It’s an unusual thing.  We’ve seen plenty of unusual with the Star Trek reboot universe–also called the JJ Abrams Star Trek, and now the Kelvin Timeline because of the ship that as destroyed when Nero came back in time to alter the past.  Whatever it is, it’s a different kind of Star Trek than what fans were used to for 40 years.  Now with a 50th anniversary upon us, Star Trek joins James Bond and Doctor Who in the elite club of 50-year genre classic franchises.

Comparing Star Trek to James Bond would be unusual, too.  One is science fiction, the other, spy and action movie.  Star Trek isn’t a spy story, but it has traditionally been dosed with a bit of action here and there, while always taking a back seat to dramatic story telling.  James Bond has a few trademark notables, like a single James Bond theme and a pop song that highlights each new release.  Star Trek, over its entire 50 years, does not have a single theme, instead opting for new scores and thematic cues for each new series and movie.  But now for the first time, Star Trek is getting its own pop song for the next iteration of the franchise.

Call it a Justin Lin thing, something you’d expect for a director known for Fast and The Furious movies.  The final trailer to drop from Paramount for Star Trek Beyond landed this week, and it features the new song “Sledgehammer” by Rihanna.  Check it out:

True–we did see a pop song for the theme of the Enterprise television series, but it was a bit jarring.  So what do you think?  Is it still Star Trek?  Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and the last appearance of Anton Yelchin as Chekov, the Enterprise is off on another adventure.

Star Trek Beyond hits theaters in 20 days, July 22, 2016.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com