Star Trek is bringing its classic movies back to theaters this year, but that’s just an appetizer to the brand new film that’s on the way. Jonathan Goldstein and John Frances Daly are deep into making a new movie unlike anything fans have seen, and while some may be concerned by that, they think fans will be “surprised” by their take.
CinemaBlend had a chance to speak to the duo at San Diego Comic-Con, and after they publicly shared some details on the movie during a panel at the event, they gave us just a bit more. To start, Goldstein revealed his credentials for writing a Star Trek movie and talked about geeking out at the con after a chance encounter with an icon:
I’ll answer your question with the photo that I took yesterday because I got to meet George Takei in our hotel. He was just sitting there like eating his food. I don’t get star struck very much, but that one was so exciting because I grew up on the original series watching reruns and just loved it. I saw the episodes so many times. And then I really enjoyed Next Generation, but I was older at the time.
Meeting George Takei is quite an honor, especially if you’re someone who grew up with an appreciation for the original Star Trek. I also appreciate the love of The Next Generation, especially since its best episodes represent the gold standard that Trekkies expect when watching other content.
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The filmmakers were quick to acknowledge, however, that TOS and TNG don’t account for the entirety of Star Trek. Goldstein explained their job is to make something that both pays homage to every Trek series available with a Paramount+ subscription while still coming up with an entirely new premise fans haven’t seen before:
I think we understand that there is such an influx of different Star Trek material that’s out, uh, that had been portrayed, you know, most recently in cinema by JJ Abrams and also in the multitude of television shows. So it was very important we understand that this is something that has to set itself apart. It can’t feel like the same Star Treks that we’ve seen in the past while still being true to the kind of core ideals of it.
It’s a bold gambit, and one that Star Trek has only embraced in part in its new era. Even Star Trek: Discovery, which took the franchise further into the future than it had ever been previously, originally started back in the TOS era. Namely with Burnham being the adoptive sister of one of Trek‘s best characters, Spock.
I do believe that the best way to bring in new fans while catering to the existing fan base is to re-introduce Star Trek with new characters. I think we’ve seen by now that bringing in ties to previous entries makes a general audience apprehensive about tuning in, as there’s history and background they’re missing.
There’s a lot riding on John Frances Daly and Jonathan Goldstein’s Star Trek movie, as it’ll be the first new feature film to hit theaters for the franchise in over a decade. I’m sure that Paramount would like to get one of its biggest sci-fi IPs off the ground again, and in a position where it can churn out movies at a bigger clip in the future.
While we wait for the new Star Trek movie, keep in mind that there’s plenty of Trek waiting for readers over on Paramount+. Strange New Worlds is airing Season 4 at the moment, and if you’re looking to see Rebecca Romijn sing 80s power ballads in Klingon, you should totally check it out.