The last theatrically release “Star Trek” movie, Justin Lin’s “Star Trek Beyond,” was released way back in July of 2016, more than nine years ago. It was the third film in the rebooted Kelvin continuity, which featured a hip, hot new cast playing familiar characters from the original “Star Trek” series. It was successful — it made over $343 million on a $185 million budget — but those numbers were considered a disappointment. The future of “Star Trek” movies was thrown into flux.
The following year, “Star Trek: Discovery” debuted on CBS All Access, marking the return of “Star Trek” to TV for the first time in 12 years, and a proud return to the original, non-Kelvin continuity. CBS All Access, which later became Paramount+, began flooding its service with piles of new “Star Trek” shows — some good, some bad — and the franchise was officially headed in a new direction. In that environment, the future of “Star Trek” movies wasn’t just in flux, but seemingly vanishing into a gravitational vortex.
Various “Star Trek 4” movie ideas have been floated over the years, and some were wild. Quentin Tarantino was said to be working on a script. S.J. Clarkson was attached to direct at one point, as was Noah Hawley. A few years ago, it was announced that Paramount was working on a “Star Trek” prequel film, even though “Star Trek” has already had multiple prequels. The prequel, as far as we know, is still on the docket, but it’s a separate project from a fourth Kelvin movie, which is still in the “well, we intend to get to that eventually” phase.
Simon Pegg, who played Scotty in the three Kelvin movies and who co-wrote “Star Trek Beyond,” still thinks a “Star Trek 4” is possible. He talked about the possibilities at a recent “Star Trek” convention (via Collider), and he even thought of a way to make a new movie function as a drama. In short, he thinks filmmakers should lean into the fact that everyone is a decade older.
Simon Pegg thinks that the door is still open for a Star Trek 4
To remind readers, Paramount recently achieved a controversial merger with Skydance, and that has led to new speculations, positive and negative, about the future of “Star Trek.” The merger is causing a massive restructuring, and no one knows if “Star Trek” will thrive or wither in the new environment. Pegg, however, feels that the door has re-opened. The new CEO of the company, David Ellison, is said to be a Trekkie, and will likely keep certain TV shows and movie projects thrumming.
This could mean, potentially, a more active development of “Star Trek 4.” Everyone, including Pegg, likes the cast of those movies, and bringing the series to a head would feel appropriate. Sure, the “Prime” timeline has been re-activated, and actor Anton Yelchin — who played Pavel Chekov in the Kelvin movies — died in 2016. But Pegg feels that it can work. Indeed, he would like to see “Star Trek 4” catch up with the characters after they, too, have spent a decade apart. In his words:
“[Ellison is] a big Star Trek fan [who] cares about the series. […] I love those guys. And despite how we had a tragedy in our group, which was extremely painful, it would be wonderful to come together again. J.J. has always said that there are scripts being developed and this and that. I think it’s about time. It would be great to see us ten years after the five-year mission, where we are.”
Ten years after the five-year mission? Not only is that smart, but it’s worked before. That was the premise of the original “Star Trek” feature films back in the ’70s and ’80s. Specifically, that was the approach to Robert Wise’s 1979 classic “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”
Simon Pegg wants to see a Star Trek: The Motion Picture approach to Star Trek 4
The original “Star Trek” series went off the air in 1969 after suffering low ratings throughout its three-season run. It wouldn’t be until the early 1970s that “Star Trek” would gain an audience, remaining on the air through incessant reruns. “Star Trek” conventions began to form, and “Star Trek” grew into a cultural phenomenon. By the late 1970s, interest in the show had grown to the point where a reboot was feasible. Show creator Gene Roddenberry initially wanted to make a new TV series, “Star Trek: Phase II,” but that mutated into the decidedly not-boring “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” finally released in 1979.
Because it had been a decade since Trekkies saw the characters together, a large portion of “Motion Picture” was a catch-up. The characters had mostly drifted apart and followed independent career paths. Kirk (William Shatner), now an admiral, was no longer in command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Nearly the first half of the movie is devoted to the characters re-introducing themselves, and displaying that, yes, they are all indeed a decade older and wiser. They had all received promotions, and their attitudes had changed. The age of the characters even became a plot point in 1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” a film that saw Kirk wearing glasses because of his aging eyeballs.
That, Pegg seems to think, would be a great approach to “Star Trek 4” as well. It’s been a long time since “Star Trek Beyond,” and the characters have likely moved on from their previous five-year mission. It would be possible to reunite them, now in their 40s and 50s, with an open acknowledgment of their age. Time will tell if a “Star Trek 4,” or any other “Star Trek” movies, are actually made, but Pegg’s idea is sound.