As you might have heard, Star Trek fans are a different class of obsessives. There have been whole movies made about this brand of fandom, and there's even a difference in designation for different kinds of fans, from what I understand. So, I can understand why the vitriol against an enjoyable mediocrity like Star Trek Into Darkness got the living hell beaten out of it by critics and fans alike.

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Image via Paramount Pictures

So, expectations for Star Trek Beyond, the third film in the new trilogy, are especially high, in the hopes that director Justin Lin will be able to make something more in like with J.J. Abrams' superb first installment. And the fact that Simon Pegg co-wrote the film is an especially promising note, considering the actor is a bonafide nerd-god and rarely is involved with something that isn't, at the very least, entertaining.


Those who are especially impatient to see how Lin takes up the mantle will have a chance to see the move early, thankfully, as part of a one-night special event at AMC Theaters. Select AMC multiplexes will be showing a "Star Trek marathon" on July 20th at 4:30 pm, which is a bit of a misnomer considering that there are a dozen or so other films in the series, but whatever. The marathon will consist of IMAX screenings of all three movies in the new trilogy in a row, and comes with plenty of goodies, such as a special lanyard and Star Fleet patch.

Those seem like pretty solid collectibles but the real prize remains the movie, which has looked like one hell of a ride from the very first trailer and has continued to be one of the more promising films of the summer, despite the fact that the man behind True Detective Season 2 is behind the whole thing. And hey, it's hard to screw up when you have Idris Elba as your main villain, even if he looks absolutely nothing like Idris Elba.

For a list of participating AMC IMAX locations and to order tickets, you can go right here. Star Trek Beyond will be released in theaters nationwide on July 22nd.

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Image via Paramount Pictures

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Image via Paramount Pictures