You can read the interview in full over at LATIMES.COM

When Disney announced in January that J.J. Abrams would direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,” the news had major implications for the geek faithful.

While some rejoiced at the prospect of Hollywood’s A-list nerd-auteur shepherding the next entry in the beloved sci-fi franchise, many fans of that other beloved sci-fi franchise, “Star Trek,” wondered what Abrams’ new gig would mean for them.

After all, Abrams had successfully revived “Star Trek” with his 2009 Paramount film, casting Chris Pine as a young James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, and crafting a movie that managed to win over both “Trek” die-hards and newcomers to the series.

He had already shot “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which opens May 17, and was on track to make a third movie.

It turns out it wasn’t just fans wondering what Abrams taking on “Star Wars” meant for Kirk and Spock — Kirk and Spock were wondering too.

“As a friend to a friend I was ecstatic for him,” Pine said, of learning that Abrams had taken the “Star Wars” gig. “If there’s one person specifically designed to take care of a project that big, it’s J.J., just seeing how he operates on a $200-something-million project like ‘Star Trek.’ I would only be unhappy if he didn’t come back and direct the third [‘Star Trek’ movie]. I don’t know what it means for that.”

While some “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” partisans see the two franchises as competitive, Pine is much more ecumenical in his sci-fi taste.

“The ‘Star Wars’ franchise for many of us was profoundly important,” Pine said. “It was a big experience in the history of cinema. So to be given the keys to that franchise, to be asked to reinvent it, I can completely understand why he jumped at the opportunity.”

Pine and Quinto are both committed to make a third “Star Trek” movie, and Abrams will be aboard as a producer — whether he’ll direct or handpick someone else to do so has not been determined, however.

Chris and his Into Darkness nemesis Benedict Cumberbatch stopped by The Graham Norton Show on May 2nd directly after the premiere at The Empire Cinema in London to tape their episode, which aired last night for those of you in the UK. I have added 406 high quality captures from his appearance into the gallery, in addition to including three videos below of the whole show.

A reminder for those of you in the US, like myself, if you have the BBC America channel you can tune in on May 9th at 10PM to when it premieres here. 🙂

Check out the entire interview over at SMH.COM.AU

When you’re the second person to portray one of science fiction’s iconic characters, Chris Pine notes, it’s easy to second-guess yourself about nearly everything. The American actor should know, having inherited the role of the USS Enterprise’s Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek universe from William Shatner. Millions of dedicated Trekkies have kept the internet afloat with their views on him as Shatner’s successor.

Pine went a long way to making the part his own with a swaggering, committed take on the 23rd-century hero in director J.J. Abrams’ highly successful 2009 Star Trek reboot, but four years, and one highly anticipated sequel in Star Trek: Into Darkness later, he says his response to donning Kirk’s trademark Starfleet uniform is still essentially the same.

Enterprising young man: Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk in the 2009 film. Photo: Supplied
“The first thought is always don’t screw it up,” says Pine, who was in Sydney last week along with his director and several of his co-stars for the world premiere of the new movie.

“There’s plenty to look forward to, but you always start with don’t screw it up.”

That belated growing up for Kirk brings the character somewhat closer to Pine. The 32-year-old, who wasn’t a Star Trek devotee before securing the role, is more insular than his alter-ego. Kirk favours bar fights and girls who are literally off the planet, while Pine is more likely to be reading Viktor Frankl’s psychiatric memoir Man’s Search for Meaning or an examination of drone warfare.

A Los Angeles native with an English degree from Berkeley who periodically dips into edgier theatre work, Pine has experienced successes (2010’s Unstoppable, alongside Denzel Washington) and failures (2012’s interminable This Means War) in the wake of his ascendancy with Star Trek, but he remains the most low-profile leading man in Hollywood. Pine is the rare member of the young Hollywood set who doesn’t feel the need to exhibit himself in the VIP section at the Coachella music festival.

“I hope it stays that way,” Pine says. “More than anything, what we do as actors is to sit and watch and I would never want to get so lost in the celebrity bubble that I couldn’t do that because my feet no longer touch the ground.”

You will find more videos under the cut.