Kyary Pamyu Pamyu -- Into Darkness

 

Happy Monday! My love for all things "Star Trek" has waned somewhat over the years. Although the pendulum has swung over to television series once more for the long-running sci-fi franchise, most of the shows have left me wanting with only "Strange New Worlds" keeping my attention.

The movie wing of "Star Trek" is currently as dormant as Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan at the end of "Star Trek: Into Darkness" (2013). Only three movies have come out of the Abramsverse "Star Trek", and despite the fact that I've enjoyed the cast such as Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg, the stories for them never really grabbed me. Well, actually the first one in 2009 strangely worked in spite of the plot that could basically be titled "How to Go from Discredited Starfleet Cadet to Starship Captain in 6 Hours!".

Getting back into "Into Darkness", the sophomore entry had pre-Doctor Strange Cumberbatch act the heck out of the movie with his take on the sociopathic genetic superman. He was absolutely magnetic and that was the problem. Everyone and everything else including the Enterprise was pretty much secondary. I could only see Cumberbatch/Khan, so it was ironic that the movie was a shoutout to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" which I think still retains its status as the best "Star Trek" film, some 41 years after its premiere at theatres. I still remember watching that one in Toronto as a high school kid; the cheers and the sobs are still palpable.

Up until recently, if anyone asked me about music connected with the Abramsverse "Star Trek", I would always obviously answer Michael Giacchino who came up with the soundtrack. But then by pure happenstance some months ago, I found out that depending on the nation where "Into Darkness" was playing, the local artists would come up with their own insert songs, and that included Japan.

Well, Japan's contribution here was "Into Darkness" by Yasutaka Nakata（中田ヤスタカ）, the same musical impresario behind Perfume, capsule and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu（きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ）. And it is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu who contributed some vocal and vocoder assistance for this technopop tune. Intriguingly enough, if I were to ask anyone in the geinokai to record a song for "Star Trek", it would be KPP. I mean, the lady can have quite the alien appearance whether she hails from Alpha Centauri or Bajor. In addition, the song itself can be something that I could imagine being played in the 23rd century in some Starfleet canteen with Lt. Uhura shimmying away on the floor (not sure whether Spock would join in).