Karl Urban is the rare Star Trek actor who’s also a Star Trek fan. Some of the stars of the various series and movies have chafed at the idea of being associated with Trek for the rest of their lives -- because that’s what happens once you sign onto a franchise this big -- others have worked hard to distance themselves from it, and still others have embraced the Star Trek of it all by diving fully in to the convention and fan scene. But few seem to actually be into Star Trek the way Urban is, able to name episodes and make a cogent argument over why The Motion Picture is his favorite of the movies.
Which is exactly what he did when I spoke to him the morning after Paramount’s big Star Trek Beyond Fan Event (read more about that here). Between Urban, his co-star (and Beyond co-scripter) Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin, it looks like Star Trek Beyond is a Trek movie being made by actual fans. I mean, when one of your stars starts dropping Kolinahr references, you know something’s up.
Read on for our full, nerdy chat with the Doctor McCoy actor.
Karl Urban as Doctor McCoy in Star Trek Beyond
IGN Movies: First of all, that scene last night they showed us, where you guys are having the birthday drink -- I mean, I know you're a Star Trek fan, so I feel like I can really talk to you about just the Wrath of Khan connection and all of that.
Karl Urban: Absolutely, yeah. Firstly, I was thrilled that the relationship between McCoy and Kirk was represented, because I felt that in Into Darkness it was completely inferred. So it was nice to have that material, and it was fun to play. Obviously, a lot has occurred two, two-and-a-half years into the mission, and it's nice to see those characters really morph into their traditional archetypes.
IGN: I guess that's one of the dangers of this enterprise -- pardon the pun -- is that from the beginning there's this thing that you could rely on inferring what we already know about the characters from the previous incarnation, which then I guess would maybe rob the drama from what you're actually doing, because if we just assume we know the relationship between McCoy and Kirk but we're not seeing it, you might not feel it.
Urban: Exactly.
IGN: The Spock/McCoy team-up that we're getting in this one -- would you say it's more of a humorous interplay between you guys? What is the dynamic there?
Urban: The dynamic is complex. There is a great deal of humor, but it's contextualized by the framework of jeopardy and danger of the situation that they're in. I believe that their relationship really evolves, and you get to see them both kind of drop their guard and be who they really are around each other -- just get a little glimpse of that, which is fantastic and rewarding, especially for long-term Star Trek fans. It's something that I believe you haven't really seen before. To me, that was really the challenge of the film, to not only honor the 50 years of Star Trek, pay homage to what had come before, but also mine new territory and take these characters into uncharted waters -- and that's what we've done with Star Trek Beyond.
IGN: And you are a guy who really seems to enjoy interacting with the fans. You go to the conventions and everything. Obviously you're a busy movie star, and you still find the time to do that. What is it that you enjoy about that aspect of Star Trek?
Urban: Well, it's a tradition that was established by the original cast, and I feel like it's important to acknowledge the fanbase, because if it wasn't for the fanbase, there would be no Star Trek. Star Trek would have been canceled after Season 2, but it was their fervent passion and dedication and love for Star Trek that really has been instrumental in making Star Trek what it is today.
McCoy: He's a doctor, not a window washer!
IGN: Right, and now we're up to 50 years instead of two years.
Urban: [Laughs] Yes, exactly!
IGN: What are your favorite episodes of the old show?
Urban: My favorite episodes would probably be "The Corbomite Maneuver," "Amok Time" -- I don't know the name of it, but the episode where Kirk fights the Gorn.
IGN: Oh yeah, "Arena," I think it's called.
Urban: "Arena," thank you. And "The City on the Edge of Forever" -- I love "The City on the Edge of Forever." That's great, that's particularly brilliant. Then there's another one which I loved, which is essentially a submarine episode, where there's a Romulan captain battling Kirk, and they're at it the whole time, and there's this cloak-and-dagger kind of vibe.
"The Corbomite Maneuver"
IGN: Oh, that's a great one, right?
Urban: Yeah, I can't remember what it's called, but it's like the first time they've seen or encountered the Romulans, which is pretty cool.
IGN: Yeah, yeah -- and they look like Spock.
Urban: Yeah, exactly! So they're looking at Spock going, "Eh?"
IGN: I guess you can't do something like that in the movies, really, because that was kind of a bottle episode, if I remember correctly. Whereas you guys have to have big battle scenes and stuff, right?
Urban: I know what you're getting at. I mean, here's the thing about that. I think that, not only has it been done in the original series, but it was done in Wrath of Khan, you know? And I think as I've said before, the challenge for Star Trek going forward is to keep it fresh, to keep it new, to constantly explore new ideas and new territories, and that's the whole challenge.
Continues
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