It’s been almost a decade since the Enterprise crew of the Kelvin timeline last explored uncharted territory. The reboot films follow the exploits of the most famous Star Trek captain, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), and his beloved crew in a timeline apart from the rest of the Star Trek we know and love (including all our favorite Star Trek episodes and the earlier Star Trek movies). Unfortunately, Star Trek 4 has been stuck in the Tholian web of development hell for a number of years. Nonetheless, there is cause for optimism, so here is the lowdown on the next great adventure for the USS Enterprise’s crew.
Star Trek 4 Release Date
Now that the potential of a new movie has been public, Trek fans are eager to find out when they can travel to the theater to see Spock and Captain Kirk again.
The positive news is that a release date has been announced, however, it will be well over a year before it actually comes out. In an unexpected departure from the spring/summer dates given to the final three films in the series, Paramount has scheduled the release of Star Trek 4 for Friday, December 22, 2023.
However, considering that manufacturing won’t begin until later in 2022, a number of variables may potentially intervene to delay that release date. If there are any updates, we’ll post them here.
Star Trek 4 Cast
All the original cast members from the Kelvin timeframe would have to return for Star Trek 4. This necessitates the participation of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Karl Urban.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, and John Cho were all said to be returning for Star Trek 4 by Paramount in an earlier announcement. Several of the actors’ representatives shot off Paramount’s statement, saying that no deal had been made and that discussions were still underway.
Since then, difficulties have only increased. It was said that Pine was able to come to an agreement, but then production reportedly ran into major roadblocks in other areas. Over a year later, it’s unclear whether the cast’s agreements hold.
If Star Trek 4 were to be made, who would star in it?
- Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk
- Zachary Quinto as Spock
- Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott
- John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
- Zoe Saldaña as Nyota Uhura
- Karl Urban as Doctor Leonard McCoy
Star Trek 4 plot
There have been no announcements about the storyline of the fourth “Star Trek” film. Alternate timelines and even a complete reboot have been bandied about as possible routes ahead, but they have all failed miserably, even Tarantino’s own effort. So far, it seems safe to infer that “Star Trek 4” will pick up some time after the events of 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond,” which was directed by Justin Lin (of the “Fast and Furious” trilogy).
In “Star Trek Beyond,” Captain Balthazar Edison (Idris Elba) ambushes the Enterprise, causing it to crash on the planet Altamid and kill everyone on board. When Kirk and company learn that Edison intends to deploy a long-lost bioweapon to wipe out the Federation, they must intervene despite being unable to utilize the Enterprise. The film also delves into the complications in the relationship between Spock and Uhura before and after Leonard Nimoy’s death as Ambassador Spock.
We may assume that “Star Trek 4” will not include any kind of time-travel-facilitated family reunion between Captain Kirk and his father George. In 2009’s “Star Trek,” Chris Hemsworth portrayed George Kirk for a short time, but in 2018, he declined to reprise the character for a larger plot. Furthermore, “Star Trek 4” will not connect to any of the ongoing “Star Trek” TV shows, such as “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” or “Star Trek: Lower Decks.” Those shows happen in a parallel timeframe to the one we know as Kelvin.
Star Trek 4 Title
Since we haven’t heard anything about the title of the upcoming movie, everyone’s guess is as good as anyone else’s. It’s more probable that the film will be titled something like “Star Trek: Into Darkness” or “Star Trek: Beyond” than it is that it will simply be called “Star Trek 4” We will update this site with any title speculation we learn of.
Star Trek 4 Trailer
Priority has, sadly, yet to produce an official Star Trek 4 trailer. We wish we could show you a future trailer for Star Trek 4, but we’re trapped in the Mirror Universe and can’t travel across time or space to do so.
Where to watch previous Star Trek films?
As we all patiently await word of “Star Trek 4,” now would be a good time to see the previous films in the rebooted “Star Trek” franchise. You can see the film that rebooted the franchise and introduced us to new versions of Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and the others of the Enterprise crew by streaming the 2009 “Star Trek” on Paramount+. It’s also available for rental on YouTube, Vudu, Google Play, Apple iTunes, and Amazon Prime Video for $3.99.