Principal photography for the sequel Star Trek from J.J. Abrams has commenced in Los Angeles today — a release date set for May 17, 2013 in 3D. It’s hard to believe three years ago, the re-launch of the Star Trek franchise by Abrams was met with a huge box office success that streamed worldwide — grossing over $385 million at the box office.

Of course, all the major stars are returning, including John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and Anton Yelchin. They are joined by new cast members Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller.

The late Gene Roddenberry created the Star Trek theme and characters as a television show in the 1960s. The sequel script was written by Alex Kurtzman & Robert Orci & Damon Lindelof.