Summary
I agree with Chris Pine:Star Trek 4should scale down.Pine has opined thatStar Trek 4would be better as a modestly budgeted film that focuses more on story and character development than action and explosions. Pine headlined three J.J. Abrams-producedStar Trekblockbusters as Captain James T. Kirk. Since then, Pine has become a director himself; although his debut film,Poolman, didn’t get a warm critical reception,Chris' instincts aboutStar Trek 4are still on the money.
J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) was a shot in the arm the franchise needed. Abrams' hyper-kinetic reboot gave new life toStar Trek,infusing the venerable saga with spectacular wide-screen scope, a thrillingly relentless pace, and truly galactic stakes.Abrams' miraculousStar Trekcast, led by Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, and Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, also proved the USS Enterprise’s iconic characters could be embodied by new actors.However, as Abrams’Star Trekmovies kept getting bigger, returns diminished.Now 8 years and counting sinceStar Trek Beyond,Paramount Pictures still can’t figure out what to do withStar Trek.But Chris Pine gets it: go smaller.
Star Trek Beyond Ending & Why No Sequel 8 Years Later Explained
Star Trek Beyond set up a sequel for Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and the Kelvin Timeline crew, but it’s 8 years later and we’ve yet to see Star Trek 4.
Star Trek 4 Would Be Better As A Smaller-Scale Movie
Bigger isn’t always better
I co-sign Chris Pine’s opinion thatStar Trek 4should be made for the diehard fans who already loveStar Trek,instead of Paramount seeking the more fickle general audience.Star Trekhas a dedicated fan base that spans generations, yet it’s not as sizable as the audience that devoursStar Warsor Marvel Studios movies.Pine believes thatStar Trek 4should not try to compete with Marveland deliver the kind of storiesStar Trekfans love, which involve beloved characters taking on a moral dilemma and solving an unsolvable puzzle. This would indeed be a refreshing change of pace from the dire galactic threats J.J. Abrams' Starship Enterprise faced.
A Star Trek 4 that’s about the characters and not about the crisis is what the core Trekker audience wants.
Although Quentin Tarantino backed away from his plan to makeStar Trek 4,the inimitable director was also on the right track. Tarantino wanted to make a gangster picture inspired by the 1960sStar Trekepisode, “A Piece of the Action.“Quentin’s R-ratedStar Trekromp likely wouldn’t have appeased Paramount’s desire for a big box office spectacle, butit would have been an intriguing, smaller-scaleStar Trekmovie.Pine thinks, and I concur, that aStar Trek 4that’s about thecharactersand not about thecrisisis what the core Trekker audience wants. And, after all, if word-of-mouth says a movie is good, a wider audience will seek it out.
Trying To Go Bigger Is What’s Keeping Star Trek 4 From Getting Made
Personal stakes > galactic stakes
J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies showed Vulcan exploding, almost sparked a war with the Klingons, and saw the biggest space station ever seen inStar Treknearly destroyed. How do you top that? The answer is: Don’t.It’s better to go the other direction and focus on the Starship Enterprise characters fans are already invested in.None of the chaos Krall (Idris Elba) caused inStar Trek Beyondis as memorable to me as Kirk asking Spock,“What would I do without you?“and Spock dryly replying,“I don’t know”;Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) calling Kirk"James T.",or Commodore Paris (Shohreh Aghdashloo) kindly commiserating with Kirk about how easy it is to get lost in the vastness of space.
Toby Haynes is also directing anUntitled Star Trek Originmovie to be released in theaters beforeStar Trek 4.
Star Trek 4is being billed as"the final chapter"of Chris Pine’s USS Enterprise crew, and coming up with a story of suitable grandeur may be stymying the film.But the answer is to makeStar Trek 4about the characters, who are now in middle age, and what they mean to each other.Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khanis beloved not because it’s an epic action film, but because it is about friendship, old age, and death. ForStar Trekfans, personal stakes are more important than the fate of the galaxy.Star Trek 4following Chris Pine’s lead to be about a great story focusing on the Starship Enterprise’s family would deliver more dividends and makeStar Trekfans happier than another big-budget, planet-destroying spectacle.
