The Star Trek Beyond premiere was a wonderful start to San Diego Comic-Con!

I’ve been to several movie premieres and they’ve been quite impressive. However, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a movie premiere quite like the one that I went to tonight. From beginning to end, Star Trek Beyond turned out to be quite a spectacular movie. Not only was it exciting and had a somewhat nostalgic flare, especially with the music and the style and the actors involved. But I can honestly say that there hasn’t been a movie that’s had such a fanfare as this one.

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to see the premiere at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and the waiting hours in line just to draw a winning ticket, plus the waiting to actually get in the outdoor area where it was going to premiere, was well worth it.

During the afternoon, while we already seated and waiting for it to get dark, TOS star Nichelle Nichols came out on stage for a few minutes to talk about her experience on the show, and was as lovely as ever.

Then prior to the screening, the cast was introduced by late show host Conan O’Brien.

He brought out each cast memeber, which were Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Idris Elba, and Sofia Boutella. Also introduced were producers J.J. Abrams, executive producer Lindsey Weber, and director Justin Lin. Along with applause and cheers for those on stage, we did spare a moment to remember beloved Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy, who died early 2015, and co-star Anton Yelchin, who died last month in a tragic accident:

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With a full orchestra there set to play the film score live, they played a wonderful piece to commemorate their lives in the Star Trek universe, which included a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. The music was accompanied by a dazzling light and fireworks show that I will not soon forget.  Even these funky looking wristbands that we were told to wear lit up during the light and fireworks display.

And the movie hadn’t even started yet!

But when it did, I was completely sucked into the story. It was like every single actor really gave it their all to the story and the characters they were playing. I had no complaints about any of them. The script certainly lent a hand in getting these people into their roles. It was nice to see the dynamics between certain characters, especially with Spock and Bones, which gave it some real familiarity of the characters from the original series.

Sure, there was probably more action than would be in a usual Star Trek film, especially with a director like Lin, who has a knack for action. Something that he has shown from his involvement with the Fast and Furious movies.

The visual effects were pretty amazing, especially in the battle scenes and the Yorktown station.

Sofia Boutella stole the show whenever she was on screen, not only for her fight scenes, but also for the character’s involvement with the crew. But again, all of them did their part and did it well.

One of the particulars I liked about being at the premiere was definitely the San Diego Symphony Orchestra as well as the chorus, although you could almost forget they were even there because they did such a fantastic job.

Having watched the first time a movie has been screened outside on an IMAX screen was something I’m proud to say I’ve done. The movie and all that encompassed this particular premiere was most definitely a great start to this year’s Comic-Con, and one of those moments from my many years attending that will stand out as one of the best, even if I did get a sunburn from all those hours waiting.

Movie: A
Premiere: A+