Star Trek is one of the longest running franchises, having originally debuted in September 1966. The series followed the crew of the USS Enterprise as they went on missions in space. While the original series only lasted three seasons, the franchise went on to spawn numerous television shows and films, including Paramount’s most recent Star Trek film series. The most recent film, Star Trek Beyond, was released eight years ago and earned $343 million, which was enough for Paramount to plan a sequel.
Unfortunately, that sequel has yet to come to fruition, as Paramount has continued to go back to the drawing board with its fourth installment. While little is known regarding the upcoming film, it is expected to feature some – if not most – of the cast from the last three films. However, maybe it’s time Paramount seeks to include a new crew for future films.
Paramount Has Found Success With New Characters Already
While the films have received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, Paramount has found a fair amount of success with its offerings for Paramount+. A little over a year after Star Trek Beyond, Paramount released its first new Star Trek series with Star Trek: Discovery. The series, which featured a mostly new crew, began as a prequel to the original Star Trek: The Original Series, with the series jumping forward in time for its third season. Although some characters from the original series do appear – namely Spock – the series found its own success with its own crew of characters. So much so that Paramount continued to expand upon its television offerings, with Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek:
Strange New Worlds. The studio even developed a kids-based Star Trek series with Star Trek: Prodigy. Not every show features a new crew of characters, but Paramount has continued to take risks and is even developing its first Star Trek movie for Paramount+ with Star Trek: Section 31. Given the success Paramount has found on its streaming service, it’s a bit surprising that the studio is having so many issues with its Star Trek universe on the big screen.
After eight years, Paramount has yet to figure out what it wants to do with Star Trek 4. Yet, Paramount+ has continued to add to its already impressive line-up of characters, while Paramount seeks to try to reunite its Star Trek cast for another movie. The problem? The studio doesn’t even seem to know what it’s trying to do with the next film, with plot lines seemingly continuing to change with each new report and new director.
Star Trek 4 Has Already Proved to be a Huge Mess
The fourth Star Trek movie has yet to enter production, and the movie is already a huge mess. Over the past few years, Paramount has struggled to try and re-sign its cast from the first three movies. At one point in time, the holdup seemed to be with some of the cast members holding out, including leading man Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth, who was reported to reprise his role from the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie. However, Pine seems to be the least of the film’s worries, with Paramount having had issues securing a writer and director, with S.J. Jackson and Matt Shakman having boarded the project at various points in time, only to leave for superhero films. The studio even sought to develop a new Star Trek project, completely separate from its previous films, by Quentin Tarantino, but that project ultimately didn’t move forward.So, why doesn’t Paramount seek to start over with a brand-new crew instead of revisiting a series of films that has struggled 6o live long and prosper?
Paramount+’s success with Star Trek on the small screen is proof that fans are eager for more of the beloved franchise. Instead of trying to move forward with an installment that seems well past its due date, Paramount should seek to craft a reboot featuring an all-new crew aboard the USS Enterprise. Allow the new crew to go on exciting and new missions. The Star Trek franchise has always sought to introduce new characters and crew members, with each series successfully building upon the lore before it. Star Trek 4’s continued pre-production issues are the perfect chance for a brand-new series of characters to be introduced, and Paramount would be smart to make it so.
As of now, Star Trek 4 no longer has a release date set.