Benedict Cumberbatch And Alice Eve On Kirk’s Evolution As A Captain
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By the end of the Star Trek reboot, James T. Kirk was now captain of the Starship Enterprise. So at the beginning of Star Trek Into Darkness, Captain Kirk should still firmly be the captain of the ship but how will he evolve into the captain we know and love from the TV series. After all, Captain Kirk is still pretty young and has a lot to learn to be a Federation Captain.
In a recent interview, actors Benedict Cumberbatch (John Harrison) and Alice Eve (Dr. Carol Marcus) talked about Captain Kirk’s evolution and journey as a Starfleet Captain through Star Trek Into Darkness.
Cumberbatch: Seriously though, Kirk really goes through it by the end of the film… The boy – sorry, the man – was so tired carrying that film, I’ve got to say. He’s brilliant in it, I’m really excited to see his performance.
Eve: A lot of us in the film, especially Spock and Bones, serve as Kirk’s alter egos of logic and morality, but I do think in this film, after winning the captaincy in the previous movie, we see him earn it… spiritually, really, and sort of philosophically. Other ways than the practical earning of it.
Cumberbatch: It’s like he’s the son in the first and the father in the second, almost, don’t you think? Not as an actual father, though, that’s not a storyline at all, but I mean that he’s become a father to his crew.
One of the best things about J.J. Abrams’ take on Star Trek is that – while his films are widely entertaining and exciting – they’re mostly character based. Surprisingly, most people don’t give enough credit to Abrams for taking a character driven approach.
It seems like every main character in the first Star Trek film had a fully realized narrative and character arc so it stands to reason that the same approach will be featured in Star Trek Into Darkness. Captain Kirk also has a more formidable foe in the film so it feels like the character will grow after facing off against a weapon of mass destruction in the film’s villain John Harrison.
It’s also interesting to see if Captain Kirk will evolve romantically in Star Trek Into Darkness. After all, it was revealed that Alice Eve would be playing Dr. Carol Marcus. If you remember in the original Star Trek timeline, Kirk and Marcus were romantically involved with each other and they produced a child named David who was featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Maybe this will be another way Captain Kirk changes through the sequel film.
Star Trek Into Darkness will beam into theaters everywhere on May 17th 2013 in IMAX 3D.
