When the new trailer for Star Trek Beyond dropped over the weekend, many fans noticed the reveal of some kind of enormous new space station/spaceship/space something. Was the Enterprise docking with an orbital platform above Earth, ala Star Trek: The Motion Picture? Was this a crazy alien ship, or a Starfleet starbase, or something else entirely?
Last year, while on the set of Star Trek Beyond, I spoke to Scotty actor Simon Pegg, and he filled me and the other visiting press in on what this design is. After all, as co-writer of the film along with Doug Jung, he should know!
Starbase Yorktown in Star Trek Beyond
It turns out this is the Starbase Yorktown, which is on the very edge of Federation space (in other words, where Captain Kirk’s jurisdiction ends and uncharted and/or enemy space begins). The film more or less starts with the USS Enterprise docking with this base during its legendary five-year mission.
“It's a kind of diplomatic hub,” said Pegg. “It's where all the most recent Federation inductees can come and mingle with each other and learn about each other. It's a kind of lovely...”
When asked if it’s like that infamous port from that other sci-fi franchise, Star Wars’ Mos Eisley, Pegg laughed, “No, no -- that's a wretched hive of scum and villainy! This is the opposite of that.” In fact, it sounds like the writers were shooting for a classic Star Trek feel to Starbase Yorktown, a place where the many species that make up the United Federation of Planets can meet to pursue a better, common future for all.
The Enterprise docks at Starbase Yorktown. (Look closely to see Captain Kirk's beloved starship!)
“You can imagine -- me and Jung joked that there were various aliens with leaflets, handing them out to other aliens like, ‘Come and see our world!’” he said. “But it's basically a place where they can go, where they can better understand what being part of the Federation means. It's an important kind of tactical establishment for the Federation. It's been built locally, so it's very interesting to look at, but it's where the Enterprise docks up. [This is] the first time in like 10 months [that the Enterprise has] had kind of proper contact with other people, and that's where the story begins.”
Yorktown also has a very unique design, a sort of round and transparent enclosed structure that seems to generate artificial gravity on its curved, interior surface (kind of like a very small Dyson sphere, perhaps, although there's no obvious energy source at the center of the base). Pegg, a lifelong Star Trek fan, said that coming up with the idea of the base was only the first step to fully conceptualizing the final design.
Crazy gravity is crazy on Yorktown.
“Designing that -- you know, you say that in a screenplay, you describe it, and then you get it to a production designer, and they come back with these amazing concept designs,” he explained. “That was the most amazing thing for Doug and I. You know, you write away and write away, and then suddenly you see all these boards with this beautifully designed, incredibly imaginative stuff, and you kind of feel like you can take credit for it. [Laughs] Even though you shouldn't!”
Now let’s just hope the thing doesn’t get blown up by the end of the movie.
Yorktown under attack
Star Trek Beyond will be released on July 22.
Talk to Senior Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura. Or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3.
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