). Ugh, Urban sounds so convincing with the popping-eyeballs comment!

Kirk tries to hit on Uhura (Zoe Saldana) in a bar and stirs up trouble, in the clip “A Shot at Love” (MTV Movies). You can tell this Kirk guy is a trouble-maker everywhere he goes, including inside a warp-speeding Starfleet! (“Answer Me” clip at Apple) Is this the first time Kirk meets Spock (Zachary Quinto)? Make Spock angry?! Kirk is kidding, right, he obviously doesn’t know the guy yet. But then again, Kirk’s attitute may just get Spock to emote later in the film! Oh, but did you get a look at the fleet’s bridge? OMG everything is glass! So different from the awkward, bulky days of Shatner!

Watch the clips after the cut (YouTube version) –

And just to say this, but it’s still weird watching Zachary play anyone other than Sylar. Spock looks so tame and angelic!

Image credits: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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Excitement over Star Trek is so infectious it’s crazy waiting for it to come in three weeks. I’ve never been a serious fan of the original cast and I watched more Piccard than Kirk episodes, but this new movie is something I really want to see! So Paramount sent images to perk up our interest even more. Take a load of these!

Imagine seeing this film in IMAX!… There are more pictures after the cut.

Image credit: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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