'Star Trek 3' plot news: First teaser photo released

Star Trek Beyond first official photoJustin Lin/ Twitter

Actor and screenwriter Simon Pegg first announced that the title for the next "Star Trek" movie would be "Star Trek Beyond," back when he gave his first update regarding the re-writes he had done for the script. A new post on Twitter from the film's director now confirms that this is indeed the title that the film is going with, and he also posted the first official photo from the set. 

Director Justin Lin posted via Twitter an image of a blue Starfleet uniform with a patch that bears the "United Federations of Planets" slogan on it. Lin's caption reads: "Let the next Starfleet voyage begin! #StarTrekBeyond #LLAP."

The most notable aspect here is the use of the title "Star Trek Beyond" instead of simply "Star Trek 3." 

For fans of the franchise, the other hashtag, which means "Live Long and Prosper," is an obvious tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy who passed away last February at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

Nimoy had portrayed the character Spock in the original "Star Trek" TV series in the 1960s and would continue to do so even in rebooted films such as "Spock Prime." The character is now being portrayed by actor Zachary Quinto. 

Paramount Pictures has yet to confirm the title but according to a report from GamesRadar, it is a sure bet at this point that "Star Trek Beyond" is indeed the official title. The previous film in the reboot trilogy also ditched the idea of putting a number beside the title, calling it "Star Trek Into Darkness" instead of "Star Trek II." 

"Star Trek Beyond" is set to take place during the Enterprise's five-year mission in uncharted space to meet new civilizations and new worlds. Actor Idris Elba is currently rumored to be the film's main villain. The report also cites that the third film will introduce new species instead of simply relying on franchise regulars like the Romulans and Klingons. 

"Star Trek Beyond" is scheduled for a July 8, 2016 release.