What 'Star Trek'-'Star Wars' Feud? 'Beyond' Stars Pooh-Pooh Notion of Franchise Rivalry
‘Star Trek’ star Chris Pine hangs with J.J. Abrams and ‘Force Awakens’ star Oscar Isaac (Disney)
Among his many accomplishments, J.J. Abrams’s greatest feat might be bringing harmony to the universe.
While former Star Trek captain William Shatner might still be taking potshots at Star Wars for being derivative — prompting a scathing response from The Force Awakens hero John Boyega — when it comes to the current crew of the Enterprise, there is nothing but respect for that other sci-fi franchise long held up as a rival.
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“I don’t even know if that’s real. I don’t know a single Star Trek fan — maybe only a few — who would just sneer at Star Wars. That’s a very un-Star Trek-y thing to do. And Star Wars fans similarly,” Simon Pegg told us during our summertime visit to the Star Trek Beyond set in Vancouver.
Pegg, who stars as Scotty in the current Trek films (as well as co-writing Beyond) and has a small role in The Force Awakens, notes both franchises are built on inclusion, tolerance, and collaboration. “I think fan people get a bad rap for being catty,” said Pegg. “I like to think they’re better.”
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Although Shatner occasionally attempts to stoke a fan war whose flames have been fading for years, Abrams, as director of the previous two Trek installments as well as The Force Awakens, is credited by his stars for bridging the galaxies often pitted against each other.
“What rivalry is there? Star Wars is going to make $40 billion. Star Wars is what it is,” said Chris Pine, the reigning Captain Kirk. “But J.J. is very much still involved in this. It’s still very much his baby even though he hasn’t been on set and his eyes are elsewhere.”
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True to form, Pine had no problem mingling with Abrams and members of The Force Awakens cast over the summer at Disney’s D23 Expo, where he was promoting his upcoming Disney film, The Finest Hours.
Pegg, who plays the stingy Jakku merchant Unkar Plutt in The Force Awakens, has nothing but praise for his "amazing” experience in the other Star system. “I love working with J.J. He’s been a friend of mine for 10 years now. We just love hanging out with each other. He’s made another dream of mine come true,” Pegg said, smiling, in between takes on Beyond.
Pegg on ‘The Force Awakens’ set
“Being part of this story, being part of that story… I’ve been a fan of [the original Star Wars] films growing up, and it’s nice to be a part of them. I sat in my chair on set, dressed as Scotty, watching the Star Wars panel [at San Diego Comic-Con], and I was thinking, ‘J.J.’s just nailed it.’ He’s got these amazing stories under one roof. And it seems right. They’re wildly different tales, but now they are literally bedfellows.”
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As for Abrams himself? He remains a producer on the Justin Lin-helmed Star Trek Beyond, whose trailer will run before The Force Awakens in theaters, and is diplomatic when asked to choose a side.
“Yes, I was a Star Wars fan before being a Star Trek fan, but I love those guys,” Abrams told us. “I love those guys. I can’t wait to see Justin’s movie.”
