With ‘Star Trek Beyond’ coming to theaters in a little over a week, the promotional campaign for the film has kicked into high gear, with the latest footage coming out being a small featurette about Idris Elba’s new villain in the movie, Krall. The writers and producers clearly wanted to harken back to classic ‘Star Trek’ villains with Krall’s look and physical presence (plus the way he brawls with Kirk), but it seems they were also looking to make the villain a bit more complex than just evil, giving him legitimate reasons to dislike the Federation and come after Kirk and the Enterprise crew.
According to Idris Elba:
“Krall is very complex. When you meet him you go, ‘Oh, he’s our bad guy.’…watching the Enterprise crash and burn felt like I was destroying a legacy.”
While director Justin Lin piped in:
“I wanted a character that is there to deconstruct the Federation’s ideals, but to do it in a way that he has a very valid philosophy.”
Is Krall going to be another generic villain who was somehow wronged by the good guys and holds a grudge? Or will he have a genuine philosophical disagreement with the ideals of the Federation, something thought provoking enough to help us remember the intellectual debates that were often a hallmark of the original seasons of the show? Check out the featurette for yourself below, and then let us know your thoughts on Krall in the comments section!
Synopsis below:
After stopping off at Starbase Earhart, a remote outpost on the fringes of Federation space, the USS Enterprise, halfway into their five-year mission, is destroyed by a powerful, unstoppable wave of unknown aliens. With the crew stranded on a unknown planet and with no apparent means of rescue, they find themselves in conflict with a new ruthless enemy who has a well-earned hatred of the Federation and what it stands for.
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
