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“Star Trek” as a concept has voyaged far beyond science fiction and into the safe waters of space opera, but that doesn’t amaze me. The Gene Roddenberry years, when stories might play with questions of science, ideals or philosophy, have been replaced by stories reduced to loud and colorful action. Like so many franchises, it’s more concerned with repeating a successful formula than going boldly where no “Star Trek” has gone before.

The 2009 “Star Trek” film goes back eagerly to where “Star Trek” began, using time travel to explain a cast of mostly the same characters, only at a younger point in their lives, sailing the Starship Enterprise. As a story idea, this is sort of brilliant and saves on invention, because young Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty and the rest channel their later selves. The child is father to the man, or the Vulcan, and all that.

Don’t get me wrong. This is fun. And when Leonard Nimoy himself returns as the aged Spock, encountering another Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) as a young man, I was kind of delighted, although as is customary in many sci-fi films, nobody is as astonished as they should be. Holy moly! Time travel exists, and this may be me! It’s more like a little ambiguous dialogue is exchanged, and they’re off to battle the evil Romulan Capt. Nero ( Eric Bana ).

Time travel as we all know, is impossible in the sense it happens here, but many things are possible in this film. Anyone with the slightest notion of what a black hole is, or how it behaves, will find the black holes in “Star Trek” hilarious. The logic is also a little puzzling when Scotty can beam people into another ship in outer space, but they have to physically parachute to land on a platform in the air from which the Romulans are drilling a hole to the Earth’s core. After they land there, they fight with two Romulan guards, using ... fists and swords? The platform is suspended from Arthur C. Clark’s “space elevator,” but instead of fullerenes, the cable is made of metallic chunks the size of refrigerators.

But stop me before I get started. I mention these details only to demonstrate that the movie raises its yo-yo finger to the science, while embracing the fiction. Apart from details from the youths of the characters and the Spock reunion, it consists mostly of encounters between the Enterprise and the incomparably larger and much better armed Romulan spaceship from the future. It’s encouraging to learn that not even explosions and fires can quickly damage a starship. Also that lifeboats can save the crew, despite the vast distance from home base.

That would be because of warp speed, which for present purposes consists of looking through an unnecessary window at bright lights zapping past. This method of transportation prevents any sense of wonder at the immensity of outer space and is a convenience not only for the starship but also for the screenwriters, who can push a button and zap to the next scene. The concept of using warp speed to escape the clutches of a black hole seems like a recycling of the ancient dilemma of the rock and the hard place.

But there are affecting character moments. Young Spock is deliberately taunted in hopes he will, as a Vulcan, betray emotion. Because Zachary Quinto plays him as a bit of a self-righteous prig, it’s satisfying to see him lose it. Does poor young Spock realize he faces a lifetime of people trying to get a rise out of him? Nimoy, as the elderly Spock, must have benefitted, because he is the most human character in the film.

Chris Pine , as James Tiberius Kirk, appears first as a hot-rodding rebel who has found a Corvette in the 23rd century and drives it into the Grand Canyon. A few years after he’s put on suspension by the Academy and smuggled on board the Enterprise by Bones McCoy ( Karl Urban ), he becomes the ship’s captain. There are times when the command deck looks like Bring Your Child to School Day, with the kid sitting in daddy’s chair.

Uhura ( Zoe Saldana ) seems to have traveled through time to the pre-feminist 1960s, where she found her miniskirt and go-go boots. She seems wise and gentle and unsuited to her costume. Scotty ( Simon Pegg ) seems to have begun life as a character in a Scots sitcom. Eric Bana’s Nero destroys whole planets on the basis of faulty intelligence, but the character is played straight and is effective.

The special effects are slam-bam. Spatial relationships between spaceships are unclear because the Romulan ship and the Enterprise have such widely unmatched scales. Battles consist primarily of jump-suited crew members running down corridors in advance of smoke, sparks and flames. Lots of verbal commands seem implausibly slow. Consider, at light warp speeds, how imprecise it would be to say “At my command ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...” Between “2” and “1,” you could jump a million galaxies.

I thought about these things during “Star Trek” because I could not help myself. I understand the Star Trek science has never been intended as plausible. I understand this is not science fiction but an Ark movie using a starship. I understand that the character types are as familiar as your favorite slippers. But the franchise has become much of a muchness. The new movie essentially intends to reboot the franchise with younger characters and carry on as before. The movie deals with narrative housekeeping. Perhaps the next one will engage these characters in a more challenging and devious story, one more about testing their personalities than re-establishing them. In the meantime, you want space opera, you got it.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

Star Trek (2009)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content

127 minutes

Anton Yelchin as Chekov

Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk

Eric Bana as Capt. Nero

John Cho as Sulu

Ben Cross as Sarek

Chris Pine as James Tiberius Kirk

Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime

Jennifer Morrison as Winona Kirk

Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Christopher Pike

Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson

Zachary Quinto as Spock

Zoe Saldana as Uhura

Directed by

• J. J. Abrams

Screenplay by

• Roberto Orci
• Alex Kurtzman

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Zachary Quinto Remembers ‘Star Trek’ Actor Ben Cross

| August 20, 2020 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 19 comments so far

On Tuesday. Ben Cross, who portrayed Sarek in the 2009 Star Trek film, passed away at the age of 72. The actor died in Vienna following a short illness, according to his agent.

Cross’ career spans decades. Besides his role in Star Trek. he may be best known for starring in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire . Cross has continued to work to this year, and according to Variety just wrapped production last week for his last role as Cardinal Mathews in Lionsgate’s The Devil’s Light .

On the day of his passing, TrekMovie reported on his death and expressed our condolences via our social media channels , but we are following up today to share the thoughts of Cross’ Star Trek co-star Zachary Quinto, who played Spock, Sarek’s son.

Quinto took to Instagram to describe what it was like to work with Cross:

So sorry to hear of the passing of Ben Cross. he played Spock’s fatherSarek in our first Trek movie (among many other indelible roles) and he was always so incredibly thoughtful and generous and engaging. It being my first film I always felt considered and cared for by him in our scenes together. He was a real gentleman and a true talent. Sending him and his family much love and light. Rest in peace dear Ben.

You can see the full Instagram post below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEFKZO3p6Mb/?igshid=mvkjoolcktv0

More recently. Cross appeared in a recurring role on the CW sci-fi series Pandora , working with executive producer Mark Altman. Altman, who is also the co-author of The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek and co-host of the Inglorious Treksperts podcast, shared his thoughts on social media.

We just lost a member of our @seriespandora family. Ben was an incredible actor and a delight to work with. He will be greatly missed by all of us. #BenCross #pandoraCW https://t.co/VUKTEaYxIK — Mark A. Altman (@markaaltman) August 18, 2020

The TrekMovie team again expresses our condolences to the family and friends of Ben Cross.

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Amanda Grayson

• View history

Amanda Grayson was a Human teacher from Earth . ( TOS : " The Naked Time ", et al. ) She was the first wife of Sarek , as well as the mother of Spock and the foster mother of Michael Burnham . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ", et al. )

• 1.1 Origins
• 1.2 Marriage and family
• 1.4 Later life
• 2.1.1 Pelia
• 3.1 Appearances
• 3.2 Background information
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External links

Biography [ ]

Origins [ ].

Amanda was born on Earth around the turn of the 23rd century . ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise "; TAS : " Yesteryear ") Captain Spock once implied that she was a descendant of Human author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ) Her family had a genetic predisposition to dyslexia . ( DIS : " Light and Shadows ")

When Amanda was young, her mother was known to say to her daughter , " Isik for your thoughts. " She never explained to her daughter what an isik was. ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Marriage and family [ ]

During the late 2220s , Amanda met Sarek , the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. The two later married , and she returned to Vulcan with Sarek. ( TOS : " Amok Time ") In later years, in describing his parents' relationship, Spock stated that his mother "considered herself a very fortunate Earth woman." ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

Amanda Grayson giving birth to Spock in 2230

The two were in the city of ShiKahr where Amanda gave birth to her only son, Spock , in 2230 . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ; TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TAS : " Yesteryear "; Star Trek Beyond ) A few years later, Amanda and Sarek adopted Michael Burnham after her parents' death. ( DIS : " Lethe ", " Brother ")

Amanda in 2237

In an alternate timeline created by the death of Spock in 2237 , Amanda and Sarek separated and she returned to Earth, where she was killed in a shuttle accident at Lunaport . ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

Sarek wanted Spock raised in the Vulcan way, with displays of emotion discouraged, and Amanda had to learn to hide her emotions. Amanda later admitted that she gave Burnham all of the emotional love and support she had not been permitted to give Spock. ( DIS : " Point of Light ") While under the influence of polywater intoxication , Spock regretted that he " could never tell her that he loved her. " ( TOS : " The Naked Time ") Likewise, years after her death, Sarek, while suffering from Bendii Syndrome , regretted not having been tender to Amanda and having never told her how much he loved her. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Amanda had learned that Spock inherited her family's genetic predisposition to dyslexia and developed L'tak Terai as a result. Amanda helped Spock overcome his learning disability since the Vulcan Learning Center 's methods were ineffective. Spock once spoke of Amanda's fondness for reading the works of Lewis Carroll . She often read stories, such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass , to both Spock and Burnham during their youth ( TAS : " Once Upon a Planet "; DIS : " Context Is for Kings ") as it was one method to help Spock. ( DIS : " Light and Shadows ")

After the logic extremists bombed the Vulcan Learning Center , Burnham tried to run away to Earth. Sarek and Amanda were about to alert the Vulcan High Command to begin a search effort, when a being that Spock called "the Red Angel " appeared to him and pinpointed Burnham's location, and Sarek found her before the outskirts of ShiKahr. Amanda and Sarek had thought that Spock had used logic to help locate Burnham and wrote off the "angel" as a figment of his imagination. ( DIS : " Point of Light ")

Amanda gives Michael Burnham a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

In 2249 , Amanda told Burnham to retain her Human side and gave her a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as a mother's gift . She later expressed shock at Michael's rejection from the Vulcan Expeditionary Group , citing her academic record as proof of her worthiness to join it. ( DIS : " Lethe ") Burnham continued to carry the copy with her after her conviction and imprisonment, including aboard the USS Discovery . ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ")

Family visits [ ]

Amanda visits Michael in 2257

In 2257 , after the Federation-Klingon War ended, Amanda came to visit Michael twice. Amanda asked her, " Isik for your thoughts? " to which Michael responded by questioning what an isik was. Amanda admitted she had no idea, and that it was just something her mother had said to her. Michael then thanked Amanda for not giving up on her, explaining that she never understood Amanda's desire for her to retain her Humanity until now, and Amanda told her it's what mothers do. Amanda later sat in the audience at the celebration ceremony for the victory of the war and Michael's promotion to science officer . ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Amanda visited Starbase 5 to meet Spock but no one there would let her see him, tell her where he was or what his condition was, or even give her his personal effects, despite her being his mother and the wife of a prominent Federation diplomat. So she did the "next logical thing" – stealing his medical report . Then, using Sarek's cruiser , she met with the Discovery . Burnham asked Amanda about the red bursts , which Amanda had learned about from Sarek, and noted that people were anxious to discover what they were. Burnham revealed that Spock had a connection to them, but that she had no new angles to work on in order to unravel the mystery. Then, Amanda told her about the stolen report and asked her help to open it.

Captain Christopher Pike at first refused to do it, but, after communication with Diego Vela , telling them that his case was classified and that Spock had killed three doctors before escaping, Pike agreed to open the file. In that file, Amanda feared that her son had gone mad; she also recognized some of Spock's drawings of what he had called the "Red Angel", and Burnham revealed that he had seen it recently. Burnham confessed that she was the cause of the rift with Spock, but promised Amanda that she would not give up and would find him. Amanda tersely replied that she would be the one to find him, and stormed away. ( DIS : " Point of Light ")

In 2258 , Grayson visited her son aboard the USS Enterprise where Spock informed her of Burnham's disappearance and that only a select people knew her and the Discovery 's true fate and how no one was allowed to speak of them ever again under penalty of treason . ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

Amanda Grayson in 2259

In 2259 , Grayson visited her son aboard the Enterprise where she informed her son that T'Pring 's family would be visiting. ( SNW : " Charades ")

It was not uncommon for Spock to mention his mother's origins. ( TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " The Corbomite Maneuver ", " The Enterprise Incident ") While James T. Kirk taunted Spock in an effort to shake the hold the Omicron spores ' influence had on him, he called Spock's mother an encyclopedia . Spock replied that she was actually a teacher. ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise ") While discussing how to stop the Mudd androids by aiming illogical behavior at Norman , Harry Mudd told Spock that for all his prowess as a science officer, he "couldn't sell fake patents to your mother." Spock, not realizing that Mudd was speaking metaphorically (i.e. the Vulcan would be hard-pressed to successfully deceive someone close to him, let alone an android ), took the phrase literally, expressing that he was at a loss to understand why he would ever wish to do such a thing. ( TOS : " I, Mudd ")

Amanda in 2268

During the Babel Conference of 2268 , Amanda accompanied her husband, Sarek, aboard the Enterprise , and helped him and Spock to reconcile some of their differences. Spock wondered why his father would marry an emotional woman. Sarek replied that, at the time, it had seemed the logical thing to do, a comment Amanda found quite charming. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ")

During this journey, Captain Kirk was unsure how to properly refer to her, calling her "Mrs. Sarek". Amanda said that her married name was usually unpronounceable by Humans, although she could do it "after a fashion, and with many years of practice." She said to simply call her "Amanda". ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") In Vulcan society, she was referred to as "the Lady Amanda". ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

Later life [ ]

Nearly two decades later, in 2286 , Amanda helped her son to re-educate himself after his death and rebirth on the Genesis Planet and fal-tor-pan rejoining. In particular, she tried to help Spock rediscover his Human side. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Relationships [ ]

Friendships [ ].

Grayson met Pelia at somepoint prior to 2259 . Their friendship grew to the point that Grayson was the first person that Pelia revealed her secret Lanthanite heritage to. ( SNW : " The Broken Circle ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TOS : " Journey to Babel "
• TAS : " Yesteryear "
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• " Lethe " ( Season 1 )
• " The Wolf Inside " (archive footage)
• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Brother " ( Season 2 )
• " Point of Light "
• " Light and Shadows "
• " Perpetual Infinity " (archive footage)
• " Through the Valley of Shadows "
• " Such Sweet Sorrow "
• " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "
• " Stormy Weather " (picture only) ( Season 4 )
• SNW : " Charades " ( Season 2 )

Background information [ ]

Amanda Grayson was played by Jane Wyatt in TOS : " Journey to Babel " and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . The voice of Amanda was provided by Majel Barrett in TAS : " Yesteryear ". The role of young Amanda in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was played by Cynthia Blaise . Winona Ryder , who played Amanda's alternate reality counterpart in 2009 's Star Trek , appeared as "this" Amanda in a deleted scene from that film , a scene set before a divergence in the timeline created the alternate reality . Mia Kirshner appeared as Amanda in Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Amanda was referenced as early as the second pilot of Star Trek , " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", in which Spock mentions "a Human female" who once married one of his ancestors. The fact this Human was Spock's mother was first established in the next installment to be produced, " The Corbomite Maneuver ".

According to D.C. Fontana , the reason this character was named "Amanda" was that it means "worthy of being loved." ( Star Trek: The Original Series 365 , p. 217)

The script of "Journey to Babel" included a description of Amanda that read, " She's in her late fifties and still a fascinating woman... straight, slim, humor and warmth still alive in her... and guts. She married a Vulcan and came to live on his world where her human-woman emotions had no place. She has accepted every bit of the unemotionalism Vulcan could dish out with no loss of her own warmth and human caring... but it has had to be buried inside, in deference to her husband's customs and world. "

When it came time to cast "Journey to Babel", the role of Amanda Grayson was initially offered to Anne Baxter , who turned it down. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 171 , p. 37)

Unlike the character of Sarek, Amanda Grayson was not included in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . According to Director Leonard Nimoy , " When we first constructed the story, the scene which subsequently played between Kirk and Spock's father [in Kirk's apartment] was originally intended to also include Amanda. It was supposed to be Spock's parents coming to Kirk to say, 'How dare you do this to our son?' " Nimoy continued to say that " The original intention was a conversation scene, without the mind meld . But after several rewrites, it was decided the scene had to feature the mind meld. Once that became a factor, Amanda was extraneous. Without something vital to do, there was no reason to have her just stand around [....] I don't want the supporting cast to merely be a background chorus. If they're in a scene, they should have something to do, some reason for being there. " ( Starlog #106, May 1986 , p. 54)

Her absence from the resurrection of Spock that takes place in the conclusion of that film was explained to be because the production staff couldn't find a way to feature her in the story without her presence seeming overly sentimental. Executive Producer Harve Bennett reckoned, " All she would have contributed was sympathy. The economy of the story was that Kirk and crew get Spock back. Family is secondary. That would have depreciated the moment when Spock says, 'Your name is Jim.' Then we'd have to cut to mother and she would say, 'Oh my God, he speaks!' " ( The Making of the Trek Films , p. 46; Trek: The Unauthorized Story of the Movies , 3rd ed., pp. 87-88)

Amanda actress Jane Wyatt on the set of Star Trek IV with Director Leonard Nimoy and Saavik actress Robin Curtis

William Shatner originally intended for Amanda to feature more in Star Trek V than she actually does, wishing to explore her relationships with Sarek and Spock. At one story meeting during which Shatner voiced these interests, David Loughery was concerned about accounting for Amanda's influence on Sybok , though Harve Bennett replied, " There are solutions to that. " ( Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , pp. 64 & 65)

Once, when Sarek actor Mark Lenard was asked where Amanda was in the Star Trek movies, he replied, " In the kitchen! Where else would a good Vulcan wife be? " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 11/12, p. 103)

Amanda presumably died in the years between Star Trek IV and TNG : " Sarek ", as Sarek had remarried to Perrin by the time of that episode's setting.

Amanda, Sarek, and their newborn son, before the timeline diverged ( Star Trek deleted scene)

In the deleted scene from the film Star Trek featuring Winona Ryder as this character, Amanda was portrayed in the aftermath of the birth of Spock, attended to by a pair of Vulcan midwives , with the scene dated on-screen as occurring in 2230 . Amanda was described in the version of the scene from the film's script as " late 20's. An original beauty. " In both the script and the final version of the scene, Amanda softly said "hello" to the newborn Spock and, much to the puzzlement of one of her Vulcan midwives, she cried. In the script but not the final version, Amanda was frustrated with Sarek, once he arrived, for coming too late to be present for the birth but, after he apologized, she embraced and kissed him. Responding to Sarek suggesting they name the baby "Spock", she took some time to quietly consider, then finally accepted the suggestion. [2]

Apocrypha [ ]

The novelization of TAS : " Yesteryear " (as published in Star Trek Log 1 ) describes Amanda in an image of her from circa 2237 (i.e., shortly before her death in that episode) as being pictured "in her early thirties." This roughly matches the fact that, in the novel Sarek , her year of birth is established as being 2202 . However, according to StarTrek.com , she was born in 2210 . [3]

In the Crucible book The Fire and the Rose , her death is established similarly to her death in the alternate timeline in the episode "Yesteryear". She dies in 2311 in a shuttle accident when returning from an art exhibition in Paris .

The novel Sarek established her death (with Spock at her side and Sarek away on a Federation mission) as taking place shortly after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

The Enterprise Log 3 collection from Golden Press lists her maiden name as "Amanda Druce", daughter of Melvin Druce, an interstellar trader-explorer, and her birthplace as New Chicago.

The TOS novel Ishmael cites Amanda Grayson as being from the city of Seattle and a descendant of Aaron Stempel, a lead character on the real-world television series Here Come the Brides (also set in Seattle). On that show, the character of Aaron Stempel was played by Mark Lenard , the actor who played Sarek in Star Trek . The novel reveals her full name to be "Amanda Stemple Grayson".

According to the novel Planet of Judgment , she had a sister named Doris.

The video game Star Trek: Resurgence has ambassador Spock visit the hero ship on a shuttle named the Grayson .

External links [ ]

• Amanda Grayson at StarTrek.com
• Amanda Grayson at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
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Film / Star Trek (2009)

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Spock: I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it. Kirk: See? We are getting to know each other.

The one where... we go back to the beginning ... with Lens Flare — Lots. And Lots . Of Lens Flare.

Star Trek is the eleventh movie in the Star Trek film series, released in 2009.

The Film of the Series and partial Continuity Reboot from Lost creator J. J. Abrams , featuring the characters from Star Trek: The Original Series played by a new cast, and set in an Alternate Timeline during the time period of The Original Series . Alternatively called J.J. Abrams' Star Trek , Star Trek 2009/'09 , Star Trek: The Future Begins (even though that "subtitle" is actually the tagline ), and Star Trek XI/11 to keep confusion in check with the other Trek films.

In 2233, The Federation starship Kelvin comes across a "black hole"-like spatial phenomenon near a distant sun. Emerging from it is a massive ship called the Narada captained by a Romulan named Nero ( Eric Bana ). Nero kills the Kelvin 's captain, and deploying weaponry vastly superior to that of the Federation ship, the Narada forces the Kelvin crew to abandon ship, with many crewmembers lost. While the survivors flee the devastating battle, a young boy is born amongst them: James Tiberius Kirk , son of the first officer of the Kelvin ( Chris Hemsworth ), who sacrifices himself and the ship to buy time for his crew's escape. This incident ultimately sets a new series of events in motion; one of them being James T. Kirk ( Chris Pine ) growing up an angry, rebellious young adult until he is recruited by Captain Christopher Pike ( Bruce Greenwood ) to join Starfleet.

As Kirk makes waves at Starfleet Academy, the Narada and Nero emerge again after years in hiding. The Federation scrambles its fleet to confront the warship, deploying the flagship Enterprise , commanded by Pike, for the first time. All the rest of the fleet is destroyed, with the Enterprise only surviving due to a brief delay in getting to the battlefield. When the Enterprise engages the Narada , Pike is taken hostage. When they learn the Narada is from the distant future and begin to put together the events that lead to that future, it falls on Kirk and Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) to overcome their initial mistrust of each other and on the ship's green, hastily put-together crew of cadets note  actually, concerning those with major roles, it's three cadets (one of whom is a lieutenant, and another of whom is already a qualified doctor), an ensign, a lieutenant, a lieutenant commander who was Reassigned to Antarctica , and a commander who was told You Are in Command Now —( the young TOS characters )—to somehow save the day.

The film also stars Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy , Zoe Saldaña as Nyota Uhura, Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, Ben Cross as Sarek, Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson and Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime.

The first theatrical Star Trek film to feature any of the original characters in 15 years . Released seven years after 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis (the biggest gap between films to date) from which it takes a major Tone Shift and, believe it or not, to which it is also a loose Stealth Sequel .

Star Trek is the first entry in what has been officially dubbed the "Kelvin Timeline" that continues with the 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness and the 2016 sequel Star Trek Beyond .

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Star Trek (2009)

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Screen Rant

Why star trek 2009 cut so many of winona ryder's scenes.

Star Trek 2009 cast Winona Ryder as Spock's mother Amanda Grayson, but here's why some of her scenes were cut from the final version.

Here's why Star Trek  2009 ended up trimming scenes with Winona Ryder's Amanda Grayson. The future of the Star Trek franchise looked bleak back in the early 2000s, following the box-office failure of Star Trek: Nemesis and cancellation of TV series Enterprise . Director J.J. Abrams managed to give the sci-fi property a shot in the arm with  Star Trek , a 2009 big screen reboot that took the original show's characters but split them into a different timeline.

Star Trek 2009 may have divided opinions critically, but it was a solid hit. The movie was followed with Star Trek Into Darkness , but while the sequel was the most financially successful of the Kelvin Timeline trilogy, it's arguably the weakest. From multiple plotholes to its bizarre, self-defeating attempt to hide the fact Benedict Cumberbatch was playing classic villain Khan during marketing, the sequel was an enjoyable but hollow experience. The trilogy ended with Star Trek Beyond , which received strong reviews but, sadly, was also something of a box-office dud.

Related: Everything We Know About Star Trek: Discovery Season 4

Winona Ryder has appeared in a lot of classic projects, from Beetlejuice to 1992's Dracula and Girl, Interrupted . In recent years she's starred in everything from rom-com Destination Wedding , psychological drama Experimenter and - of course - Stranger Things . In 2009 she took a small but key role in Star Trek 2009 as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock (Zachary Quinto). Amanda represents Spock's human side while his Vulcan father Sarek (Ben Cross) symbolizes the colder, more logical part of the character. Amanda's sudden death and the destruction of Vulcan has a huge impact on Spock, though unfortunately, Ryder's screentime is somewhat limited.

This wasn't the original plan, as Winona Ryder's Amanda and Sarek had a couple of scenes deleted from Star Trek's first act. This includes a flashback to Spock's birth where she and Sarak name their son and another scene where they argue over how Spock should react to bullying. Spock's arc in the story was supposed to mirror that of Kirk, with both losing a parent in the movie and these early scenes followed their births and childhoods side by side.

These deleted Winona Ryder  scenes also underlined how the importance of Spock's relationship with her, and how painful her loss is to both Spock and Sarek. The Star Trek 2009 DVD and Blu-ray come with the aforementioned deleted scenes, with producer Damon Lindelof explaining on the optional commentary track that while they thought they'd need more scenes with Amanda Grayson to establish their bond, they eventually found less was more during editing. The movie doesn't necessarily hurt for these scenes being removed, though the "Spock Birth" sequence still would have made a nice addition.

Next: Dracula 1992: Why Winona Ryder Was Integral In Getting The Movie Made

Why Does Spock Never Talk About His Long-Lost Sister, Michael Burnham?

Star Trek: Discovery introduced a big retcon to Spock's history by revealing an adopted sister; here is why he never mentioned Michael Burnham before.

• Spock made a tough decision to keep his adopted sister a secret to protect the galaxy in "Star Trek: Discovery."
• Spock's history of keeping personal matters private helps explain why he never mentioned Michael Burnham.
• The addition of Michael Burnham to the Star Trek timeline has interesting implications for the Kelvin timeline.

When it comes to Star Trek , there is arguably no character more associated with the franchise than Spock. The Vulcan First Officer became the breakout character of the series and remained a fixture in pop culture. He is one of the few characters to make it past the original pilot for the series and then be a major character on not just Star Trek: The Original Series but original actor Leonard Nimoy returned to play a role in all six live-action films, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the two J.J. Abrams-directed reboots where he passed the baton on to actor Zachary Quinto. In addition, actor Ethan Peck plays a young Spock on both Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , making him the character to appear in the most entries in the franchise.

As Spock's popularity grew, creators decided to expand on his backstory. One of the most controversial decisions was the revelation of Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green in the series Star Trek: Discovery . The series established her as the adopted sister of Spock, a human who was raised alongside Spock by his parents, Sarek and Amanda Grayson. This was a major shock to fans as it was a huge retcon to the franchise. Plus, with Star Trek: Discovery originally being a prequel series, the character was never mentioned by Spock or anyone else in the rest of the franchise.

While the obvious answer was the character was not created then, the writers of Star Trek: Discovery came up with an answer that fits within the established Star Trek timeline to explain why she was never brought up again despite her close connection to Spock. This is why Spock never mentioned his adopted sister, Michael Burnham, before.

Spock Vowed Never To Speak of Her or the Crew of the Enterprise to Save the Galaxy

Star Trek: Discovery season one firmly established that Michael Burnham was adopted by Sarek and his wife, Amanda Grayson, following the disappearance of her parents at a young age. Then, in Season 2, she introduced characters like Captain Pike and Number One, who debuted in the original pilot for Star Trek alongside Spock . This raised many more concerns about how nobody ever mentioned Spock's adopted sister. The series provides an explanation in the season two finale, “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2.” The Crew of the USS Discovery is able to take the rouge AI villain Control into the 31st century, which prevented itself from establishing.

The USS Discovery is reported to have been destroyed in action. To prevent another rouge AI like Control from emerging and risking Discovery's sacrifice being in vain, Spock proposed to the surviving members of the USS Enterprise and allies of Discovery to never speak of the ship or its crew again, wiping it from history essentially. This takes place in the year 2258, about eight years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . This was also years before Spock met many members of the crew he was closely associated with, like James Kirk, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, or Uhura, so they never met Michael Burnham or knew of her existence.

This development creates a new context for viewing Star Trek: The Original Series and all subsequent stories featuring Spock after Star Trek: Discovery . He is keeping the pain of losing his adopted sister, Michael Burnham, to himself, but he also theorizes that the crew of Discovery survived and will emerge alive in the future, which he is proven correct. While Spock does not live to see it, Michael Burnham does get to see Spock's impact on the galaxy in her absence and looks to preserve the Federation her brother defined.

Spock Is Known For Keeping Things From His Friends Before

Spock, being half-human and half-Vulcan, has been known to keep things from his closest friends until it is time to inform them of an important piece of news. This is best summed up in his younger Kelvin timeline, when in Star Trek Into Darkness he informs Captain Kirk that their new science officer is, in fact, Carol Marcus, the daughter of Admiral Marcus. When Kirk asks him when he is going to tell him, Spock replies, "When it became relevant, as it just did."

This is clear many times in Star Trek: The Original Serie s. The first was in the season two premiere, "Amok Time," where Kirk discovers that Spock is bothered to T'Pring and set to be married. Later in that season, in episode ten, “Journey to Babel,” audiences are introduced to Spock’s father, Sarek, for the first time. Kirk was surprised at the announced familial connection between them as it was clear Spock never revealed much about his family to Kirk, and the Captain only gets details from talking to Spock's mother, Amanda. These two incidents show that Spock was never one to talk about himself to Kirk, so it is not out of the realm of possibility to believe that Spock would never mention Michael Burnham in public to anyone.

Star Trek: 10 Facts About Spock You Probably Didn’t Know (Or Forgot)

This also is not the first time that Star Trek has introduced a long-lost, never-before-mentioned sibling of Spock's to the franchise and used his not being the most open with his friends as a way to explain the retcon. The main villain of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is Sybok, who is revealed to be the half-brother of Spock, who is fully Vulcan and has a different mother. This means that Spock had two siblings: an adopted human sister and a half-brother who was fully Vulcan.

When Spock reveals to Kirk that Sybok is his brother, he is left in disbelief and thinks that Spock is lying. Kirk cites he would know if Spock had a brother, and Spock reveals that Sybok and he were raised together after Sybok's mother died. When Kirk asks why he had never mentioned it before, Spock plainly says, "I was not disposed to discuss matters of personal nature." showing that Spock only reveals information when it is absolutely important, even to those closest to him like Kirk. It certainly helps provide an explanation as to why Spock never mentioned Michael before.

Does Michael Burnham Exist in the Kelvin Timeline?

The addition of Michael Burnham to the main Star Trek timeline also creates a new wrinkle for the franchise in terms of the alternate reality created in J.J. Abrams's 2009 reboot, Star Trek . That film features a younger Spock and Kirk meeting at an earlier point in their lives, but no mention is made of Michael Burnham, despite Spock's parents being prominently featured in the first film. In fact, in the Kelvin timeline of films, it seems that the divergent event is what led to her never needing to be adopted.

The USS Kelvin is attacked and destroyed, resulting in the creation of a new timeline in 2233. In the original Star Trek timeline, Michael Burnham's parents did not go missing until 2236, which led to her being adopted and raised by Sarek. Since this is three years after the event of the Kelvin timeline's divergent origin point, it stands to reason the ripple effect in the galaxy meant that Michael Burnham's parents never went missing, and therefore, she was never adopted and raised alongside Spock. In the Kelvin timeline, Spock never had a sister, and Michael Burnham had to live and grow up with her birth parents.

Star Trek 4: Development History & Why It's Taken So Long

This might be an intentional choice by the creators as the showrunner of Star Trek: Discovery is Alex Kurtzman, who also was the co-writer of 2009's Star Trek , which created the Kelvin timeline and established the rules of how the universe works from branching off from the point of Nero's ship coming through the black hole. When writing Star Trek: Discovery , he likely picked the year that Michael Burnham's parents went missing to be set after that stardate, so it could be implied in the Kelvin timeline it altered events to where she would never need to be adopted.

It appears the creators have done a good job providing plenty of in-universe explanations for why Spock never mentioned his adopted sister in the original Star Trek series or in the Kelvin timeline movies.

Check out our interview with Michael Burnham herself, Sonequa Martin-Green, on the final season of Star Trek: Discovery below.

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Published May 8, 2012

One Trek Mind #27: Trek (2009)'s Deleted Scenes

It's hard to believe it's been three years since Star Trek (2009) finally launched onto screens. Part of me still thinks of it as “the new one,” but another part of me has already accepted Chris Pine 's cocky smile, Zachary Quinto 's raised eyebrow and J.J. Abrams ' ubiquitous lens flares as a part of Trek legacy.

Like many of you, I followed every half-rumor leading up to the release (remember when it was going to be December 2008?) then analyzed and argued every frame of the movie once it was out. By the time the Blu-ray appeared I was a little exhausted. While I instantly dug into all the bonus features, it wasn't with the ferocity of spirit that marked the theatrical release. To that end, I never watched all those deleted scenes to the point of memorization, or thought much about which ones (if any) should have been left in the film.

Until now...

Let's celebrate the three-year anniversary of Star Trek (2009) by second guessing the editing of Abrams and company, and remind ourselves what's sitting on disc two of the Blu-ray.

1 – Spock's Birth

I wonder if there would have been a way to work this sequence in somewhere as a flashback, maybe when Spock is a child, but I think that would have been trying too hard. There's an expression in editing called “killing your babies,” and this time it is taken literally. This is a great scene, but, for the flow of the film, it had to go.

Verdict: Keep It Out.

2 – Klingons Capture Narada

These few seconds of film really relate to the larger issue of “what the hell did Nero do for 20 years?” That question is, I feel, the biggest problem with Star Trek (2009) . This scene and deleted scene number 5 are actually both connected this way, so I'll get into it farther down the list.

Verdict: Jury is Out

3 – Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank

4 – Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock's Fight

This is a brief moment rehashing the usual “son of two worlds” bit for Spock. Yeah, it is a little superfluous, but I like it. Firstly, another shot of Spock's green blood! More importantly, it underscores Spock's tight connection to his mother, making her death all the more tragic. Plus, Winona Ryder is wearing a really strange outfit – she almost looks like a crusading Knight. It's a quick few seconds, so I'm not sure why it was cut.

Verdict: Put It Back In.

5 – Interrogation and Escape From Rura Penthe

Okay, now we get to the juicy bowl of writhing gagh. Star Trek (2009) plays out at a such a high warp pace that it isn't until watching it a second time that you wonder, “Hey, what the hell was Nero doing for 20 years until Spock Prime showed up?”

This deleted sequence (and the Klingon capture scene before) answers that question. The problem is – it isn't a very good answer. Nero, as we diehards know, was captured by the Klingons, sent to Rura Penthe and it was there (with the help of the four-eyed, three-faced creature known as Quocch) that he was able to secure information on his foes and slowly plan his revenge.

Abrams and company were extremely lucky that they were able to pluck this entire story thread out and still have a working film. It is absolutely the right thing to do, but the fundamental problem remains – what the hell did Nero do for 20 years?  What the team should have done was recognize that this was always a somewhat dopey solution to that problem and come up with something else.

Also, by cutting this out, we can still be surprised when we see the Klingons in the next film!

(By the way, you can get the full backstory on the Rura Penthe story with the four-issue comic “Star Trek: Nero” from IDW. Not that it makes that much sense upon further scrutiny.)

Verdict: Keep It Out, But There Should Have Been Something Else.

6 – Sarek and Amanda

This is tiny moment when Sarek yells “We must run to safety” to Amanda before the destruction of Vulcan. Watching it isolated like this you think something this short couldn't really affect the movie one way or another, but I'd like to trust Abrams if he thinks it slowed up the pacing.

Verdict: Abstain.

7a – Bedroom Scene

It’s funny, because if you watch this deleted scene with the commentary track, the filmmakers can't even spot the difference, but they're there. I say they shoulda' put the first bit back in, but kept the second bit out.

Verdict: Half-and-Half!

7b – Kobayashi Maru

That note to Galia turned out to be how Kirk defeated the Kobayashi Maru. It was cut out because it was felt lifting the veil that far back took out the mystery, but I like it. (It also helps Kirk's muttered line “that's so weird” when they were smooching in the previous scene, which is in the final version, make sense.) I guess it is ultimately a personal choice, but I like seeing how Kirk used his charms to get his way.

8 – Kirk Apologizes To The Green Girl

By cutting the sequence with Galia, you therefore have to cut this moment when Kirk mistakes a different Orion (played by Diora Baird) for his manipulated lover. It is a nice scene, funny, but also shows that Kirk feels a little guilty for his schmucky move.

9 – Sarek Sees Spock Prime

A quick glance of the Vulcan spying the Vulcan son. It's a cool shot, but it was right to cut it. This sequence isn't about Sarek, it's about Spock – Quinto's Spock.

So there, three years later, are my notes. Star Trek (2009) isn't perfect, but, as I'm always quick to remind people who like to put this movie down, the chances of it being a total disaster that disrespected the entire franchises were very, very high. This movie does not do that.

What's your take on the nine deleted scenes? Let me know in the comments.

------------

Jordan Hoffman is a freelance writer, critic and independent film producer living in New York City. He fell in love with Star Trek through TOS reruns just as TNG was getting ready to launch. On his BLOG , Jordan has reviewed all 727 Trek episodes and films, most of the comics and some of the novels. He has a funny story about the one time he met Leonard Nimoy. Click HERE to follow him on Twitter.

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