R.I.P. STAR TREK 4: Paramount Pulls the Plug on the Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto Era
It looks like Star Trek Beyond might’ve actually been the final frontier for the Kelvin Timeline crew. Nearly a decade has passed since we last saw Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the Enterprise team boldly go anywhere on the big screen, and now, it sounds like Star Trek 4 has officially been beamed into oblivion.
According to a new Variety report, Paramount’s new leadership has decided to chart a new course for the franchise. The outlet wrote, “The hope is to have a fresh Star Trek movie, though 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.”
So yeah, it looks like the most recent attempt to get Star Trek 4 up and running is dead in the water… again.
This marks the latest failed warp attempt for a sequel that’s been in development limbo since Star Trek Beyond hit theaters in 2016. Over the years, Star Trek 4 has gone through more phases than a Vulcan mood swing, with everyone from Quentin Tarantino to Matt Shakman attached at one point or another.
The most recent plan reportedly had Andor director Toby Haynes helming an “origins of Starfleet” story, written by Seth Grahame-Smith and Simon Kinberg, with J.J. Abrams still producing.
Whether that version is still alive somewhere in a Paramount server room is anyone’s guess, but the signs don’t look promising.
And honestly, after two sequels that delivered diminishing box office returns, this move probably makes sense from a business standpoint. But that doesn’t make it any less of a bummer for fans who loved this cast.
Pine’s confident swagger, Quinto’s cool precision, Zoe Saldaña’s command presence, Karl Urban’s cranky charm, they really were a great crew. Their story always felt unfinished, like we were missing one last great adventure together.
The franchise has thrived across multiple timelines, realities, and streaming series, so the odds of seeing another version of the Enterprise are basically guaranteed. It just won’t be the one we know.
So now the question becomes… is Paramount setting phasers to “reset” yet again? Are fans ready to see a completely new crew aboard the Enterprise, or Whatever comes next? One thing seems certain… the Kelvin Timeline’s warp core has finally powered down.