A New ‘Star Trek’ Movie Is Finally in Development

For a franchise known for boldly going where no one has gone before, Paramount has been awfully tentative with Star Trek lately.

It’s now been almost eight years since the last Star Trek movie, Star Trek Beyond, premiered on the big screen. There have been plenty of new Star Trek shows in that time, some of them quite good. But the big-screen franchise featuring Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock has stalled out, with one concept after another getting announced and then abandoned. (Remember when Star Trek 4 was supposed to be a time-travel story featuring Chris Hemsworth as Captain Kirk’s dad? I do!)

While we still have no concrete word on Star Trek 4, it looks like Paramount may now be pivoting to making a movie that doesn’t involve that current Enterprise crew. The Hollywood Reporter says Seth Grahame-Smith is writing a new Star Trek that will be directed by Andor’s Toby Haynes.

Here is how they describe the premise:

The plot is said to take place decades before the events of 2009’s Star Trek, which J.J. Abrams helmed. Abrams’ Bad Robot will produce the movie, which the studio is describing as an expansion of its Trek universe.

Paramount

“Decades before” the events of Abrams’ Star Trek leaves a lot of wiggle room for exactly when and where this film could take place. If you want to be really technical about it, the early scenes of Abrams’ Trek were set decades before the rest; it begins in the past (of the future) with Kirk’s father (Chris Hemsworth, pre-Thor) sacrificing his life to save a baby Kirk and his mom. So joking aside, this movie could theoretically feature Kirk’s dad. Or it could involve events that have nothing to do with the Enterprise. (Star Trek TV shows, including the current Strange New Worlds, have explored the years prior to the original series and movies.)

Personally, I still want a fourth Star Trek with Pine, Quinto, and company. Two of their three movies were so good. They deserve to finish out their five-year mission, even if it’s already been five years since they made the last movie.