9 Years Later, Star Trek 4 Gets the Update Fans Don’t Want to Hear (but It’s for the Best)

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A report in Variety about where things currently stand at Paramount provides a disappointing update on Star Trek 4. It’s noted that “the studio has moved on from the idea of bringing back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and the rest of the ensemble from the J.J. Abrams reboot,” meaning the Kelvin Timeline series has ended after three films. Paramount still intends to make a new Star Trek movie, though no release date for one has been set.

Star Trek Ending the Kelvin Timeline is Disappointing (but It Makes Sense)

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

While it would have been great to see Pine and Co. headline another Star Trek movie, it isn’t surprising to hear Paramount is moving on. For starters, the Kelvin Timeline films were polarizing with regard to their storytelling and creative choices. The series seemed to lose steam as it went on, with Star Trek Beyond earning a trilogy-low $343.4 million worldwide despite earning positive reviews. Ironically, Beyond is arguably the one that best captured the spirit of classic Star Trek, but the divisive Star Trek Into Darkness (which came out three years prior) hurt the franchise commercially. With new leadership now in place, Paramount likely feels it’s best to just give Star Trek a fresh start rather than try to continue a series that didn’t fully resonate with the moviegoing public.

Additionally, Paramount probably wants Star Trek to be a reliable tentpole franchise that it can count on for years to come. Assuming that’s the goal, the first film out of the gate should be a hard reboot starring a new cast, clearly marking a new beginning for the IP. There is a case to be made for reuniting the Kelvin Timeline crew for a one-off legacy sequel before they pass the torch to the next generation, but it’s probably simpler to keep things streamlined by leaning on a fresh ensemble — especially since Paramount will be trying to reach a new audience. Going this route would also allow the studio to save on production costs, since relative unknowns would be cheaper than the veteran big names of the Kelvin Timeline.

Paramount’s choice to move on from the Kelvin Timeline is logical, but it’s still unfortunate. For whatever shortcomings those movies had in terms of narrative, the cast was consistently seen as a highlight. Pine, Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, and the others were burdened with the very difficult task of putting their own spin on classic characters while remaining true to the source material. Everyone did an excellent job breathing new life into the legendary Enterprise crew, and it’s sad to see they won’t get back together for at least one more adventure. In some ways, Star Trek Beyond works as the conclusion of a trilogy, ending with Kirk rediscovering the Enterprise is where he’s meant to be. However, it also felt like the Kelvin Timeline had barely scraped the tip of the iceberg and there was so much more to do with this group.

Over the summer, it was said there were two new Star Trek movies in development — one that followed “brand new characters” and another about the familiar faces of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew. It’ll be interesting to see which direction Paramount takes with its reboot. Star Trek is a franchise that’s bigger than one character; there have been multiple crews at the center of various TV series, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to create original characters, crafting a story that explores a different part of the franchise timeline. This would also be a way for the new film to avoid comparisons with the Kelvin Timeline or any of the other previous iterations of the classic characters. Of course, utilizing recognizable elements and characters can help the project appeal to a wider audience, so this will be a big decision.