Star Trek Beyond Cast & Character Guide

Most of the cast from J.J. Abrams’ previous two Star Trek movies returned for Star Trek: Beyond, but the film introduced some new faces to the franchise as well. Beyond picks up with the USS Enterprise in the middle of their five-year mission, as Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew get pulled into a rescue mission that quickly turns deadly. After an ambush from Idris Elba’s Krall, Kirk and his crew find themselves stranded on the planet Altamid and must work together to stop Krall from destroying the Federation.

The first of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films, Star Trek (2009), helped launch the careers of its cast into another level of stardom. By 2016 when Star Trek Beyond was released, many of its cast members had already risen to near superstardom status. From blockbuster franchises to prestige television to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the careers of most of Star Trek Beyond’s cast have only continued to grow.

10 Chris Pine As Captain James T. Kirk

Date Of Birth: August 26, 1980

Actor: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Chris Pine began his acting career on television with small roles in shows like ER and CSI: Miami. His first major role came in 2004 in Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, five years before he landed his breakout role as James Kirk in Star Trek (2009). Pine has gone on to star in numerous romantic comedies and action films, including DC’s Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984.

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Character: Originated by William Shatner on Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain James T. Kirk remains one of the most iconic characters in science fiction. Chris Pine brought a young Cadet Kirk to life in 2009’s Star Trek, becoming captain of the Enterprise by the end of the film. After the events of Star Trek Into Darkness, the Enterprise set out on its five-year mission with Kirk at the helm.

9 Zachary Quinto As Commander Spock

Date Of Birth: June 2, 1977

Actor: Born in Pittsburgh, Zachary Quinto began his acting career with guest appearances on several popular television shows, including CSI, Lizzie McGuire, and Six Feet Under. He appeared in 23 episodes of 24 before landing his breakout role as the villainous Sylar on Heroes in 2006. Quinto took on the role of Spock in Star Trek (2009) and joined the cast of American Horror Story two years later. He starred as a soul-sucking vampire in AMC’s NOS4A2 and will star as Dr. Oliver Wolf in NBC’s upcoming medical drama, Brilliant Minds.

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Character: Spock is, of course, one of the most recognizable characters in science fiction, and Zachary Quinto truly made the character his own. Quinto’s version of Spock not only lost his mother but also witnessed the destruction of his entire home planet of Vulcan. This devastating loss made Spock much more emotional than he ever had been on Star Trek: The Original Series.

8 Karl Urban As Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy

Date Of Birth: June 7, 1972

Active Since: 1991

Actor: New Zealand-born actor Karl Urban began his acting career in his home country before landing his first Hollywood role in the 2002 horror film, Ghost Ship. He then went on to appear in several blockbuster films, including the final two Lord of the Rings films in his breakout role as Éomer. Urban has also appeared in numerous comic book adaptations, such as Dredd and Thor: Ragnarok, and he currently stars as Billy Butcher in Amazon Prime’s The Boys.

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Character: Karl Urban perfectly channels the lovable irascibility of DeForest Kelley’s Dr. McCoy from Star Trek: The Original Series. McCoy enlisted in Starfleet later than most and befriended James Kirk while he was there. McCoy smuggled Kirk onto the USS Enterprise for the ship’s maiden voyage, as Kirk was on academic suspension. McCoy went on to serve as Chief Medical Officer aboard the Enterprise under both Spock and Captain Kirk.

7 Zoe Saldaña As Lt. Nyota Uhura

Date Of Birth: June 19, 1978

Active Since: 1999

Actor: Born in New Jersey, Zoe Saldaña’s first acting role came in an episode of Law & Order, shortly followed by her first film role in 2000’s Center Stage. A trained dancer, Saldaña’s breakthrough came in 2009 when she starred as Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar and Lt. Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. In 2014, Saldaña joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the green-skinned former assassin Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy. Between her appearances in the Avatar franchise and the Avengers films, Saldaña has starred in four of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

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Character: Originally portrayed by Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura served as the communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise. Zoe Saldaña’s Uhura served under Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), Spock, and Captain Kirk, specializing in the study of alien languages. While Uhura was at Starfleet Academy, Spock was one of her instructors, and the two later began a romantic relationship.

6 Simon Pegg As Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott

Date Of Birth: February 14, 1970

Actor: Engish-born actor Simon Pegg began his career in London, appearing in numerous British comedy television shows and films. Pegg created the cult favorite sitcom Spaced in 1999, which eventually led him to team up with director Edgar Wright to write Shaun of the Dead. Shaun of the Dead also gave Pegg his breakout role as the titular Shaun. Pegg later joined the Mission: Impossible franchise as technician Benji and took on the role of Scotty two years later in Star Trek (2009). Pegg also appears alongside Karl Urban in The Boys as the father of Jack Quaid’s Hughie Campbell.

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Character: James Doohan portrayed Scotty on Star Trek: The Original Series, as a so-called “miracle worker” who could find a solution to almost any engineering problem. Simon Pegg’s Scotty has the same brilliant mind when it comes to engineering, and Captain Kirk recruits him to be the Chief Engineer on the Enterprise.

5 John Cho As Lt. Hikaru Sulu

Date Of Birth: June 16, 1972

Actor: Born in South Korea, John Cho began his acting career in the late 1990s, with guest roles on shows like Felicity and Charmed before landing a minor but memorable role in American Pie. Cho’s breakout role came when he starred as Harold Lee in the successful Harold & Kumar franchise. After appearing as Sulu in Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness, Cho starred in the shortlived sitcom Selfie. In 2018, Cho became the first Asian American actor to headline a mainstream thriller in Hollywood with his starring role in Sony Pictures Searching. Cho also stars in the 2024 Blumhouse horror film Afraid.

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Character: Portrayed by George Takei on Star Trek: The Original Series,Lt. Sulu served as the helmsman on the Enterprise, under the command of Captain Pike and Captain Kirk. Sulu was skilled in combat, particularly fencing, and was also an excellent pilot. Sulu proved invaluable in the fight against Nero in Star Trek (2009), and briefly took command of the Enterprise in Star Trek Into Darkness.

4 Anton Yelchin As Ensign Pavel Chekov

Date Of Birth: March 11, 1989

Active From: 2000-2016

Actor: Born in Russia to a Jewish family, Anton Yelchin began acting in 2000, earning a Young Artist Award for his role in Hearts of Atlantis alongside Anthony Hopkins. Yelchin starred in 2006’s Alpha Dog, before landing roles in two blockbusters in 2009: Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. Star Trek Beyond was one of Yelchin’s last films before his tragic death in 2016 at only 27 years old. Yelchin had filmed several independent films that were released posthumously and recorded the voice role of Jim Lake Jr. for Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia.

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Character: Walter Koenig’s Pavel Chekov joined the cast of TOS at the beginning of the show’s second season as a young ensign. The Chekov in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films is a brilliant young cadet who joins the Enterprise crew as a navigator at the age of 17. A so-called “whiz kid,” Chekov can calculate complex math equations in his head and also has extensive engineering knowledge.

3 Idris Elba As Krall/Captain Balthazar Edison

Date Of Birth: September 6, 1972

Active Since: 1994

Actor: Born in London, Idris Elba began his acting career on British television, before eventually landing a starring role on HBO’s The Wire in 2002. He then went on to appear in films such as 28 Weeks Later, American Gangster, This Christmas, and Obsessed. Elba began playing John Luther on the BBC’s Luther in 2010, a role that earned him a Golden Globe in 2012. Elba joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011’s Thor as Asgardian protector Heimdall. Elba also starred in Prometheus and Beasts of No Nation, as well as Cats, Beast, and The Suicide Squad.

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Character: As a human soldier, Idris Elba’s Balthazar Edison served in the United Earth Military Assault Command Operations, before later becoming a Starfleet Captain. After he was stranded on the planet Altamid, Edison discovered technology that allowed him to transfer energy from others to prolong his own life. After numerous mutations, Edison became Krall and vowed to destroy the Federation, as they had sought peace with the enemies he had spent years fighting.

2 Sofia Boutella As Jaylah

Date of Birth: April 3, 1982

Active Since: 2002

Actor: Algerian-born actress Sofia Boutella began her entertainment career as a dancer, appearing in music videos for Madonna and Michael Jackson. Her breakout role came in 2014 in Kingsman: The Secret Service, starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, and Samuel L. Jackson. After Boutella portrayed Jayla in Star Trek Beyond, she went on to have significant roles in Atomic Blond, The Mummy, and Hotel Artemis. In 2021, she landed the lead role in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon.

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Character: After surviving an attack by Krall, Jaylah lived in the starship USS Franklin, which had previously crashed on Altamid. After the Enterprise crew members found themselves stranded on the planet, Jaylah saved Scotty from scavengers and agreed to help him. She eventually helped Kirk and his crew repair the Franklin and thwart Krall and Jaylah was later accepted into Starfleet Academy thanks to Scotty’s recommendation.

1 Star Trek Beyond Supporting Cast & Characters

Star Trek Beyond Also Has A Stellar Supporting Cast

Lydia Wilson As Kalara/Jessica Wolff: Before taking on the role of Klara in Star Trek Beyond, Lydia Wilson had appeared in television shows such as Midsomer Murders, Black Mirror, and Dirk Gently, as well as the films Never Let Me Go and About Time. After Beyond, she appeared in Ripper Street, Flack, The Swarm, and Funny Woman. Wilson’s Jessica Wolff had been one of Captain Edison’s crew members who was stranded with him on Altamind and had mutated into Kalarla. Krall sent Kalara to pose as an alien in distress to lure the Enterprise to Altamid.

Shohreh Aghdashloo As Commodore Paris: Some of Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo’s most well-known projects include House of Sand and Fog (which earned her an Academy Award nomination), 24, House of Saddam (for which she won an Emmy), and a starring role on The Expanse. In Star Trek Beyond, Aghdashloo portrayed Commodore Paris, the commanding officer of the Yorktown starbase who eventually offered Kirk a position as Vice Admiral, which he turned down.

Joe Taslim as Manas/Anderson Le: Indonesian actor Joe Taslim has appeared in Fast & Furious 6, Mortal Kombat, and Cinemax’s Warrior. Taslim portrayed Manas in Star Trek: Beyond, one of Krall’s former crewmembers who participated in the attack on the Enterprise.

Deep Roy as Keenser: Kenyan/British actor Deep Roy is most well-known for portraying the Oompa Loompas in 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also appeared in The NeverEnding Story, Doctor Who, and Big Fish. In Star Trek: Beyond, Deep Roy played Keenser, an alien who assists Scotty in engineering.