Star Trek Beyond " No ship , no crew . The frontier pushes back . " After stopping off at Starbase Yorktown , a remote outpost on the fringes of Federation space , the USS " Enterprise " , halfway into its five - year mission , is destroyed by a powerful , unstoppable wave of unknown aliens . With the crew stranded on an unknown planet and with no apparent means of rescue , they find themselves in conflict with a new ruthless enemy who has a well - earned hatred of the Federation and what it stands for . Summary . Prologue . In early 2263 , on the planet of Teenax , Captain is negotiating a treaty between the Teenaxi Delegation and the Fibonan Republic who are long - term enemies . He presents a piece of an ancient weapon as a gesture of goodwill , but the Teenaxian leader asks where it comes from . When Kirk says the Fibonan s acquired it a long time ago , the Teenaxians accuse the Fibonans of stealing the artifact . The Teenaxians ( who turn out to be quite small creatures compared to Humans ) , attack Kirk . As a result , he flips open his communicator and urgently asks that he be beamed up . He is eventually evacuated to the , accidentally taking two Teenaxians with him . Walking down a corridor in his torn uniform , Kirk is followed by and . Kirk asks his first officer to log the artifact in the ship ' s archive vault . " " Jim , you look like crap , " " McCoy says . Kirk sarcastically thanks the doctor . When McCoy asks the captain if he is all right , Kirk replies , " " Never better . Just another day in the fleet . " " Act One . The stardate is 2263 . 2 . It has been nine hundred and sixty - five days since the USS " Enterprise " began its five - year mission . The " Enterprise " arrives at Starbase Yorktown , an extensive deep space colony containing a large city , to replenish dwindling supplies while the crew takes shore leave . Struggling to find continued meaning in his duties as captain , and becoming increasingly affected by thoughts of the death of his father , , Kirk applies for a promotion to vice admiral . Meanwhile , Spock and deal with a time - out in their relationship ; reunites with his husband and their young daughter ; and Montgomery Scott struggles to keep the ship operational . Spock is also distraught to find that his alternate reality counterpart has recently passed away . An escape pod is found drifting out of a nearby nebula and its occupant , Kalara , claims her ship is stranded on the planet Altamid , which is located past the dangerous , unexplored nebula that will block communications with Starfleet . In a meeting with Yorktown ' s commanding officer Commodore , Kirk volunteers the " Enterprise " for the rescue mission , and they get through the nebula with some difficulty , and eventually arrive at Altamid , which Spock finds to be a sparsely - populated class M world . Not long after arrival , the " Enterprise " comes under attack from a swarm of thousands of small , heavily - armed alien ships . Kirk orders a counterattack , but the " Enterprise " is overwhelmed by the enemy ' s sheer volume and strength ; the ship ' s phaser s , navigational deflector , and warp nacelle s are destroyed within minutes . With the " Enterprise " crippled and helpless , several of the attacking ships latch on , and a boarding party commanded by the swarm ' s leader , Krall , boards the ship . They make their way to the ship ' s vault , and on the way there Krall captures and drains the life force from several " Enterprise " crewmen , leaving them as withered husks . Scott attempts to restore power to the ship ' s impulse drive by feeding it from the warp core , but Krall orders the swarm to resume its attack . They destroy the neck section of the " Enterprise " , separating the saucer and engineering hulls , and leaving the saucer powerless due to Scott ' s modifications , leaving no way of switching over to the saucer ' s reserve power without a separation . Spock and Dr . McCoy are in a turbolift car that is ejected into space and subsequently captured by a swarm craft , but they managed to get into the craft and overpower its occupants . Krall arrives at the ship ' s vault and takes the artifact from the " Enterprise " s mission from Teenax . However , Kirk gets to the artifact first and gives it to Ensign Syl before ordering the crew to abandon ship . As the separated engineering hull begins to disintegrate , most of the crew escape in , only for the swarm ships to capture them and drag them back to the planet . Seeing this , Scott fires himself out of the ship in a advanced long - range torpedo casing . Kirk goes to separate the saucer from the neck but Krall attacks him before Kirk can initiate the separation . Uhura goes on to separate the saucer and gets left behind with Krall in the neck section while Kirk is on the saucer side . Kirk reaches the bridge , which by now is occupied only by Sulu , , Kalara , and a few other crewmen . However , Chekov reports that the saucer is too badly damaged to keep in orbit , and will crash within minutes . Kirk orders the remaining crew to abandon the ship by Kelvin pod s once it enters the atmosphere ( though everyone except for himself , Chekov , and Kalara are also captured ) , and is the last person to leave the " Enterprise " . Moments later , the saucer crashes into a mountain range , and what remains of it crash - lands in a field , embedding itself into the earth . Act Two . Scott , who has landed elsewhere , is saved from some of the planet ' s unruly inhabitants by an alien scavenger named Jaylah and taken to her makeshift home , which he discovers to be the wreckage of that went missing almost one hundred years prior . Meanwhile , the swarm craft hijacked by Spock and McCoy crash - lands on the planet , badly injuring Spock and forcing McCoy to perform some very hasty surgery in order to save his life . After discovering that the alien artifact originated from the planet on which they had crash - landed , Spock reveals to McCoy that he is reconsidering his place in Starfleet after Spock Prime ' s death . The two are then attacked by the swarm only to be saved by Scott , who has repaired the " Franklin " s transporter system . Meanwhile , Kirk and Chekov force Kalara to admit she lured the " Enterprise " into a trap , claiming that Krall promised to return her crew to her in exchange for the " Enterprise " and her own crew . With their tricorder s having insufficient range to locate the rest of the crew , the trio board the crashed saucer in order to use its sensors . Kirk pretends to go to retrieve the artifact in a corridor and Kalara turns on him and reveals that her " crew " never existed ; she ' s been in league with Krall from the very start . Fortunately , Kirk had seen through her , and Chekov rescues him as more of Krall ' s troopers arrive . Outnumbered and trapped , Kirk ignites the fuel tank for the saucer ' s maneuvering thruster s , which allows them to escape , but also causes the saucer to flip over , killing Kalara and the troopers , and causing the fuel tanks to explode , leaving the mostly - destroyed saucer as all that remains of the USS " Enterprise " . Meanwhile , Krall demands the artifact , threatening to kill Sulu if he does not get it . Syl relents and gives Krall the artifact , which he reveals to be the final component of a weapon called the Abronath that attacks organic tissue and which he intends to unleash on Starbase Yorktown . Krall then tests the weapon on Syl , dissolving her completely in the process . When the group consisting of McCoy , Spock , Scott , Kirk , Chekov , and Jaylah has ascertained the location of the captured crew through Uhura ' s vokaya amulet , the group formulates a plan to infiltrate Krall ' s base . Jaylah is initially fearful of this , remembering the death of her family at the hands of Krall and his people , but Scott and Kirk are able to persuade her to help out . Act Three . As Krall departs for Starbase Yorktown , Kirk , McCoy , Spock , and Jaylah rescue the crew before repairing the " Franklin " and also setting a course for the starbase . Spock and McCoy beam aboard an attacking drone ship and discover a way to disrupt the drones ' cohesion , allowing the " Franklin " and the starbase to destroy much of the drone fleet using discordant noise on a very high frequency ( VHF ) , provided courtesy of Jaylah ' s collection of " classical " late 20th century music . After a brief battle between the swarm and Yorktown ' s defenses , Krall still manages to board the starbase despite the Battle of Yorktown , which eventually culminates in the " Franklin " intercepting his ships in a maneuver near the starbase ' s central control complex . As they look for him , Uhura learns from the " Franklin " s video logs that Krall ' s original name was Balthazar Edison and that he was born Human . Before his sudden disappearance , Edison had been the captain of the " Franklin " . He had been declared missing in action by Starfleet , and had ended up crashing onto Altamid , which was a former mining colony of an alien species known as the Ancient Ones , who had left drone equipment and other technology behind . Edison , and at least two of his crewmates , had used the remains of this technology to prolong their lives , and to build new military vessels . However , the use of the life - extension technology had also rendered the former members of the " Franklin " unrecognizable as Humans because they acquired some of the biological attributes of the other species they lured for their consumption . Once Krall / Edison is on board the " Franklin " , he steals a command division and reverts to a mostly Human appearance after draining the life force from several more " Enterprise " crewmembers , healing the injuries he suffered when his ship was crushed . Krall / Edison prepares to deploy the bioweapon , leading to a chase through the base . Kirk confronts Krall / Edison in the life support hub , and they fight in anti - gravity and weightless conditions in the life support section of Yorktown . Krall / Edison expounds his theory that Humanity needs to be in a state of conflict in order to progress , and that the Federation has stifled this process by bringing about peace in large areas of the galaxy . The fight ends with both Krall / Edison and the Abronath bioweapon being ejected into space , where the Abronath devours him . Kirk is rescued from suffering the same fate by Spock and McCoy in their hijacked drone . Kirk tells Spock he doesn ' t know what he would do without him , causing him to contemplate his decision to leave Starfleet . Commodore Paris closes the unsolved cases of the fate of Captain Edison and the crew of the USS " Franklin " . She commends Kirk for his actions and informs him that his promotion to the admiralty is assured . However , Kirk respectfully declines the offer , his experience having rejuvenated his spirit to be a Starfleet officer , stating that " admirals don ' t fly " . Remaining a starship captain , Kirk allows McCoy to lead him to a gathering where McCoy has planned a surprise birthday party for his friend . At a loss for words , Kirk instead raises a toast to the late starship " Enterprise " and to their fallen comrades . Spock allows himself a look at some of Ambassador Spock ' s personal effects and finds a photograph of him and his prime reality comrades on the bridge of their " Enterprise " . Reminding himself of his earlier discussion with Dr . McCoy , Spock elects to live as his alternate self did and remains serving in Starfleet . Kirk offers his condolences on Ambassador Spock ' s passing to his friend , which Spock accepts and begins to renew his relationship with Uhura . A despondent Jaylah , also present at the gathering , has consumed a large number of alcoholic beverages , which she had been told would " take her edge off " , but is clearly not having much of an effect . Hoping to boost her spirits , Scott presents Jaylah with an acceptance letter into Starfleet Academy , courtesy of a few strings pulled by Kirk , who also warns her that Starfleet has many rules but not to follow all of them . As Kirk and Spock look out of a massive window , they view the construction of a new starship . Considering the perils that had befallen the " Enterprise " and her crew since they were first assembled five years earlier , McCoy questions whether or not they really should go back out into space . As the starship finishes construction , its primary hull proudly displays her name and registry : . Kirk , Spock , Scott , McCoy , Sulu , Chekov , and Uhura can be heard taking turns paraphrasing Zefram Cochrane : Memorable quotes . " " To perfect eyesight and a full head of hair . " " " " You guys break up ? What ' d you do ? " " " " A typically reductive inquiry , doctor . " " " " You know Spock , if an Earth girl says , uh , ' it ' s me , not you ' , it ' s definitely " you . " " " I am Lieutenant Nyota Uhura of the USS " Enterprise " . And you have committed an act of war against the Federation . " " " " Federation ? ! Federation is an act of war . " " " " Your captain . . . why did you sacrifice yourself for him ? " " " " He would have done the same . And if he made it off that ship , he will come for us . " " " " I am counting on it , Lieutenant Uhura . " " " " Yeah , they say it hurts less if it ' s a surprise . " " " " If I may adopt a parlance with which you are familiar , I can confirm your theory to be horseshit . " " " " Come now , Montgomery Scotty . " " " " Leaving me behind will significantly increase your chances of survival , Doctor . " " " " Well that ' s damn chivalrous of you , but completely out of the question . " " " " It is imperative that you locate any surviving crew . " " " " Here I was thinking you cared . " " " " Of course I care , Leonard . I always assumed my respect for you was clear . The dialogue we have had across the years has always . . . " " " " It ' s okay , Spock . You don ' t have to say it . " " " [ McCoy and Spock are surrounded by three of Krall ' s drone ships ] " " " Well , at least I won ' t die alone ! " " " [ Spock is beamed out from behind McCoy ] " " " Well that ' s just " typical . " " " This is where the frontier pushes back . " " " " You ' re part of something bigger now , lassie . Right ? Dinnae give up on that . ' Cause we ' ll sure as hell never give up on you . That is what being part of a crew is all about . " " " " What happened to you out there , Edison ? " " " " Ed - i - son ? I have to say , Kirk , I missed being me . We lost ourselves , but gained a purpose ! A means to bring the galaxy back to the struggle that made Humanity strong . " " " " I think you ' re underestimating Humanity . " " " " I fought for Humanity ! Lost millions to the Xindi and Romulan wars . And for what ? For the Federation ? ! To sit me in a captain ' s chair and break bread with the enemy ! " " " " We change . We have to . Or we spend the rest of our lives fighting the same battles . " " " " You lost . There ' s no way for you to make it back there ! Give up ! " " " " What , like you did ? ! I read your ship ' s logs , Captain James T . Kirk . At least I know what I am ! I ' m a soldier ! " " " " You won the war , Edison . You gave us peace ! " " " " Peace . . . is not what I was born into . " " " " You . . . can ' t stop it . You will die . " " " " Better to die saving lives , than to live with taking them . That ' s what " I " was born into . " " " " To the " Enterprise " . . . and to absent friends . " " " " You really want to head back out there , huh ? " " " " Space . The final frontier . " " " " These are the voyages of the starship . . . " " " " . . . " Enterprise " . Its continuing mission . . . " " " " . . . to explore strange new worlds . . . " " " " . . . to seek out new life . . . " " " " . . . and new civilizations . . . " " " . . . to boldly go where no one has gone before . " " Background information . Story . The film takes place two - and - a - half years into the characters ' five - year mission , when the is attacked by the Swarm and the crew is marooned on an unknown world as a consequence . They gain an ally in Sofia Boutella ' s alien warrior , Jaylah . Idris Elba plays the Swarm ' s leader , Krall , who detests the Federation ' s philosophy and opposes its introduction to the wider galaxy . Elba said , " " There ' s definitely an opposing argument to the good that the Federation think they do . There are purists that believe in independence , and believe that we ' re all made differently for a reason , and will fight tooth and nail to defend that . There ' s massive relatability to modern world politics in that sense . " " J . J . Abrams had stated he would like more female characters in the sequel . He also mentioned the sequel could fall back on abandoned story ideas for the characters . " " There was [ an idea ] implying the sexuality of one of the characters , a back story for another character that was pretty intense , a really funny story we wanted to do with yet another . Hopefully , if there are future films , those other stories will get their moment , " " he said . Roberto Orci has voiced support for having a gay character . William Shatner was contacted about a possible role in the film . Along with Shatner , Leonard Nimoy had been rumored to appear , in a scene with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto , as the future alternate reality versions of the characters . In the wake of Nimoy ' s death on , Simon Pegg mentioned there will be some tribute to the late actor in the final film . On , Pegg mentioned that it was possible Shatner could portray Kirk again at some point , but Shatner has confirmed he will not appear and he never discussed it . Shatner ' s Kirk and Nimoy ' s Spock appear in the film in a still handled by the actor Zachary Quinto . Zoë Saldana stated she would dislike it if and broke up , describing that possibility as potentially " heartbreaking " for her . Concerning the film ' s action quotient , she speculated , " " I ' m pretty sure that for this third installment , we ' ll be able to sort of [ . . . ] be more hands - on . " " Lin said their relationship will be consistent and acknowledge what came before . Bruce Greenwood has expressed hope that could return , which he referred to as a " deep , deep wish to come back . " Although Pike dies in " Star Trek Into Darkness " , Greenwood suspected ' s revitalizing blood could be used to bring Pike back to life . As a result , he confirmed , laughing , that he would be interested in reprising the role in " " Star Trek III : The Search for Pike " " , an in - joke reference to the title of . In a serious manner , Greenwood related he would be interested in further resolution to the relationship between Pike and Kirk . ( " Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 " , p . 21 ) In reference to Kirk , he concluded , " " Whatever happens in the third film , it will give the audience a sense of progression and change ; an arc and a character that ' s really growing with them . " " ( " SciFiNow " , issue 80 , p . 26 ) On , the on - line movie and television news site FilmDivider . com reported that , for the new " Star Trek " film , three new major female roles would be cast . One of them would be the President of the United Federation of Planets , one would be a starship captain , and the third would be an ex - wife of Doctor , who was to be depicted as having several former wives . The male villain would be a - like type and the website also stated that Cranston was in talks with the studio . All this proved to be false . Title . The working title for this sequel was " Washington " and " Washington Project " . On , announced that " Star Trek Beyond " " may be the title " of the film . The title was later confirmed by Director Justin Lin . Development . Under Roberto Orci . Producer Bryan Burk commented that Paramount wanted the third film to take less time to produce than " Star Trek Into Darkness " took , and that 2016 – the 50th anniversary of " Star Trek " – would be a logical year to release it . Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman added that Paramount insisted on a 2016 release date . J . J . Abrams , who directed and " Star Trek Into Darkness " , chose to direct " Star Wars Episode VII " , and accordingly only produce this film . Abrams noted , " " Having directed pilots and movies and then having seen subsequent directors work on those shows or do their own versions of those films – time and again I have seen it done better . " " Patrick McKay stated , " " Bad Robot , J . J . , and his team are really at the heart of this movie ' s development . They are the guiding light by which we all do our work . J . J . ' s been a key part of helping us spin this tale from the beginning , and if there are people who think that we ' ve lost him to " Star Wars " this time around , that ’ s not the truth as far as we see it . " " In an interview published on , Michael Giacchino expressed he was open to return to score the film , saying , " " I ’ d be happy and honored to do another if that was in the future . " " In , J . J . Abrams acknowledged rumors that could helm the sequel , stating , " " He ' s incredibly talented , and we ' d be lucky to have someone as talented as Rupert . But there are things we ' re focusing on right now before the director , which is just sort of the fundamentals of where the story is gonna go . " " On , it was reported that director was Paramount ' s choice to direct the film , though reports differed as to whether or not he had already begun negotiations to join the project . According to " Variety " , Cornish was offered the film once before , in , but had turned it down . Abrams voiced his support for Cornish , stating , " " I don ' t know if [ he ] is the guy . My guess is that ' s up in the air . I adore him and love him and can ' t wait to see what he does next . Hopefully , it will be " Star Trek . " On , it was announced that up - and - coming screenwriters J . D . Payne and Patrick McKay would be writing the script alongside Roberto Orci . It was also announced that Alex Kurtzman would not be involved with the project , due to work on " The Amazing Spider - Man " movies and other projects . In , J . D . Payne explained they were trying to come up with a classic " Star Trek " storyline , where " " You should respond to this opportunity that the crew has that also has some pitfalls to it [ . . . ] It ' s sort of the Adam and Eve thing , where should we eat the fruit or not eat the fruit ? Well , there are some very compelling reasons why they should and why they shouldn ' t . So , [ there are ] similar kinds of things here that really give the whole movie an opportunity to sort of play with that , and have people come down on different sides and wrestle with it . " " In , it was revealed Roberto Orci had been lobbying to direct the film , but Paramount was reluctant to allow him , as he had never directed before . However , Bad Robot and Skydance Productions were supportive . At the US premiere of " Star Trek Into Darkness " on , Damon Lindelof hinted that the prospect the Klingons would declare war on the Federation would come to fruition , and that Benedict Cumberbatch would return as . However , Lindelof was not involved with the sequel . Later in May 2013 , Paramount relented to Roberto Orci ' s appeals , offering him the director ' s chair . In an interview published on , Patrick McKay implied the film may not have a villain , explaining that , while he loved , he also loved the other films " " that have a little bit more of the character relationships and the humor and some more of the speculative sci - fi elements . " " In , Roberto Orci clarified that he was not technically directing the film until Paramount approved the script . On , Orci proclaimed he had finished a first draft of the script . On , he revealed that the casting process for other characters had begun . On , Zachary Quinto stated he expected the film to start shooting within the next six months . The next day , it was confirmed that shooting would begin in , with a summer 2016 release date . An official announcement was to be made soon thereafter with a specific release date . As the domestic gross of " Star Trek Into Darkness " ( which stood at US $ 228 . 5 million ) was less than the first film , Paramount made the decision to film the sequel outside Los Angeles to save money . " " We ' re making it for what it should have been shot for last time if we had made it outside of L . A . , which we would have done except that [ J . J . Abrams ] didn ' t want to , " " a studio source told " The Hollywood Reporter " . " " That was a $ 20 million issue . " " On , Mayor Park Wonsoon confirmed he had met with the producers , including Jeffrey Chernov , and confirmed Seoul in South Korea as one of the filming location s for " Star Trek Beyond " . According to TrekMovie . com , the film would be shot primarily in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada , which would also be used for outside filming locations . Roberto Orci officially stepped down from directing the film on . Orci remained attached the project as an in - name producer , but ceased to by involved in production . While the film was without a director , Jonathan Frakes lobbied to be given the opportunity to direct the movie . ( " SFX " , issue 270 , p . 63 ) Under Justin Lin . On , it was announced that Justin Lin had been hired to direct the film . Two days later , it was announced that Roberto Orci will only produce the film and will no longer be involved in the writing process . A childhood fan of , Lin was called by J . J . Abrams while filming the second season of . After learning he was not beholden to any previous script , Lin decided to go " " new and fresh . The Klingon s , Romulan s and other species are great , but it ' s time to go further . It has been fun to focus on creating whole new worlds and species . " " Simon Pegg coined the title when he recognized Lin was trying to take " Star Trek " " beyond " . On , it was announced that principal filming would start on at Vancouver Film Studios in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . It was also announced that Simon Pegg and Doug Jung would help write the film . Jung came to stay at Pegg ' s house to co - write the script ; whenever they felt they completed enough of the rewrite , they would pass time by watching episodes of the original show . They also consulted Memory Alpha , with Pegg claiming " " We actually wrote to the Memory Alpha guys and got them to name a certain device in the movie . I sent them a letter saying , ' Can you come up with this for me ? ' In two hours , they came back with an entire etymological history of what the thing was . It ' s beautiful . It ’ s fantastic to have that support network . " " Simon Pegg commented Paramount felt Roberto Orci ' s script was " " a little bit too " Star Trek " - y . " Avengers Assemble " [ the release title of in the United Kingdom ] , which is a pretty nerdy , comic - book , supposedly niche thing , made $ 1 . 5 billion . " Star Trek Into Darkness " made half a billion , which is still brilliant . But it means that , according to the studio , there ' s still $ 1bn worth of box office that don ' t go and see " Star Trek " . And they want to know why . " " Pegg described the rewrite as being akin to " " mak [ ing ] a Western or a thriller or a heist movie , then populate that with " Star Trek " characters so it ' s more inclusive to an audience that might be a little bit reticent " . " Pegg also explained they wanted to mark the 50th anniversary by deconstructing the franchise . " " I felt like it was important to really deconstruct the idea of " Star Trek " , the idea of the Federation and why it ' s special . We ' ll really be poking at a lot of different things . " " He also said , " " We ' re gathering a great community within the galaxy , but to what end ? What does it all mean ? " " The character of Jaylah was inspired by Jennifer Lawrence ' s portrayal of Ree in the 2010 film " " . Pegg and Jung referred to her by Lawrence ' s nickname " J . Law " , eventually inspiring the name " Jaylah " . On , it was reported that filming was pushed back to begin on and continue on until September . In , Stephen F . Windon was confirmed as the film ' s cinematographer , replacing Roberto Orci ' s choice of Claudio Miranda . It was also confirmed that Nick Satriano had replaced the previously announced First Assistant Director Kim H . Winther . With the release of the official casting call , it was confirmed that shooting in Vancouver , B . C . would be starting on and continuing through . To be considered being an actor , extra , or crew member on the new film , a legal eligibility for working in Vancouver was a requirement . Extras casting would get underway in . On , it was reported that the first draft of the script had been finished . On , Michael Giacchino said he had not yet talked to the makers of " Star Trek Beyond " about the prospect of him returning to " Star Trek " in order to compose this film . The reason no contact had been made was partly because Giacchino himself had been extremely busy but also " " because they ' re in such a crazy schedule crunch [ . . . ] But I imagine that I will be talking to them soon about all of this , and we ' ll figure out what ’ s going to happen next , " " he said . Deep Roy was confirmed to be returning as Keenser on , having cancelled a convention appearance for filming on " Star Trek Beyond " . On , Michael Giacchino announced his participation in the movie by tweeting , " " So thrilled to be working with Justin Lin and the rest of the " Enterprise " crew on " Star Trek Beyond " ! Let ' s boldly go ! " " He commented that " Beyond " is not as gritty and earthbound as the previous two films , so the score would feel different . It was announced on that Joe Taslim had been cast in a key role opposite Idris Elba . On , Joseph Gatt confirmed that the character he played in , Science Officer 0718 , would not be returning for " Star Trek Beyond " , due to script rewrites eliminating his role from the story . The Italian press reported on that former Chelsea , Juventus , Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti had been cast to play a doctor . Bryan Burk observed , " " In the beginning , you could see a palpable sense of excitement as the cast started to work with [ Justin Lin ] . " " ( " SFX " , issue 270 , p . 71 ) Addressing the involvement of Roberto Orci and his co - writers John D . Payne and Patrick McKay , Justin Lin said on " " The WGA has to figure it out , because I don ’ t know who those writers are , I never met them . I came on , I had an idea and then Simon and Doug came on . I had one conversation with Orci after I came on , and that was it . " " While the first trailer credited Simon Pegg and Doug Jung , it also credited Roberto Orci , John D . Payne , and Patrick McKay . The second trailer only credited Pegg and Jung . Filming . It was reported that filming was pushed back again and was to begin on . On 25 , 26 , 29 and , the production filmed scenes in Squamish Boulders , Squamish , British Columbia . Filming took place around the Kacodemon Boulder and Cave Boulder for the first three shooting days . On the fourth day , filming took place south of the Black Dyke Boulder . The filming schedule was updated on 26 June 2015 and the first set photos as well as a sixteen - page filming permit contract went online . On , Executive Producer David Ellison revealed Dubai as a filming location . Three days later , Director Justin Lin revealed that the title was officially " Star Trek Beyond " , as well as releasing the first officially released set photo . On , reported some set photos from a large green screen build - up located at Kent Hangar Field , west of Vancouver International Airport . In addition , an enormous wooden construction was also spotted . This location was later revealed as a filming location for " War for the Planet of the Apes " . Between and , an open casting call for background roles was held by Miranda Davidson Studios at Dubai City Studio Soundstage , Building B , Ground Floor . On , several more set photos were published on the internet , backing the claim that a Federation starship crash landed on a planet . On , the first set photos from the filming were published by ScreenRush . com . Several shots gave a detailed view of Sanja Milkovic Hays ' newly designed Starfleet uniforms and also several shots of an alien character played by Sofia Boutella . On , the Dubai Film and TV Commission ( DFTC ) announced an internship program which would run from 13 September until 15 October 2015 . The organization meanwhile also confirmed Dubai was to be used as a filming location for " Star Trek Beyond " , in October 2015 . On and , Twitter users reported that " Star Trek Beyond " was filming at Triangle Road in Richmond , B . C . and at the Pitt River Quarries in Red Deer , B . C . In October 2015 , filming started in Dubai . Filming locations included the desert reserve Platinum Heritage and the Dubai Central Park Towers ground in front of the Central Park Tower and the Platinum Tower . During their filming in Dubai , several set photos were posted on Twitter , Instagram and other social media sites , including several images and videos of new alien species . Principal filming wrapped in Dubai on Thursday . On , it was announced that reshoots would occur the following week . It was also announced that Shohreh Aghdashloo would be playing the " " High Command of the Federation " " . Reshoots wrapped up on . Release . In October 2015 , " Allociné " , a French site for the dates of movie releases , reported that , in France , " Star Trek Beyond " will be released on and will be titled " Star Trek sans limites " . . In January 2016 , Paramount Pictures France advanced the release date to . The release date in Belgium , Switzerland , and French - speaking communities in Europe is also 17 August 2016 . The release date in Quebec and New Brunswick provinces and French - speaking communities in North America is 22 July 2016 , the same date as the United States . Despite not being permitted the chance to direct this film , Jonathan Frakes has nonetheless made supportive comments about it . For example , in the lead - up to the movie ' s release , he has remarked , " " I think Justin Lin is going to do a great job . I ' m looking forward to that . " " ( " SFX " , issue 270 , p . 63 ) Marketing . On , the cast of " Star Trek Beyond " announced " To Boldly Go " , a charity campaign in partnership with Omaze to benefit nine different children ' s charities : Those who donated would receive prizes , as well as a greater chance of winning a walk - on part in the film for them and a friend , depending on the amount they give . J . J . Abrams previously announced a similar campaign , " Force for Change " , for " Star Wars " Episode VII . Each week , two of the cast members announced a winner . The winners included Audrianna Davis and friend Summer , Amy and Karen Ackerman , Steven and Nick , Steve Lamb , Linda , and several others . Omaze reported on the set visit in late and announced Adam Horwitz as the winner of the walk - on role . A trailer for the film was released online on , and premiered in theaters before " Star Wars : The Force Awakens " . The trailer , which was set to the Beastie Boys ' " " as a callback to the 2009 film , drew a mixed response from fans as well as George Takei and Wil Wheaton . Simon Pegg admitted to being surprised by the trailer , speculating " " the marketing people [ were ] saying , ' Everyone come see this film , it ' s full of action and fun . ' When there is a lot more to it than that . I didn ' t love it because I know there is a lot more to the film . " " A full - length trailer was released on , to mixed reviews , but was better received than the teaser . There is a four - issue comic book series titled " " , though it is not branded as an official prequel to the film like previous IDW Publishing comics " " and " " . " Star Trek Beyond " is the first film in the franchise to not have a novelization . Collectible miniatures of starships from the film have been produced by Snapco and more are slated for release by Hallmark and Quantum Mechanix . Ben Robinson , the project manager of the " " partwork magazine , has announced that Eaglemoss Collections will be producing a USS " Enterprise " and a USS " Franklin " from the film as special issues . Another " Beyond " starship design will also be produced . Additional starship miniature premiums will be included with Paramount Pictures ' Amazon . com and Walmart home video releases . Concept art showing the " Franklin " has been posted at " TrekCore " . On , it was reported that Paramount had announced the film ' s international release dates . Thailand would be the first country to show the film , on , and Argentina the last , on . On , the first official still photo from the movie was released as part of " USA Today " s summer film preview . More photos were released later , including after the film ' s second trailer was released . A promotional single was released for the film in America , " " , by Rihanna . In China , a different track , " Lost in the Stars " was released by Chinese pop star Zhang Jie ( aka Jason Zhang ) . Posters . The first official teaser poster for the film was released alongside the second trailer . Soon after , character posters started being released . The posters featuring Sulu and Uhura had to be re - released following a gaffe that placed their insignia on the wrong side of the uniform . Box office . Despite receiving reviews as positive as its two predecessors , " Beyond " underperformed at the US box office . It opened with US $ 59 . 2 million , behind the last two films , and almost a month after its release it only grossed US $ 196 . 9 million worldwide , compared to its US $ 185 million budget . " Beyond " ultimately grossed US $ 158 . 8 million in North America , the lowest total of the three current " Star Trek " film series , though overseas it made approximately US $ 183 million , ahead of the first film . At a total gross of US $ 341 . 9 million , it was the least successful of the trilogy . " Forbes " commented Paramount should have given the film a lower budget : " " The thing that made [ " Beyond " ] most appealing to the fans , that it played like a smaller - scale 50th - anniversary homage to the spirit and tone of the original show , was the thing that arguably doomed it in terms of blockbuster success . " Star Trek Beyond " was what its fans wanted it to be . There is value in that over the long run . But Paramount and friends need to realize that " Star Trek " is never going to be a " Guardians of the Galaxy " - level success and plan accordingly . " " Awards and honors . " Star Trek Beyond " received the following awards and honors . Links and references . Credits . < tabview > Credits for Star Trek Beyond | Show Template : Tabview message | Hide | true | true < / tabview > References . 2164 ; 2204 ; 2263 ; acid ; Akima ' s species ; Ancient Ones ; Abronath ; Altamid ; ; Attack on Krall ' s base ; Attack on Yorktown ; away team ; backseat driver ; barn dance ; Battle of Altamid ; Beastie Boys ; bed ; bedside manner ; bee ; birthday ; birthday party ; Book ( device ) ; bread ; camouflage ; cargo shuttle ; cauterization ; classical music ; closed network ; Code 1 - Alpha - Zero ; commodore ; compression chamber ; Co - Co ' s species ; crash landing ; critical alert ; dark ages ; dilithium chamber ; distress call ; Earth - Romulan War ; EPS ; EPS conduit ; ; ; Enhancement sequencing unit ; environmental processor ; escape pod ; excellency ; excrement ; fan ; favoritism ; Fibonan ; Fibonan High Council ; Fibonan Republic ; Federation archive ; " Fight the Power " ; Five - year mission ; ; Gagarin Radiation Belt ; General Council ; gift ; Glenfiddich ; goggles ; goo ; Green ( color ) ; headband ; hell ; Hewlett Packard Enterprise ; horse ; horse and buggy ; horseshit ; IFF ; image refractor ; inertial damper ; Jaylah ' s drinks ; Jaylah ' s family ; Jaylah ' s species ; Jaylah stick ; Kalara ' s crew ; Kalara ' s escape pod ; Kalara ' s ship ; Kelvin pod ; Kevin ; ; ; Krall ' s base ; Krall ' s command ship ; locker ; Lord y ; Magellan probe ; Manas ' language ; manual release room ; medical school ; megahertz ; memorial ; military ; Military Assault Command Operations ; monorail ; monstrosity ; murder ; Murrysville ; Natalia ; nebula ; Necro Cloud ; New Vulcan ; Park ; Pennsylvania ; polarized hull plating ; police ; protoplaser ; Public Enemy ; pulse phaser cannon ; puncture ; PX70 motorcycle ; Quarantine ( device ) ; radio ; refractor belt ; renting ; Romulan ale ; Russia ; " " ; ; San Francisco Fleet Yards ; safety area ; ; saucer separation ; Saurian brandy ; Scotch ; ; Shlerm ; shrapnel ; ; sneeze ; snow globe ; space lane ; spatial torpedo ; Spock ( prime ) ; stabilizer ; star cocktail ; Starfleet Charter ; Starfleet uniform ( mid 2160s ) ; ; subspace link ; Swarm drone ; Swarm gun ; Swarm ship ; " Takayama " - type shuttlecraft ; survival kit ; Teenax ; Teenaxi ; Teenaxi Delegation ; Teenaxi symbols ; Thasus ; theft ; thief ; toast ; tracking device ; train ; treaty ; turbolift ; United Earth Military ; United Federation of Planets ; universal translator ; unnamed plants ; vein ; VHF ; vice admiral ; vodka ; vokaya ; ; ; warp coil ; welcome mat ; Wilbur ' s species ; ; wormhole ; wristwatch ; Yorktown ; Yorktown Central Plaza ; Yorktown database ; Yorktown Headquarters ; Yorktown satellite s ; Yorktown sentry ship ; Yorktown tree ; Xindi incident Diagnostic wrap display . Cellular collapse ; Critical alert ; foreign substance ; Organ failure Public transporter menu . Arts / Culture ; Attractions ; Bar s / Nightclub s ; Garden s ; Museum s ; Park s / Nature ; Restaurant s ; sightseeing ; zone Spock Prime ' s obituary . 2230 ; 2263 ; ambassador ; executive officer ; second officer ; stardate ; ; Unreferenced material . Andorian herpes ; ; Cialis ; Deep C - Zar ; gangorian clam ; Hilts ; ; Romaine