Summary
Priorto the Kelvin timeline films,Star Trekmovies were considered to have an"odd numbers curse". This meant that for each successful even numberStar Trekfilm (Star Trek II:Wrath of Khan,Star Trek IV:The Voyage Home,Star Trek VI:The Undiscovered Country), there was a less successful odd number film (Star Trek: The Motion Picture,Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,Star Trek V: The Final Frontier). This extends to the TNG-era films as well, though there’s less consensus on whetherStar Trek: Nemesisis a good film or not. However,Star Trekfilms, odd or even, have always introducedinteresting movie-specific characters. Malcolm McDowell lent a tortured angst to the villainous Tolian Soran inGenerations. Christopher Plummer gave gravitas to General Chang, the antagonist ofThe Undiscovered Country. However, only all great movie-specific Trek performances are villainous. Some of the best come from allies as well, such as Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah inStar Trek: Beyond.
Boutella is best known for her roles inKingsman: Secret Service,Atomic Blonde, and most recently as Kora in Zach Synder’sRebel Moonfilms. However, forStar Trekfans, she’s the orphaned scavenger fromBeyond,who brought not only great action and pathos, but a good amount of humor as well. So who exactly is Jaylah?
She’s a Survivor of Krall
Before he was Krall,Beyond’s villain was a humanStarfleet officer named Balthazar Edison. However, as the Federation began to shift into its more tolerant and peaceful stances, Edison began to feel like he was being rendered obsolete. The final straw came when Edison was stranded on Altamid with only two other survivors, Anderson Le and Jessica Wolff. When his distress call went unanswered, Edison became consumed by hatred for the Federation. Edison and his fellow survivors found energy transference technology, which allowed them to prolong their life, but had the side effect of them changing the appearance to resemble their victims. With their humanity stripped, Edison became Krall, Le became Manas, and Wolff became Kalara. The three would go on to strand others on Altamid and kill them using the energy transference technology. Jaylah and her father were imprisoned prior to the events ofBeyond. Hearing the screams of the trio’s victims, the two of them attempted to escape. Unfortunately, Jaylah’s father ended up sacrificing his life for hers, leaving Jaylah alone in an unfamiliar world.
Jaylah’s “House” Was a Federation Ship
Following her father’s death, Jaylah took up residence in USS Franklin, which was ironically Edison’s ship before he was marooned. Jaylah spent her days as a scavenger, looking for parts to repair the ship and leave Altamid as soon as she had it up and running. AfterScotty landed on Altamid, she saved him from other rival scavengers. Interested in his Federation insignia, having recognized it from her ship, she agreed to help Scotty find his crewmates if he helped her repair the ship. Her ship was hidden with holographic technology and she had become wily enough to set traps that ensnared both Kirk and Chekov. Once she had reunited the crew withSpock and McCoyand there were rumblings of a plan to take Krall down, Jaylah initially resisted being part of it. Given her past with Krall, she didn’t want to have anything to do with it. However, Scotty convinced her that her help could be invaluable in the rescue mission. Using technology, she fashioned herself, Jaylah helped the crew confront Manas before helping to repair the Franklin to confront Krall at Yorktown. Jaylah’s love of the Beastie Boys, which Scotty previously witnessed when he had first entered her “home”, ended up saving the day. They used “Sabotage” to, well, sabotage the connection of Krall’s Swarm ships and save the starbase from Krall.
She Has a Future in Starfleet
At the end ofBeyond, Scotty revealed to Jaylah at Kirk’s birthday party that she was accepted into Starfleet Academy. Although Jaylah wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of wearing a uniform, Kirk joked that she didn’t have to follow all the rules of the Academy. Although Jaylah hasn’t been seen on screen since Beyond, the comic seriesStar Trek: To Boldly Goenvisions her going to Starfleet Academy and also gives more detail to her backstory. The mobile gameStar Trek: Fleet Commandpresents a scenario of her beingassimilated by the Borg, but ultimately being liberated from the Collective. As for the possibility of Jaylah returning to the screen, many fans were interested in the possibility of her coming back for the fourth Kelvin film, but given the fact that the last film came out in 2016 and therehasn’t been much traction since, this most likely won’t come to pass.
AmongStar Trek’s film-specific characters, Jaylah is one of the best. Inspired by Jennifer Lawrence’s character inWinter’s Bone, fierce independence is baked into her character. However, what makes her great isn’t her tragic backstory or even her savviness as a fighter and tinkerer. It’s how those elements balance out with her humor, love for The Beastie Boys, and budding friendship with Scotty. AlthoughStar Trek 4may not be on the horizon anytime soon, hopefully, Beyond isn’t her last onscreen appearance.
Star Trek
Star Trek is a space exploration franchise originally created by Gene Roddenberry. The series has spanned shows like The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Voyager. More recently, developer Scopely came out with Star Trek Fleet Command, a mobile title where you get to be captain of your own ship.
