I Hate To Admit It, but It’s Good Star Trek’s Next Movie Is Moving On From the Kelvin Timeline

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As a long-time Star Trek fan, I’m really excited to hear things might finally be moving forward with a new movie! It’s been almost ten years since the last film, and with the recent merger of Skydance and Paramount, the studio has said Star Trek is a big priority for them. They’re looking to make more movies based on popular franchises, and Star Trek definitely fits that bill. While there’s no release date yet, they’re reportedly working on multiple ideas. A lot of us fans are hoping this new focus means they’ll finally revisit Star Trek 4, the fourth movie in the rebooted timeline that’s been stuck in development for so long. It would be amazing to see that project finally come to life!

Unfortunately, the actors from the recent Star Trek films – including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldaña – won’t be returning for future movies. Paramount has decided to start fresh with a new cast. It’s unclear whether the next film will focus on completely new characters or bring in different familiar faces, but the original crew’s time has come to an end. While many fans will be disappointed, this change allows Paramount to move the Star Trek franchise in a new direction.

The Kelvin Timeline Proved To Be Divisive

I was so excited when the 2009 Star Trek movie came out! It was a huge success, both with critics and at the box office – earning over $385 million worldwide. It really breathed new life into the franchise and brought in a whole new wave of fans like me. Some older fans weren’t thrilled with J.J. Abrams’ fast-paced style, thinking it felt more Star Warslike, but it definitely worked and deserved a sequel. That’s where things started to get tricky, though. Star Trek Into Darkness actually made even more money – a record for the series with over $467 million! – but it really disappointed a lot of people with its story. The way they handled Khan was a major problem. The whole ‘John Harrison’ thing was just… weird, and the movie basically copied key scenes from The Wrath of Khan* instead of trying to do something original with such a fantastic villain. It felt like a missed opportunity, honestly.

The disappointing reaction to Star Trek Into Darkness didn’t fully affect the franchise until Star Trek Beyond came out in 2016. Released during the 50th anniversary celebration of Star Trek, expectations for the film were high. While critics generally liked Beyond—many even think it best captures the feel of the original series—it didn’t perform well at the box office, earning only $343.4 million worldwide – the lowest of the three films in the rebooted series. This poor performance is likely the main reason Star Trek 4 never materialized. Although there were interesting ideas for the next film, including bringing back Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk, it was hard to justify the expense given the franchise’s declining popularity. At the time, Star Wars was thriving again under Disney, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was dominating, leaving Star Trek struggling to keep up.

Despite having a dedicated fanbase, the recent Star Trek films starring Pine and the original crew weren’t performing as well with wider audiences as Paramount hoped. While the actors likely deserved a chance to continue the story after Star Trek Beyond, reviving that cast was a gamble. Another disappointing box office result for Star Trek 4 could seriously damage the franchise, forcing Paramount to delay any future films for a long time. After a decade of effort, the studio couldn’t afford to let the valuable Star Trek property stagnate.

The Star Trek Movies Need a Fresh Start

Paramount has a few sequels on the way, like more Sonic the Hedgehog and A Quiet Place movies, but the studio really needs a major, ongoing franchise to build its future around. With the Mission: Impossible series potentially wrapping up this summer, and while several Transformers films are planned, Paramount currently lacks a big, reliable blockbuster series. A new Star Trek movie could perfectly fill that gap, making the next film especially important. The studio is counting on Star Trek to be a big success.

Paramount doesn’t want to just make another Star Trek movie – they see the franchise as a key part of their future plans. While they’ll definitely want to satisfy longtime fans, the main goal is to attract a new, younger audience. It’s easier to do that by starting fresh with a new cast, rather than asking new viewers to jump into a story that ended over ten years ago. Just like the 2009 Star Trek film did, the next movie aims to introduce a whole new generation to the series.

Paramount’s decision to move away from the actors and storyline of the previous Star Trek films signals a fresh start for the franchise, fitting with the studio’s new direction. This clean slate gives the incoming creative team complete freedom to develop their own vision for Star Trek, making the project more attractive to a broader range of filmmakers with unique ideas. It’s better to allow a new beginning rather than require filmmakers to continue the established story.

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2025-11-08 22:44