Star Trek Into Darkness is off and running in theaters right now and up to $164.6 million worldwide. Last week, as the North American publicity tour wound down co-stars Simon Pegg, John Cho and Alice Eve ventured into Seattle where I had a chance to sit down with Scotty, Sulu and Carol Marcus to discuss the film, their aspiration, their reactions upon learning their director was also going to direct Star Wars: Episode VII and also ask where do all the dogs go in the future?
The mood was light and festive as you’ll quickly see…
Do you have to get into shape for Star Trek? Are the suits form-fitting?
Simon Pegg (SP): Nah, I like to live my life like an international rock star. No, um, I was in quite good shape already because I came off shooting Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. These guys are always in great shape, but on the first one I was a bit doughy.
Alice Eve (AE): We absolutely needed to get in good shape, but the suits aren’t unforgiving. You don’t feel uncomfortable in them, but I think the point of being on the Enterprise is that we’re all super fit and can save the world.
John Cho (JC): I didn’t have a work-out regimen. We train for fight scenes though, and I did think “ah, I need to to the gym for a little bit” prior.
SP: [to John] You’re in good shape though, you have a lovely physique.
JC: I do, I have a lovely physique. I will disrobe right now!
Folks, he’s not bluffing, so I’ll try to get us back on track here. Does everyone get to sit in the Captain’s chair on the set? Or is that considered sacred ground?
JC: You know, people do jostle for the chair. It’s like musical chairs, there’s not enough seats for everyone on the bridge. Like, Karl Urban has no chair.
SP: Yeah, we’ve all sat in the chair at some point.
JC: Chris Pine broke it on the first movie.
AE: I sat in it for three seconds and then I panicked and got up. It was weird, but I’m looking forward to [being the Captain] one day. I’d like to be one.
Is the Sci-fi genre our modern Western?
SP: In a way, yes, because it’s all about frontierism.
JC: I guess think of it more as a cousin of parables.
AE: Not to get too heavy, but I think we’re in the process of building a culture that’s in its infancy. If you look at literature, it was in that process during The Renaissance. They had enough behind them to say something with a louder voice. And that’s where we’re coming to in cinema, we’ve had a hundred years, so we’re in a place where we can define our parameters, and Sci-fi is just a lexicon.
Can you do research for a film like Star Trek Into Darkness?
SP: I worked aboard a freighter, a small galactic class freighter, in the catering department.
JC: Ride-a-longs!
SP: No, but seriously, what you can do is watch the old series, but without ever wanting to get too bogged down in what our illustrious forbearers did.
AE: Yeah, I watched the original series, I watched the 1982 movie, and read a little bit about what it was to be an advanced physicist … at which point I realized there was no hope of really doing that, it’s hard to pick that up in three months.
Here’s one thing that’s super disconcerting to me about the Star Trek universe. Where did all the dogs go?
SP: I beamed them into space. Hmm, but we don’t see Earth that much, do we? I always think back to zombie films, where are the children zombies? They are all sort of between 18 and 35 years old. But no, I think there are lots of pets in the Star Trek world. We don’t see many pets on star ships, although Admiral Archer did have a beagle that I beamed into obscurity.
JC: I wonder about eating and drinking too. There was in the TV series a little bit, but where does that happen, when does that happen? Personally, I can only go two and a half hours without snacking.
SP: There should be vending machines.
AE: Maybe they just inject the food? But I think there’s a dog in the beginning. You know when the two parents of the little girl are waking up, there’s that St. Bernard on the bed.
Nicely done. Next up, does anyone here have directorial aspirations?
SP: I would like to, I’ve written four films. I’d like to direct, but it’s a huge commitment whereas you can jump from acting job to acting job. But I think I’d like to spend a few years with one thing and just be on it.
JC: That’s what I think about, I wonder if I’m a mustang or a thoroughbred, maybe I’m just built for short laps with acting. But I think I might have the skill set to direct something at this point.
SP: Our job ends with the shoot, and then a year later we all get together for the promo, but J.J. [Abrams] has been with it every day.
AE: I don’t have those aspirations. I write, but not professionally. I like getting films together, but I already love what I do.
I know you’re a huge Star Wars fan, Simon. When you heard J.J. got the job, did you text him immediately or did you wait an hour?
SP: I texted immediately.
JC: I emailed immediately.
SP: My text said, “WHAT THE F?”
JC: (laughs) Or: How. Dare. You.
Star Trek Into Darkness is in theaters now.
