Following an inventive, alternative universe-leaping trilogy, Trekkies were brought back to life and have since (long) awaited Star Trek 4 since 2016. There was warp drive momentum, building superb character arcs and launching riveting fan service smorgasbords with each film.
So, why the silence? And, more importantly, why for so long?
On May 8, 2009, JJ Abrams did the unthinkable–brought back the Star Trek franchise from whatever black hole it was in for the previous seven years. Sure, we know the Bad Robot CEO loves a cryptic storyline (e.g., Lost, Cloverfield, Fringe) but what in the name of Leonard Nimoy is causing this plotline so many holes?
This is a franchise Trekkie geeks and sci-fi enthusiasts alike have been clamoring to see for quite some time. As dedicated as this fandom is about their fashionable space explorers, box office receipts haven’t been the most sterling way to reflect their affinity.
- Star Trek (2009) earned $257.7 million during its theatrical run, and $75.2M on its opening weekend.
- Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) earned $228.7 million and opened with a four-day splurge of $70.1M.
- Star Trek: Beyond (2016) experienced a noticeable bump in the warped road with $158.8 million over its entire run and $59.2M across its inaugural weekend.
Three movies. Almost three quarters of a billion dollars. The closest next Star Trek movie to sniff that kind of box office profit Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home at $109 million — and that was 1986! Picard didn’t come close to sniffing Kirk’s hair spray, let alone, the success in Hollywood.
It’s clear the U.S.S. Enterprise runs on unleaded instead of premium, so what else is the hold-up?!
The Kelvin Timeline was a bombastic kickstart to a previously decommissioned franchise. The new cast, led by Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), and Karl Urban (McCoy). There was chemistry and a slew of concussions. Easter eggs, fan service, and gigantic surprises. And Michael Giacchino curated a masterpiece score welcoming people back to the U.S.S. Enterprise.
And yet, those damn phasers are still set for stun. But why?
Is Star Trek 4 “Cursed”?
Occasionally, when some of the aforementioned Hollywood notables are doing a press junket about a movie that was made within a few years of its promised deadline, they’re asked about Star Trek 4. Many of the stars don’t have much to say because there isn’t news worth any consequence.
And then, someone asked James Tiberius Kirk his thoughts about the missing link of the Trekkie tetrahedron, and Chris Pine did not disappoint.
The reporter was Alex Pappademas of Esquire fame. His article was an expose on Pine’s career and sense of fashion for smoking jackets. However, the obligatory query on Star Trek 4 came up.
“I don’t know anything,” Pine said. “In ‘Star Trek’ land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything. I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors.”
While Jett in make-up and Rashaun in prosthetics are clamoring at the water cooler about what could happen in Star Trek 4, here’s Captain Kirk — clueless in the chair. And now, he’s a little peturbed.
“I would say it’s frustrating,” Pine said about always being kept out of the loop about the franchise. “It doesn’t really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it’s how it’s always been. I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise. But to try to change the system in which things are created — I just can’t do it. I don’t have the energy.”
All that Starfleet mojo headed toward Star Trek 4 and bupkis. Maybe Paramount is upset that their actors are “living long” but the studio is not “prospering” as it were?
This Isn’t Marvel, People
You may be among the throng of fans who looked at the box office receipts of the Kelvin trilogy and thought, “Well, that has to be why there is no Star Trek 4?” But they made all three know what was coming and it surpassed expectations.
Naturally, the comparison to Marvel came up.
Maybe the Esquire reporter thought since “Star” was in the movie name that Disney owned it as well. Not so much. Alex was being a little troll and comparing the Kelvin timeline to the most profitable movie franchise in the history of ever. Why?
Who cares…
“I’m not sure ‘Star Trek’ was ever built to do that kind of business,” Pine said. “I always thought, Why aren’t we just appealing to this really rabid fan group and making the movie for a good price and going on our merry way, instead of trying to compete with the Marvels of the world? After the last one came out and didn’t do the $1 billion that everybody wanted it to do, and then Anton [Yelchin]…passed away, I don’t know, it just seemed . . .”
Pine catches his breath because his companion on the Enterprise is gone and his friend in real life is dead at the hands of a tragic automotive accident. And then, he connects the dots and says the only thing that may make sense…
The only thing Pine added was that the “Star Trek” franchise “feels like it’s cursed.”
Someone get a Vulcan mind meld on the little man in the Captain’s chair because millions of us are so tired of guessing. Maybe we should look as only far as Star Trek: Beyond. During an introspective Captain’s Log inclusion, Kirk said something that applies to the search for the marooned script for Star Trek 4.
“There is no such thing as unknown, only the temporarily hidden.”
Well said, Captain. Let’s pray that so is this movie.
