Quentin Tarantino’s Vision for a Bold Star Trek Film: An Inside Look

Quentin Tarantino once conjured an audacious concept for a Star Trek movie — and it progressed much further than many might assume. Although the project ultimately failed to materialize, at Fan Expo Boston, Simon Pegg disclosed (via Collider) that J.J. Abrams and producer Lindsey Weber provided him with an extensive breakdown of the idea, and it was as wildly imaginative as he had envisioned. The potential film promised to blend Tarantino’s signature storytelling style with the iconic Star Trek universe.

“That was what we call in the business batshit crazy,” Pegg remarked, encapsulating the essence of the script. “It was everything you would expect a Quentin Tarantino ‘Star Trek’ script to be.” This insight highlights Tarantino’s potential to infuse the franchise with his unique flair, creating a narrative that could redefine the science fiction genre.

While Pegg expressed enthusiasm about the idea of a Star Trek movie crafted by Tarantino, he admitted uncertainty regarding audience reception. “I think it would have been such an incredible sort of curio to see Star Trek through his lens,” Pegg stated. “I don’t know how it would have gone over with the fans, but it certainly would have been an interesting thing.” This statement underscores the curiosity and intrigue surrounding the collaboration of these two iconic entities in the realm of cinema.

Although specific details regarding the script remain sparse, it was widely speculated to be set against the backdrop of a 1930s gangster world, seemingly drawing inspiration from A Piece of the Action, a beloved episode from The Original Series. The project reportedly had a writers’ room assembled, with Mark L. Smith, known for his work on The Revenant, designated to write the final script. Smith later revealed that Tarantino might have proceeded with the Star Trek movie if not for his self-imposed limit on the number of films he intends to direct during his career.

“Quentin and I went back and forth, he was gonna do some stuff on it, and then he started worrying about the number, his kind of unofficial number of films,” Smith explained. “I remember we were talking, and he goes, ‘If I can just wrap my head around the idea that Star Trek could be my last movie, the last thing I ever do. Is this how I want to end it?’ And I think that was the bump he could never get across, so the script is still sitting there on his desk.” While Smith remains hopeful that the project may eventually come to fruition, he expresses skepticism about its likelihood, lamenting that it “would be the greatest Star Trek film.”

While I’m not fully convinced that Tarantino’s style and Star Trek would have been a seamless fit, I still have a strong desire to see what he had envisioned for this ambitious project. The intersection of Tarantino’s storytelling artistry with the expansive universe of Star Trek could have resulted in a truly unforgettable cinematic experience.