Paramount removed Star Trek 4 from its upcoming slate, and boy oh boy am I ready to fight people. The film was set to be the fourth movie in the Kelvin universe and was going to bring back the original cast, including Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk. And while it seemed doomed at every turn, I was holding out hope because I very much love this universe and the takes on the original series characters that we got. Instead, they seem to just keep ruining my dreams and hurting my feelings.
WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman was set to direct the film before he moved to tackling the new Fantastic Four movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that seemed to be the nail in the coffin that Paramount needed. Removing it from the schedule doesn’t mean the movie is completely dead in the water, but it isn’t exactly promising either.
After the pretty rave reviews for Star Trek Beyond, it felt like the films would continue on just as the original series movies did. I loved how they pulled themes and ideas from those films but also stood on their own and were different and new. But now, it feels like I won’t get more of my Bridge, and it is making me increasingly sadder about Trek as a whole.
Bring back my Enterprise crew
Stepping into the lore of Star Trek can be daunting. What I loved about the Kelvin universe was that it invited you in with a new crew and characters we knew and loved, but you weren’t overwhelmed if you weren’t the most informed about Star Trek. It was for everyone. If you knew the original series movies, you had a bit more fun because you could see what they were pulling from and referencing, but it wasn’t necessary.
I loved Beyond because it had hints of Search for Spock in it, but was very much its own beast. Plus, for me, I enjoyed Pine’s Kirk a lot more than I ever did William Shatner’s growing up (which is probably because of my brother’s love for Shatner), but this crew felt like mine. It felt like a Star Trek I could show my kids and tell them about going to see in theaters, and it was exciting.
The fact that they, frankly, cannot get their sh*t together and get the fourth movie up and running infuriates me, especially given the state of the world and how important a franchise like Star Trek can be. This cast, this world, and the possibilities therein are endless. It’s to the point where I’ll write the thing myself if I have to. It’s a no-brainer that this franchise works, is universally pretty well loved, and would still work with the right script.
Messing it up for all of us because of money or nonsense like just not finding another writer/director (maybe someone who isn’t a white man?) is becoming my villain origin story. Let someone else take over and give me the Star Trek 4 I deserve.
(featured image: Paramount)
