Why Star Trek Beyond Was An Extremely Rough Experience For Director Justin Lin

“Star Trek Beyond” had already experienced turbulence in the form of Roberto Orci having stepped on and off as director in less than the span of a year. From there, Justin Lin took the chair, collaborating with Simon Pegg, who was writing the script with Doug Jung. Speaking to Josh Horowitz, Lin praised the screenwriter who doubled as Scotty in the movie. “It was intense. I think I had quit three times, and Simon had quit four times,” he said. “Also, we didn’t know each other. And I think, for me, Simon Pegg, it was a dream to have the opportunity to work with him.”

While it wasn’t anything new for Lin to take on a franchise film, it was a drastic shift from the “Fast & Furious” universe, swapping Diesel for dilithium. “‘Star Trek’ is not like ‘Fast & Furious.’ Every idea that I come up with is a build. And we had no time,” the director explained. “It was rough. I didn’t know if we were going to make it out of that first week.” Thankfully, they did, and hopefully, while “Star Trek Beyond” isn’t remembered as fondly as some of the other entries in the massive “Star Trek” movie franchise, it will gain more love in the star dates and years to come.