Star Trek Beyonddid the coolest thing with Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) iconic speech. SinceStar Trek: The Original Series, every live-actionStar Trekshow about the USS Enterprise began with the famous monologue,“Space… the final frontier…“Kirk’s original mantra was themission statement of the Starship Enterprise, explainingStar Trek’s core premise of the five-year mission, and boldly exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new civilizations.
One of the most pleasing aspects ofStar Trek Beyondis that it’s the closest of the trilogy of films produced by J.J. Abrams to recapture the spirit ofStar Trek: The Original Series. Star Trek(2009) was a reboot in every way, transformingStar Trekinto a thrilling, action-packed roller coaster with blockbuster special effects.Star Trek Into Darknessperhaps pushed the cinematic chaos a bit too far. However,Star Trek Beyond,written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, and directed by Justin Lin, touched upon the themes of friendship, trust, and teamwork that were hallmarks of 1960sStar Trek. AndStar Trek Beyondgave Captain Kirk’s classic mission statement a long-needed upgrade.
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Star Trek Beyond’s Cast Delivered Captain Kirk’s Classic Speech
The USS Enterprise’s crew finally gave the mission statement
At the end ofStar Trek Beyond, the entirecrew of the USS Enterprisedelivered Captain Kirk’s iconic"Space…. the final frontier…” speech together, transforming it from a monologue to a team effort. Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) opened the familiar mantra, with Lt. Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) delivering the all-important closing piece,“To boldly go where no one has gone before.“Not only is it an electric moment to witness, but, finally,Star Trekrecognized that it’s the whole crew of the Starship Enterprise, not just the Captain, that makesStar Trek’s mission work.
Star Trek Beyondends with Captain Kirk gathering with his crew to celebrate their victory over thevillain Krall (Idris Elba)after saving Starbase Yorktown. While Kirk and his people are licking their wounds, they are hopeful and toast to the future as they watch the construction of their new starship, the USS Enterprise-A. When the next generation of the Enterprise launches, it’s beyond fitting that her entire crew announces her mission statement.Star Trek Beyond’s climax is a rebirth of the USS Enterprisethat warps the franchise towards the final frontier. Although, sadly, fans have waited nearly a decade forStar Trek 4and the Starship Enterprise’s continuing voyages.
How Star Trek Has Changed Captain Kirk’s Classic Speech
“Space… the final frontier…” has evolved with the times
Captain Kirk’s monologue that kicked off the opening credits of everyStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisodeis a succinct and propulsive mission statement that has been an iconic part of pop culture for almost 60 years.However, it has also aged and is a reflection of its era. At the end ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who died at the end of the film, delivers theStar Trekmovies' inaugural version ofStar Trek’s mantra, with some changes. Spock refers to the"continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise"and corrects the original reference of a"five-year mission"to"her ongoing mission”.Spock also specifies seeking out"new life forms"instead of Kirk’s"new life and new civilizations.”
Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is the latest to deliver the iconic monologue before the opening credits ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Perhaps the most important change toStar Trek’s mission statement was made byStar Trek: The Next Generation. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) also calls the voyages of the Starship Enterprise"its continuing mission,“before updating the closing line:“To boldly go whereno one has gone before,” instead of the original"where nomanhas gone before.“This gender-neutral switch includes everyone, not just men.Star Trek Beyondhonored that change even further by having the multi-racial and multi-species crew of the Starship Enterprise deliver their iconic mission statement together.
