Don't Call 'Star Trek's Alice Eve A Victim

The last anyone saw of Star Trek's Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), she was joining the crew of the Enterprise, about to depart on a five-year mission alongside Captain Kirk and the rest of the crew. Only shortly before, she'd snuck aboard the ship, was nearly killed by Khan, saw her crewmates perish, and discovered that her father was evil, right before he was murdered. So it's safe to assume that in the next Star Trek movie, 2016's Star Trek Beyond , Carol's going to have a lot to deal with. As for how, exactly, she'll go about doing that? Well, that's a little less clear.

"I'm not sure where they’re going to take it," says Eve, speaking with Bustle. "I’m definitely still talking to J.J. [Abrams, director of the first two Star Trek films] about where Carol is and her future and where we can take her."

That's pretty much the most she can say, given that the movie has only just begun filming, and she's not even currently on set; when we spoke, she was in New York making a comedy called The Brits Are Coming, far away from the Vancouver set where stars Chris Pine (Kirk) and Simon Pegg (Scotty) have been filming Beyond. Adding to the secrecy is the fact that the rebooted franchise's third film is the first not to be directed by Abrams; instead, Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious series) is at the helm. Although the movie will certainly be different with a new director in charge — there's no denying that the first two films had a distinctly Abrams feel — many, including Eve, are optimistic.

"They’re going to be doing it without J.J., but I have no doubt it’ll be a great one," she says.

Still, as far as her character goes, Eve is aware that the change in filmmakers might alter what she and Abrams originally planned for Carol.

"The conversations I’ve had with J.J. have been about Carol’s trajectory in the Star Trek universe, and this film is not necessarily J.J.’s film," Eve says.

One thing that likely won't be present in a third film, no matter who's at the helm? Another scene featuring Eve, or another female character, undressing and half-naked for seemingly no reason. When Star Trek Into Darkness came out in 2013, many viewers and critics criticized the scene, calling it "gratuitous" and "unnecessary." Eventually, writer/producer Damon Lindelof addressed the controversy, apologizing for the nudity and accepting that it could be construed as "misogynistic." Eve spoke out as well, but her response was different than some might've expected; rather than allying herself with her supporters, she defended the scene's inclusion, saying at a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas that she didn't think it would cause such a "ruckus" and that she never felt "exploited."

"You know, I was very, very proud of that scene," Eve says, now, noting that she worked out intensely to get the six-pack highlighted in the clip. "I’m really proud that I had that moment. And I don’t feel that there was anything about it other than a fit female character who also was capable of being a scientist, which is like most male superheroes — they’re fit and they’re capable of saving the world!"

It's a topic that clearly frustrates her, and it's interesting to hear the person many would expect to be most angry about the scene's inclusion defend it so strongly ("I'm sure in 30 years I'll be even more proud of it," she says). Her reasoning is understandable, though; people seem to think that she didn't have any control over the situation and that she was simply a helpless bystander, told to pose and undress by the men in charge, when in fact, she asserts, that was completely not the case.

"I still remain, that was my decision," she says, firmly. "That was not something I was pushed into. I was not a victim."

Images: Paramount Pictures (2)