Why Star Trek 4 Is Better Than Another Movie Reboot

Despite reactions to the recently confirmed Star Trek 4 being mixed, it’s still far better for the franchise than another reboot. With 2009’s Star Trek rebooting the original classic sci-fi series with an A-list cast and sleek modern visuals, a new Star Trek movie franchise was born. Its three releases were generally well-received from a critical standpoint, although Star Trek Beyond underperformed at the box office, causing many to wonder whether or not Star Trek 4 would ever be made. However, six years on from Beyond, it appears that another sequel is finally underway, bringing back Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock.

The current Star Trek movie franchise is set in an alternate timeline, known as the Kelvin timeline, and its separation from Star Trek canon has been divisive among fans. With WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman directing Star Trek 4, it seems that the sequel is in good hands, but many believe that another film set in the Kelvin timeline is unnecessary. However, Star Trek 4 is actually a far better option than another reboot.

Rebooting beloved IPs has become par for the course in Hollywood over recent years. With almost every successful film becoming part of a franchise and shared cinematic universes dominating the box office, the appeal of rebooting after an unsuccessful film has become the norm for studios, with many fans now expecting it to happen. However, despite Star Trek Beyond‘s underwhelming box office, it was well-received, and the Kelvin timeline films are actually far better for Star Trek than another reboot would be.

Star Trek 4’s Kelvin Timeline Appeals To A Wider Audience

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek changed the sci-fi franchise, and this is something that actually works massively in favor of the Kelvin timeline movies. After Star Trek Beyond failed to capture audiences and the film franchise subsequently spent the past few years on ice, Star Trek has moved on with a number of new TV shows. While this may seem to be evidence that the franchise doesn’t need to continue with more films in the Kelvin timeline, it’s actually quite the opposite, for one key reason: the Kelvin timeline appeals to a much wider audience of moviegoers.

Star Trek has always been a less action-focused franchise than its contemporaries, with its prime directive dictating that its characters engage in (semi-)peaceful exploration of unknown planets and civilizations. In addition, Star Trek‘s Starfleet ships operate in a manner inspired by naval warfare, making its action seem more sophisticated and futuristic. However, the 2009 film introduced a little extra action into Star Trek, with Chris Pine’s Kirk being a little more hands-on with his enemies. This is something that gives the Kelvin timeline Star Trek films more engaging action scenes, which appeals to a much wider audience than other Star Trek properties.

The Enterprise And Its Crew Are Still Iconic

As Star Trek pioneered modern sci-fi, the characters that make up the Enterprise‘s crew remain some of the most iconic in all of science fiction. One way in which the 2009 Kelvin timeline reboot was massively successful was in its recasting of the roles. The new cast of actors was able to recapture the same spirit of the original cast while all bringing something new to the roles. With a different cast, Star Trek wouldn’t have worked as well, and the casting choices for the Kelvin timeline films were absolutely perfect.

Rebooting the franchise again would see those roles recast, which would only serve to cheapen the iconic nature of the characters. Instead, allowing Pine, Quinto, Pegg, Saldana, Cho, and Urban the opportunity to further explore their respective characters does far better justice to the crew of the Enterprise. Further recasting would dilute the appeal even further for existing Star Trek fans, and would only make the canon all the more confusing for the uninitiated.

The Kelvin Timeline Recaptures The Spirit of Star Trek: The Original Series

Although the new Star Trek movies make some stylistic changes to the source material, they are loyal in many ways to Star Trek: The Original Series. In the years since the original series, the Star Trek franchise changed considerably with each new series. By bringing back the original characters and resetting the timeline, the Kelvin timeline movies actually feel far closer to their predecessor series in tone.

While its films may have a little extra action, the Kelvin timeline’s Kirk shares his fondness for hurtling headfirst into the unknown with his Original Series counterpart. This is one particular character trait that no other Starfleet captain seems to share to quite the same extent, and it allows the Kelvin timeline films to more closely recapture Star Trek‘s original spirit of adventure. While not much is currently known about Star Trek 4‘s story, it will almost certainly make use of the same sense of adventure and mystery that first made Star Trek popular.

Star Trek 4’s Kelvin Timeline Has More Stories To Tell

Another way in which a Star Trek reboot would hurt the franchise is that there’s simply so much still to explore in the Kelvin timeline. Existing outside of the wider Star Trek continuity allows for a massive scope of subversive stories. This may not prove overly popular with die-hard fans, but there are a great many things still to explore about Chris Pine’s Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock – particularly as both characters’ backstories were entirely rewritten as part of the Kelvin timeline.

With the Enterprise‘s story far from over at the end of Star Trek Beyond, it would feel incredibly unsatisfying for the franchise to reboot. While some believe it may be too late for Star Trek 4, there are still stories to explore within the Kelvin timeline. This includes capitalizing on the same plot device that made Star Trek Into Darkness work so well: reintroducing stories from the original Star Trek series and films with a Kelvin timeline twist.

What To Expect From Star Trek 4

Exactly what Star Trek 4 will entail is as yet unknown. However, with the cast in talks to return, it seems likely that Star Trek 4‘s story will follow on from Star Trek Beyond‘s, perhaps incorporating the delay in development to jump a little further ahead in the Kelvin timeline. With Star Trek 4 not constrained by the canon of the wider franchise, its plot could either be an entirely original story (like Star Trek Beyond) or a reworking of an established storyline (like Star Trek Into Darkness).

Of the two approaches, the latter may work better, with Into Darkness being the highest-grossing film of the Star Trek‘s Kelvin timeline movies so far. There’s also the possibility that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan could reappear, affirming his place as Kirk’s archnemesis in both timelines. While some fans simply aren’t excited for Star Trek 4, it’s still a far better prospect for the franchise than another reboot.

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