New Star Trek Beyond Details From Zoe Saldana & Zachary Quinto

The on-screen lovers and most recent Lip Sync Battle combatants, Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto, sat down with Entertainment Weekly and discussed what’s in store for their characters and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond.

According to Saldana, the crew is attacked in the beginning of the film when they are at their most vulnerable. “We’re tired, we need time off, we’ve been working non-stop, and it’s become like a machine where you kind of forget about yourself, but you need to go back home and nurture yourself and rest,” she explained. “Life has a different journey for us, and instead of us having to go out and aid another population, another planet that has been the target of violence, we are the target, so this is very different. We are tested at the craziest level and not just our lives are tested, but our characters and our relationships are tested.”

As for Spock, we’ll see him struggling with his obligation to Starfleet and his Vulcan roots. “His planet was destroyed and they’re rebuilding, and he’s trying to figure out where his energy is best directed to help other people,” Quinto offered. “He comes into a new awareness of his own mortality for a number of reasons, and there’s a lot of stuff that he’s trying to figure out in this film. By the end, I think he realizes the best path for himself moving forward.”

After the Enterprise is attacked, much of the crew has been scattered across an alien planet, leading to some interesting and unlikely pairings. “We spend a lot of time with unusual compatriots, like Kirk [Chris Pine] and Chekov [Anton Yelchin], Sulu [John Cho] and Uhura, and Spock and Bones [Karl Urban],” Quinto said. “All of us are working to find our way back to one another and to join forces in order to defeat our common adversary.”

And what can Quinto say about the Uhura-Spock relationship? “Part of Spock’s existential crisis is, does he need to be with a Vulcan? Uhura recognizes this, so they’re not necessarily at the height of relationship bliss in this film, but they love each other deeply and they want each other to be happy, to be fulfilled, to serve their purpose, and to realize their potential. It’s an ongoing relationship; I don’t think that it’s resolved necessarily in Star Trek Beyond. They’re learning about each other as well and figuring out the best way for each of them to move forward.”

Star Trek Beyond, the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In Beyond, the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

From Paramount Pictures and Skydance, Star Trek Beyond is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production. The film stars John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Directed by Justin Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber, and Justin Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Simon Pegg & Doug Jung.

Star Trek Beyond opens in theaters and IMAX beginning July 22.