Gene Roddenberry’s Son on Trying to Have an Open Mind About Quentin Tarantino's R-Rated STAR TREK Concept

When it was announced that Quentin Tarantino was developing an R-rated Star Trek film with The Revenant screenwriter Mark L. Smith, fans were curiously excited. What would that even look like!? Some fans even questioned the ethics of making an R-rated Star Trek movie. Even Gene Roddenberry’s son Rod is having a hard time grasping the concept, it’s something he’s been struggling with, but he’s also trying to keep an open mind.

During a recent interview with Forbes, Rod Roddenberry was asked about the project, and he explained:

I struggle with that because the way I’m pretty myopic with the way I see Star Trek. I mentioned that I grew up with fans coming up to me out saying how Star Trek inspired them and gave them hope for the future. It’s the optimism and the messaging in there that make Star Trek what it was. I truly believe that. If you create a Star Trek, that is just action; that is not Star Trek, in my opinion. That’s what makes it different than Star Wars, and I love Star Wars, but they can both coexist. And I love Tarantino’s work and the kind of films that he does. I am trying to have an open mind.

I imagine it would be hard to see something done differently with a franchise that has always been very specific in its vision over the years. But, he is trying to be open to new interpretations, and says:

I would be curious to read a script on his take. I do not think you could say we’re going to do a Reservoir Dogs Star Trek. I’ll be honest, that doesn’t work for me, but he is a fan, and I think as a fan, he probably understands to some degree that Star Trek has to have some of this messaging. I would be curious, and I would try to have an open mind, but I’m not sure what it would be. I am glad that people are willing to explore that at least.

In the end, I don’t think he really has to worry about it. Tarantino has seemed to have lost interest in the project and I don’t think it’s something that Paramount Pictures would move forward with without him. He’s really the only guy that might actually be able to make it work.

As for what the movie would entail, Smith previously opened up a little bit about the project saying that it involved gangsters, time travel, Captain Kirk, and the rest of the gang. You can read more about that here.