Star Trek Trailer #3: Shot-By-Shot Analysis

The new Star Trek trailer is a big hit with fans and that mainstream audience. There is a lot to take in with the rapid succession of shots, so like we have done with past trailers, TrekMovie goes through and pauses each moment with our shot-by-shot analysis. Find out just what is going on below [Spoilers].  

 

Inside Star Trek’s Third Trailer
The following analysis is based on previous reporting and other TrekMovie sourcing. Shots are presented in the same order they appear in the trailer. In some cases we have added an extra ‘zoom’ detail to point out some interesting little nuggets.

Click images to enlarge


James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) rides bike to Riverside Shipyards (after bar fight)


Kirk gets into fight in Iowa bar



After breaking up fight Capt. Pike (Bruce Greenwood) lectures Kirk about his father and about going to Starfleet Academy


USS Kelvin fights Nero’s Narada


ZOOM: Note Kelvin’s Phasers and Pulse canons


James T. Kirk’s father, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), on Kelvin as "captain for 12 minutes:"


Doctor (Sonita Henry – face not shown) hands newborn baby James T. Kirk to Winona Kirk (Jennifer Morrison) on medical shuttle escaping battle between Kelvin and Narada


James T. Kirk arrives Riverside Shipyards — sees USS Enterprise under construction


Shuttles leave Starfleet Academy in San Francisco — headed to USS Enterprise in orbit


Assembly at Starfleet Academy


ZOOM: Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and McCoy (Karl Urban) spotted in crowd



Spock (Zachary Quinto) briefs Kirk and Academy class (probably on Kobayashi Maru simulation)


Kirk, Sulu  (John Cho) and Chief Engineer Olsen (Greg Ellis) jump out of shuttle above Vulcan headed towards Narada drilling rig (at end of cable)


Kirk has a hard landing on drilling rig


Narada travels through time


Eric Bana as Nero on bridge of Narada


Narada’s drilling rig fires on San Francisco Bay


A planet implodes (Vulcan? Romulus? Earth? Other?…no spoilers on this one)


Spock in command of the Enterprise during Nero’s attack on Vulcan


Dr. McCoy notes that Enterprise has no Captain (after Pike has been captured by Nero and Spock has been removed from command)



Kirk takes command of the USS Enterprise after returning from Delta Vega


ZOOM: Note interesting Alien in background (also seen in Academy scene above) and Scotty hidden behind Sulu




Kirk gets his first look at Delta Vega


Cadets McCoy and Kirk in Shuttle


USS Enterprise heads towards Narada



Spock’s ‘Jellyfish’ ship heads for impact with Narada


Winona Kirk during Kirk’s birth (Kelvin Yu as Starfleet Medical Tech in background)


Spock gives Uhura a hug


Kirk hangs on drilling platform above Vulcan


Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder) witnesses Narada attack on Vulcan



Kirk and Spock share a moment as ship heads to Vulcan


Sulu punches it



USS Enterprise warps to Vulcan


Kirk and Sulu fight Romulans on drilling rig above Vulcan


Sulu removes hood — now it’s personal


Sulu takes on Romulan with his folding katana


Kirk tries to rescue Sulu after he falls off platform (although neither have chutes and transporters aren’t working…yet)


Kirk crawls out of escape pod on Delta Vega after being ejected from Enterprise by Spock


Nero reveals he knows about Kirk’s backstory (from his future ‘other life’)


COMIC TIE-IN: Nero researches Kirk’s history in "Countdown" Star Trek movie prequel comic



Kirk runs from one Delta Vega monster…only to have another bigger monster eat the first one



Kirk waves hi to Uhura on shuttle headed to Academy (after meeting her in bar night before)


Scotty (Simon Pegg) arrives on Enterprise from Delta Vega



USS Enterprise navigates debris field in orbit around Vulcan


DETAIL ZOOM: Dead body floats by sun



Enterprise arrives at Vulcan


Nero spits out order to "fire everything"



Narada hits Enterprise with missile


George Kirk on bridge of USS Kelvin — his 12 minutes as Captain come to a fiery end


Kirk at Academy gets busy with Orion (Rachel Nichols)


Spock beams down to Vulcan to save parents and Vulcan council


Kirk looks into awaiting arrival of Enterprise at Vulcan


Narada missile heads towards USS Kelvin

 

Watch it again
Trailer now online at the official site and
at the Apple Trailers Star Trek page (in HD).

 
CLICK TO SEE TRAILER AT APPLE.com

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More trailer analysis and details
And in case you missed it, check out our previous shot-by-shot analyses:

Much of the above analysis is based on scenes in the trailer that were also shown during the 20-minute press preview held last Fall. For more on that see TrekMovie full analysis.

 

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This movie is going to be great. The trailers have been exciting, and this one is incredible.

I really hope Vulcan doesn’t get destroyed.

The zoom I’d most like to see (sadly, far beyond the resolution available) is what tracks are available on that jukebox in the bar. Maybe we’ll see that in some “Art of Star Trek” type guide showing off the set details :)

And even after this level of dissection, I’m still happy to say: I like this trailer. And what a relief that is.

Thanks for not spoiling the planet destruction shot :) (I really didn’t want to know which planet was being eaten!)

Pretty stuff! But one thing’s been niggling at the back of my mind. Maybe Bob Orci could explain?

How does the Enterprise have the time to get to a planet as far out on the frontier as Delta Vega when the crisis is happening within 20 light-years of Earth? Seems like a really long trip just to dump off a troublesome crewmember. Or am I missing something here?

In shot 22 next to Scotty in the background there appears to be someone under guard with his hands up…who is that?

Is it that you don’t HAVE any spoilers on the imploding planet or just don’t want to share them? lol.

Is it possible that the assembly scene at the academy is also at the end of the movie, if Kirk and Spock go their separate ways (if Kirk actually goes serve on a couple other ships before returning to the Enterprise as captain)?

#6 – The guy with his hands up *is* Scotty.

Great Analysis. I didnt notice that dead body in the debris field. Which is something considering I watched the trailer like 50000000000 times.

Wow. keeps making me wanting to see it more and more. Can’t wait to see hoe Kirk got away with reprogramming the simulation so he could rescue the ship. To see the look on all the cadets faces as he gets his commendation for doing so. Should be fun.

9 – I’m surprised he didn’t point out the name “Lowe” on the destroyed saucer that the Enterprise passes

This will ROCK!!!!!!!!

Very Cool !

:o)

Checkov and McCoy cadets the same time Kirk is? BS.

Im so excited!

Also, It takes Kirk one night to both decide to go and then get into the Academy? Did it take Wesley Crusher 3 attempts in 4 years to finally go? Wow, the standards certainly changed in 100 years. A product of the alternative universe perhaps?

#16. I do agree. But I think not everythig is at it seems. I Believe that we will see some different things in the movie. different timelines and everything. Who knows. We could see Daniels from the 30th century come in and help correct things. But we will see.

Who knew Iowa Bars were so rowdy?

14. 16. Eli1477

I don’t recall exactly, but I remember someone intimating that McCoy entered Starfleet already as a doctor.

Plus, this is essentially the same Kirk, presumably with the same prowess as the one in the prime timeline. It’s just that Nero’s time-traveling shenanigans have messed with his back story a bit. I think…

And you just compared Wesley Crusher with Kirk. I think most people would say there’s no comparison there. :)

I’m curious about the Spock/Uhura hug.

Is it a happy hug she gives as a sign of relief and Spock’s nonplussed because he’s being Vulcan.

Or is it a consoling from Uhura and Spock is stunned because something terrible has happened. You know, don’t wish to spoil it.

-cs™

I’m so excited by this movie that I may not sleep for the next two months!
I feel like it’s gonna be good.
Also, to all the people who are still upset by the direction the story seems to have taken and the adherence to canon (or lack thereof) this film seems to be closer to the spirit of TOS than TNG, DS9, VOY, or ENT ever was. (In my humble opinion)

59 days!
STAR TREK LIVES!

16. Eli1477 – March 8, 2009
“Also, It takes Kirk one night to both decide to go and then get into the Academy? Did it take Wesley Crusher 3 attempts in 4 years to finally go?”

I knew James T. Kirk, Wesley Crusher is no James T. Kirk.

Did anyone happen to notice what looks like an old school communicator on George Kirk’s belt? Also, is he kneeling in the chair?

So… Older Spock… Dies?

Got to say that Eric Bana is looking the part. He looks absolutely mental. I’m very much looking forward to his performance.

#14 – I could buy McCoy and Kirk at the Academy at the same time: it would make sense McCoy joining later in life, after being a doctor for a while. But I have problems with Chekov being there at the same time. Chekov is 12-13 years younger than Kirk. I assume that in this timeline, Kirk may not have joined StarFleet at the same time as he did in the Prime timeline, but Kirk didn’t wait around 12-13 years before he joined StarFleet. Even if he was in his 4th year and Chekov was in his 1st, that is still too much of a stretch. That seems to make Chekov much older in this timeline.
I realize this is a reboot, but in this case the reboot is IN continuity in the form of the timeline being altered, so the pre-existing conditions apply. I am assuming that the people in this timeline, specifically Chekov, are the same people as in the Prime timeline, and have the same ages as in the Prime timeline. Or, is this a different Pavel Chekov, one who is older, and not the same person at all?

Wow… The ship that George Kirk is commanding looks really TOS-y… nice touch…

I reiterate my crackpot theory that the altered timeline started by the Kelvin’s destruction caused Chekov to be born sooner, which is why he’s older in this film.

Why not? It could work for anyone younger than Kirk. In fact maybe Sulu was born later than before too!

Just to elaborate, since people are bringing up Chekov’s age:

1. Chekov’s parents served on the Kelvin
2. In the original timeline, they didn’t have him till many years later
3. In the altered timeline, they conceived Chekov soon after surviving the Kelvin’s destruction

So in the altered timeline Chekov is closer to Kirk’s age. That’s my crackpot theory.

Just in case anyone didn’t know –
The official movie website has a piece of Michael Giacchino’s music for the movie on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Skip past the trailer, and wait. You’ll be led down the corridor as usual, and when you come to a stop, a few minutes of the “Star Trek” score plays.

I think it sounds terrific.

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

“fire everything!!”

It has been bothering me that George Kirk is up on his knees in that shot. It looks like a very unsafe way to sit during turbulence. :)

I’m glad that JJ Abrams decided to include aliens that look like they could conceivably be aliens, not humans with 30 different types of ridges on their nose/forehead.

Also, I’m fairly sure in the wide shot of the cadets at the Academy, that’s Sulu standing between Uhura and Chekov.

As for the Chekov thing, it’s obvious that *this* Chekov is not 12 years than Kirk. Having to tell an epic “TOS beginning” story requires all the characters together on the bridge, and this change in age is obviously required. Call it artistic requirement. It’s not such a big issue, in my opinion.

12 years *younger* than Kirk, in my last post.

NOTE: The corpse in the debris field is infact Shatners cameo.

16

About Kirk deciding to go to Starfleet and the next day getting in: one of these websites had a detailed report of the 20 min reel presentation given to journalists. They were given the whole scene where Pike convinces Kirk to enlist. Pike specifically says to him something about Kirk having aced all the entrance exams, and then that spiel about his dad saving 800 lives and challenging him to do better.

Continued from above- I forgot to add, apparently Kirk aced the exams but doesn’t really care if he gets in or not, he’s kinda portrayed as aimless and directionless, until Pike gives him the pep talk. Also, I don’t know if I’m remembering this point correctly or it’s my imagination, but I think one of those 800 lives was Pike himself.

As always the Trekmovie.com crew give us more that we deserve!

I am biased but I have to say…… the finest crew on the net!

If only everything else in life was so satisfying

Much love

#32: I’m happy about the aliens too. That’s one of those details that has always obviously been a budget issue; trying to canonize latex forehead applications as a “rule” of the Trek universe has never washed with me (especially given how much of a fan I am of the animated eps).

And also yeah to George Kirk kneeling in the captain’s seat :) But I do like how they gave his uniform “old guy” pants (belt at the navel level, and can probably be hiked up to the nipples if you want to) because it gives him a very old-school, even pre-TOS vibe (something Enterprise never quite managed, IMO).

Nice article. I never noticed the other Enterprise crew members in the crowd at the Academy.

If anyone wants more screencaps, you can head here:

http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=288

#39 “And also yeah to George Kirk kneeling in the captain’s seat ”

I don’t think he’s kneeling. In my opinion he is simply pushed away from the captain’s seat by a huge explosion.

#23. NO, George Kirk is not keeing on the chair. He is blown forward from his chair thrue the explosion in the background…

I don’t care about the naysayers, the Enterprise looks gorgeous in these shots….

And George Kirk is in deep doo-doo — that’s a good thing, too, because most of the time on Star Trek things don’t look dire enough (blowing up the bridge stations is not enough).

I still fail to see how time travel could make it so the enterprise goes from being built in San Fransisco ship yards in orbit of earth to on earth in Iowa…but I dont think there is any logical explanation for that. Like I can accept that now Kirk is born in space and not Iowa, that’s within reason, but not the Enterprise. The rest of the stuff is weird to, like that it seems like everyone starts out at the accademy at the same time yet there ends up such a big gap in ranks in not too much time. It worries me, but I’ll wait to pass final judgment until I see the movie.

2, agreed. The planet implosion graphics are pretty amazing though.

Thanks to TrekMovie for the “shot-by-shot analysis” of the new trailer. No new information but it’s much appreciated. I am looking forward to the new film and it will hopefully usher in a new, exciting, and excellent era of Trek.

#44

As someone pointed out in another thread, it seems that Starfleet is a highly meritocratic organization. If you are good, you climb the chain of command faster than nowadays military corps.

43, you are quite correct about the battle damage in Star Trek especially in TOS and TNG. They got much better in DS9 and VOY but never quite got there other than in “Year of Hell”. However, in ENT: “Azati Prime” they nailed it and it looked like the Enterprise crew were indeed in serious trouble.

Yeah, obviously George Kirk isn’t sitting on his knees on the bridge of a ship about to be destroyed. He’s being thrown. End of story. I think the movie is going to be awesome. I WANT it to be awesome. I’m pretty sure that’s Romulus imploding. It said earlier that Romulus gets destroyed and that’s why Nero goes all crazy.

Why does the George Kirk exploding carton character look so cartoonish?? It doesnt make sense…

I’m wondering about the cast of a possible new TV series. Paramount is surely thinking about it, to take advantage of the new vibe and bring TOS back (I don’t see the point in a new post-TNG Bermanesque setting). But I don’t think that Pegg-Urban-Quinto-Pine will be available for a TV show. New recast?