Entertainment
First Details About New Star Trek Movie Offer More Questions Than Answers
By Chris Snellgrove
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Many Star Trek fans were understandably shocked when Paramount pulled the plug on developing new TV shows. Instead, they have decided to pivot the franchise back to the big screen, and they hired some top-tier talent. The unnamed movie will be written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. This dynamic duo has some serious geek cred, having written both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. These two specialize in creating stories filled with heart, humor, and pulse-pounding action, and that’s exactly the vibe Paramount wants for their beloved science fiction franchise.
With that being said, the studio hasn’t said much about what this new movie will be about. We already knew that it was going to feature an entirely different set of characters, but beyond that, details have been very sparse. Recently, though, Goldstein and Daley made an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, and they made a shocking announcement about the movie’s setting: that it would be “further into the future than we’ve been before.” Unfortunately, the ambiguity of this statement and questions about whether this film will reboot Star Trek have offered more questions than answers to a deeply confused fandom.
Giving The Fans What They Want
At Comic-Con, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were careful not to spoil the Star Trek film they are working on. Initially, Daley said, “the script is in progress, and that we’re very excited about it” before adding, “I really can’t say anything else other than that.” They relented and said more, but much was just marketing. For example, Goldestein described how they wanted “to do a different spin on something that you’ve seen done before.” Unsurprisingly, they want to cater to old and new fans alike: “That’s our hope with this: is to satisfy the fans, but also bring people in who may not consider themselves lovers of Star Trek and surprise them.”
In the midst of this, however, one of the writers said something fascinating. After confirming that the crew in the film “won’t be the characters that you’ve seen previously in your Star Trek movies,” Goldstein dropped a bombshell. “I think it’ll probably be a little further into the future than we’ve been before.” This is a comment that has left fans confused, and for good reason. After all, there are two very different ways to interpret this comment, which would result in two drastically different possible movies.
Just When You Thought Disco Was Dead
The most literal way to interpret Goldstein’s comment is that the new film will literally take place further in Star Trek’s future than we have seen in any show or movie. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, the crew jumped to the 32nd century, which is also where Starfleet Academy took place. That’s as far in continuity as Trek has gone so far, and the new movie might take place even further in the future. Assuming the new film doesn’t reboot continuity, that means it would take place in a future where the Federation is still rebuilding, the Vulcans have reunified with the Romulans, and the Klingons have been mostly wiped out.
That’s unlikely to happen, though. Chances are high that Paramount doesn’t want to associate their newest Star Trek film with Starfleet Academy, the future-set show that was canceled after one season. Plus, the 32nd century brought with it some major continuity changes (the ones above are just the tip of the iceberg). If Paramount wants to simultaneously appeal to older and newer fans, they’ll set the movie in a more accessible time period. Like, say, the 25th century!
Will You Cheer Or Will You Puke?
How would that work? Goldstein’s comment mentioned the movie taking place “a little further into the future than we’ve been before.” His use of “little” might mean that the movie is taking place slightly further into the 25th century, which is when Picard and Lower Decks take place. Those shows followed up on Golden Age Trek series like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. After the success of Picard’s final season, fans practically begged for a Star Trek: Legacy show that took place in the 25th century. We never got one, but maybe we’ll be getting an entire movie set just a little further on that familiar timeline.
Admittedly, this is speculation. It’s possible that Jonathan Goldstein meant something else entirely and misspoke in his effort not to spoil the movie. Taken at face value, though, it sounds like the setting determines whether the new Star Trek movie is a spiritual successor to Starfleet Academy or to Picard. Given those choices, it’s a safe bet most fans would rather have new adventures set in the 25th century. If we get a new movie set in the 32nd century, though, it may make many older fans vomit. Worried about your novelty popcorn bucket? Don’t worry…if we’re getting a Starfleet Academy sequel on the big screen, you’ll probably just be puking glitter, anyway!