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Jaylah was a survivor of an attack by Krall . For years, she lived in the crashed hulk of the starship USS Franklin on the planet Altamid . In 2263 , Jaylah helped the crew of the USS Enterprise , after it was destroyed, to fight and defeat Krall, leaving Altamid in the process. ( Star Trek Beyond )

• 1.1 Escaping from Krall
• 1.2 Alliance with the Enterprise crew
• 1.3 An invitation to join Starfleet
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1.1 Identity
• 3.1.2 Design
• 3.1.3 Casting
• 3.1.4 Performance
• 3.1.5 Reception
• 3.2 Apocrypha
• 3.3 External link

Biography [ ]

Escaping from krall [ ].

Years prior to her encounter with the USS Enterprise crew, Jaylah and her family , like many before them, were attacked by Krall and imprisoned on Altamid. Jaylah and her family quickly realized that people were routinely taken from Krall's holding cells and killed, so they decided to attempt escape. During the attempt, Jaylah and her father were confronted by Krall's subordinate Manas . Jaylah's father stayed behind to hold off Manas, buying Jaylah time to flee at the cost of his own life.

Jaylah on the Franklin

Jaylah discovered the derelict hulk of the Freedom -class USS Franklin and made her home in it. She hid it using holographic technology and set up multiple defensive traps in the surrounding area. Inside the vessel, she discovered a music player, from which she particularly liked music featuring "beats and shouting". She also learned how to speak English from the ship's records. In time, Jaylah became a formidable warrior, skilled in martial arts and in wielding a quarterstaff that doubled as a rifle . ( Star Trek Beyond )

Alliance with the Enterprise crew [ ]

Jaylah holds Montgomery Scott at knife point

Jaylah became a scavenger to obtain parts with which to repair the Franklin and leave Altamid. In 2263 , she came across Montgomery Scott , who had recently escaped the Enterprise inside an advanced long-range torpedo , and saved him from three rival scavengers. Realizing Scott was an engineer , Jaylah agreed to help him find his crew if he helped her finish her repairs.

One of Jaylah's traps was subsequently tripped by Captain James T. Kirk and Ensign Pavel Chekov . After Scott assured Jaylah the newcomers were his friends, she set them free. Using a transporter aboard the Franklin , Jaylah and her new allies then managed to bring Spock and Leonard McCoy to them. The group formulated a plan to rescue the rest of the crew and stop Krall from launching an attack on Starbase Yorktown . Jaylah initially refused to participate, revealing her traumatic history with Krall, but Scott convinced her they had a chance if they worked together.

Jaylah accompanies Spock and McCoy to rescue the Enterprise crew

Jaylah showed the Enterprise crew a makeshift map of Krall's base and explained her own escape method, allowing them to devise a rescue plan. As part of the plan, Jaylah and Kirk, riding a PX70 motorcycle , beamed in near the tunnel Jaylah had used to escape and she dismounted once near the inside of the base. While Kirk used the motorcycle, enhanced with Jaylah's traps and holographic technology to create a distraction, Jaylah used a pulse beacon to enable McCoy and Spock to beam directly to the base. She directed the two to the crew's holding pen, then laid down covering fire for Kirk, before being attacked by Manas . The two fought, but neither was able to overpower the other, and an aggravated Jaylah screamed at Manas during the fight. The battle ended with Jaylah on a roof with Manas, and her pulse beacon on the ground below. At a signal from Kirk, Jaylah threw herself and Manas off of the roof, moments before Kirk caught her, resulting in them beaming back to the Franklin together.

Jaylah and Scott monitor Kirk at Yorktown Headquarters

After witnessing Krall launching his Swarm ships , Jaylah aided the Enterprise crew in repairing the Franklin for takeoff. She joined the crew in returning to Yorktown, where they found Krall attacking . Jaylah referred to the Swarm ships as " bees ", which inspired Spock to realize that the craft must have a cyberpathic connection, and he beamed over with McCoy to find it. After having studied the connection, the crew came up with the idea to use Jaylah's music player to broadcast a disruptive signal into the Swarm ships in order to destroy them. Jaylah aided Scott in setting up the signal and chose the song " Sabotage " for them to use. After the Swarm ships were destroyed, Kirk sent Jaylah and Scott to Yorktown Headquarters to shut off the atmospheric processor and stop Krall from using the Abronath to murder everyone on the starbase . ( Star Trek Beyond )

An invitation to join Starfleet [ ]

Kirk and Scott offer Jaylah entrance into Starfleet Academy

Jaylah joined the Enterprise crew in celebrating Kirk's thirtieth birthday with a party on Yorktown, where she consumed a large number of alcoholic beverages to no apparent effect. She was delighted to hear from Scott that, on his recommendation, she had been accepted into Starfleet Academy . However, she was annoyed to hear she would have to wear a uniform if she chose to attend the institution. Kirk also advised Jaylah that while there were many rules at the Academy, she shouldn't follow them all. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I am Jaylah. And you are Montgomery Scott. " " Aye. Scotty. " " Come now, Montgomery Scotty. "

" Engineering ? " " Aye. That's right. I fix things. " "I know what is engineering! "

" You take my house and you make it fly. "

" I like the beats and shouting! "

" You sure know how to throw out the welcome mat . " " I do not know what is a welcome mat. "

" My house is BREAKING! "

" The vent! Get out of there, James T.! "

" Uh, did you drink all those yourself? I'm impressed. " " Someone said it will take my edge off. My edge is still not off. "

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ], identity [ ].

Jaylah was portrayed by Sofia Boutella .

The character of Jaylah was created in an effort to increase the female quotient in the main cast of Star Trek Beyond . When Simon Pegg and Doug Jung were writing the film , they took inspiration for depicting Jaylah from Ree Dolly, Jennifer Lawrence 's character in the film Winter's Bone . Pegg later explained, " Doug and I and [Director] Justin [Lin] , in the writing room, wanted to create this very independent female, very resourceful character on the Altamid surface. " However, thinking up a name for the new Star Trek character was a struggle. The writing team began calling her "Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone " but that understandably became too unwieldy, due to the length of the name. " It started to get tiring, always saying, 'Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone ,' " said Pegg. " It's a long name! So then we started calling her 'J-Law'. " [1] That shortened form was suggested as a joke but caught on, before the name ultimately changed to "Jaylah". Despite the inspiration, Doug Jung, with a laugh, described the connection between Jennifer Lawrence and Jaylah as "so esoteric." Of the latter, he added, " Phonetically, it sounded good – 'Jaylah.' It sounded a little foreign. " [2]

Regarding how Jaylah's persona was invented, Doug Jung stated, " We wanted her character to be someone who was outside of the understanding of the Federation and what it means, and really, to really be a blank slate in the sense that she has no real understanding even of her own people, in a way [....] We thought it would be nice to have a character who can feel the full effect of what it means to be a part of this Federation and this group of people. To adopt their sort of unifying way in which they look at who they are. " [3] Justin Lin agreed, " I knew if we did it right, it would be great to have a new character who could potentially join the family. " ( Empire , issue 326, p. 76)

A sculpture of Jaylah that served as a basis for her make-up design

Jaylah's make-up was designed by make-up designer and make-up effects supervisor Joel Harlow in collaboration with a team led by Neville Page . The group aimed to make the character's make-up "instantly iconic," which Harlow felt was most important, as well as "instantly recognizable." ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 81) There were, though, multiple goals that drove the process of designing Jaylah's make-up and costumes. Costume Designer Sanja Hays offered, " She's an alien woman who needed to look interesting, and strange, but also heroic. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 41) Sofia Boutella asked Hays to add heels to Jaylah's boots, so her height difference to the rest of the cast would not be a problem. [4]

As it turned out, the design direction for Jaylah's make-up was suggested by neither Joel Harlow nor Neville Page. " That pale skin, black strip look came from Joe Pepe , who is one of Neville's designers, " Harlow divulged. " It was something Justin [Lin] gravitated towards during one of the meetings. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 81) A character design by Neville Page and a clay sculpture by Richard Alonzo served as the basis for Jaylah's prosthetic make-up, which was created by Joel Harlow. ( Cinefex , No. 148, pp. 85 & 88)

Adapting the selected chromatic facial design into a make-up scheme, however, involved many hurdles, such as making the black lines look the same every time they were applied, on each day of the film's considerably long production period. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 81) " The black lines were done sculpturally [on a pretty thin forehead appliance], " Joel Harlow remembered. " It would have been a nightmare to maintain those lines every day, even using a template, so I had the idea of making them slightly raised – that way, we knew exactly where they were. " ( Cinefex , No. 148, p. 88) Jaylah's make-up was labor-intensive not only due to the effort required to apply the paint, but also because a particular shade of white first had to be selected for the skin color, which called for some trial and error. Ironically, the color that was eventually picked wasn't even truly white. Using a pure white color would have made Jaylah look "clown-like." Instead, a multitude of pale colors was used. This combination gave an overall impression of white because the adjacent black lines were colorized with an absolute shade of black. Applying the various pale shades in different orders would produce slightly different appearances. Harlow said about the pale mix, " In order to make it look like skin, we [had] to break it up as you would a traditional prosthetic. There was a lot of experimentation for what that color combination would be and in what order those colors would be applied. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 81)

Jaylah's make-up incorporated a pair of contact lenses and some extremely subtle prosthetics, too. Representing ridges near Jaylah's eyes, the prosthetics stretched from the actress' nose to her forehead. However, the entire bottom part of the face was the actress' own skin, not covered at all by prosthetics. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 70)

The white-and-black motif was designed to extend into Jaylah's hair. Thus, there needed to be a seamless transition between the actress' smooth skin, the prosthetic piece, and a custom wig tied by Wigmaker Khanh Trance . " It was important that her skin tone blended into her hair color, " said Joel Harlow. " Sonya Hayes, the costume designer, had the idea of raising the ridges between the black lines, which made it all work. I [subtly] airbrushed the black into the recessed areas, continuing the lines and fading it out. " ( Cinefex , No. 148, p. 89)

The make-up of Jaylah boosted the production staff's confidence in the character. " As soon as we saw the makeup effects they were going to use, we knew it was going to be great, " Doug Jung reminisced. [5]

Multiple concept sketches of Jaylah can be seen at Trekcore. [6] [7]

Casting [ ]

When she first auditioned for the role of Jaylah, Sofia Boutella had no idea what character she would be playing, nor in what film. " It wasn't until the callback that they told me it was Star Trek , and what character I was playing, " she recalled. " Then they took me to the make-up trailer and said, 'This is what you're going to look like.' And I was like, 'Holy shit.' " ( Empire , issue 326, p. 76) Boutella, who had never done any prosthetics work before, elaborated, " At first, when I had the make-up put on me, I thought, 'what remarkable work.' I've never seen anything like it. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 70)

The prospect of casting Boutella as Jaylah immediately seemed right to Justin Lin. " I knew as soon as I saw her, " he recollected. ( Empire , issue 326, p. 76)

Boutella approved of the role, not only because she thought being in Star Trek would be "a great opportunity" for her but also thanks to Jaylah's newness. " I was attracted to this character, because she's an alien, and she's a completely original character in the Star Trek universe, so I don't have to compare myself with anyone who came before me. I am Jaylah, " the actress attested. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 49)

Performance [ ]

Jaylah actress Sofia Boutella receiving direction from Justin Lin

The casting choice of Sofia Boutella influenced the depiction of Jaylah to an extraordinary extent. " Usually when you're writing you try to find someone to fit [what you've written], but I started crafting the character to Sofia's strengths, " stated Justin Lin. " I wanted someone who when you meet them has this strength, but you realize it might be a mask. " ( Empire , issue 326, p. 76)

Though she had never seen a Star Trek film before she was cast as Jaylah, Sofia Boutella watched all the movies once she was given the part and, during production on Star Trek Beyond , she relied on the advice of Justin Lin, a longtime Star Trek fan . " This is why it's so much fun to be creating an original character like Jaylah, " she enthused. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 49)

Sofia Boutella found the most difficult aspect of playing Jaylah was the character's make-up. " This is not a CG -created character; I spent four hours in make-up every morning, " she noted. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 49) Boutella additionally related, " There were days where I'd wake up at 12:30am to get make-up before a morning shoot. It's a long but fun process. " The actress found the make-up and the lengthy durations it took to be applied helped her get into character. [8] " When I put on the prosthetic, and saw myself in the mirror, " she recalled, " it instantly put me into the character, this alien warrior, along with holding her main weapon, which looks like a stick and which she is very skilled with. " ( SFX , issue 276, p. 49) Boutella also got used to the make-up. " The more I had the prosthetic on, it was harder to imagine Jaylah without it on. There's weight to it, even if it wasn't that much, and the ponytail has a certain weight [and feel] [....] It would be difficult to play Jaylah without all that going on. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 70)

Jaylah's fighting style is dance-like because Sofia Boutella trained as a dancer. ( Empire , issue 326, p. 76) " So, she was very up for, you know, the physicality of it, " Simon Pegg added. [9] Indeed, Boutella found her experience as a physical artist was of full benefit to her portrayal of Jaylah. " It was very helpful to use my dancing ability, and what I've learned as a dancer, to execute everything that was required of me, " she explained. " I definitely used some of my old tricks, my body language, or treating things as a choreography, or looking at things with a rhythm so I could learn them. " Boutella certainly found her dance background helped her with her fight training for Star Trek Beyond . She also used it to try to make Jaylah's presence seem particularly alien, for example being conscious of how she moved, sat and walked while playing the character. To participate specifically in the film's fight scenes as Jaylah, Boutella trained in parkour and bōjutsu . " It was a lot of fun to learn [parkour], to be honest, " she admitted, " though at first I said 'I'm never going to be able to do this,' because it's quite hard. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , pp. 70 & 72)

Watched by Justin Lin, Sofia Boutella records Jaylah's scream

Simon Pegg deliberately wrote Jaylah's dialogue in a broken English that was inspired by Sofia Boutella's French accent. ( Empire , issue 326, p. 76) Jaylah's way of speaking also referenced Star Trek: The Original Series , Doug Jung recalling, " Simon found a voice for her that was a bit of a wink and a nod to, 'Why is it, whenever they find aliens in the original series, they all speak English? What does that really say?' " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 27) Boutella herself said, " I definitely tried not to speak with my French accent. It would be weird for an alien, wouldn't it? Finding [her] language and speech pattern, it was very interesting to discover. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 72)

It was Sofia Boutella who thought up the moment where Jaylah assumes the command chair onboard the Franklin , which wasn't scripted but was proposed by the actress when she improvised it on set, during rehearsal. " She came in and sat down, and she said, 'This is my house,' " Justin Lin remembered. ( SFX , issue 276, p. 49)

Even Jaylah's friendship with Scott had a real-life parallel. Sofia Boutella observed, " Jaylah and Scotty develop a sort of brother and sister dynamic that Simon and I have off-set. " [10]

As Boutella had expected, the process of inventing Jaylah turned out to be delightful for her. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 72)

Reception [ ]

In Simon Pegg's opinion, Sofia Boutella was successful as Jaylah; he called the actress "a golden addition to this group," referring to the film's principal cast. [11] Pegg also remarked, " Sofia charmed the socks off of all of us. She inhabits the character in such a way that made it a real joy to be her foil in the film. She's super-resourceful and tough. I love that she has this strange, syntactical way of speaking, which makes her feel very alien, and yet she's unbelievably sympathetic. " [12] Doug Jung described Jaylah as "one of the best characters to write" and went on to say, " She ended up being this fun, wild card character, and great for us, because we got to add a new alien race to the canon . " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 27) Jung also remarked that not only was Jaylah "kind of great," but also that Boutella "was amazing." [13]

Producer J.J. Abrams was likewise impressed with how the role of Jaylah turned out, enthusing, " I think Jaylah is my favorite new character. She is this unbelievably spirited, sweet, funny, and tough as hell character that becomes a very important ally to the crew, and Sofia did an incredible job of bringing her to life. " Joel Harlow was proud of Jaylah's appearance, remarking, " I think the white and black lines of her make-up, combined with the ribbing on her hair gives her a completely unforgettable look. " [14] Glad that Justin Lin had chosen the black-and-white appearance for the character, Harlow therefore deemed the objective of having Jaylah's make-up design "instantly recognizable and instantly iconic" as having been achieved. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 81) Sanja Hays concurred about the character's design, " I think that's probably one of the most successful we've done, Joel Harlow and myself. " ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 41) Uhura actress Zoë Saldana was very impressed by Sofia Boutella's performance as Jaylah. ( Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 , p. 47)

Boutella has expressed an interest in reprising the role of Jaylah again, saying, " I would love to see her evolve with all of the guys and with everybody. I would love to go back to her. I love her a lot. I enjoyed that experience so much. I would do it in a heartbeat. " [15]

Apocrypha [ ]

In the novel Fortune of War , a Tyrakhean woman is described as having a pale complexion accentuated by her prominent and symmetrical black facial tattoos. Author David Mack has confirmed that she is intended to be the same species as Jaylah [16] .

Jaylah as a Starfleet Academy cadet

The first issue of Star Trek: Boldly Go established that Jaylah did accept the offer to join Starfleet Academy. She was shown on Earth at the Academy, listening to a lecture that Montgomery Scott was giving. The fifth issue centered on Jaylah's backstory. She was born in space, from a family of space traders, losing her mother during childhood. An older sister, Keelah ( β ), died at the hands of Krall the same night Jaylah and her father ran away from the base.

The story also established that the black markings on her face had a meaning - "fierce", from which they derived her name.

Jaylah as the Borg drone Five of Ten

In the mobile game Star Trek: Fleet Command , Jaylah was one of the cadets serving as officers on the independent starbase Home Base and its assigned vessels. Soon after, Jaylah is captured and assimilated by the Borg . When Jaylah succumbed to the Collective , she shed a single tear for the friends she would be forced to hunt. Jaylah became the Borg drone Five of Ten, and was assigned to Unimatrix 12 in the Alpha Quadrant. Eventually she was liberated from the Collective.

External link [ ]

• Jaylah at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 Erigah (episode)

Carnac | April 6, 2021 April 6, 2021 | Officers

In terms of a long time coming, here’s a long one. Jaylah first appeared in the game in 2019. There were some events, and if you were playing the game at the time, you might have picked up some Jaylah shards. But not all of them, so as a result, you’ve probably had something like this in your officer inventory for a while. Some Jaylah shards, and ??? for officer abilities.

And then for almost two years, nothing.

We had an enormous tease of this officer, with a mystery ability.

Then we had the Borg arc, and we got Borg Jaylah (Five of Ten.) And Five of Ten is a good officer, and most players were able to get her… eventually.

But still not Jaylah. Until Now. She’s finally here.

Captain’s Manuever

Scavenger – Jaylah increases the amount of resources you get from killing hostiles by 100% while on the Franklin or the Franklin -A.

So it’s no longer???, but rather an increase to the resources you’ll get while hunting with your Franklin. It’s a specialized version of what you’ll get from Five of Ten .

The only rub here is that since there’s other officers in her crew, you can’t get a synergy bonus.

Officer Ability

The Beats and Shouting! – When Jaylah is on the Franklin or the Franklin-A, Jaylah increases the number of shots on the Franklin and Franklin-A by (1, 2, 3. 4, 5)

While most officers you’ve used on your Franklin thus far have been defensive, Jaylah is an offensive officer. She’ll give you extra shots in each round either your Franklin or your Franklin-A. That’s one extra shot, per weapon, per round.

This will lead to shorter battles, the longer you have her, but hunting swarm is buying in bulk, so you want to avoid damage as much as possible. This means you’ll still want to pair her with officers who reduce damage. So your T’Laan and Moreau would be options.

You could also go with officers to increase the bang for your buck against interceptors, so Kang and Uhura become options. Especially if you’re grinding out swarm with multiple ships.

Jaylah Background

Since I covered Jaylah actress Sofia Boutella in my article on Five of Ten , today I’ll be going over the character of Jaylah.

When it came time to write Star Trek: Beyond, Simon Pegg and Doug Jung decided that they wanted to add a strong female character on the Altamid surface. The character was inspired by Ree Dolly, the character played by Jennifer Lawrence in the 2010 film, Winter’s Bone . Ree Dolly was a character protecting her family from eviction in the Ozarks.

But coming up for a name for the character was a struggle for the writers. They were referring to the character as, “Jennifer Lawrence in  Winter’s Bone .”

“It started to get tiring, always saying, ‘Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, ‘” said Pegg. “It’s a long name! So then we started calling her ‘J-Law’.”

Eventually “J-Law” evolved into “Jaylah.”

The rest of the characterization came from the idea that she would be someone with no idea what the Federation was, or what it meant. They wanted her to be a “blank slate” with no understanding of her own people, and a character who would look at the Enterprise crew with fresh eyes.

This concept art, from TrekCore.com shows how the character was designed to look. It also calls the character Jeylah, giving a hint as to the name’s origins.

ISS Jellyfish

The uss franklin-a.

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Published Oct 8, 2018

5 Signs You're Like Jaylah

Does your mood run parallel with Altamid's most-intriguing resident?

StarTrek.com

Star Trek Beyond 's Jaylah, the staff-wielding and tech-savvy alien portrayed by Sofia Boutella, proved to be a popular addition to the franchise and inspired numerous cosplayers and fan artists to render their own interpretations of the character. Many viewers identified with Jaylah's disposition and conduct, sympathizing with her nature on a personal level. Let's look at five signs that indicate your temperament might also run parallel with Altamid's most-intriguing resident.

Are you quick to make friends?

After enduring a bumpy ride to Altamid's surface in a photon torpedo, Scotty found himself alone and unaware of his surroundings. Several locals attempted to take advantage of Scotty's confused state, until Jaylah intervened and convinced the unruly gang to disperse by displaying her proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. I don't know about you, but I only employ my best martial arts moves when I am hoping to impress a new pal.

Oblivious to their recently established friendship, Scotty mistook Jaylah's need to borrow parts from the downed torpedo as an attempt to steal Starfleet property. Jaylah employed her knife to persuade the engineer of their relationship's cordial nature and offered to help find the U.S.S. Enterprise 's surviving crew members in exchange for the Scotsman's technical support. Scotty agreed to the conditions, finally recognizing Jaylah's desire for an amicable alliance.

Do you enjoy "beats and shouting?"

Jaylah's status as a music aficionado revealed itself as she worked with Scotty to make repairs on the U.S.S. Franklin . Jaylah did not know it at the time, but her melodic tastes coincided with what Spock later referred to as the classical genre. Like many of us, the intense alien enjoyed passing the time by listening to her favorite songs and tinkering with the starship's varied technological deficiencies. One must appreciate the simple pleasures in life when marooned in solitary on a distant world.

Jaylah's song selections may not be your cup of tea, but the exhilaration and stress relief that accompany such artistic expressions transcends musical styles. The upbeat reactions from Sulu and Chekov upon hearing the unfamiliar sounds aboard the Franklin stand as a testament to music's universal appeal. Of course, the fact that the "beats and shouting" aided the crew's endeavor to destroy Krall's fleet probably boosted the enthusiasm in their responses.

Have you ever behaved rebelliously?

Rank and ceremony meant little to Jaylah, as her free spirit permitted her words and actions to flow in an uninhibited fashion. While touring the Franklin 's bridge, Jaylah casually plopped down in the command chair normally reserved for the officer in charge. A visibly chagrined Captain Kirk stood by her side, yet the defiant young woman either did not notice or felt no inclination to bow to authority. The pattern continued when Jaylah initially refused Kirk's request to go to Krall's base.

Jaylah's rebellious streak also manifested in more exhilarating ways. After finally agreeing to accompany the crew on their rescue attempt, Jaylah showed no qualms about charging into danger on a motorcycle with Kirk at high speed. The insubordinate alien later encouraged the captain to risk everyone's lives and make the Franklin fly in order to pursue Krall and his swarm. Heck, even Jaylah's decision to play Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" reflected her mutinous mindset.

Are you protective of your favorite possessions?

Despite the rapport she formed with Kirk and his senior staff, Jaylah still needed to highlight some boundaries between her friends and her belongings. Scotty emerged as the chief culprit, compelling Jaylah to warn the engineer not to set off the traps surrounding the Franklin or break her futuristic boombox during the process of upgrading its capabilities. In the latter situation, Scotty's inability to fine tune the device without shocking himself left Jaylah with no alternative but to complete the modifications herself.

As the Franklin barreled through Starbase Yorktown's shielded space doors, Jaylah understandably expressed displeasure over the damage done to her house. Kirk's choice to deploy the starship as a barricade to intercept Krall's three remaining vessels inflicted further scars upon a hull which Jaylah undoubtedly never had insured. Considering the ship's Federation origins and Jaylah's assistance in thwarting Krall's attack, hopefully Starfleet opted to foot the bill for any necessary repairs.

Do you demonstrate resourcefulness?

Perhaps Jaylah's most-defining trait was a knack for inventive solutions, which permeated her storyline in Star Trek Beyond . Left with nothing following her escape from Krall's compound, Jaylah went on to discover a crashed starship, set up various contraptions to cloak her whereabouts and form a defensive perimeter, learn an alien language, fix numerous systems on the abandoned craft, survive amid hostile neighbors, and find a nifty staff to ward off any pesky intruders. These feats were all accomplished before she even encountered Scotty and his Enterprise cohorts.

In the short time span between saving Scotty and protecting Yorktown, Jaylah's ingenuity and technical prowess proved invaluable to her new Starfleet friends. The combination of those skills and Jaylah's bravery made quite the impression on Captain Kirk, who took the drastic step of securing entry to Starfleet Academy for the alien woman. I would say that going from fending for one's own life and living in a scuttled vessel to escaping Altamid and being accepted into a prestigious institution in mere days is about as resourceful as you can get.

Jay Stobie is a freelance science fiction writer who contributes articles to the official Star Trek website and Star Trek Magazine . He can be found on Twitter at @CaptStobie and Instagram @JayStobie.

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New Details on Jaylah, Sofia Boutella’s Alien Warrior

Connect with trekcore, spoilers below.

In an interview with the actress,  Empire sketches out some history on Jaylah, that she’s grew up stranded on Altamid – the planet seen in the  BEYOND trailers – and that she uses some technological trickery to keep an advantage over her enemies.

The crew is separated into unusual pairings: Spock with Bones; Kirk with Chekov; Sulu with Uhura; and Scotty with Jaylah, who was stranded on Krall’s deadly planet as a child, after an earlier attack by the villain.

[Footage screened for Empire introduces] Jaylah on the planet Altamid, where a number of the Enterprise crew have landed after the ship’s demise. As Scotty is about to be offed by unfriendly aliens, Jaylah leaps to his rescue. She speaks in a broken English that [Simon] Pegg wrote for Boutella’s accent, and fights with balletic grace, at one point alongside two holographic projects of herself.

It’s nice to finally put a name to the planet – instead of having to keep calling it “the planet”! – and the detail about holographic projections lines up with the tactic we see Kirk take while on the move:

Keep coming back for more  STAR TREK BEYOND news as we approach the July release!

• sofia boutella
• star trek beyond

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Photo via Star Trek Beyond

‘Star Trek: Boldly Go’ comic finally gives Jaylah from ‘Star Trek Beyond’ a backstory

Jaylah was the best new 'star trek' character in years, so we're glad to see her appear in the comics..

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Internet Culture

Posted on Feb 16, 2017   Updated on May 24, 2021, 11:52 pm CDT

For those who aren’t assiduously following Star Trek ‘s comic book spinoffs, Boldly Go  is one of IDW’s tie-ins with the rebooted movie universe. Issue #5 delves into Jaylah’s backstory before she met the Enterprise crew in Star Trek Beyond , giving some insight into her upbringing and how she gained those impressive engineering skills.

Star Trek: Boldly Go #5

Played by Sofia Boutella, Jaylah was the breakout star of Star Trek Beyond . She inspired in a flood of fanfic and art when the movie came out last summer, and we’re sure fans will be glad to see more of her backstory—and a reminder that she was accepted into Starfleet Academy, paving the way for more appearances in future.

IDW’s comics aren’t as closely linked to the movie canon as Marvel ‘s Star Wars  tie-ins, so we can’t take this as confirmation that she’ll rejoin the crew in the next Star Trek  movie. But judging by the fan response to her role in Beyond , she’d certainly be welcome.

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw is a staff writer at the Daily Dot, covering geek culture and fandom. Specializing in sci-fi movies and superheroes, she also appears as a film and TV critic on BBC radio. Elsewhere, she co-hosts the pop culture podcast Overinvested. Follow her on Twitter: @Hello_Tailor

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Sofia boutella: jaylah.

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• Quotes (12)

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Quotes 

[after being teleported while in the middle of a leap and landing with a thud on the transporter pad] 

Captain James T. Kirk : [groans]  Let's never do that again.

Jaylah : [groans]  I agree, James T.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : [to Jaylah]  Now, you're part of something bigger now, lassie. Right? Dinnae give up on that. 'Cause we'll sure as hell never give up on you. That is what being part of a crew is all about.

Jaylah : Is that what you believe, James T.?

Captain James T. Kirk : All I know is we stand a better chance with you.

Captain James T. Kirk : Who's your new friend here? She sure know how to throw out the welcome mat.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : This is Jaylah.

Jaylah : I do not know what is a welcome mat.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : [notices many empty glasses]  Uh, did you drink all those yourself? I'm impressed.

Jaylah : Someone said it would take my edge off. My edge is still not off.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Aye, well, maybe this will help... the captain pulled a few strings. That is acceptance into Starfleet Academy, if you want it.

Captain James T. Kirk : There are a lot of rules. Don't listen to them all.

Jaylah : Will I have to wear that uniform?

Captain James T. Kirk : I'm afraid so.

Jaylah : Do not break my music!

Jaylah : Break it? You're getting an upgrade.

Jaylah : The digging machines uncovered a tunnel that goes into the crater. That's how I got out.

Captain James T. Kirk : Oh, so that'll be our way in. An away team will beam to the other side of the tunnel, follow it to Krall's base, get inside the building and break out the crew.

Chekov : Uh, Captain, we cannot lock onto anyone inside the crater in order to beam them out.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Oh, I could rig up pulse beacons as pattern enhancers. That'd get the signal out of the crater.

Chekov : All right.

Captain James T. Kirk : How many people can the Franklin transport at a time?

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Uh, with a wee bit of modification, 20 max, but I'm not sure how long it would hold out.

Captain James T. Kirk : Bones, Mr. Chekov, Jaylah, you're with me on the away team. Mr. Scott, modify that transporter and then do everything you can to get this ship operational.

Commander Spock : Captain, Mr. Chekov's technical acumen makes him more valuable aboard the Franklin with Mr. Scott. It is thereby logical that I would replace him.

Captain James T. Kirk : Why is that logical, Mr. Spock? You just got back on your feet.

Commander Spock : Lieutenant Uhura is in that facility, Jim.

Doctor 'Bones' McCoy : I'll keep an eye on him.

Captain James T. Kirk : Understood.

Jaylah : But his soldiers are everywhere. We won't pass unseen.

Commander Spock : What we require is a diversion.

Captain James T. Kirk : [coming up with something]  I think I have an idea.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : [Jaylah listens to old hip-hop]  Is that music? Where on earth is that coming from?

Jaylah : There. I plugged the little box in the power cell and the little mouth make it sing.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : That's very clever. Music's a bit old-fashioned for my taste, not to mention very loud and distracting, but, aye, well played.

Jaylah : I like the beats and shouting.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : That's our friends out there, lassie. All right? We cannae just leave 'em behind. Now, we... we could really use your help. We just need you to be brave, is all.

Jaylah : When we were in that place, Krall would come and take someone. There were screams. I can still hear them. And we would not see that person again. We did not know who would be next. My father planned an escape. But we were seen by... by the one they call Manas. My father fought him so I could get out. He was brave, and Manas killed him. What you want is impossible.

Chekov : I am detecting a very trace amount of Vokaya.

Commander Spock : Does the location match the coordinates you acquired from Kalara, Mr. Chekov?

Chekov : It is a match, sir.

Commander Spock : Its presence suggests that Lieutenant Uhura, and thereby the rest of the crew, are being held at Krall's base of operation.

Captain James T. Kirk : Can you beam them out?

Chekov : No, sir. There is some geological interference that is blocking the transporter signal.

Captain James T. Kirk : Well, I guess we're gonna have to go and break them out the old-fashioned way.

Jaylah : You cannot go to this place. Everyone who goes there, he kills.

Captain James T. Kirk : You've... you've been there? You've seen it?

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Well, why didn't you say something, lassie?

Jaylah : Because I know you will ask me to take you there. If your friends are there, then they will die, just like my family. And I will not go back to that death place.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Aye, but if you've escaped, then you can show us the way in and the way out.

Jaylah : No! This is not the deal we made, Montgomery Scotty. If you choose to do this, you are on your own.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Are we there yet?

Jaylah : Stop asking that.

Jaylah : I am Jaylah. And you are Montgomery Scott.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : Aye. Scotty.

Jaylah : Come now, Montgomery Scotty.

Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott : I've got to find my crewmates.

Jaylah : I will help you find your mates.

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Jennifer lawrence inspired star trek beyond's jaylah.

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Star Trek Beyond Ending & Why No Sequel 7 Years Later Explained

Top gun 3's potential cyclone return gets confident response from jon hamm (with 1 caveat), rebecca ferguson's next movie continues her best career trend.

• Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond was inspired by Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone, creating a strong female character with a unique backstory.
• Jaylah was a successful new addition to the Star Trek series, positioning her to potentially join the crew of the USS Enterprise in future films.
• Sofia Boutella, who played Jaylah, expressed her interest in returning to the Star Trek universe as many questions about Jaylah's species and background remain unanswered.

Star Trek Beyond 's new heroine, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), was inspired by Jennifer Lawrence in one of her early, award-winning roles. Boutella donned elaborate makeup to play Jaylah, the lone survivor of an unknown species who crash-landed on the planet Altamid. Jaylah joined forces with Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the USS Enterprise, who were also stranded and held prisoner on Altamid after their starship was destroyed by the nefarious Krall (Idris Elba).

Jaylah was an impactful new addition to Star Trek Beyond , and she was arguably the most successful new female character introduced in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies . The main cast of Star Trek includes Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Zoë Saldaña), but the addition of Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) in Star Trek Into Darkness wasn't as well-received as filmmakers hoped, and Carol didn't return for the third Star Trek movie. Along with the devious Kalara (Lydia Wilson) and Commodore Paris (Shohreh Aghdashloo), Star Trek Beyond had notable new female faces, but Jaylah was the new hero who was positioned to join the Starship Enterprise's crew at the end of Star Trek Beyond .

In 2016, Anton Yelchin tragically passed away, and Jaylah was seen as the potential replacement for Yelchin's Ensign Pavel Chekov.

Star Trek Beyond set up a sequel for Chris Pine's Captain Kirk and the Kelvin Timeline crew, but it's 7 years later and we're yet to see Star Trek 4.

Jaylah In Star Trek Beyond Was Inspired By Jennifer Lawrence

Lawrence starred in 2010's winter's bone.

Star Trek Beyond 's co-writer, Doug Jung, told TrekCore in 2016 that the character of Jaylah was inspired by Ree Dolly, the character Jennifer Lawrence played in Winter's Bone (2010). Jung and co-writer Simon Pegg, who also plays Scotty, wanted to add a new female hero to Star Trek Beyond, and they literally named Jaylah after Jennifer Lawrence's nickname, "J-Law." Jung explains:

We wanted to have a strong female character; I think Simon’s talked about this, like Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone.” We just kept referring to her as ‘Jennifer Lawrence’ for a long time, then somebody, joking, was like J-Law?,,, Phonetically, it sounded good – ‘Jaylah.’ It sounded a little foreign... We wanted her character to be someone who was outside of the understanding of the Federation and what it means, and really, to really be a blank slate in the sense that she has no real understanding even of her own people, in a way.

In Winter's Bone , Jennifer Lawrence's Ree Dolly was a teenager in the Ozarks searching for her father, and she endures abuse from the members of her meth-dealing relatives as she tries to save her family. Star Trek Beyond gave Jaylah very different circumstances - she was an orphan living alone on Altamid and evading Krall's soldiers - but, like Ree Dolly, Jaylah was a self-sufficient, indomitable spirit. Jaylah, however, gained a found family in Captain Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise.

Jaylah amusingly referred to Captain Kirk as "James T." and she thought of the crashed Starfleet ship, the USS Franklin, as "my house."

Will Jaylah Return In Star Trek 4?

Sofia boutella would love to return as jaylah.

Jaylah has only made one Star Trek appearance, but she made a striking impression, and fans hope that Jaylah will return in Star Trek 4 . 8 years after Star Trek Beyond 's release, the next J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movie remains in limbo. However, Deadline recently reported that Star Trek 4 is being developed as the "final chapter" of the voyages of Chris Pine's Star Trek movie crew. At the end of Star Trek Beyond , Jaylah joined Starfleet Academy, and she would presumably be a full-fledged USS Enterprise crew member in Star Trek 4.

Many questions about Jaylah remain unanswered.

For her part, Sofia Boutella would love a Star Trek return as Jaylah. Many questions about Jaylah remain unanswered, starting with what species she is and what planet her people hail from. But one thing that is known is that Jaylah is named for and inspired by J-Law herself, Jennifer Lawrence. Perhaps Star Trek 4 should create a villain for Jennifer Lawrence to play so that Jaylah can meet her namesake on-screen.

Star Trek Beyond is available to stream on Paramount+.

• Star Trek Beyond (2016)

This Is What The Actress Who Plays Jaylah In Star Trek Looks Like In Real Life

" Star Trek Beyond " wasn't quite the success that everyone involved in it likely hoped it would be. While the film received mostly positive reviews (it holds an 86% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes ), it failed to be a box office hit. "Beyond" only managed to gross a little over $343 million at the worldwide box office — falling short of the box office totals of the two previous "Star Trek" films . As a result, Paramount Pictures has yet to make a sequel to "Star Trek Beyond," though, a number of new "Star Trek" TV shows have premiered in the five years since its release.

However, despite the film's disappointing financial returns, there are actually a number of things that "Star Trek Beyond" does right. That includes the introduction and creation of some memorable new characters, like Idris Elba's villainous Krall and Sofia Boutella's likable alien scavenger, Jaylah . An escaped survivor of the camp run by Krall, "Beyond" shows Jaylah become a quick and helpful new ally for the Enterprise crew.

Boutella made an instant impression with her performance as the character, despite being covered in heavy makeup and facial prosthetics throughout the entirety of the film. Indeed, the actress is totally unrecognizable in the role, so much so that viewers may be surprised to learn not only what Boutella looks like in real life, but also that "Star Trek Beyond" is far from the only notable project that Boutella has starred in.

Jaylah is played by dancer-turned-actress Sofia Boutella

Sofia Boutella has been steadily carving out an impressive film and television career for herself over the past several years. Boutella got her start as a professional dancer, and many of her earliest credits are for music videos from notable musical artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson. Her first major film role came in 2012 when she appeared as Eva in " StreetDance 2 ," but she achieved breakthrough success with her performance as the deadly Gazelle in 2014's "Kingsman: The Secret Service." Two years later, she appeared as Jaylah in "Star Trek Beyond" and followed up that sci-fi blockbuster with her memorable turn as Delphine — the seductive-but-well-intentioned love interest of Charlize Theron's Lorraine — in 2017's "Atomic Blonde."

That same year, Boutella starred alongside Tom Cruise in a live-action reboot of " The Mummy ," where she played the film's titular character. Meanwhile, in 2018 she appeared as Clarisse McClellan in the Michael B. Jordan-led HBO film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," and earned major acclaim for her performance as Selva in the trippy, dance-driven indie film, " Climax ."

On the smaller screen, Boutella has also appeared as Yasmine in two episodes of the Amazon anthology series, "Modern Love," and is currently set to star alongside Alfie Allen and Jack O'Connell in the upcoming historical miniseries, " SAS: Rogue Heroes ." In other words, not only has Boutella already amassed some truly impressive credits for herself, but she's also shown no signs of slowing down any time soon, either.