Massive STAR TREK BEYOND Outdoor Set in Vancouver

July 19, 2015

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Just because the starship Enterprise is up and running on set, that doesn’t mean that work on STAR TREK BEYOND is confined to a soundstage: a massive outdoor build is underway for the movie in Vancouver’s Kent Hanger Field, on the banks of the Fraser River’s north arm.

Thanks to contributor Bob Glassford, we can share some exclusive shots of the Kent Hangar Field location, where gigantic mobile greenscreen units are being deployed in anticipation of filming.

Chris van Cauwenbergh snapped this shot of an expansive, wooden structure being built at the site, beyond (no pun intended) the greenscreen holding area — you can see it in the background of the fifth photo above.

We’re certainly curious to know what this enormous construct will eventually become.

Kent Hangar Field, west of Vancouver International Airport, has been used several times for large-scale film construction. Before STAR TREK BEYOND began work at the site, the location was used for outdoor filming on big-budget films such as Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Elysium, Godzilla, and Disney’s Tomorrowland.

This isn’t the first time a massive stage such as this has been built for the current run of Trek films, of course; Star Trek Into Darkness used two of these types of setups to film the Nibiru volcano sequence for the film’s opening, as well as the Spock / Khan fight aboard the flying barge above downtown San Francisco.

stid-volcano — Zachary Quinto poses inside smoke and embers ‘inside’ the Nibiru volcano during a night shoot.

stid-barge — Spock and Khan stunt doubles fly ‘above’ San Francisco on the rotating barge construction.

One last bit of information, regarding Sofia Boutella’s mysterious character: the actress was spotted at this site sporting a “long, white ponytail”, which is definitely a different look for the dark-haired woman.

This visit was not during active filming, so it may just be another hint towards her on-camera appearance. Zachary Quinto, for example, must endure his Vulcan eyebrows and haircut when off-duty due to his character requirements.

We’ve got local sources who will be keeping an eye on the Kent Hangar Field location as shooting continues — so we hope to learn more about this set in the weeks to come!