The plot of Justin Lin’s 2016 film “Star Trek Beyond” is a little convoluted. It seems that a century before the film began, a starship called the U.S.S. Franklin crash-landed on a distant planet called Altamid. The captain of the Franklin, Captain Balthazar Edison (Idris Elba), was already fleeing the influence of the Federation, as he didn’t like the organization’s peace-loving ways, resenting that they would sign treaties with former enemies like the Xindi and the Romulans. Captain Edison used ancient technology found on Altamid to prolong his life indefinitely, but it also mutated him into a strange alien monster. Now calling himself Krall, the former captain sought more and more Altamid technology that would, once he had enough of it, allow him to attack the Federation in a destructive fit of revenge.
At the beginning of “Beyond,” the Enterprise heads to Altamid to investigate a mystery there, and it is immediately destroyed by Krall’s automated swarm of space drones. After a dramatic crash landing, a prolonged reconnoitering, and a redoubling of violent efforts, Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew are able to foil Krall’s vengeful plans and fight him to the finish.
Naturally, the film climaxes with a dramatic fistfight between Krall and Kirk. It’s a slick and fun action sequence, even if it’s not exactly the kind of diplomacy one is used to seeing on “Star Trek.”
As The Hollywood Reporter revealed back in 2016, that final fight was a little rough and kind of cathartic for Pine and Elba. Both of them have been extensively trained in stage combat, but it seems one of Elba’s punches made contact. Not only that, but it gave Pine quite a bruise on his eye. Luckily, Pine had no hard feelings.
Idris Elba gave Chris Pine a black eye
Speaking from the red carpet premiere of “Star Trek Beyond,” Elba brought up that he popped his co-star in the eye (entirely by accident, of course). There was no animosity between them, either before or after the punching incident. As Elba recalled:
“We had laughs. Chris and I had laughs, and then I gave him a black eye. […] Well, we were doing a fight scene, and he got a bit cheeky, and I was just like pow! […] I didn’t mean to do it, but Chris was quite proud of it.”
It seems that the black eye was, at least for Pine, aesthetically pleasing. Director Lin also pointed out that Pine received his bruise so late in the shooting process that it didn’t mess with the film’s continuity; all the scenes Lin was to shoot after the fight sequence would require Kirk’s injury to be plainly visible anyway. As Lin noted:
“This cast goes all out, and I like to challenge them. We were shooting this third-act fight, and I kept pushing to get the right angle, to the point where Chris just got hit. […] Continuity-wise, it worked out. That black eye played so well in the rest of the movie.”
Naturally, the good guys won and the bad guy was defeated, and Chris Pine was okay having been socked in the eye. When it comes to getting injured on set, it seems that this is the best way to do it.
Meanwhile, there have been rumblings of a “Beyond” sequel ever since 2016, but nothing has yet come to fruition. Time will tell if it ever gets made. The next “Star Trek” movie, “Section 31,” is slated to begin streaming on Paramount+ in 2025.