Star Trek 4 – Paramount and the Stellar Change of Course

The Enterprise's engines have been definitively shut down, as it was loved by millions of fans in recent years. After continuous delays, rewrites, and false starts, Paramount has decided to abandon Star Trek 4, the film that was supposed to conclude the saga started by J.J. Abrams in 2009.

The new leadership of the Studio, led by David Ellison after the merger with Skydance, has chosen to focus on a "new Star Trek", with a completely different course and — above all — without Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and the rest of the original crew.

Final Disembarkation for the Beloved Crew

It's the end of an era for the cinematic Starfleet, which with the 2009 reboot had brought back enthusiasm and attracted new fans. After Into Darkness (2013) and Beyond (2016), the future of the saga remained suspended between unfulfilled projects, such as the ambitious Quentin Tarantino version and a mysterious prequel by Toby Haynes. Even the last hopes of a return seem to have dissolved into the cosmic void.

According to Variety, Paramount prefers to invest in more profitable and "terrestrial" franchises like Top Gun and Days of Thunder, leaving the stars parked. The idea of concluding Kirk's narrative arc with a time travel and the return of his father played by Chris Hemsworth will therefore remain an unfulfilled dream. The future of the Star Trek brand, however, is not canceled: there is talk of a new film, with a completely new cast and approach. But for fans of Abrams' crew, it's official: the journey ended nine years ago.