Trekkie Runaway Beams Up to Hollywood in 'Please Stand By' Trailer

The opening scenes of a new drama sound just like a traditional "Star Trek" episode: "Captain's log, final entry," the narrator says. "Spock and I are the sole survivors."

No, it isn't another "Star Trek" reboot. Rather, it's the premise for the new drama-comedy "Please Stand By," which opens in theaters and video on demand on Jan. 26, 2018. 

In the trailer, we learn that a young autistic woman named Wendy (played by Dakota Fanning of "Twilight" and "War of the Worlds") is a big "Star Trek" fan. She's so devoted that she knows the name of the daughter of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who originally played Spock in the 1960s. Wendy also watches "Star Trek" every night. 

Her geek dreams come true when the public is invited to submit "Star Trek"-themed scripts to Hollywood. Wendy readies her 500-page script, called "The Many and the Few," in which Spock visits the space station Deep Space Nine.

However, Wendy — despite being in her early 20s and employed — can't easily leave for Hollywood. Because she has a form of autism, a spectrum disorder affecting social skills and the understanding of nonverbal communication, she's under the supervision of a caregiver, Scottie (Toni Collette, "The Sixth Sense" and "Little Miss Sunshine"). The trailer doesn't make clear if "Scottie" is meant to be a play on "Scotty," the chief engineer and a main character in "Star Trek: The Original Series" (1966-68).

Dakota Fanning stars in "Please Stand By," a film about a young woman who runs away from home to enter a "Star Trek" scriptwriting competition. (Image credit: Magnolia Pictures)

"Please Stand By" will warp into theaters in an era when "Star Trek" is bigger than ever. The franchise celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016 with numerous events, merchandise offerings, museum exhibits and the arrival of "Star Trek Beyond" in theaters

But the momentum didn't stop there. This fall, the first new "Star Trek" television network show in 12 years, "Discovery," premiered on CBS All Access. It's now midway through its first season, with a second season already in the works.

For more information on the new film, check out its official website.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace