Entertainment
‘Star Trek’ Officially Soars Onto Streaming for 60th Anniversary
Pop culture, by definition, consists of popular ideas and trends, fashion, entertainment, including music, movies and TV shows that are ingratiated and shared by the public at a certain period of time. Very few science fiction franchises have impacted pop culture as much as Star Trek and Star Wars. While Star Trek, upon its premiere in 1966, depicted a future where humanity set aside its petty differences to explore the stars. Star Wars, on the other hand, recounts a time period where humanity, well accustomed to space and its diverse stars “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” is caught alongside other species in an epic cosmic struggle between good and evil as heroes fight against tyrannical galactic governments in a universe bound together by a mystical energy called the Force.
While both franchises are separated by over a decade, with Star Trek premiering in 1966 and Star Wars eleven years later in 1977, both have gone on to remain incredibly relevant in the modern age while still inspiring other sci-fi creators over the years. Among sci-fi fans, Gene Roddenberry‘s vision of humanity’s spacefaring has established Star Trek as arguably the greatest space opera of all time. Since its premiere in 1966, the franchise has gone on to feature multiple spin-off series and movies that have further expanded its lore. Now, sixty years later, Star Trek is celebrating its anniversary with multiple events this September and Peacock has a special package coming for its subscribers.
Having just raised subscription prices for its customers, Peacock might be able to soften the blow for those who are sci-fi and Star Trek fans, as J.J. Abrams‘ 2009 Star Trek movie and its two sequels, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, began streaming on the platform this past Tuesday, September 1. The release of the Star Trek reboot trilogy comes about a week before Star Trek celebrates its 60th anniversary on Star Trek Day, Sept. 8. At its release, the trilogy was billed a reboot of the franchise, it does not completely sever ties with the events of the franchise’s prime timeline with the destruction of the USS Kelvin, the federation starship James T. Kirk’s father, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), being the link between the prime Star Trek timeline and its splinter, the “Kelvin Timeline.” This, perhaps, is one of the great appeals of Star Trek as the franchise finds ways to constantly reinventing itself over the years.
Who Is Behind the ‘Star Trek’ Kelvin Timeline Trilogy?
The aforementioned Abrams directed both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, bringing his signature heavy visual style to the fore in both titles. By the time Star Trek Beyond came around, Abrams had taken his talents across the sci-fi divide, crossing over to Star Wars and bringing that franchise back to theaters with 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In his stead, Justin Lin took over directorial duties, though Abrams remained on as a producer. Despite succeeding in building connections with the first two movies, Star Trek Beyond disappointed at the box office, with its opening weekend lower than its two reboot predecessors. This has ultimately resulted in a decade-long delay for a fourth movie.
The main cast of the Kelvin Timeline trilogy include Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Simon Pegg as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Zoe Saldaña as Uhura, John Cho as Sulu, and Anton Yelchin as Chekov.
The landscape might be changing for the franchise, but Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond are currently streaming on Peacock. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.
- Release Date
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May 8, 2009
- Runtime
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127 Minutes
- Writers
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Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Gene Roddenberry
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