Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS(NEW YORK) — “Sledgehammer,” Rihanna’s new Sia–penned ballad, appears in the new Star Trek film Star Trek Beyond. But if the super-cool pop star and the geek-tastic Star Trek universe seem like an odd pairing, here’s a shocker: she’s actually a huge Star Trek fan from back in the day.
“Star Trek has been a part of my life since I was a little girl,” says Rihanna in a featurette created to promote the movie. “My dad really is the one who introduced me to Star Trek. It just took me one episode to fall in love with this other world that I couldn’t understand, but I felt like I could relate to.”
“I was always very curious about the characters and the storyline,” she adds. “You always felt emotionally connected to the characters and whatever they were going through.”
Rihanna doesn’t specify which TV iteration of Star Trek she likes best — the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager or Enterprise — but in any case, she says she was thrilled to be asked to contribute a song to Star Trek Beyond.
“It wasn’t like just doing a song for any random film. I love Star Trek. It was automatic,” she says. “I would do anything in terms of music. It’s such a big deal not only as a fan, [but] as a musician, because Star Trek is such a big deal across the globe.”
Star Trek Beyond, the third installment of the newly-rebooted film series, opens July 22. Rihanna’s song “Sledgehammer” is available now, and the video is online too.
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