Karl Urban almost didn’t return as Dr. McCoy for Star Trek Beyond

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Say it ain't so! Karl Urban, one of the best elements of J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK universe, almost didn't return to play Dr. McCoy in STAR TREK BEYOND. It's not hard to understand why Urban wouldn't be pumped to return for more STAR TREK, although he filled the role to perfection (in my opinion at least) neither STAR TREK nor STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS made the best use of the good doctor. Karl Urban recently told IGN that he was initially on the fence about doing the film, until he spoke with STAR TREK BEYOND director Justin Lin, who he called a "breath of fresh air."

I was on the fence about doing the movie until I spoke with Justin. I had a conflicting schedule, and I had a decision to make about which film to do, and I was no longer under contract to do a third picture. So I had a decision to make, and it was talking with Justin that enabled me to commit to it. It was fantastic. It was a breath of fresh air, and I really appreciated Justin's intimate knowledge and understanding of the character dynamics.

Although it's dangerous to judge a film by its trailer, the latest one hinted that we'll be seeing much more of Dr. McCoy this time around. Karl Urban comes across as one of the bigger Trek fans among the cast and he was glad to find a kindred spirt in Justin Lin as "he gets it [Star Trek]." Urban also said that Justin Lin, Simon Pegg, Doug Jung, and himself were able to form a "wonderful collaborative team" and that "there's a lot of material in this film that long-term fans are going to be very happy with." When asked about this favourite STAR TREK film, Urban surprisingly selected STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.

For the longest time I felt that it was too slow, but with age I've come to a great appreciation of it. I really love it. It's still, you know, the essence of exploring the unknown. There's great character dynamics, with Kirk being a little rusty, being out of the chair, feeling threatened by Decker, and McCoy really calling Kirk on his insecurity. You know, Spock returning from Vulcan not having achieved the Kolinahr and coming back to his calling and his friends, and also having an agenda that's outside of the mission, his own personal agenda. I mean, there was a lot of interesting stuff in there. And then V'ger itself, the concept of something, an Earth probe, that was sent out and has become self-aware. I just think it was a really fantastic Star Trek story.

STAR TREK BEYOND is due to hit theaters on July 22, 2016.