765874 – Unification
| "765874 – Unification" | |
|---|---|
| 765874 shorts episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 4 | 
| Directed by | Carlos Baena | 
| Story by | Jules Urbach | 
| Cinematography by | Leonidas Jaramillo | 
| Editing by | Carlos Baena | 
| Original release date | November 18, 2024 | 
| Running time | 11 minutes | 
| Cast | |
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"765874 – Unification" is the fourth in a series of short concept videos that use digital technology to visualize past actors and previously un-filmed imagery from the Star Trek franchise. Created by the Roddenberry Archive, a collaboration between the estate of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and computer graphics company OTOY, the video features a reunion between the characters James T. Kirk and Spock after the events of the film Star Trek Generations (1994). It was directed by Carlos Baena from a story by Jules Urbach.
Urbach conceived of the short by mid-2023. It has no dialogue and is open to interpretation regarding whether the events are actually happening to Kirk, are in Spock's mind, or are taking place in a version of the afterlife. Location filming took place at Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, in 2024. Sam Witwer was cast as Kirk while Lawrence Selleck returned from the previous videos as Spock; practical and digital prosthetics were used to recreate the likenesses of original actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, respectively. Shatner was an executive producer on the video alongside Nimoy's widow, Susan Bay Nimoy. Robin Curtis and Gary Lockwood reprised their respective Star Trek roles as Saavik and Gary Mitchell. Several crew members returned from previous Star Trek projects, including production designer Dave Blass and composer Michael Giacchino.
The video was released online and on the Apple Vision Pro app The Archive on November 18, 2024, the 30th anniversary of Generations. It received more than a million views within a week and was praised by fans and commentators. The latter discussed the digital recreation technology and whether the video is part of official Star Trek canon.