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Star Trek 4 potential release date, cast and everything you need to know

A new writer has boarded the USS Enterprise.

Is Star Trek 4 confirmed?

Star trek 4 potential release date: when can we expect star trek 4, star trek 4 cast: who's going to be in star trek 4, star trek 4 plot: what's going to happen in star trek 4, star trek 4 trailer: any star trek 4 footage yet.

Star Trek 4 still isn't close to being released, but we do at least know that development continues on the long-awaited movie .

In March 2024, it was reported that Steve Yockey – who developed The Flight Attendant – had become the latest writer to tackle a new draft for the movie, which is intended to bring back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldaña.

This is separate from the other two Star Trek movies in the works: a prequel movie directed by Toby Haynes and Star Trek: Discovery spin-off Section 31 , which finished filming in March 2024.

We'll likely see both of those movies before we see Star Trek 4 , but at least it should be released one day. But while we wait, here's everything you need to know about the (potential) return of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek 4 .

As far as we know, Star Trek 4 is definitely going to happen despite the fact we're nearing eight years since the last movie, Star Trek Beyond , was released.

The long-gestating movie finally looked to be on track in February 2022 when it was announced that JJ Abrams was returning to produce with Matt Shakman directing, to the surprise of the cast as much as the fans.

Unfortunately, Shakman left the movie in August 2022 to direct Fantastic Four for Marvel instead . And then in September 2022, Paramount took the movie off the release calendar entirely.

In March 2023, JJ Abrams – who has produced all three movies in the reboot trilogy and directed two of them – said that a search for a director is ongoing.

"I will say it's the first time [since the original reboot] that we have a story that feels as compelling as the first one," he told Esquire . Of course, Pine also called the franchise "cursed" so it depends how hopeful you feel like being.

We've heard nothing since about a potential director for the movie, but at least we know is that Star Trek 4 is in active development at Paramount, given that there is now a new writer on board.

Once upon a time, Star Trek 4 was scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 22, 2023.

Of course, that never happened, and Star Trek 4 hasn't got a confirmed release date as of May 2024. There's no rumours either about when it could reappear on the schedule.

In June 2022, prior to Shakman leaving the project, Paramount boss Brian Robbins did confirm development was under way on the fourth Star Trek . "We're deep into it with JJ Abrams, and it feels like we're getting close to the starting line and excited about where we're going creatively," he said .

However, in November 2022, star Zachary Quinto told The Independent : "At this point, I honestly have very little attachment to it.

"All of us would like to come back and make another movie, but I’ve learnt to only get excited about things I know are actually real. And there's nothing about a fourth Star Trek movie that feels real right now."

Other people involved seem to have faith in the project moving forward, though, and hopefully a new writer joining is a positive step.

All we can do is watch this space.

Even when Star Trek 4 was originally being released in December 2023, it hadn't been 100% confirmed that the reboot cast would be back.

That being said, during his June 2022 announcement, Robbins did say he knew audience "wants that cast in this movie" – referring to the reboot cast.

So, if it ever does come to fruition, we'd be surprised if it was with a brand-new cast. You can likely then expect the returns of Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldaña (Uhura), Karl Urban (Bones), John Cho (Sulu) and Simon Pegg (Scotty).

Urban certainly seems keen for a return, although he also revealed in March 2022 that, like Pine, he hadn't read a script yet . "I would love to work with those guys again; so much fun, the best hang. We'll see," he enthused.

It all feels very up in the air, as per Quinto's quotes, but that doesn't mean we can't hope.

The initial plan for the fourth movie was to have a timey-wimey adventure that featured Chris Pine's James T Kirk somehow joining forces with his long-dead dad, played by Chris Hemsworth .

Hemsworth opened up in May 2019 about why he stepped away from the movie , saying: "I didn't feel like we landed on a reason to revisit that yet. I didn't want to be underwhelmed by what I was going to bring to the table."

It's unclear if this new version of Star Trek 4 plans to bring Hemsworth back or if it's gone in a totally new direction, but Hemsworth seems open to a return for the fourth movie.

In October 2022, Rings of Power bosses JD Payne and Patrick McKay teased more about what their original idea for the fourth movie was going to be. "The conceit was that through a cosmic quirk in the Star Trek world, they were the same age," McKay explained.

We also don't know yet whether the new movie will recast Pavel Chekov following Anton Yelchin's tragic death in 2016. "It's bittersweet because we are coming together for a fourth time, and one of us is no longer with us," Saldaña said in March 2022 .

"But we honestly feel that going back and keeping the Star Trek family together is a way to really keep him alive in our thoughts and our hearts."

Right now, we don't have any confirmed plot details for the fourth movie, and it's not clear how closely it'll follow on from the ending of Star Trek Beyond .

The third movie ended with Kirk declining the promotion to vice admiral and staying as the captain of the USS Enterprise. Spock also chose to remain in Starfleet and reignited his romance with Uhura.

As the movie ends, they're all set to continue their mission on a brand-new USS Enterprise after the previous one was destroyed during the movie's events.

It means that the fourth movie can go anywhere. But, for Pine, he believes that whatever the plot is, it shouldn't try to compete with Marvel .

"I've always thought that Star Trek should operate in the zone that is smaller. You know, it's not a Marvel appeal. It's like, let's make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek ," he said.

"Let's make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great. But make it for a price and make it, so that if it makes a half-billion dollars, that's really good."

You're kidding, right? We'd love to get all timey-wimey ourselves and show you a trailer for Star Trek 4 from the future, but we're stuck in the Mirror Universe.

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Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies , attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy , initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.  

Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance journalist and film critic, and was previously Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. She loves Star Wars , coming-of-age stories, thrillers , and true crime. A born and raised New Yorker, she also loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.

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Everything we know about Star Trek 4

Will captain kirk and co return for one more outing.

It looks like the only thing trickier than surviving a mission into deep space is getting all of your starships in a row long enough to send Star Trek 4 speeding into production.

The last time we saw Captain James T. Kirk and his pointy-eared pal Spock in action was in 2016 threequel Star Trek Beyond . Ever since then, updates on their next adventure have been sporadic at best, with news of stand-alone spin-offs from critically acclaimed talent and even a new prequel story drifting in and out of focus like passing asteroids.

Multiple writers and directors have boarded Star Trek 4 only to hit eject before any meaningful progress has been made, leaving this sci-fi tentpole franchise lost in space. However, a promising new update suggests that the crew of the USS Enterprise could be gearing up for a new mission in the not-too-distant future.

With that in mind, here’s everything we know about Star Trek 4 so far…

When will Star Trek 4 be released?

Star Trek 4 is currently without a release date. In fact, the film hasn’t even entered production so we’ll likely have to wait a few years before we can see the Enterprise crew back on the big screen.

What is the plot of Star Trek 4?

As it stands, we don’t have any details of what adventure Star Trek 4 will send audiences on. That said, we do know that the fourth film in the franchise is set to be the final outing for this particular chapter of the Star Trek story that J.J. Abrams started in 2009.

To say that Star Trek 4 has had a long and varied gestation process so far is a bit of an understatement. Initially, talk of a fourth film began before the release of its predecessor Star Trek Beyond and not long afterwards, auteur filmmaker Quentin Tarantino was reported to have pitched his own idea to Abrams in 2017.

This new take on the Star Trek story was being developed separately from Abrams’ primary universe and was reported to have an R-rated tone thanks to its violence and language. Despite gathering a group of writers to work on the project, Tarantino’s Star Trek ultimately hasn’t come to fruition just yet.

Madame Web helmer S.J. Clarkson was the next person to be hired to direct but dropped off of the film when negotiations surrounding the return of Kirk star Chris Pine and his on-screen father Chris Hemsworth fell apart.

Fargo’s Noah Hawley was then enlisted to take the franchise forward in a new direction that would’ve been starkly different from what had come before but involved the franchise’s same ensemble cast however his plans fell apart too, leading him to start work on the new Alien series instead.

Prison Break writer Kalinda Vazquez was the next person to be linked to Star Trek 4 before she was replaced by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s long-time director Matt Shankman. He was set to direct a new story written by Pet Sematary: Bloodlines scribe Lindsay Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, writer of 2018’s Tomb Raider reboot.

Unfortunately, cast negotiations dragging on hampered the development process and it wasn’t long before Shakman left the project to tackle Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot instead. Despite this, Beer offered an update in September 2023 that suggested that her and Robertson-Dworet’s story was still in active development.

“It’s still on the tracks,” Beer told Collider . “I love that project, and it was another one that I had to hop off of to direct [Pet Sematary: Bloodlines], and that was a hard thing to do. But I love everybody involved with that project.”

The franchise experienced some promising signs of life in March 2024 when The Flight Attendant screenwriter Steve Yockey was enlisted by Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures to write a new Star Trek 4 script. While story details are non-existent, it’s believed that Yockey’s story is still planned to be the final outing for Abrams’ crew.

Responding to the news of Yockey joining the project, star Chris Pine said : “I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with Trek, I just wait and see.”

Who will be starring in Star Trek 4?

If Star Trek 4 does finally come together, the project will have to reunite the crew of the USS Enterprise. That includes Pine’s Captain James Kirk, Zachary Quinto’s Spock, Karl Urban’s Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Zoe Saldana’s Nyota Uhura, Simon Pegg’s Montgomery “Scotty” Scott and John Cho’s Hikaru Sulu.

Pavel Chekov star Anton Yelchin tragically passed away following a freak accident in 2016 and it is unclear how the sequel might address his absence.

Bringing the movie’s crew together on deck might be harder than it sounds, with Quinto recently describing the process as “complicated.”

“I think there’s a lot of other stuff, creative things,” he said during a convention appearance in summer 2023. “The fact that anything good gets made is kind of miracle.

“I think it’s about different people having different agendas and ideas about what it will be. And I don’t know if and when it will happen... And if it coalesces again and we come back and we're able to do it, wonderful. If not, we had a great run.”

Meanwhile, Pine has also shared his frustrations surrounding delays and being able to see up-to-date scripts. He even called the sequel “cursed” following its trouble getting off the ground.

“After the last one came out and didn’t do the $1 billion that everyone wanted it to do, and then Anton [Yelchin] passed away, I don’t know. It just... feels like it’s cursed,” he told Esquire .

“I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors. I would say it's frustrating. It doesn't really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it's how it's always been. I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise. But to try to change the system in which things are created – I just can’t do it. I don’t have the energy.”

Speaking to ComicBook.com in January 2024, Saldana said she would be “grateful” for one more outing with her galaxy exploring colleagues.

“I mean, I heard what you heard in the trades. I just heard they’re gearing up to do a new one with a younger, sort of, take on it... I don't know if it’s from the before or the after, but that they really still hope to grab all of us veterans and bring us back for one last round.”

“Listen, I know it’s a lot to wrangle a whole bunch of people with busy schedules,” she added. “But working with J.J. Abrams, and for J.J. Abrams at Bad Robot, was always just a wonderful and beautiful experience for me. So, if I get to do that one last time, I would be so grateful.”

Saldana reiterated these thoughts during a chat with The Discourse podcast in April 2024, saying: “I still have hope”. She added that Star Trek “should live for a very long time, whether or not us as the original remake cast can come back. I don’t know, but I certainly hope so.”

If the crew of the USS Enterprise manage to get their act together, only then can then start to discuss who might be playing their new big-bad plus anyone else who may return – or be introduced – in Star Trek 4.

Is there a trailer for Star Trek 4?

Unfortunately, there’s no trailer or footage available for Star Trek 4 just yet.

Will there be a Star Trek prequel movie?

Yes, a stand-alone Star Trek prequel movie is also in development from Abrams’ Bad Robot production company.

Set decades before the 2009 Star Trek reboot, the project is described as an origin story that will be written by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’s Seth Grahame-Smith and Andor director Todd Haynes.

In May 2024, it was revealed that Simon Kinberg will produce the project following his success overseeing the majority of the X-Men universe.

The new report confirmed that the film is set amid Star Trek's primary timeline and not the revised Kelvin timeline established in Abrams’ 2009 reboot and will take place shortly after humanity’s first contact with aliens.

Star Trek 4 is still in development.

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A new “ Star Trek ” film is in the works at Paramount with “Andor’s” Toby Haynes on board to direct and Seth Grahame-Smith penning the script, Variety has confirmed.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, the upcoming feature will be an origin story that is set decades before 2009’s “Star Trek,” as well as an expansion of the “Star Trek” universe. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is producing.

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During a Paramount Global investors day presentation in February of 2022, Abrams announced that a new “Star Trek” movie would begin shooting by the end of that year with the Pine-led crew. Pine and his co-stars reportedly had no idea Paramount was moving forward with another “Star Trek” film, which was eventually removed from the studio’s film slate in September of that year.

Haynes recently directed six episodes of the “Star Wars” series “Andor,” starring Diego Luna as the titular role. He also helmed the “Star Trek”-inspired episode of “Black Mirror,” titled “USS Callister.” Haynes is repped by WME and attorney Peter Nelson.

Grahame-Smith is best known as the author of the best-selling novels “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” He also wrote and produced 2017’s “The Lego Batman Movie.” Grahame-Smith is repped by WME and attorneys PJ Shapiro and Wendy Kirk.

Deadline was first to report the “Star Trek” news.

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Zachary Quinto On 'Star Trek 4': ''There's No Guarantee'' It Will Happen

News of Star Trek 4 officially being in development first surfaced last summer. Producer J.J. Abrams confirmed work on the sequel and revealed it would somehow bring back Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk, the father of James T. Kirk who perished in exciting opening sequence of the first installment of the reboot that established a whole new timeline in the Star Trek universe. Since then all we've heard is vague hype about the sequel, and it sounds like the cast is unsure whether it will actually happen.

In a recent interview, Star Trek franchise star Zachary Quinto says that he's still waiting for the script to be completed, and despite being hopeful that he'll be able to reprise his role as Mr. Spock, the movie doesn't seem to have been greenlit yet. Find out more about Star Trek 4 development after the jump.

Zachary Quino recently appeared on The Today Show to discuss his lower profile drama Aardvark , and discussion eventually turned to Star Trek 4 . Here's what the actor had to say:

"I know that they are working on a script for another one and we'll see how that all plays out, but the nice thing about that experience is that the time in between those big tentpole films allows us to go off and cultivate a lot of different creative experiences for ourselves. ... I'm hopeful that we'll do another one, but there's no guarantee."

To be fair, when it comes to development on these projects, actors usually don't know what's going with the movie unless they're also producers. The actors aren't really needed until there's a script finished for them to get in front of the camera and shoot. Quinto seems to be in the same boat that Chris Pine is when he said this about three weeks ago when he was asked about the state of Star Trek 4 :

"I am literally one of the last people to find out. Costume designers find out before me. Prop people find out before me. I can't wait to make the film. I love everyone in the film. You know that. I love the world. I will be back as many times as they ask me. I love the tall man they call Thor. I'll do this film. If you can talk to [Star Trek producer] J.J. [Abrams] for me, please do. Let him tell me. I'd like to find out so I can plan my life."

More than likely, Paramount Pictures isn't in a rush to get the script done and they want to make sure they have something worth making before they get the rest of the pieces in place. The good news is that Chris Hemsworth said the pitch for the movie is "amazing" and J.J. Abrams says it might be his " favorite Star Trek story that we've had ." So if that's true, Paramount will want to greenlight it.

Despite the positivity, there is some reasonable uncertainty as to whether or not Star Trek 4 will get made. Though Star Trek Beyond wasn't exactly a disappointment at the box office when it pulled in over $343 million last year , it's significantly less than the $467 million that Star Trek Into Darkness made in 2013, showing the studio that interest in the franchise may be waning.

As of now, it doesn't sound like Star Trek 4 is definitively in trouble, but it's merely still in development ( Simon Pegg and Doug Jung were apparently working on the script most recently). When working on a film, actors don't often like to count their chickens before they're hatched, so Zachary Quinto is probably just playing it safe by keeping hype in check. With no release date set (as far as we know), Star Trek 4 doesn't have to hit any specific deadline to start shooting, but hopefully we'll get an update on the sequel soon.

Star Trek 4 Gets Promising Update After Losing Director Matt Shakman

While there seems to never be a shortage of "Star Trek" TV shows to enjoy, there haven't been any big-screen contributions from the franchise since "Star Trek Beyond." The sequel to the 2016 feature has struggled to get off the ground thanks to a number of delays, including having  lost director Matt Shakman  in 2022. But despite the many issues "Star Trek 4"  has endured, fans shouldn't lose hope — one of the film's writers, Lindsey Anderson Beer, has good news to report.

While discussing the prequel horror movie "Pet Sematary: Bloodlines," Anderson Beer offered an encouraging update regarding the "Star Trek" sequel. "It's still on the tracks," she told Collider during an interview. "I love that project, and it was another one that I had to hop off of to direct this movie, and that was a hard thing to do. But I loved everybody involved with that project."

Some fans see a director's chair in Simon Pegg's Star Trek future

Simon Pegg has played Montgomery Scott, aka Scotty, in all three of  Chris Pine's "Star Trek" movies , and some fans believe the actor should also sit in the director's chair for "Star Trek 4." Redditor  u/anonymous_fireflyfan started a thread by posting, "If it's so hard to find a director for 'Star Trek 4,' and Simon Pegg wants to do 'Star Trek 4' so bad why doesn't he just direct it? Get someone passionate about Trek, like Pegg, and you'll make a great movie." Several people agreed, like  u/hoodoomonster , who commented, "Yes! He would give us a charming and fun story. We don't need worlds destroyed every time." Redditor  u/Sea-Professional-953 also thought Pegg would be a great choice, commenting, "I love the idea of Simon Peg [sic] directing 'Star Trek 4' – an entire movie where the crew of the Enterprise overcomes obstacles just to get to a pub on Deep Space Nine."

While Pegg is known for appearing in everything from the "Mission: Impossible" movies to "The Boys," the actor also has several credits as a screenwriter, including "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," and "Star Trek Beyond." He has also directed two short films, "Simon's Cam" and "Au Revoir, Chris Hemsworth." While that doesn't give him much experience, fans see him as a refreshingly bold candidate who could be the crucial factor needed to complete the mission successfully. And with those exciting endorsements, it will be interesting to see how things play out now that it's known that "Star Trek 4" is still happening.

Star Trek 4 Writer Confirms Long-Awaited Sequel Is Still Moving Forward

By Maggie Dela Paz

Speaking with Collider , Star Trek 4 writer Lindsey Anderson Beer finally clarified the current status of the long-in-development fourth installment to the J.J. Abrams -produced Star Trek film franchise. Despite its suffering from delays, Beer confirmed that the highly-anticipated project is still moving forward at Paramount Pictures.

“It is, it’s still on the tracks,” She said. “I love that project, and it was another one that I had to hop off of to direct this movie, and that was a hard thing to do. But I love that everybody involved with that project.” However, it’s currently unclear if Beer had already left Star Trek 4 in order to shift her focus on directing Pet Sematary: Bloodlines ,or if her work on the project is temporarily on hold while the Paramount continues its search for a new director .

Star Trek 4’s Pre-Production Setbacks

It has already been nearly four years since Paramount Pictures confirmed the development of Star Trek 4. Since then, the project has undergone multiple creative changes including director changes. Last year, fans began doubting if Star Trek 4 would ever get made after Paramount decided to remove it from their 2023 theatrical release schedule.

In early 2022, during Paramount’s Investors Day Presentation, producer J.J. Abrams confirmed that Star Trek 4 was indeed in active development with the original cast expected to return including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg. As of the now, the project currently has no director attached to it yet after WandaVision’s Matt Shakman exited the movie due to scheduling conflicts with Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four.

Maggie Dela Paz has been writing about the movie and TV industry for more than four years now. Besides being a fan of coming-of-age films and shows, she also enjoys watching K-Dramas and listening to her favorite K-Pop groups. Her current TV obsessions right now are FX’s The Bear and the popular anime My Hero Academia.

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• Paramount Studios is considering whether to continue with Star Trek 4 or reboot the franchise altogether.
• There is a desire among fans to see more from Chris Pine and the Kelvin Timeline crew.
• A reboot could explore untold stories in the wider Star Trek canon, but there is still potential in the current cast.

As Paramount Studios reportedly turn their attention back to the next Star Trek movie, there is a question over whether they should press ahead with Star Trek 4 or reboot the franchise altogether. The fourth movie in J.J. Abrams' Kelvin Timeline series has been stuck in development hell for over seven years and has burned through multiple big names like Quentin Tarantino, Matt Shakman, and Noah Hawley. Recently, writer-director Lindsey Anderson-Beer stated that Star Trek 4 was " still on the tracks " after she left the project to work on Pet Sematary: Bloodlines .

Now, new reports suggest that Star Trek 4 will be a reboot , which is hopefully borne out of a misunderstanding. It's been seven years since Star Trek Beyond , so perhaps the fourth movie will be a soft reboot that brings back the cast without explicit ties to the Kelvin Timeline continuity. That would be the desired outcome, given how many fans still want to see more from Chris Pine and the Kelvin Timeline crew. However, a reboot is more suggestive of a desire by Paramount to push the movie franchise into new territory, leaving the Kelvin Timeline behind forever.

Should Star Trek 4 Be A Sequel Or A Reboot Movie?

It's been seven years since Star Trek Beyond , which is a long time but shouldn't be a reason not to follow it up with Star Trek 4 . Not least because Paramount's biggest box office hit of 2022 was Top Gun: Maverick , a sequel to a 36-year-old movie, which puts the widening gap between Star Trek Beyond and Star Trek 4 into perspective. Rebooting a movie franchise within less than a decade never works, as Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man movies and Josh Trank's critically panned Fantastic Four movie both show.

It's strange that despite Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto's desire to return for more Star Trek movies hasn't convinced Paramount Studios that Star Trek 4 is a better option than a reboot. While a hard reboot can rely on Star Trek fans to turn out to movie theaters, it could have a harder time appealing to a broader audience. With a ready-made movie franchise, a willing cast, and a demonstrative audience interest, Star Trek 4 should be the next movie.

What Would A Star Trek Movie Reboot Be About Vs. A Chris Pine Sequel?

Thanks to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , a movie reboot cannot be about Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise NC-1701. Any reboot that recasts Captain Kirk would put enormous strain on the unfortunate actor cast in the role. They wouldn't have to just live up to William Shatner, they'd also be competing with Chris Pine and Paul Wesley. Instead, any Star Trek reboot should explore the wider canon to find untold stories that could benefit from the big-screen treatment. There are various historic moments in the canon such as the Earth-Romulan War or the Cardassian Border Wars, that could be realized on the big screen with a brand-new starship crewed by Hollywood stars.

A Chris Pine-fronted Star Trek 4 movie should wrap up his arc by focusing on the aging crew of Kirk's Enterprise as they contemplate moving on. The best of the TOS -era Star Trek movies were all about the crew addressing their legacy. Revisiting the David Marcus plot from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan could be the perfect way to reconcile the father issues of Chris Pine's Kirk. There still feels like a good deal of potential in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek cast, which is why the rumors of a franchise reset are so concerning.

• Star Trek 4

Star Trek 4: Development History & Why It's Taken So Long

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• Star Trek's successful reboot in 2009 brought in new fans and paid respect to the original series, but subsequent films struggled at the box office despite positive reviews.
• Paramount Pictures pursued Quentin Tarantino to develop a new Star Trek film, but negotiations fell through and the project was abandoned.
• Noah Hawley was hired to write and direct a new Star Trek film, but it was put on hold due to a major plot point involving a deadly virus, and the studio prioritized making Star Trek 4 instead. However, Star Trek 4 faced multiple setbacks and has now been deemed the final film in the franchise.

Star Trek is one of the most recognizable and profitable franchises in the world. Originating in 1966 as Star Trek: The Original Series, the franchise spawned multiple television spin-offs and a successful ten-installment film series. However, years of continuity made the franchise impenetrable for new viewers, and by 2005, with the conclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise and the disappointing box office return of Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002, the brand took a hiatus. Yet in 2009 the brand came roaring back with J.J. Abrams' Star Trek , a reboot that managed to bring in a whole host of new fans, while also making a film that paid respect to the originals.

A sequel came out four years later in Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013, and then in 2016, Star Trek Beyond was released to celebrate Star Trek 's 50th anniversary. However, by that point, the franchise had slowed down its momentum at the box office, with Star Trek Into Darkness not seeing an increase in opening weekend box office and Star Trek Beyond underperformed at the box office despite some of the best critical and fan reviews of the series. What impacted the franchise is unclear, but now it has been six years since the crew of the Enterprise led a feature film, and by the time the next film is reportedly set to open, it will be a seven-year gap, the same amount of time between the release of Star Trek: Nemesis and the reboot of Star Trek .

While Star Trek has remained a constant on television, with various Star Trek titles airing on Paramount+ , one wonders why it has been so hard to make Star Trek 4 . With a great cast, a recognizable brand, and a passionate fanbase, it seems like an incredibly easy venture. After all, the original Star Trek film series focused on Kirk and Spock and managed to get a movie out on a regular basis every two to three years. Yet the story of Star Trek 4 is one of a studio trying to recover from a string of box office disappointments and various different creative directions.

Update January 11, 2024: This article has been updated with more information about Star Trek 4 , as the film missed its original release date and more bad news has befallen the film, while Paramount might have other plans for the franchise.

Original Star Trek Plans With S.J. Clarkson

Shortly before the release of Star Trek Beyond , Paramount Pictures made their plans for Star Trek 4 known to investors. The pitch was to unite Chris Pine's Captain Kirk with his father, George Kirk, who Chris Hemsworth played in the 2009 movie who, in the years since, had become a worldwide superstar thanks to his role as Thor in the MCU. In 2018, director S.J. Clarkson , who at the time was known for her work on British series like Life on Mars and EastEnders , signed on to helm the project. The original plan was to begin filming in 2019 and Black Panther and The Walking Dead star Danai Gurria was considered for a new role in the film.

The film was reportedly inspired by the Star Trek: Next Generation episode "Replicas" where Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is discovered to be alive inside a transporter buffer many years after his presumed death. The film would have seen the crew of the Enterprise exploring the wreckage of the USS Kelvin and discover that George Kirk had saved a copy of himself before the ship exploded (this could have been done in the moments of the first film of him realizing he cannot leave as he has to pilot the ship to fight of Nero's ship to save the survivors) and is now able to interact with his son when they discover his consciousness in the buffer. They said the movie was inspired by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and they wanted the two Kirks not to get along. Jim Kirk finally met the father he had always heard of, but not being what he imagined, while George Kirk is a more by-the-books star-fleet officer who did not approve of his son's recklessness.

However, shortly after Clarkson joined the project, negotiations broke down between the studio with Pine and Hemsworth over pay. Paramount Pictures and Skydance Pictures wanted to lower the budget for the film following the financial underperformance of Star Trek Beyond and wanted to decrease the actors' salaries despite Pine signing a contract before the release of the third film he would receive an increase for returning to Star Trek 4 . Hemsworth said he was unsatisfied with the script and in 2019 production on Star Trek 4 was canceled and S.J. Clarkson moved on to other projects. With it seeming like the studio would not pay Pine to return as Kirk, it appeared the studio wanted to invest in new leads for Star Trek and had two other projects in development.

Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek

While Paramount Pictures was developing Star Trek 4 as a continuation of the main film franchise, they also were looking to develop other Star Trek films in a way similar to Disney and Lucasfilm's approach with Star Wars . To make a big impression, they went after one of the most respected names in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino. Following comments Tarantino made about being both a fan of the original Star Trek and J.J. Abrams's 2009 film and thinking there was potential to expand classic Trek stories into feature films, Paramount Pictures reached out to the acclaimed filmmaker to pitch his version of a Star Trek film.

The project was announced in 2018 alongside Star Trek 4 , and shortly after, Tarantino and Abrams hired a writers room to help develop the film as Tarantino was busy working on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood . Tarantino's pitch was based on the season 2 episode 17 of the original series 'A Piece of the Action' which took place on a planet similar to 1920s gangster movies. The film was set to be the first R-rated Star Trek project, and the filmmaker said it was like Pulp Fiction in space. While Tarantino liked the cast of the rebooted film series, he wanted the movie to be a prequel to the original series and not connected to the new timeline. Paramount Pictures saw the potential film as a way to reboot and relaunch the Star Trek property.

Related: Quentin Tarantino: Weird Unrealized Movies the Director Never Made (But Wanted To)

By December 2019, Tarantino said he would no longer direct the project. He did leave the possibility open for Paramount Pictures to still use the script they developed and would help give notes on the project. Tarantino's reasoning is simple: the director is looking to retire after his tenth film, and Star Trek would have been his tenth movie. He clearly does not want his final movie to be an adaptation but instead an original film. It appears that Paramount Pictures has moved on from Tarantino's Star Trek film as no news has been made on it as the studio has gone in a different direction.

Noah Hawley's Star Trek

In November 2019, months after S.J. Clarkson departed Star Trek 4 and just a month before Tarantino would move away from directing his Star Trek film, Paramount Pictures hired Noah Hawley to write and direct a new film in the franchise. Hawley had made a name for himself on television, creating the critically acclaimed series Legion and Fargo . While the film was originally pitched as a new incarnation of Star Trek 4 with the cast from Star Trek: Beyond returning just with a new story instead of the planned Hemsworth story, Hawley went in a new direction , wanting to focus on new characters. He did, however, want the story to have connections to the original series, similar to how his Fargo series connects to the Coen Brothers' 1996 film.

Related: Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

Hawley worked on the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, but by August 2020, the film was put on hold when Paramount Pictures' new president, Emma Watts, made figuring out the Star Trek property a top priority. One reason Hawley's script might have been put on hold was a major plot point involving a deadly virus, which, given the COVID-19 pandemic, was not considered an ideal subject. Following the delay to Hawley's Star Trek film, the studio reprioritized making a version of Star Trek 4 . The studio dated the film for release on June 9, 2023, and began meeting with writers about pitches for a new entry in their popular franchise.

Matt Shakman and the Original Cast Were Set to Return

In July 2021, Paramount Pictures officially announced that WandaVision director Matt Shakman would helm Star Trek 4 . Then, in February 2022, Paramount Pictures announced the cast, including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, would be returning. It was later revealed that the stars had no idea that the film announcement was coming and that they had not met with the studio, meaning Paramount Pictures was likely willing to pay the cast their original asking prices.

This is due to the studio prioritizing Star Trek as one of their major brands as well as market research showing that despite the large gap of time between Star Trek Beyond and the upcoming fourth film, audiences were more interested in seeing the cast return than an entirely new cast. The studio set Star Trek 4 for release on December 22, 2023, following the news that the Star Wars spin-off film Rogue Squadron was facing production delays and would not make that release date.

Despite it appearing the project was moving forward, the film continued to hit various snags as in August 2022, Shakman departed the project following the news he will helm Marvel Studios Fantastic 4 . The studio never prioritized finding a director, and with no script or cast finalized in September 2022, Paramount removed the film from its release slate. The film failed to make its December 22, 2023, release date. In addition, screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer confirmed she was no longer working on the script for Star Trek 4 in October 2023. More bad news came rolling in as in November 2023, during the promotional tour for Wish , star Chris Pine seemed to indicate that he and none of the actors knew what was going on with Star Trek 4 . News finally did come in 2024, but it might not have been what fans were expecting.

A New Prequel Film and the End of Kirk and Spock

On January 10, 2024, Paramount Pictures was developing a new Star Trek film , but it would not be Star Trek 4 as many expected. Instead, The movie will be set decades before the 2009 film, making it a prequel. That would also technically mean it would be a prequel to the original series, as the first few seconds of the 2009 Star Trek film create a branching timeline, so everything that happens before also takes place in the prime timeline.

The movie is being developed by Bad Robot and will see Toby Haynes, a director best known for his work on sci-fi television series like Doctor Who and Andor , helming the project. The movie will be written by Seth Grahame-Smith, best known for his books Pride & Prejudice and Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (for which he also wrote the film's screenplay) and The Lego Batman Movie .

With the announcement also came the news that Star Trek 4 was still in active development but added a new wrinkle: it would be the final film in the franchise. This means that whatever happens in Star Trek 4 will mark the end of this franchise for this incarnation of the Enterprise crew. This might be due to the actor's busy schedules and high price tags, but it is certainly sad news for fans who were hoping to see these actors play these characters for many more years and hopefully get a six-story film saga to match their counterparts from Star Trek: The Original Series .

Even if the prequel film is the priority, the past eight years of Star Trek film development show nothing is set in stone. All we do know is that it has been eight years since the release of Star Trek Beyond , and it has been 15 years since the release of J. Abrams's first Star Trek and the Kelvin timeline was launched. Hopefully, Star Trek 4 will finally catch a break, and audiences will get to see Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, Sulu, Scotty, and the rest of the Enterprise crew in at least one more adventure.

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Simon Pegg Is Still Game To Do Star Trek 4, But He Explained Why The Sequel Is ‘Forever Tainted’

He makes a good point.

If you have a Paramount+ subscription , then the TV gates of Star Trek have been opened back up to you since 2017, with shows like Discovery , Picard , Strange New Worlds , Lower Decks and Prodigy (which is now on Netflix) breathing new life into this corner of the franchise. Film-wise though, it’s been eight years since the release of Star Trek Beyond , and development remains stalled on Star Trek 4 . Although Simon Pegg , who plays the Kelvin Timeline’s Scotty, is still game to return for this Star Trek sequel, he did acknowledge that it will be “forever tainted” for a specific, yet understandable reason.

On June 19, 2016, a month before the wide release of Star Trek Beyond , Anton Yelchin , who played Pavel Chekov in these movies, tragically died at the age of 27 . So regardless of whether Chekov is recast or it’s decided to retire the character, Pegg explained to Katee Sackhoff on The Sackhoff Show that it’ll be sad for him and the other leading actors to tackle Star Trek 4 without their late co-star, though that wouldn’t stop Pegg from agreeing to come back. As he explained:

I’d love to do more. Obviously it’s been forever tainted because we lost Anton, and that was a really hard thing for everyone involved, and for the real world, let alone anything else. If we do come back, if there is another opportunity to come back, then I’d love to. Because as we were saying earlier on, it’s a group of guys that I dearly, dearly love and don’t get to see very often. It would be good to get back together with them.

Simon Pegg’s history with Anton Yelchin stretched back to November 2007, when the first Star Trek movie in this film series began shooting. Naturally when making a movie starting different versions of the crew of the USS Enterprise , Chekov needed to be included, and Yelchin was cast in the role after impressing in movies like Along Came a Spider and Charlie Bartlett . So a certain degree of sadness would be unavoidable when coming back for Star Trek 4 , but nevertheless, Pegg would welcome the opportunity to reunite with Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Karl Urban , Zoe Saldaña and John Cho .

Even a nearly a decade after Star Trek Beyond , it remains up in the air if Star Trek 4 will ever happen. On the one hand, it was reported in March that The Flight Attendant ’s Steve Yockey was writing the script for what’s expected to be the final installment of this saga. On the other hand, Chris Pine was caught off guard by this news in May, and he still doesn’t know where things stand on the project.

Additionally, it was officially confirmed in May that the vaguely-described Star Trek origins movie , which was first reported on in January , would be moving forward. Andor ’s Toby Haynes and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ’s Seth Grahame-Smith are respectively directing and writing the feature, which will take places decades before the events of 2009’s Star Trek . In other words, the Kelvin timeline is intended to stick around, but we’ll be going backwards within it next rather than forwards. That in turn begs the question of if this means Star Trek 4 is now off the table or if it’s just been pushed back again.

Hopefully Paramount Pictures will provide some kind of official update on Star Trek 4 in the coming months. For now, there are a handful of upcoming Star Trek shows to look forward to, and Simon Pegg can be seen playing Hugh Campbell Sr. in The Boys , which is streamable with an Amazon Prime Video subscription .

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'Star Trek's First Big-Screen Adventure Is Boldly Going to 4K for its 45th Anniversary

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Just in time for its 45th anniversary, the USS Enterprise 's first cinematic adventure is getting a 4K Steelbook release. Star Trek: The Motion Picture will be re-released in a collectible Steelbook case this fall. StarTrek.com reports that the set will be released on November 19.

The set will feature a 4K disc of the film's theatrical cut; some other DVD and Blu-ray releases feature an extensively recut, rescored, and remastered version of the film that was produced years later at the behest of director Robert Wise . The set will also include a booklet with behind-the-scenes photos from the Paramount archives and an exploration of the film's extensive marketing campaign. With a budget of $44 million USD, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was, at the time of its production, the most expensive movie ever made, and had an advertising budget to match; it was the first ever film to have its own tie-in Happy Meal. It will be the second Star Trek movie to get a Steelbook release this year, after Star Trek III: The Search for Spock got one for its 40th anniversary in the spring.

What Is 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' About?

Taking place years after Star Trek: The Original Series , The Motion Picture sees James Kirk ( William Shatner ), now an admiral, take the newly-refitted Enterprise on a hunt for V'Ger, an immense, all-powerful entity that's rampaging through space. Kirk reassembles his old crew for the mission, including Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ), Leonard McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ), Uhura ( Nichelle Nichols ), Sulu ( George Takei ), and Pavel Chekov ( Walter Koenig ). However, the crew also includes two notable additions - the ship's new captain, Willard Decker ( Stephen Collins ), and Deltan navigator Ilia ( Persis Khambatta ). Decker and Ilia are ex-lovers, complicating the mission - especially once Ilia encounters the entity and returns to the ship in its thrall. Upon release, the film was praised for its jaw-dropping special effects, but was criticized for its dry, cerebral tone and languid pace.

Although the film made $139 million USD on its $44 million budget, it fell short of Paramount's expectations. A sequel with a reduced budget was greenlit; as Paramount blamed Gene Roddenberry for the film's lukewarm reception, he was removed from the production and given the largely ceremonial title of executive consultant. The result was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , which many still consider the best big-screen Star Trek movie.

The 4K Steelbook of Star Trek: The Motion Picture will be released on November 19, 2024 . Keep all hailing frequencies open to Collider for future communications.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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The Star Trek Movies and TV Shows That Never Happened

We've had a lot of great Star Trek movies and TV shows over the years. But here are some interesting ideas that never trekked their way to the screen.

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Exploration. Discovery. Evolution.

These core concepts are not just at the center of Starfleet, but of Star Trek itself. The Original Series harnessed the optimism of the 1960s and projected it on screen. That ethos has allowed Star Trek to explore many new ideas through different series, films, spinoffs, and even a reboot on the big screen.

But as vast as the world of Star Trek already is, it could have been so much bigger. The story of Star Trek is, in part, the story of fits and starts. For every project that makes it to screen, there are two Trek projects that never came to fruition. Below is a list of some of the most interesting Star Trek ideas that never made it out of development.

Star Trek – The (Original) Original Series

Even non- Trekkies know that William Shatner’s James T. Kirk wasn’t the first choice as Captain of the USS Enterprise . Instead, Jeffrey Hunter plays Captain Christopher Pike in the first filmed episode, 1964’s “The Cage.” Compelled but not yet sold, NBC asked Gene Roddenberry to try again, which led to the show’s proper pilot (but not, strangely, the first episode aired), “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

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But before Pike took command of the Enterprise , the treatment Roddenberry shopped to networks was about Captain Robert April of the USS Yorktown . Aspects of this treatment did eventually make it into the show, as Admiral Robert April appears in both The Animated Series and Strange New Worlds . And the Yorktown did take flight, getting name dropped in Star Trek IV and Voyager .

Meanwhile, although Roddenberry later reworked it into the season one two-parter “The Menagerie,” “The Cage” is different enough from Star Trek proper that it feels like the pilot of a very different series. In addition to Pike, the Enterprise of “The Cage” was operated by first officer Number One (Majel Barrett, who would go on to play Laxwana Troi in The Next Generation and voice the ship’s computer), Pike got his physical not from Bones but from the even older and grouchier Doctor Boyce (John Hoyt), and trusts not in Sulu but in navigator Lt. José Taylor (Peter Duryea). Even Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, the one familiar face, feels very different, laughing in glee at the sight of alien flora.

Odd as “The Cage” was, its elements have been repurposed for books and comics, as well as plotlines in Strange New Worlds .

Assignment: Earth (TV)

With the help of none other than Lucille Ball, Star Trek made it to air and ran for two seasons. But Roddenberry could tell that NBC didn’t like the return they got on their effects budget. Sensing an imminent cancelation, Roddenberry developed a new series to pitch to studios. Assignment: Earth starred Robert Lansing as Gary Seven, a human descended from a line of people taken from prehistoric Earth and cultivated by well-meaning aliens.

The series would have followed Gary’s attempts to prevent changes in Earth’s history, ensuring that humanity reaches its full potential. But no network (by which I mean just CBS , NBC, and ABC ) bit, so Roddenberry reworked his pilot into the final episode of season two, appropriately called “Assignment Earth.”

That episode failed to launch a new series, and while Gary Seven and his sidekick Roberta Lincoln (Terri Garr) do live on in comics and novels, Roddenberry had to save Assignment: Earth ‘s benevolent alien ideas for a little-loved 1974 movie called The Questor Tapes .

Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (film)

“Assignment: Earth” was almost the final episode of Star Trek . But a letter writing campaign led by fan Bjo Trimble convinced NBC to pony up for one more season. Of course, in 1969, Star Trek was canceled for good.

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But then a funny thing happened in reruns. Star Trek became a smash in syndication, something that could finally be measured thanks to the newly-instituted Nielsen rating system. Then, fan conventions happened, bringing the cast back together and proving that an audience for Star Trek still existed.

Paramount wanted to capitalize on the hype, but couldn’t decide on a particular project. The studio considered a second animated show, a live-action series, and a TV movie before settling on a proper theatrical film.

Written by Chris Bryant and Allan Scott, and then re-written by potential director Phillip Kaufman, Planet of the Titans would have followed the Enterprise on an adventure to the dawn of history, with Kirk and crew meeting the first humans and even giving them the gift of fire.

Prime Directive violations aside, Planet of the Titans didn’t make it out of development. However, it did get far enough along for Paramount to commission concept art from Ralph McQuarrie. McQuarrie’s designs, which included an Enterprise refit, ended up in Star Trek III and in a few episodes of TNG .

Star Trek: Phase II (TV)

When Planet of the Titans stalled, Paramount saw an opportunity to launch their long-planned TV network (the unrealized Paramount Television Service) with a beloved series. The studio brought Roddenberry back on board for Star Trek: Phase II , to launch in 1978.

As its name suggests, Star Trek: Phase II would have been a legacy sequel to the Original Series . Kirk, Bones, Chekov, and Uhura were all slated to return, with promotions for their characters, as would Chapel and Rand. The only hold out was Leonard Nimoy, who was at that time so adamant that he wasn’t Spock that he wrote a whole book about it.

To take the place of Spock, Phase II planned for a full-Vulcan crew member named Xon. A recent Starfleet Academy grad, Xon struggled with a deep distrust for humans, which added an increased level of tension to the show.

The new crew also featured a Deltan called Ilia and Kirk’s new first officer Willard Decker, son of Commodore Matt Decker from “ The Doomsday Machine .” If those names sound familiar, it’s because the franchise kept them when Phase II evolved into Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

Well, mostly. The intended romance between the empath Ilia and the swashbuckling Decker doesn’t have much premise in The Motion Picture , but Roddenberry used those dynamics as the basis for Riker and Troi in The Next Generation . In fact, the TNG episodes “The Child” and “Devil’s Due” were initially Phase II scripts, rewritten for the new crew.

And what of Xon? Many of the ideas for Xon found expression in Data, and especially T’Pol from Enterprise , where Vulcan distaste for humans was a major plot point for the first couple seasons. Xon himself got his pon farr on with Saavik in a non-canon comic book, but outside of a placard in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Xon’s only in-canon name drop occurred when Boimler mentioned him in Lower Decks , because Lower Decks never forgets.

Star Trek II: War of the Generations

Even the most J.J. hating, “ Discovery is not real Trek ” insisting Trekkie has to admit that Wrath of Khan saved the franchise. By shifting from slow-moving awe and intellectual debates to naval combat, Harve Bennett and Nicholas Meyer made Trek a movie franchise that could compete during the blockbuster age.

But the first idea for Star Trek II would have gone even further. Star Trek II: War of the Generations imagined David Marcus leading anti-Federation rebels, a sort of forerunner to the Maquis. When Kirk goes to save Carol and confront his son, he discovers that the group’s true leader is Khan Noonien Singh.

Of course, a renegade member of the Marcus family and shady Starfleet dealings show up in the aptly-named Star Trek Into Darkness . Given the gap in quality between that film and Wrath of Khan , it’s clear that Bennett and Meyer made the right decision.

Star Trek: The First Adventure (film)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was originally intended as the end to the Original Series crew’s adventures. After sending the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy to meet God, Paramount decided to go back to the beginning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Trek . A prequel film called Star Trek: The First Adventure— aka Star Trek: Academy or The Academy Years —went into production.

The story would have recast the main characters (as much as Shatner would have certainly argued that he could play young Kirk with the right hairpiece and girdle) to follow their first meetings. The film showed the early rivalry between Spock and Kirk and Kirk giving McCoy his famous nickname. The crew would have teamed up to save the first version of the Enterprise .

Fittingly enough, that version of the Enterprise became the NX-01 on the show Enterprise . And although Paramount shelved The First Adventure , the idea of a Starfleet Academy story stayed at the front of mind. Some of these aspects ended up in the 2009 Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams , including Kirk’s rivalry with Spock and his friendship with McCoy. A new “origin” movie that could play with these ideas further is also currently in the works from director Toby Haynes and producer Simon Kinberg. Time will tell if that movie ends up on this list at a later date.

Star Trek and Babylon 5 (TV)

Star Trek: The Next Generation sparked a revival of sci-fi television, which led to the production of SeaQuest DSV , Farscape , and Babylon 5 . But before developing it into the TV show we now know, writer J. Michael Straczynski pitched Babylon 5 to Paramount as a Star Trek show. Some have speculated that producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller integrated parts of that pitch into Deep Space Nine , but Straczynski himself has dismissed such rumors, calling any similarities between the two shows pure coincidence.

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Paramount planned for Star Trek: The Next Generation to continue the tradition of TOS in more ways than one, with the crew of the Enterprise -D jumping to the big screen after the series ran its course. We know that the transition happened in Star Trek: Generations , in which the Nexus allows Captains Kirk and Picard to meet.

Originally, however, writer Maurice Hurley wanted to bring the Captains together by borrowing a page from Geordi’s Leah Brahms playbook. In that version of the movie, Picard would create a version of Kirk on the holodeck to help him deal with an inter-dimensional invasion.

Paramount passed on the idea and went with the Generations plot we know. However, with the revelation from Picard ‘s third season that Kirk’s remains currently reside in the Daystrom Institute, perhaps it won’t be too out of the question for a recreated Kirk to appear in the 25th century at some point, especially since Strange New Worlds has its own young Kirk in Paul Wesley.

Star Trek: IMAX (‘short’ film)

Given how much the movies love to show off the Enterprise , an IMAX Trek movie seems obvious. In 1997, Paramount wrote a script for a 40-minute IMAX short film that would have showed off state-of-the-art technology.

We don’t know much about the script at this point, other than the fact that it would have starred Chief Miles Edward O’Brien and Chancellor Gorkon, the Gorbachev-styled Klingon Chancellor who died in Star Trek VI . As much fun as it would have been to see that improbable pair hanging out together, the film never made it past the script stage.

Captain Sulu

George Takei has a famously rocky relationship with William Shatner. Surprisingly, he describes his time shooting the disastrous Star Trek V , directed by Shatner, as “surprisingly pleasant.” Still, Takei was reluctant to join up for one last run with the old crew, which is why Sulu gets promoted to Captain of the Excelsior sometime before Star Trek VI .

When the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Flashback” revisited Sulu’s actions on the Excelsior during that film, fan demand grew and producers began toying with the idea of a Sulu-focused TV movie. Some versions even considered teaming Sulu with his daughter Demora, first introduced in Generations .

However, the idea didn’t get farther than that, letting Takei go on to his true calling as elderly meme machine.

Star Trek: Enterprise Season 5+ (TV)

Even the show’s biggest defenders admit that it was a long road for Enterprise , going from hated (and unnecessarily horny) prequel show to compelling television. But by the time the series hit its fourth season and the Xindi arc really kicked in, Trekkies and casual viewers had come around to the voyages of the NX-01. Ultimately, it’s a shame the show never got to see its plans through.

According to initial plans, season five would have seen a major redesign for the Enterprise and a Romulan war. Other ideas included Alice Krige playing a human science officer who encounters a Borg (leading to her becoming the Borg Queen), and even a return to the Mirror Universe and the further adventures of Empress Sato.

Of course, the fourth season never happened and Trek disappeared from televisions until Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, which did go all in with the Mirror Universe and its evil Empress—but Philippa Georgiou ( Michelle Yeoh ) instead of Hoshi.

Star Trek: Lions of the Night

Before the franchise took the plunge with Star Trek: Prodigy , a different CG animated series was in development in 2003 and would have brought George Takei in as a voice actor. Jimmy Diggs, the writer who created the concept, referred to it as “Captain Sulu takes command of the USS Enterprise-B and must stop a Kzinti (as featured in Star Trek: The Animated Series ) invasion of Federation Space.”

Considering the warm reception of Voyager ‘s “ Flashback” and apparent interest for something Captain Sulu, it’s a massive shame this didn’t happen. Of course, Takei is still with us and could still do something like this. But even if he’s not in, we have Jon Cho’s Sulu waiting in the wings.

Star Trek 11 – Nemesis Sequel (film)

Yes, there could have been a “Justice League-style” team-up film starring all of your favorite Star Trek captains. Brent Spiner and Star Trek: Nemesis writer John Logan pitched a follow-up to the 10th Star Trek film in which Khan, the Borg, Shinzon, and lots of other baddies from Star Trek ‘s movie past return to wage war on the Federation. Of course that means Picard and his crew have to travel back in time to recruit Starfleet’s greatest heroes.

Picard saves Data just before he blows up in Nemesis and then goes even further back and saves Kirk from his death in Generations . Not enough for you? The pitch even brought back Spock and Captain Archer from Star Trek: Enterprise . Later the refitted and upgraded Federation flagship under Captain Picard’s command is joined by Admiral Janeway and the USS Voyager as well as Captain Sisko and the Defiant . A plot device or two results in the Enterprise , Voyager , and Defiant assisting Captain Riker’s USS Titan in Romulan space. Beyond the fact that this would have been the most expensive Trek movie ever made, the failure of Star Trek: Nemesis at the box office killed this all-star team-up completely.

Star Trek (11): The Beginning (film)

As much as we grouch about Star Trek prequels , the concept isn’t anything new. Back in 2005, the movie Star Trek: The Beginning was supposed to bridge the gap between Star Trek: Enterprise and the Original Series . The Beginning would have featured Tiberius Chase, Kirk’s ancestor and the man who originated his hated middle name. The series would have dealt with a war between Earth and the Romulans, which threatened to undo the young Federation.

Given the mixed reception to Enterprise , Paramount deemed it wiser to scrap all connections to that show, leaving space for the J.J. Abrams reboots.

Star Trek: Final Frontier (animated web series)

By the mid-2000s, networks were already experimenting with streaming by creating exclusive content for their websites. But instead of doing something like The Office: The Accountants —side stories from The Office streamed on NBC’s site—Paramount planned to make an entire Star Trek animated webseries for startrek.com.

Star Trek: Final Frontier took place in 2528, almost 200 years after Star Trek: Nemesis . A war with the Romulans has destroyed the Klingon Empire and badly crippled the Federation. Worse, humans have lost their major allies as Andoria was lost in the war and the Vulcans pulled out from the Federation. In this bleak future, Kirk’s descendent Alexander Chase would try to rebuild the Federation with his plucky crew.

Obviously, Final Frontier didn’t happen. But some of the ideas did get repurposed for other projects. One of Chase’s crew was to be an energy-based lifeform called Mr. Zero, who wore a containment suit. That sounds a lot like Zero from Prodigy , a Medusan who also lives in a containment suit.

Discovery ‘s later seasons also dealt with the crew trying to reestablish the Federation after it was decimated in the far future, while the destruction of Romulus resulted in the creation of Ni’Var, the new name for the planet Vulcan, on which Romulans and Vulcans now live together as one.

For those who want to know more about Final Frontier , however, there is a huge amount of archive for this particular lost Trek , with the development team behind it having made it available at www.startrekff.com .

Star Trek: Federation (TV)

The 2000s were a big decade for Bryan Singer, as his X-Men movies earned him a lot of acclaim and most did not yet know about his misdeeds. A massive Trekkie, Singer used his position to pitch a new television series, getting some help from writer Geoffrey Thorne and current Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie .

Star Trek: Federation took place in the year 3000, nearly 500 years after Nemesis , and also dealt with the dissolution of the Federation. Things get worse when a force called the Scourge wipes out several Starfleet ships and Federation colonies.

Alexander Kirk, a descendent of James T. and a survivor of the Scourge attacks, becomes the captain of the newest version of the Enterprise , who goes on a series of adventures, hoping to rebuild the Federation.

Paramount showed great interest in the idea and even penciled it in for a 2008 release. But the project didn’t get further than a full pitch document, and dropped from the calendar when the 2009 movie went into production. A lot of this pitch ended up in the latter seasons of Discovery instead.

Star Trek: The New Animated Series

After writing the screenplay for 2009’s Star Trek , Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman pitched an animated Star Trek to CBS. The duo had some success with the cartoon series Transformers: Prime , which spun out of the Transformers movies they had written, and hoped to replicate that again. But CBS worried that the movies would distract from any TV projects and passed on the show.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Worf Chronicles

Michael Dorn holds the record for the most appearances in Star Trek , having played Worf in TNG , the TNG movies, DS9 , Picard , and even playing Worf’s papa Mogh in Star Trek VI . And you know what? We still can’t get enough of our favorite Klingon/prune juice enthusiast.

Many Worf-focused pitches have been floated over the year, the most famous being a script by Dorn itself. Captain Worf would have seen the Bane of House Duras bringing the Federation and its old enemy the Klingon Empire closer together, while dealing with pressures from all sides. At the same time, Worf would deal with the fallout of the Dominion War and the sudden change in leadership among the Klingons, from Gowron to Martok.

Dorn’s return to the character in season three of Picard hinted at a slightly different version of events, as Worf left the Federation for a while after captaining the Enterprise . However, that run only whetted fans’ appetite for more Worf, hopefully in Star Trek: Legacy .

Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek

One of Quentin Tarantino ‘s most infamous movie ideas that never made it to the big screen involved his desire to make a Star Trek movie , a surprising possibility for the franchise-averse director. In 2017, Paramount announced that they had given a green light to Tarantino’s script, with Abrams set to produce.

Little is known about what Tarantino’s Star Trek would have been, outside of the fact that it would have been inspired by the TOS episode “A Piece of the Action,” in which Kirk and Spock land on a planet that resembled 1920s Chicago.

However, in 2023, co-writer Mark L. Smith shared a few aspects with Variety : “It was just a balls-out kind of thing,” Smith told the outlet. “But I think his vision was just to go hard. It was a hard R. It was going to be some Pulp Fiction violence,” he explained, while assuring readers that there was “[n]ot a lot of the language.”

Tarantino walked away from the film when he decided to do The Movie Critic as his 10th and final film. But since no one but him has said he can only make 10 movies, maybe he’ll boldly go back to Star Trek at some point.

Star Trek 4

Even before the release of Star Trek Beyond , Paramount began working on a sequel, which would have brought back Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk, the father of James, who died at the start of 2009. The film would have involved Kirk recovering his father from a pattern buffer, in the same way that Scotty arrived on the Enterprise -D in the TNG episode “Relics.”

In 2016, Abrams commissioned a script by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and S.J. Clarkson signed on to direct in 2018. The production hit snags because the studio could not come to terms with Chris Pine and Hemsworth about script, salary, schedule, or some combination of the three. Clarkson left the project in 2019 and was briefly replaced by Matt Shakman, who also left to helm the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.

As of this writing, a fourth Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movie is still in consideration, but there’s been no official progress.

Noah Hawley’s Star Trek

With both a Kelvin Timeline movie and Tarantino’s film stalled, Paramount hired Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley to begin work on a different Star Trek film. As with his well-known television series, Hawley planned to take creative liberties with the material, riffing on ideas from established Trek canon while finding his own interpretation.

Hawley’s film would have featured a new crew on a different ship, potentially played by Cate Blanchett and Rami Malek , encountering an alien virus that creates paranoia throughout the Federation. The COVID pandemic slowed the movie’s production and rendered its virus plot unsuitable. Hawley continued to discuss what could have been over the years, but has since moved on to make an Alien series for Hulu .

Star Trek: Legacy

Perhaps we should put an asterisk next to Star Trek: Legacy, because we still have hope that it will happen. The third season of Picard not only brought back together the crew of the Enterprise -D, but also checked in on other characters such as Tuvok from Voyager and ended with Seven of Nine as the captain of the Enterprise -G.

Picard season three showrunner Terry Matalas has been vocal on social media about wanting to continue the story with a new series dubbed Star Trek: Legacy . This show would focus on Seven’s adventures aboard the new Enterprise , while she encounters various people from the era, including looking in on members of Deep Space Nine and Voyager . While Trek heads Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman seem receptive to the idea of Legacy , nothing official has been announced. And with Matalas moving on to make a Vision series for Marvel , it seems like Picard season three is the end of the legacy.

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Star Trek Library Collection, Vol. 3 Paperback – October 1, 2024

• Part of Series Star Trek Library Collection
• Print length 328 pages
• Language English
• Publisher IDW Publishing
• Publication date October 1, 2024
• Dimensions 6.63 x 0.67 x 10.25 inches
• ISBN-13 979-8887241197
• See all details

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CS9B2W1G
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ IDW Publishing (October 1, 2024)
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• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8887241197
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.9 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.63 x 0.67 x 10.25 inches
• #1,191 in Media Tie-In Graphic Novels
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• September 6, 2024 | First Wave From New Star Trek Starships Die Cast Collection Revealed; Pre-Orders Open Today
• September 6, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Star Trek And Robert Hewitt Wolfe Revisit The Sept. 2024 Bell Riots Of DS9’s “Past Tense”
• September 5, 2024 | Interview: Elias Toufexis Talks Breen Backstory And Not Playing L’ak As A Villain In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• September 5, 2024 | Data’s Evil Twin Turns Evil God In ‘Star Trek: Lore War’ Comics Crossover Event Coming In 2025
• September 4, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ Getting A 45th Anniversary Steelbook 4K Blu-ray Release

‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ Getting A 45th Anniversary Steelbook 4K Blu-ray Release

| September 4, 2024 | By: Matt Wright 29 comments so far

The first Star Trek movie turns 45 later this year, to mark the occasion Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing a limited edition Steelbook 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, on November 19.

This new Steelbook is for the original theatrical cut of the film, likely the same version which was part of the 4K UHD Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection from 2021 (see TrekMovie review ). The new limited edition Steelbook will be the first time the theatrical version of The Motion Picture was released individually in 4K UHD. Also included is a standard HD Blu-ray copy, for those that haven’t made the move to 4K yet, as well as a digital copy.

As a bonus, inside the Steelbook you also get an exclusive booklet containing original marketing materials and behind the scenes images from the Paramount Archives. The booklet includes a reproduction of the original 1979 “Handbook of Production Information” that was used for marketing, and a group of production stills.

An excerpt of the 1979 marketing material

Pre-order available now

The limited edition Steelbook release for the theatrical cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is available now for pre-order from Amazon for $30.99 .

And as a reminder, in 2022 Paramount released the 4K UHD “Director’s Edition” of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (see TrekMovie review ), which is available now at Amazon for $23.55 .

DISCLAIMER: We link to products to buy on Amazon in our articles with customized affiliate links that support TrekMovie by earning a small commission when you purchase through them.

Keep up with all the  home video and streaming news, reviews, and analysis at TrekMovie.com.

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While I do like to triple and quadruple dip, I shall pass on this one. I already have the uber TMP release with 20 versions of the movie (plus the DVD releases and the Blu-Ray releases, VHS, etc etc).

Looks good though.

Are any of those 20 versions palatable?

Yeah, the Director’s Edition.😁 It’s a complete movie (unlike the Theatric Edition), plus there’s that first scene with the Refit Enterprise (which is in all editions and on YouTube, but that’s not my point; I just really really love that scene and I really really love that ship (got $700 you wanna donate to me so I can buy that Tomy+ Enterprise 🤪)).

I do rather enjoy the Director’s Edition, despite (as others have said below) the needless computer noise changes.

That font on the back though :(

yeah, that’s pretty damned ugly!

So no DE in this copy?

Nope. I remember reading something about the special box set they did and how the DE and the longer version of the film wouldn’t be released again – so spend your hard earned cash NOW!

I already purchased the DE ( the only version I really need) on Apple TV 4k. Was planning to wait for a good deal on the 4K discs especially since I don’t yet have a 4k player ( waiting on a deal for that aswell.) But if it’s true the DE discs will soon be out of print, I may pull the trigger sooner.

I don’t think the DE will go out of print. But Paramount said the SLV would only ever be released on that box set thing they did for TMP

Any new deleted scenes? That would make it a must buy.

I wish they’d issue replacement discs for the UHD Director’s Edition with the San Francisco tram station matte fixed.

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10162181943613470

Is this is part of the new “Lipstick on a Pig” release schedule? A hard pass on this effort to squeeze every last penny out of the public from a terrible movie…

it’s a terrible movie on a home screen (especially an old CRT if that’s the last way you saw it). Went to see the re-release they did a couple years ago on the big screen and it was captivating. Much like 2001, some films really do just work better w/ the imersion

A richer and more interesting film than recent ST films, no ‘pew pew’ and actual exploration

My pain runs deep. I want the Extended TV Cut that was available in the box set.

Paramount….share it with me.

I regret not buying that box set. But, it was that or the entire tos films on 4K. I chose the latter.

I promised myself after buying the movie box sets of the golden 6 and TNG 4 on 4K, I would never buy another Star Trek movie again. I’m tempted to get this steelbook though. I’m a big fan of TMP and the artwork of that time period.

Got milk? Id get this if it wasn’t just available on 4K only

The article clearly states, “Also included is a standard HD Blu-ray copy, for those that haven’t made the move to 4K yet, as well as a digital copy.” Not “4K only” as you feared.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Thats what I get for speed reading. 😉

I will say I’m SURPRISED Paramount is offering 4K and Blu-ray, considering separate releases seems to be the go-to for physical media releases lately.

TMP was the only recent 4K standalone release to not include an HD Blu-Ray disc. TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TFF, and TUC 4k-standalones all include an HD Blu-Ray copy.

I’ve actually been surprised by how many 4k disks also include a blu-ray (of my recent purchases, the only one that didn’t was THE WARRIORS, whereas LEON, THE THING, ATOMIC BLONDE, SHADOW OF A DOUBTMARNIE and THE BIRDS all included both discs.)

Considering the number of disks I’ve gotten with glitches or later saw them develop, having something to switch to in midfilm is useful (have probably had to re-buy 30 regular blu-rays owing to them developing problems, and that even includes the Criterion MEDIUM COOL, which I simply can’t live without.)

I’m also reluctantly starting to buy some stuff on digital when it comes to films that don’t seem to ever get upgrades (like everything from Fox now on hold ever since Disney bought it, plus old Touchstone, like QUIZ SHOW.)

One of my fav Trek movies. Still feels the most “futuristic” in spite of being anachronistic in many ways. Years ago I did an interview for Star Trek Communicator with Persis Khambatta that turned out to be her last before she died. It was the only time I e ever been star struck my an actor even after having been on the filming sets for all of the Berman-era trek series forward from Generations. Having seen TMP as a 6 year-old had that “bald space lady” talking with me was strangely one of the biggest personal Trek moments for me. I even own one of the red prop rocks that’s next to Spock as he is refused the Kolinahr rite. Love this film! (And I hate that in the latest cut of the film released recently that the robotic silly computer voice of the ship is missing!)

That’s great that you had that experience 😀 I also miss the klaxon alert.

I too seriously miss the odd computer voice, but especially the alert sound during the wormhole, which is now boring as hell. That they messed up the sound on the revised cut is one of the reasons that I have reluctantly chosen to stay with the theatrical version, despite its lack of the Spock tear scene and the omission of the vger evasive action in midfilm.

Alamo Draft House has it back in theaters (I believe this updated Directors version) this month too, going to see it next weekend!

‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Has Become a Weird Gem in the ‘Trek’ Universe

• By Alan Sepinwall

Alan Sepinwall

When Star Trek : Lower Decks premiered in the summer of 2020 — so long ago that its streaming home at the time was called CBS All Access, rather than Paramount+ — it seemed caught between two potentially incompatible goals. On the one hand, the animated series, run by Mike McMahan, wanted to satirize all of the most ridiculous ideas the Star Trek franchise had introduced since the mid-20th century. And on the other, it wanted to tell genuine, thrilling Star Trek stories , set a decade or so after the events of the various Nineties spinoffs.

McMahan and his collaborators haven’t made any radical changes over the years. The show now is fundamentally the same show it was from the start(*), focusing on a quartet of extremely junior officers on a third-rate Federation starship. It’s just better at integrating its serious and silly sides.

(*) This includes the one component I don’t love, and that still feels like a carryover from McMahan’s work on Rick and Morty : Lower Decks can be extremely gross, with lots of graphic imagery of disgusting, oozing aliens doing things that are unpleasant to look at. Tonally, it doesn’t fit with most of the other things the series is trying to do. 

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It’s an effective balance, and the more we’ve gotten to know both the main characters and the more senior staff (including Jerry O’Connell as smug first officer Jack Ransom, Gillian Vigman as the catlike ship’s doctor, Paul Scheer as the chief engineer, and Paul F. Tompkins as the utterly useless ship’s counselor), the better that Lower Decks has managed to find both the comedy and the action in all of them.

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The first two episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season Four are streaming now on Paramount+, with additional episodes releasing weekly. I’ve seen the season’s first eight episodes.

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