The original Star Trek was known for its music, and the reboot movies have followed in its footsteps. Star Trek Beyond features an intense instrumental score by Michael Giacchino, but it also includes some more modern tunes. The song "Sledgehammer" by Rihanna was heavily featured in promotions for the movie, and a high-energy rock song plays through one of the film's most climactic scenes. If you watched the movie but didn't recognize the music in this sequence, you might be wondering what the song in the big Star Trek Beyond scene is, and I have your answer right here.
The track is none other than "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys, from the group's 1994 album III Communication. Producer JJ Abrams is known to be a big Beastie Boys fan, and "Sabotage" was also featured in 2009's Star Trek, which Abrams directed. Then in 2012, Abrams included the group's song "Body Movin'" in Star Trek Into Darkness . It therefore wasn't a huge surprise to fans when the Star Trek Beyond trailer featured "Sabotage," foreshadowing that there would be Beastie Boys music in the new film as well. If you missed it, here's how "Sabotage" plays into the climax scene of Star Trek Beyond. Spoilers ahead!
In the middle of the film's biggest battle, Kirk, Spock, and the rest of their crew realize they need to find a way to take Krall (the series' newest villain, played by Idris Elba) by surprise in order to defeat him. They struggle to locate a "loud, distracting" thing to do the trick, but then the character Jalyah (played by Sofia Boutella) comes up with an idea. Although it is 250 years in the future, Jaylah has a collection of '90s rock music, and so the group blasts "Sabotage" as they initiate the siege. Soon after, there is a transition into another battle scene, which — shocker — our heroes ultimately win. And so, the Beastie Boys tune plays a small but notable part in helping the good guys save the day.
The inclusion of the song in the film is also notable because, in general, the Beastie Boys do not allow their music to be used for commercial enterprises. In fact, as the NY Daily News reports, Adam Yauch included in his will a stipulation that forbade the use of the group's music for advertising purposes, and the surviving members of the group previously turned down a request for "Sabotage" to be included in an Arnold Schwarzenneger movie.
But the Beastie Boys, who have referenced Star Trek in their own songs, obviously weren't opposed to the use of their music in the famed franchise. This is good news for fans of both the band and the series, who can now enjoy the massive Star Trek Beyond scene with a healthy dose of "Sabotage."
Images: Paramount
