Star Trek’s Anton Yelchin has recently said he doesn’t know anything about the Star Trek sequel, but in a new interview he does talk about how he is both excited and nervous to return to the role of Chekov and how he plans to again do research to prepare for the film. Details below, plus video interview.
Yelchin excited/nervous about returning to Chekov + Planning more research
Talking to HitFix about his upcoming movie The Beaver, Anton Yelchin was asked what he thought about returning to Star Trek and reprising a character (something he has never done before):
It is exciting and kind of makes me a little nervous. I was happy with the first and the way the character turned out so you kind of want to go back and match three years later and make it the same. It is really exciting. It will be fun to go back and rewatch all the old Trek episodes again, like I did. I am sure it will start to come back faster. It is also exciting to get back with that group…We had such a great time making that movie and when we all come together I think it will be the same kind of great time and I am really looking forward to it.
You can watch the full video interview here:
Anton Yelchin can be seen in The Beaver, opening in limited release this weekend. Here is the trailer.
Another non-informative comment from the cast!
Maybe he can re-watch the TOS episodes and come up with a reason why a 17 year old was already out of the academy in this reality and working on the bridge of the Flagship! :)
Ok Anton. Do lot’s and lot’s of research.
Gee, I wish I worked at a job where all I had to do (in preparation for it) was watch old TV shows!
Nice work if you can get it!
LOL … Do not be nervous, Anton … You starred opposite Mel Gibson … You’re a brave boy… I ‘m sure! … +LOL
And I ‘m wanting to see The Beaver, by the way …
:-) :-)
1 To be fair to young Mr Yelchin it’s not really his job to explain why a 17 year old was already graduated from the academy and serving on a starship what with him being just an actor on the film and not the flaming writer. Maybe Bob Orci could answer this question or maybe not since there are ample precedents for this in previous Trek with the likes of Wesley Crusher, Nog and even Captain Kirk if you pay any attention to his backstory in TOS.
As for Yelchin, I really like this guy, I thought he was brilliant in both Star Trek and Terminator Salvation and I think I may have to check out The Beaver when it is released in the UK.
I like Yelchin’s Chekov better than Koenig’s, so while it’s great that Yelchin is going to dig into research, I encourage him to stick with his actor’s gut.
Of the new cast, I generally feel the new cast is just as good as the old one, while acknowledging that no one could ever displace the old cast. However, in the cases of the characters Chekov and Uhura, I do believe the new portrayals are better. Uhura is made out smarter and more accomplished than the original, and I’m pleased they stuck with the Enterprise show’s augmentation of the communications officer’s role to include xenolinguistics.
In the case of the TOS Chekov, he comes off as arrogant and a bit of a loose cannon much of the time (probably due to American’s perceptions of Russians during the Cold War). The reboot Chekov is more earnest, bright, perspicacious, and just a touch naive (in the good sense)… precisely what you would expect of a boy-genius-type (to semi-answer comment #1).
1. Enterprisingguy – May 4, 2011
It’s the future, dude. Also, kids used to sail the Atlantic and serve in European navies when they were at least 11.
5. Corinthian7 – May 4, 2011
“1 To be fair to young Mr Yelchin it’s not really his job to explain why a 17 year old was already graduated from the academy and serving on a starship what with him being just an actor on the film and not the flaming writer. Maybe Bob Orci could answer this question or maybe not since there are ample precedents for this in previous Trek with the likes of Wesley Crusher, Nog and even Captain Kirk if you pay any attention to his backstory in TOS.”
I never said it was Yelchin’s job to find the reason. It was a rhetorical comment. I meant that maybe he could find something in the TOS episodes that would explain this contradiction with his AU counterpart.
You can’t compare Chekov to the Next Gen characters. That was a later era of families on starships. Crusher was granted “acting ensign” status by Picard pending his attending Starfleet. No doubt in part to his mother’s relationship to Picard.
And I’ve never read anything to indicate that prime-universe Kirk graduated the 4 year academy training before he was even old enough to enter. All I’m saying is that the idea that AU Chekov is only 17 and serving is a little hard to swallow.
7. Jefferies Tuber – May 4, 2011
“1. Enterprisingguy – May 4, 2011
It’s the future, dude. Also, kids used to sail the Atlantic and serve in European navies when they were at least 11.”
Fair enough. But how many teenagers do you see, even today, manning the bridge of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier?
The Enterprise is up there in the big leagues. They don’t just hand them the keys to those things without LOTS of training and lesser posts first.
2. I ‘m with you, Mike. He should watch Tribbles, Eden, and Spectre twice to be sure we won’t get Wesley Crusher with a Russian accent again.
Three words: He needs to.
The actor who played the young Chekov in Phase II’s “In Harms Way” was absolutely spot on in every way. HE should’ve been in the movie!
Link to download “In Harm’s Way”.
http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/episodes.html
Check that, the title is “To Serve All My Days”. Same link, though.
Anton is really a brilliant young man, who would put any of us here to shame. He is fluent in 4 languages and has been in many feature films though he is only 21. He can play piano and guitar as well.
Though some people may believe he is too young to have came to be on the bridge of the Enterprise, I think it only befitting of him to play such an accomplished character. It is so similar compared his real life.
Anton is young yes. But i like him and look forward to seeing him in his up comeing movies and in Trek12.
I like his approach to getting ready for the movie. He was my favorite part of the first movie.
He shouldn’t waste his time watching TOS when clearly the original trilogy of Star Wars is far closer to the new canon.
Save some time. Skip season 3.
Mel Gibson for Star Trek 12 !
#18 – How witty.
20.
….
Uh, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!
Mel Gibson is a douchebag. I don’t watch any of his movies anymore. Such a shame because he is a good actor. Oh well.
#18, 21. Bollocks! Chekov, by the time we see the sequel, is more conversant in English and will have lost much of the strong Russian accent, but not all of it. He will have also sorted out his “v”s and “w”s. It’s all good.
@22 If you base your viewing habits on whether or not an actor is a douchebag, you must not see many movies or TV shows at all. :)
#8. “All I’m saying is that the idea that AU Chekov is only 17 and serving is a little hard to swallow.”
In the TOS episode Charlie X, Charlie Evans was 17 and was introduced, by Rand, to a female crew member “your own age”…as she said to him. So yeah…17 and serving in Starfleet has precedent in TOS…shouldn’t be hard to swallow at all.
Just wait till july or so and get Netflix, he can get it in HD!
@8. Well, for Trek 12 he will be 21 and able to hang out in bars recruiting for Starfleet….
#23 but Koenigs Chekov served from just as young an age but never lost the accent. I’m not following your reasoning there.
No, Chekov must keep the accent.
Hmm…..Just kind of thought of something…..
Chekov was 22 at the beginning of the second season of TOS, which took place in 2267…..
He was 17 in “Star Trek” 2009…..which took place in….2258?
Oh well, math is overrated. LOL
#24
True, though I don’t think it’s unreasonable to draw a line at people that threaten to murder their spouse and hope they get raped. That’s an extra special level of douchebaggery.
nuChekov was born earlier than Prime Chekov.
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I like to argue that the new Chekov actually corresponds to Prime Chekov’s older brother Pavel Pyotr Chekov, who as an infant was killed in a Klingon attack in the original universe.
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This means the Day of the Dove line was accurate! So, all we need to have happen is for Chekov to note to Sulu that he has a little brother who’s also named Pavel, but Pavel Anton Chekov.
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Boborci, make it so! :)
Good grief, there’s no way to compare the original series Chekov with the new one. Originally the character was tossed in as a “mop-top” young dude to capture some of the Beatles/Monkees appeal. He was never taken seriously, only used as a comic sidekick with a funny accent. Even when they got to the movies, what happens? He’s the junior guy who Khan tortures with a bug in his ear.
I really hope they downsize this character significantly. Either that, or give him something useful to do. His sole function in the first movie was to reenact the irritating “I can do this!” scene from Jurassic Park.
6
I prefer Koenig as he originated the character and the arrogant assumption that everything was invented in Russia was a nice gag.
I felt that with Yelchin’s version they turned him a little too much into Wesley Crusher. And I still don’t get that he is a navigator at 17. Starfleet Academy entry usually begins at 18 years of age. And in TOS Chekov seemed fresh out of the Academy at 22.
“Uhura is made out smarter and more accomplished than the original”
This carries the implication that the original was something of a dimwit, and I’m a tad uncomfortable with that.
I didn’t think I’d like other actors playing heroes I grew up but the new actors under JJ Abrams really recaptured the magic and and feelings of the old show. I have to say I was hesitant when I heard Anton Yelchin was going to be Chekov but after seeing that Anton was one of the two people (The other being Sam Worthington) that acted incredibly well to carry Terminator Salvation from being utterly terrible to actually watchable, with their acting alone, I wanted to see how Anton would do and he didn’t let me down. He was great in Star Trek! Anton is a great actor and at his age, already out-acted an actor of more popular status (Christian Bale) in Terminator Salvation and really shined and held his own in Star Trek.
Anton, is you read these, you’re awesome man and I think if we met we’d be good friends since you liked a lot of the things I liked as a kid!
35
I agree with you, I hate comments like that. I hate the originals being insulted as a result of the new movie.
#20,really?! Gross.
@35, @37 — I never even remotely implied that the TOS Uhura was a dimwit! I just think that the communications officer position has been fleshed out better in terms of responsibilities, and that the characterization of Uhura in the JJ-verse reflects that fuller complement of responsibilities. Take it at face value, jeez!
35. Thorbury – May 5, 2011
“Uhura is made out smarter and more accomplished than the original”
“This carries the implication that the original was something of a dimwit, and I’m a tad uncomfortable with that.”
I didn’t take the implication to mean that the original Uhura was a dimwit. She had her own talents. We’ve seen her repair comm. panels before. But I never saw any indication that she was also a language expert. I understood that the original poster meant that the new Uhura was a tad more talented. I don’t believe any insult was given.
Has anyone heard anything from or about Zach Quinto in the last several months? Seems he’s dropped well below the radar.
40
You got to assume that prime universe Uhura is a language expert as well. Just because it was not fleshed out does not mean Uhura of the Prime universe is less talented.
#41,i’ve seen previews for a movie hes gonna make s cameo in,its called whats your number. you can watch it on YouTube.
Okay, on the issue of Chekov being seventeen in the 2009 movie, I view that as being canon from the prime universe. Remember Star Trek: Generations? Chekov asks Kirk after they talk to recent cadet graduate Demora Sulu if they were ever that young. Kirk says to Chekov, “You were younger.” So this is not a pander to teenagers though the I’m sure the studio loves appeals to one of the biggest film goig demographics.
“The Beaver” looks interesting. But can I put aside the horrible things that Mel Gibson has said about Jews and African Americans (the rants to his wife) ? I don’t recall him apologizing for the things said to his wife about African Americans. And here’s another from the Guardian. Gibson called Winona Ryder (Amanda in the 2009 film) an “oven dodger.” I think that ‘s supposed to be anti-Semitic referring to the Holocaust.. Ryder is half-Jewish. (Link below.) I’m going to wait for critics reviews before I spend money on this one.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/dec/17/winona-ryder-mel-gibson
42. captain_neill – May 5, 2011
“40
You got to assume that prime universe Uhura is a language expert as well. Just because it was not fleshed out does not mean Uhura of the Prime universe is less talented.”
Well…..in the movie,AU-Uhura understands all of the various Romulan dialects, A race that the Federation claims to know little about during that time period. Yet Prime-Uhura couldn’t make heads or tails of standard Klingon in one of the other movies. A race the Federation knows plenty about. It was comical watching her trying to make sense in her communications with the Klingon ship.
Since there have been so many changes to this time line/reboot I’m not going to assume anything is on parity with the prime universe until it’s shown to be so. Nothing wrong with that. Just saying.
I think Anton did a great job, and the fact is, boy geniuses break convention and DO graduate from universities ahead of most people, so why not Starfleet Academy?
Not just Uhura, in the new universe apparently everybody is a genius. What is that mess? James Kirk was never a genius. He was just a man with morals, great experience and an inspired tactician. Even Scotty or Spock were not considered geniuses. Chekov?
Sigh…. At least they don’t have any “indigo children” aboard.
47. I assume Nero was the disasterous Romulan first contact, which shifted the Federation into a war, or open hostilities at any rate. So all the TOS characters from the Abramsverse grew up learning about the race.
Meanwhile the Prime Universe, aside from what Section 31 managed to cover-up during ENT and their so far unseen Earth-Romulan War…
“Balance of Terror” was the first time we were officially face-to-face with them.
^ Sorry. That response was directed at 45.
Not sure why I put 47. Probably the current number while I was typing.
We haven’t seen Nuhura be able to speak Klingon either.
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And in TOS, Uhura spoke fluent Swahili onscreen, and other languages: recall “The Changeling” when Nomad wipes her brain a bit? Or scrambles it?
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Back to Chekov…. a simple retcon is that both Chekovs were part of the same program that led to the creation of Dr. Bashir. Chekov as an brain-augment… perhaps that’s something Khan was on to, when he met Chekov belowdecks when Khan had to wait for him to finish using the head…. “I never forget a face…”