Pine On Shatner and Kirk + Reveals Key Plot Point

Chris Pine is taking some time off this week to promote his latest film Bottle Shock at the Sundance Film Festival. This is his first big press exposure since being cast as James T. Kirk in the new Star Trek — and so inevitably he gets asked a lot about it. Pine talks about his role and his predecessor and even though he tried not to reveal any spoilers a couple did slip through (see bottom of article)

Pine tells Jam Showbiz that he actually reached out to William Shatner after being cast

I wrote him a letter at the beginning of the process just to explain my feelings about the character … I just tried to explain my respect for what he’d done. I want him to be proud of what I do because the man has been involved with it for going on 40 years. He wrote me back and said he hopes the movie goes well and he’d like to meet sometime, which I would love. But you know, he’s a busy man.

He tells EW he doesn’t feel the pressure of the Shat

I actually feel the exact opposite. I think the biggest mistake I could ever do would be to try to re-create what Mr. Shatner did. There are certain qualities that Kirk has that are vital for someone who is a leader of men. And those qualities, I definitely wanted to take from what Mr. Shatner did in the original series. But my job is to take something new, to take that and build upon it, really do my own thing. I just feel no pressure when it comes to that.

He also told CinemaBlend he’s relaxed:

I’m having a great time. It’s a lot of fun. J.J.’s wonderful. I haven’t really thought that far ahead just because I’m neurotic and just try to concentrate on the day-to-day thing. That kind of keeps me in check. Whatever happens will happen. I have no control over it. All I try to do is good work and that’s that


SPOILERS

BELOW

Pine also said the following to EW:

I’ve met Mr. Nimoy a couple of times. He’s been on set and we have a couple of scenes in the film, which will be nice, and I’m excited for those.

Although it has been reported (here and other sites) that Nimoy will travel back in time, this is the first confirmation from a film star that Nimoy’s older Spock will meet the younger Kirk.

Here is a video interview from Variety…not much Trek except that he does note that he is playing Captain Kirk…or as he likes to put it ‘the cap’ (NOTE: TrekMovie.com previously reported that characters in the film, especially Kirk, will be seen at various times and at different ranks)

Learn more about Bottle Shock at the official site

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Nimoy and young Kirk! Nice!

XDD

Nice to hear from him at last.

I like he is taking a few aspects but mostly doing his thing. Would’n like this to look like a parody. Which whould be the result if anyone mimicked Shat.

Haha, I loved the EW interview:

EW: “Because you’re shooting some small movie, right?”
Pine: “Yes, it’s a small independent back in Los Angeles. It’s kind of like Star Wars and Spaceballs combined. I think they’re calling it Star Trek. It’s going very well. We’re having a lot of fun. It comes out later this year, sometime near Christmastime. I think people will really enjoy it.”

Chris Pine “Blind Dating” scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km3Zytw0Tck

COOL

I thought he’d be a commander… but if he’s the captain, what does Pike do?

“We are attempting….time travel…..”

I’d like to know if He’d do Trek 2008 sequels or if He’s contractually obligated.

Matt Damon would’ve been better.

Wait, from what I’ve heard doesn’t this start back in their days at Starfleet Academy? Are they all cadets? If they’re all starting off as cadets, then how can Pine say he’s playing CAPTAIN Kirk? I hope they don’t just promote him to Captain while skipping all the other ranks…that would be insane. Someone going from cadet to captain in the course of one movie is a huge leap, unless the timeframe is broader than we’re aware of. As someone who’s very familiar with the military, that would never happen. You hit every rank, like the steps of a ladder.

Any thoughts?

It’s a prequel and it involves time travel. Why am I cringing?

I suspect they are all contractually obligated to do at least two more sequels, but that’s just my guess. Couldn’t the young Kirk and the old Spock meet in circumstances other than time travel?

I can see humour involved in the scenes with Pine/Nimoy if Quinto is in the same scene – perhaps even Mccoy bewildered at having to converse with 2 Spocks!

‘The Cap.’ lol. That rocks. Nothing to really add here. Just that I’m going to refer to Chris-san as The Cap from now on.

re: 10

I think i read in the memory-alpha site that kirk went right from lieutenant to captain… but i’m not sure.

also, i doubt that this will be a linear movie with them all ‘starting’ as cadets and going from there. if we look at some other JJ abrams projects (mi3, lost) there will be a lot of flash forwarding and flashbacking.

Damon would’ve approximated Shatner’s bluster, this guy looks like dead weight to me.

How can PIne put his own take on Kirk without emulating Shatner’s portrayal…especially if he’s reacting to Nimoy as Spock???

Ok that first frame of the video….he SERIOUSLY looks like a young Kirk!! Wow!! I guess Pegg is the only one whose not going to look like his predacessor…wow…I’m serious blown away by how much Pine looks like Young Shat.

I’m guessing he says ‘Captain Kirk’ because thats the character we know and love, ‘Captain’ is not just a title or rank…

Well now… This would seem to confirm time travel.

It’s a shame we didn’t have this bit of information to back up some of the points of view/theories that were being expressed, in a very small thread yesterday, regarding the merits of an unknown canadian actor reprisisng a minor role from Trek’s backstory, in order to please fan boys.

: )

#16 I think we really have to give the guy a chance, you know? He would have been hired for a reason, and if he’s an actor then lets wait till we see him act.

If you watch Shat interviewed, sometimes he’s pretty quiet and reflective. It’s not like the “JAMES….T….KIRK…of the starship… ENT-ER-PRISE” bluster is always evident with him.

This guy has got a certain twinkle in his eye that makes me think he can pull off Kirk.

Wait till you see Pegg with black hair and talking scottishly. I’m sure he’ll nail it.

Anthony I promise I am not spamming here, but I just want to say that having read it back after posting I am genuinely sorry for the last sentence of #20 and if I could edit it I would.

Thanks

#22 – I didn’t even realise that until you drew attention to it.

“How can PIne put his own take on Kirk without emulating Shatner’s portrayal…”

Because he’s not trying to act like William Shatner, he wants to act like Captain Kirk, but with his take on it.

Time travel has always had a place in Star Trek, and as long as it used well and within the context of the story, I really don’t think it can ever get old or overdone. It has always been a centerpiece, not only of Star Trek, but of sci-fi in general

#19 “Well now… This would seem to confirm time travel.”

Not to be stubborn but I keep saying that we are still not sure about that. Certainly, something “strange” will happen, but time travel is not necessarily involved.
Will I have to abandon my “no time travel” position sooner or later? :-)

That doofus hat inspires the utmost confidence.

It’s…. young Kirk!

Seriously, they’ve nailed the casting. Well done.

#27 He’s just covering up his toupee.

“…Doofus hat…” I’m with Stanky on this one…lose the hat

But, I’m also with #20. He does look a lot like a young Cap’n. I think he’ll do a good job as long as he does in fact do his own thing with the character.

Come on boys…let’s see some story bits… gimme gimme.

One more thing on the hat again…can you say “equestrian”?

;-)

#29. Bono Luthor – January 22, 2008
He’s just covering up his toupee.

That would turn him into a real Shatner reincarnation.

XDDD

this whole idea of recasting a character based on another actor makes me nervous. remember superman returns?? it seemed to really affect the new supes performance, and the movie over all as well. the best way to recast is to ignore what came before, as in James Bond.

This may be a no win situation.

But we will see next xmas

20 and 22 (Bono)

I think it’s cute that you like the twinkle in his eye! : )

#34

LOL. I’m a married man! Oh talk about dig yourself a hole. I really can’t express myself today without putting my foot in it.

As this is a civil/family site I just felt that I didn’t want to be seen to be making comment more at home on AICN… Anyway, WHATEVER!

I just think Kirk has always had a cocky ‘screw you/the system/my orders’ kind of look that Pine seems to have, like while he’s beinf civil to your face he’s plotting the exact moves he needs to make to blow you out of the stars, claim your planet for the FED and nab your woman too!

10: Spock has to serve 11 1/2 years on the E with Pike before JTK comes along. I imagine Kirk was quite busy on the Farragut and Republic racking up pormotions during that time.

When old Spock meets young Kirk he can tell him that he should let try Captain Harrimann save the Enterprise-B. So he can take the captain’s chair of the B and save his own life.

And this will be the scene in which William Shatner can get back into Star Trek.;-)

#37 Go Shaggy!

With time travel comes timelines and all again becomes…a possibility.

Ensign or Lieutenant, perhaps; I don’t see command-grade here.

#35, you nailed the character of Kirk right on the head. As for the hat he is wearing maybe he is hiding a certain hairstyle from view. His sideburns seem very “Kirk like”.
Also, it’s obviously cold where he is at since he is also wearing a scarf, unless he’s going to play Tom Baker in a Doctor Who remake next.

When almost anyone refers to Kirk, it’s not James Kirk, or Jim Kirk, or Admiral Kirk….to most people out there, it’s “Captain” Kirk. I think he is simply describing who he is playing, rather than the role of Kirk, when he was a captain.

#37 Shaggy, not to burst your bubble. But if Kirk survived the Ent-B incident, he would still be dead in the ‘present’ Spock’s lifetime.

re: 40
Regardless of any reasons, it’s a doofus hat.
Want warmth? Wear one of those earflap hats.
Want to look like a doofus? See video.

If Kirk is not “killed” (transferred to the Nexus), he will not assist Picard against Soran. Picard will fail and the Veridian system will be destroyed, and with it, the Enterprise-D. Now with Picard dead and the Enterprise destroyed, there is no ship that follows the Borg sphere in 2373. Note that Picard with the Enterprise was the only one who was still present after the Borg’s changes in the timeline, because the temporal wake protected them from any changes.
Remember, the 1701-E with Picard was the only ship that could prevent the Borg from assimilating Earth in the past!

CONCLUSION
If you change Kirk’s disappearance into the nexus – the Borg will have the entire quadrant assimilated long before our Trek storyline even began!

Isn’t that the most heroic death Kirk could possibly have had? Shatner could be grateful… Kirk’s sacrifice saved the entire Federation timeline from the Borg :D :D :D :D

45. NCC-73515

So we can say that Kirk not only died saving the universe, but saving Star Trek and TOS itself. Can there be a most worthwile and honourable death for him than that?

He sacrificed so we all could enjoy TOS!

I read an interesting idea in TV Guide.That this movie portays Jim Kirk cheating and scaming his way thru the Academy. If that is true count me out. There is no reason for Spock to travel back in time either. It is just a “bone” to draw us all in. Looks like the movie won’t stand on its own. I would rather see the “Enterprise” crew. I just hope Gene does not turn over in his grave.

# 47 Okay. So what Spock really needs to say is:

“Jim, to go out like a punk is illogical. If you ever find yourself in a half baked MacGuffin called ‘The Nexus’ when you leave it is imperitive that you kill the dude from Clock Work Orange.”

#45 – Excellent points! As much as I hated Kirk’s death (not the idea, but the…ahem…execution), your post does paint his death as an epic, heroic sacrifice. Kirk’s death saved…well, everything!

So there’s no need to bring him back at all. (I’m sure this won’t stop the Shat Squad, but maybe it’ll give them pause.)

LET THE IRRATIONAL HATRED FOR THIS MAN BEGIN!

I’m looking forward to Pine’s performance even more than Quinto’s. I’m glad he’s smart enough NOT to resort to “Shatner-isms.” Should be very interesting to watch.