This weekend, "Star Trek" rebooted itself and rocked the worlds of you and a few million of your closest friends. But did you really see the whole movie? Below are five fun "Trek" facts that reveal even more minutiae about J.J. Abrams' soaring enterprise.
1. Slush-O: The Drink of the Future?
As Abrams' loyal fans know, the "Star Trek" director loves to link his worlds together via in-jokes and shared references — and even though "Trek" takes place many years away from "Lost," "Alias" and "Cloverfield," he doesn't disappoint. "There are inside jokes that banter about our company [Bad Robot Productions], movies that we have been a part of, and other things," Abrams said, telling his fans to keep a sharp eye out for things like Uhura ordering a Slush-O, the mysterious drink that helped fuel the "Cloverfield" story line. "The USS Kelvin is based on my grandfather's name — which was Harry Kelvin. A lot of people [who worked on the film] have names of ships and things that were nods to friends and family."
2. Spock and Kirk Are Workout Pals
While it's pretty near impossible to imagine William Shatner spotting Leonard Nimoy on the bench, new castmembers Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto have pumped iron together for years. "Well, let's clarify this: We actually worked out in our trainer's kitchen," Pine laughed recently, revealing that they had met pre-"Trek" through a shared workout guru. "I think Kirk benches a little bit more," Quinto said with a laugh. "Spock is much more of a yoga acolyte."
3. Trouble Finding the Tribble?
"Oh, really?" Anton Yelchin asked when we spoke to him about the cuddly, classic "Trek" creature who makes a cameo in the film. "I didn't know there was a Tribble." The same goes for John Cho, who said the shot is such a secret that even the cast wasn't made aware: "I didn't know that." When we went straight to the source, Abrams would only confirm that the fuzzy, rapidly multiplying little monsters do appear. "There is a Tribble," Abrams teased. "But I'm not gonna tell you [where]." If you found it, congratulations — if not, you might want to see the film again and look a bit more closely at the scene where Kirk and old Spock encounter Scotty for the first time.
4. Can We Get a Nurse?
Among the many references to the classic TV show that Abrams squeezed in, two of the most meaningful revolve around Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the "First Lady of Star Trek," who passed away in December. "There's a reference to Nurse Chapel," Quinto grinned, referring to the character Roddenberry played in the original series and a handful of the films. "Bones actually calls to Nurse Chapel at one point." Majel, who was married to "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, also provided the voice of the Federation starships and recorded her lines for the new film shortly before she died of cancer at age 76. The credits for the new "Trek" also dedicate the film to Majel and Gene.
5. Is Kirk Randy Jackson's Dawg?
For decades, William Shatner delivered the line "Kirk, out!" to indicate that he was ending his communications. But Chris Pine was surprised when he heard that his dramatic delivery of the line was being met with laughter at advance screenings. "Is it because of Ryan Seacrest?" Quinto asked, cluing in the new Kirk. "Oh, is that why?" Pine said, remembering that the "American Idol" host delivers a decidedly less cool "Seacrest, out!" as his signature line. "That's hysterical." Now, Pine is considering challenging Seacrest to a duel, with the winner getting the catchphrase once and for all. "Seacrest and I should get in a ring and punch it out," Pine laughed. "That would be a complete pop-culture black hole." Added Quinto: "I would pay to see that fight, on the stage of 'American Idol,' while the contestants do a medley around you."
Will the vampires grab more trophies than the slumdog? What was the year's ultimate onscreen WTF moment? It's up to you to decide the winners of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Vote now, and tune in on May 31 at 9 p.m. ET, when the big show airs live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.
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