Lots and lots of very yummy man-candy showed up for the big premiere of the new Star Trek film — in Australia!

The 11th big-screen film in the sci-fi series had its world premiere Tuesday at the Sydney Opera House in Australia in advance of its debut in theaters May 8.

Among the stars on hand: Chris Pine, who takes on William Shatner’s old role as James Kirk; Zachary Quinto, who inherits Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock; Karl Urban, filling the shoes of DeForest Kelley’s Dr. McCoy; and Eric Bana, who plays a villainous Romulan.

Out of admiration for the original Kirk, Pine noted that when he was cast, he wrote Shatner a “letter of introduction and said who I was and what I was doing.”

Heh. I love that Chris Pine did that. I also love that he doesn’t mention William Shatner writing back. I’m sure he was too busy buried in a pool of liquor and cigarettes and reciting the words to “Rocket Man.” Seriously, have you seen that YouTube clip? You MUST see it. It’s here. Go watch the crazy.

So I don’t know much about this Chris Pine kid, but I definitely think he’s a total hottie, and I’m looking forward to seeing him as Kirk, and later, hopefully, in my bedroom. But that’s just me.