Sofia Boutella: Star Trek Beyonds Jaylah Actor Explained

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Summary

Jaylah is an orphaned scavenger who becomes part of the USS Enterprise crew in Star Trek Beyond.
Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah is inspired by Jennifer Lawrence’s character in Winter’s Bone, and shares similar qualities of strength and independence.
Jaylah could potentially replace Chekov in Star Trek 4, as she has proven her engineering and technical skills in previous films.

Star Trek Beyond introduces a brand-new Star Trek character, the alien scavenger Jaylah, played by Rebel Moon actress Sofia Boutella. Stranded on the planet Altamid after losing her family to a deadly attack by Star Trek Beyond villain Krall (Idris Elba), Jaylah makes a living in the crashed remains of the USS Franklin, a Federation starship from about 100 years earlier in the Star Trek timeline. When the USS Enterprise is lured into Krall’s trap and the crew is separated on Altamid, Lt. Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) encounters Jaylah, who defends Scotty from opportunistic scavengers.

Originally envisioned by Star Trek Beyond writers Doug Jung and Simon Pegg as a way of bringing more female representation to the largely male Star Trek cast, Jung and Pegg looked at actress Jennifer Lawrence’s character in Winter’s Bone, Ree Dolly, as an inspiration for Jaylah. Taking the connection a step further, Star Trek Beyond‘s Jaylah was named after Jennifer Lawrence, as a sound-alike to Lawrence’s nickname of “J-Law”. Jaylah’s circumstances differ from Ree Dolly’s, but the characters share similar qualities, strength and independence.

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Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah In Star Trek Beyond Explained

Jaylah is the newest member of the Starship Enterprise’s crew

Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond is an orphaned and independent survivalist stranded on the planet Altamid who becomes a scavenger to source parts to repair the downed starship USS Franklin. With the Franklin’s computer, Jaylah learns about the existence of the Federation, and how to speak English. When Scotty, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), and Ensign Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) are similarly trapped on Altamid, Jaylah teams up with the Starfleet officers to fight Krall and fix the Franklin. By the end of Star Trek Beyond, the Enterprise crew and Jaylah leave Altamid on the repaired Franklin, with a bright future among the stars promised to her.

Originally from Algiers, Sofia Boutella was trained as a gymnast and dancer in France. Boutella’s early roles included acting in French-language productions and dancing in music videos in the mid-2000s. Notable roles include Gazelle in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Sofia Boutella’s breakout role as Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond, and she followed up as Ahmanet in The Mummy (2017). Most recently, Sofia Boutella made an impression starring as lead character Kora in director Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. The success of Rebel Moon proves Boutella’s star power and bankability, so where does that leave Boutella as Jaylah?

Chris Pine sits in the captain's chair in Star Trek Beyond

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Sofia Boutella Wants To Return As Jaylah In Star Trek 4

Jaylah needs to make another Star Trek appearance

Sofia Boutella would love to return as Jaylah in Star Trek 4, the long-delayed sequel to Star Trek Beyond. When asked about a potential appearance in the untitled Star Trek 4, Sofia Boutella said that she “would do it in a heartbeat.” Star Trek Beyond left the possibility for a continuation wide open, and Jaylah would almost certainly be a part of the USS Enterprise’s continuing adventures, not least because Jaylah fit in so well with the existing Enterprise crew members. Jaylah’s perspective as a newcomer to the Federation makes her a fresh addition to the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline cast.

IDW’s Kelvin Timeline comics,
Star Trek: Boldy Go
, depicted Jaylah as a Starfleet Academy cadet following the events of
Star Trek Beyond
.
Star Trek
has certainly pulled from non-canonical books and comics in the past, so the Academy remains one possibility for Jaylah’s future in
Star Trek
.

Just what form Star Trek 4 will take remains to be seen. Various attempts have been made at a Star Trek 4 script, with none yet coming to fruition. Vetoed directions for Star Trek 4 have included a timeline-hopping story that reunites Chris Pine’s Kirk with his father, Chris Hemsworth’s Lt. George Kirk; a scrapped Quentin Tarantino outing; and an abandoned version by WandaVision‘s director, Matt Shakman. Writer Steve Yockey is attached to the current version of Star Trek 4, which is said to be the final chapter, so it’s likely to be the last film starring Star Trek‘s Kelvin Timeline cast, including Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah.

Jaylah Can Replace Chekov In Star Trek 4

The crew in Star Trek Beyond including Jaylah watch the Enterprise-A being built

One possible future for Jaylah in Star Trek 4 is taking up the position on the USS Enterprise formerly filled by Ensign Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin). Chekov joined the Enterprise crew as a cadet in 2009’s Star Trek, assigned to the role of navigator, and quickly displayed an aptitude for multiple disciplines when Chekov replaced Lt. Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) as Chief Engineer. Anton Yelchin’s tragic death in 2016 meant that Star Trek Beyond was Yelchin’s last Star Trek film. Rather than recast Chekov to maintain continuity with the Prime Timeline, it would be far better to allow the Kelvin Timeline’s Pavel Chekov to rest in peace along with Yelchin.

Anton Yelchin can’t be replaced, but Star Trek already has the perfect replacement for Chekov’s job on the USS Enterprise lined up with Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah. Even though Jaylah enlisted Scotty’s help with repairing the Franklin, Jaylah proved her strength as an on-the-fly engineer capable of cobbling solutions together in the fight against Krall, so she could fill in for Scotty as needed. Moreover, Jaylah is clearly a quick study, capable of technical expertise as well as combat skill. With that kind of resourcefulness, Jaylah could have easily attended Starfleet Academy in the time that passed since Star Trek Beyond and become a delightful part of the USS Enterprise crew.