What’s On has details of the upcoming Star Trek sequel, titled Star Trek Beyond, which is set to film scenes in Dubai over the coming months. 

If you think Dubai is the perfect place to “live long and prosper”, you’re not alone. The city has been chosen as one of the filming locations for the upcoming Star Trek film, the third in the franchise.

In a recent interview with Slashfilm, producers David Ellison and Dana Goldberg confirmed that shooting would begin imminently in Vancouver and Dubai.

Although Dubai’s futuristic skyline seems like it would make the perfect setting for a sci-fi city, it’s just as likely that it’s the huge swathes of desert and dunes will feature in the forthcoming film. Rumour has it that the location will represent a strange, new alien planet.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are all set to reprise their roles as Kirk, Spock and Uhura respectively in the new film, which is said to be titled Star Trek Beyond.

Star trek 2

The legendary William Shatner, better known as the original Captain Kirk, beamed into Dubai for Middle East Film and Comic Con earlier this year, but wouldn’t (or couldn’t) confirm or deny whether he’d be making an appearance in the upcoming film.

While the USS Enterprise might pride itself on boldly going where no man has gone before,  the fact is that Star Trek is not the first Hollywood sci-fi behemoth to make its way to the UAE.

Much of the forthcoming Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was filmed in the Liwa Desert. Although the details were kept as secret as possible, photos were leaked of giant set pieces and props, suggesting that Liwa stood in for the planet Tatooine.

With Abrams directing the Star Wars franchise (he helmed the first two Star Trek films), director Justin Lin has stepped in to guide the USS Enterprise. While Lin  had a hand in the Fast and Furious franchise,  the last installment of which was filmed in the UAE,  he’d bowed out by the time Vin Diesel and co. came to Abu Dhabi.

Along with Fast & Furious 7 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, other blockbusters which have filmed scenes in the UAE include Syriana, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and of course Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Who could forget the sight of Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa?

Star Trek Beyond is set to hit theatres in July 2016, in time to mark the 50th anniversary of the television show’s first airing.