Peter Weller Defends J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Admiral Alexander Marcus

Star Trek Into Darkness has arrived, and J.J. Abrams’ take on Trek continues to be just as divisive as you would expect, with many long-time fans still left fuming, while others ignore the film’s problems thanks to thrilling direction, visuals, and action. No one can seem to agree whether or not Star Trek Into Darkness is a good entry in the Star Trek film series, or if it’s merely a good summer blockbuster.

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS BELOW!

One of Into Darkness stars Peter Weller, who played Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus, recently got dragged into the debate about whether Abrams’ Treks are good or bad things during a discussion with one of his professors. Weller is currently a Ph.D. student in Italian Renaissance Art History and Ancient Roman History at UCLA, and one of his professors in Roman art voiced her disdain for J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek reboot. Weller tells Vulture:

One of my professors, Kathryn McDonnell, a very gifted teacher on Roman art, she said, ‘How could J.J. do this? Vulcan can’t be destroyed.’ She went on this whole diatribe. She said, ‘Listen, I’m a Star Trek fan from the get-go, and you can’t make alternate universes when you’ve already been established for 35 years …’ So I was debating her over coffee. I said, ‘Well, I think it’s more fascinating that J.J. and his writers created a parallel universe.’ J.J.’s conception and the writers’ conception of the 2009 film were fantastic. They do it with sophistication. I find it very touching: That in one universe, this happened; in another universe, this happened. There’s an actual dialogue between the two universes, so it’s not just a gimmick.

Peter Weller also has much praise for one particular aspect of Quinto’s performance in Into Darkness. Weller says:

That whole dialogue between Zach Quinto and Leonard Nimoy [who played Spock in the original Star Trek] in this film is just one of its best parts. Especially Zach, with his particular sensitivity and how vulnerable this particular Spock is, despite the fact that he doesn’t want to be. I get weepy watching that scene of him trying to explain how not to feel. He pulls off a new Spock who is bewildered at the fact that he’s living in a different time and a different universe.

You can read GFR’s review of Star Trek Into Darkness right here.