Star Trek is without doubt one of the largest multimedia franchises in historical past, with a number of tv reveals and 13 theatrically launched characteristic movies. But, for some purpose, Paramount Footage has struggled to get Star Trek 4 off the bottom, as they’ve confronted a number of delays and varied incarnations. This feels notably irritating when one considers that all through Star Trek’s historical past, they’ve had a number of episodic storylines that might be characteristic movies if given the right funds and growth.
The filmmakers have seemed to the unique collection up to now to tell the movies. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry revisited concepts launched within the episode “The Changeling” for Star Trek: The Movement Image. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is much less a sequel to Star Trek: The Movement Image as it’s a follow-up to The Authentic Collection episode “Area Seed,” which launched Khan. Star Trek: First Contact continues a number of Borg episodes in Star Trek: The Subsequent Era.
When 2009’s Star Trek rebooted the timeline, it not solely introduced the chance to inform new tales with The Authentic Crew but in addition put new spins on basic Trek tales, reimagining them not solely inside this new continuity but in addition giving them the big-budget makeover that solely a characteristic movie may.
The one time they’ve truly accomplished this was Star Trek Into Darkness, which was a unfastened remake of each “Area Seed” and The Wrath of Khan, and the outcomes have been blended. Whereas Star Trek Past delighted followers with an unique story, perhaps revisiting a basic Trek episode with a big-budget spin is what’s going to get the long-term improvement of Star Trek 4 off the bottom. That is truly what Quentin Tarantino had deliberate for his now-canceled Star Trek movie, as he wished to adapt The Authentic Collection episode “A Piece of the Motion.”
As Paramount Footage struggles to make a brand new Star Trek movie, let’s check out some basic episodes that might be used to craft Star Trek 4.
10 “Courtroom Martial”
‘Star Trek: The Authentic Collection’ – Season 1, Episode 20
On this Season 1 episode of Star Trek, Captain Kirk finds himself on trial on expenses of felony negligence after jettisoning an occupied analysis pod throughout an emergency, seemingly ensuing within the dying of Commander Benjamin Finney.
A courtroom drama as a Star Trek movie already labored for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nation, and particularly with the Kelvin Timeline incarnation of Kirk, it will be a becoming story for his character arc. Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness confirmed Kirk’s willingness to interrupt the principles, and whereas Star Trek Past confirmed a extra mature Kirk, his youthful self’s actions may come again to chew him.
‘Star Trek’ Courtroom Room Drama
A Few Good Males meets Star Trek is a powerful pitch by itself, however adapting “Courtroom Marshall” would possibly remedy the difficulty of the rising budgets of Star Trek movies. Making a smaller-scale, private character drama Star Trek movie with a couple of motion set items may scale back the funds whereas giving them a greater likelihood of recouping their funding. It additionally would assist the film stand aside from the remainder of the movie collection. If accomplished proper, it may redefine the collection from blockbuster to potential award contender.
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9 “Trials and Tribble-ations”
‘Star Trek: Deep Area 9’ – Season 5, Episode 6
“Trials and Tribble-ations” was an episode of Star Trek: Deep Area 9 that was created to mark the franchise’s thirtieth anniversary. Within the episode, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) travels again to the occasions of the Authentic Collection episode “The Hassle with Tribbles” to forestall Kirk’s assassination. The episode is finest recognized for digitally inserting the character of Sisko in previous footage from Star Trek: The Authentic Collection. That concept of time journey and crossing over completely different factors within the franchise’s historical past might be an excellent place to begin for Star Trek 4, utilizing it to tease the Kelvin Timeline model of The Subsequent Era crew.
Crossover and Potential Franchise Reset
Star Trek 4 may use the “Trials and Tribble-actions” time journey as a place to begin, however by the standpoint of the Enterprise crew coming head to head with guests from the long run, the recast Kelvin Timeline variations of the crew from Star Trek: The Subsequent Era. That permits the movie to be a crossover film and a possible setup for which characters will take over and lead the live-action Star Trek franchise in future installments.
It will be a much bigger model of Star Trek: Generations, which noticed Captain Picard and Captain Kirk lastly meet, however right here it’s each crews. It’s undoubtedly an enormous headline-grabbing Star Trek idea, and there are many nice picks to play new incarnations of TNG‘s crew.
8 “Task: Earth”
‘Star Trek: The Authentic Collection’ – Season 2, Episode 26
“Task: Earth” is an odd entry in Star Trek: The Authentic Collection. The episode entails Gary Seven, a time agent wearing a Sixties swimsuit, trying to change a second from Earth’s historical past, with Kirk and Spock unclear on his motives or if he might be trusted. Gary Seven is revealed to be from the twenty fourth century and a part of a company that appears to protect the timeline from threats.
The episode was initially a standalone pilot that was reformatted right into a backdoor pilot that was by no means picked up. Regardless of some transient references to Gary Seven’s company, known as Supervisors, in Picard and Prodigy, Star Trek has by no means revisited the character or ideas in live-action media.
007 Enterprise
Gary Seven was Star Trek‘s try at doing James Bond/Man from U.N.C.L.E. fashion spy tales, because the style had reached a newfound stage of recognition within the Sixties. Doing Star Trek meets James Bond as a film is a superb thought. The visible of a person in a conventional black tie swimsuit standing aboard the futuristic Enterprise is a hanging picture.
It may ship the Kelvin Star Trek crew into the previous, persevering with a convention of the Star Trek movies’ lead crew doing a time journey story. This was beforehand accomplished in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Residence, bringing the unique Enterprise Crew to San Francisco, after which Star Trek: First Contact dropped the crew of The Subsequent Era into 2063.
7 “Unification”
‘Star Trek: The Subsequent Era’ – Season 5, Episodes 7 & 8
“Unification” is a two-part episode in Star Trek: The Subsequent Era that sees the unique Spock (Leonard Nimoy) trying to barter peace between Vulcans and Romulans. What’s notable is the episode’s ending of Spock persevering with his work to sometime convey peace between Vulcans and Romulans is picked up in 2009’s Star Trek, as Spock’s try to save lots of Romulus from the destruction of a Supernova is what results in the eventual creation of the Kelvin Timeline. Star Trek 4 adapting “Unification” may try to convey the Kelvin timeline full circle.
Can Spock Forgive Romulans For the Dying of His Residence?
With the destruction of Vulcan being a major second on this converged timeline and the youthful Spock’s (Zachary Quinto) data that Romulus will likely be destroyed sooner or later, he’s in an fascinating place to unite the 2 species. However with Vulcans almost extinct on a smaller New Vulcan colony and the Romulans up to now within the Kelvin Timeline probably not having the “Stability of Terror” encounter, the 2 species are in drastically completely different locations.
The opposite query is that if Spock now holds a hatred of Romulans and what they are going to turn out to be. This might enable for a pleasant flip on the Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nation dynamic between Kirk and Spock. In that movie, Kirk was not open to peace talks with Klingons after they killed his son, and Spock was the voice of purpose, however right here Spock may resent Romulans for destroying his homeworld and his mom, and Kirk can be the one to inspire Spock to unite the 2 factions in honor of the lately deceased Spock Prime in the beginning of Star Trek Past.
Adapting “Unification” might be a extra character-centric Star Trek movie that returns the franchise to its extra philosophical and political tales.
6 “Mirror, Mirror”
‘Star Trek: The Authentic Collection’ – Season 2, Episode 4
The Kelvin Timeline is one among many alternate timelines within the Star Trek universe, however probably the most well-known remains to be the Mirror Universe, first launched in “Mirror, Mirror.” The episode entails a transporter malfunction that swaps Captain Kirk and his companions with their evil counterparts from a parallel universe.
Thus far, just one Mirror Universe exists, the one to the Prime Star Trek timeline. But the creation of the Kelvin Timeline may create a brand new Mirror Universe, a mirrored image of their universe. This implies this Mirror Kelvin Universe would replicate two timelines, the Kelvin and the unique Mirror Universe, giving them considerably of an inferiority complicated which may make them hostile to each timelines.
Evil Counterparts
The Mirror Universe has been explored a number of occasions within the Star Trek franchise, however the idea of evil doppelgangers has not but been explored within the movies. Having Kirk, Spock, and the remainder of the Enterprise Crew struggle evil variations of themselves would make for excellent drama (and cost-effectiveness as the identical actors play twin roles), and will discover some new prospects for what-ifs within the franchise’s alternate historical past.
Within the new Mirror Universe, did Kirk ever turn out to be Captain, or did Spock stay Captain and kill Kirk? It might be enjoyable to see how the occasions of the 2009 movie would have performed out within the darkest timeline and what a battle between the 2 timelines would imply for the franchise.
5 “Metropolis on the Fringe of Eternally”
‘Star Trek: The Authentic Collection’ – Season 1, Episode 28
“Metropolis on the Fringe of Eternally” is commonly thought to be the most effective episode of Star Trek: The Authentic Collection and among the finest entries in all the franchise. Written by legendary sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison, the episode sees Kirk and Spock journey again to the Thirties by a sentient time portal known as The Guardian of Eternally to rescue Bones.
Throughout their journey, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler, a lady who works in a soup kitchen whose life was saved as a result of interference of the Enterprise crew. He then discovers that should let the lady he loves die to save lots of the lives of tens of millions of individuals. This emotionally gripping episode reveals the highly effective material Star Trek may sort out.
Sacrifice the One You Like to Save the Future
“Metropolis on the Fringe of Eternally” is such a fantastic script that it simply might be tailored straight with extra growth and would make for a gripping story of tragic romance. In such a remake, The Guardian of Eternally might be an excellent place to begin to discover a number of completely different tales the place the Enterprise Crew are pressured to return in time and confront a fantastic tragedy. There are many historic ones, however Kirk and Spock may grapple with the concept they might save Vulcan’s destruction and even cease Kirk’s father from dying, successfully ending the Kelvin Timeline.
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4 “The Better of Each Worlds”
‘Star Trek: The Subsequent Era’ – Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1
Simply probably the most iconic Star Trek episodes ever is the two-part The Subsequent Era episode, “The Better of Each Worlds.” The episode sees the Enterprise-D crew confronting the Borg, the place they assimilate Captain Jean Luc-Picard in one of many all-time nice cliffhanger episodes.
The episode was so influential that it made The Borg probably the most iconic Star Trek villains and served because the launch level for Star Trek: First Contact and all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. Nonetheless, the Borg was created for The Subsequent Era and by no means confronted Kirk, Spock, and the remainder of the crew of the usS. Enterprise.
Star Trek Assimilation
With a brand new timeline, the Federation may come into contact with the Borg before they did within the Prime Timeline. It will enable followers to see how the crew of the Enterprise would deal with the specter of the Borg had they been created throughout The Authentic Collection run. The concept of Spock Vulcan mind-melding with a Borg drone and both falling below the affect of their hive thoughts or having the ability to break somebody free is so thrilling it feels odd that it wasn’t the unique pitch for a Star Trek sequel.
The Borg, being such a robust enemy, is also used to unite the Federation and the Klingon Empire before the unique timeline, with Starfleet’s various backgrounds being a stable counterbalance to the Borg’s uniformity. Pitting the Borg towards the Kelvin Timeline crew can be a method to make the most of the rebooted timelines’ new establishment.
3 “The Doomsday Machine”
‘Star Trek: The Authentic Collection’ – Season 2, Episode 6
“The Doomsday Machine” is without doubt one of the finest episodes of Star Trek: The Authentic Collection, which sees the Enterprise come head to head with a huge doomsday machine from one other galaxy created by an historic lengthy misplaced race.
If that wasn’t sufficient, the crew additionally should cope with Commander Matt Decker, who suffers from survivor’s guilt after he bought his total crew killed by transporting them to a close-by planet to sacrifice himself to the Doomsday Machine, just for it to destroy the planet as a substitute. Decker tries to take command of the Enterprise and search revenge on the weapon of mass destruction whereas endangering everybody on board. It’s a basic Moby Dick story, which additionally served as inspiration for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
For I Have Grow to be Dying, Destroyer of Worlds
A “Doomsday Machine” film may mix the most effective parts of a few of Star Trek’s most iconic movies. It will see the staff dealing with off towards an historic elemental drive that’s past their comprehension, like in Star Trek: The Movement Image or Star Trek IV: The Voyage Residence, whereas additionally turning into a gripping drama with a human antagonist like Commander Decker.
Whereas by no means formally confirmed, Commander Decker is rumored to be the daddy of Willard Decker, the captain who had a hostile relationship with Kirk in Star Trek: The Movement Image. Introducing him as a father may add a brand new dimension to his shattered psyche. “The Doomsday Machine” would make for an epic Star Trek film with actually world-ending stakes, however it additionally has the advantage of a small-scale battle of two Captains wrestling for management in dealing with down the final word killing machine.
2 “The place No Man Has Gone Earlier than”
‘Star Trek: The Authentic Collection’ – Season 1, Episode 3
The second Star Trek pilot (however the third episode broadcast), “The place No Man Has Gone Earlier than,” was the primary episode with Captain Kirk. The episode facilities on two crew members, helmsman Gary Mitchell and the ship’s psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, who’re uncovered to an vitality barrier that grants them unimaginable psychic powers. Mitchell finally begins to consider himself a god and begins to go on a rampage. It is a superb premise for an episode whose funds couldn’t meet its formidable scope however is seemingly primed for an enormous funds replace.
The Enterprise Takes the Powers of the Gods
“The place No Man Has Gone Earlier than” is actually Star Trek‘s model of X-Males’s “The Darkish Phoenix Saga.”The sight of a person floating in area powered by cosmic vitality towards the would possibly of the Starship Enterprise is an attention grabbing picture that might be in contrast to something Star Trek has accomplished earlier than on movie.
The will for Kirk and firm to face down a superpowered foe is so robust that earlier than Star Trek Into Darkness got here out, many have been hoping that Benedict Cumberbatch’s character can be Gary Mitchell as a substitute of Khan as a method to shake issues up. “The place No Man Has Gone Earlier than” was the episode that bought Star Trek again off the bottom after its first pilot and its story is primed for an epic movie adaptation that might restore the movie franchise.
1 The Temporal Wars
‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ Season-Lengthy Arc
Much less of a single episode and extra a narrative arc, The Temporal Chilly Wars was launched in Star Trek: Enterprise as a battle fought between a number of time-traveling factions, every from completely different closing dates, as they tried to control historical past for his or her profit. Writers used the Temporal Warfare to present Star Trek a sliding timescale for occasions that had since handed in the true world, just like the Eugenics Wars that Khan fought in, which have been first talked about as occurring within the Nineteen Nineties, now being moved additional into the timeline.
Till Star Trek: Discovery, the Temporal Wars had primarily gone ignored within the Star Trek canon, however they might be a fantastic place to begin for a brand new Star Trek film.
A Warfare Throughout Time…and Timelines
As a consequence of Enterprise being a prequel to Star Trek: The Authentic Collection, the occasions of its story are nonetheless canon to the Kelvin Timeline since they happen earlier than the incursion level that splits the timeline off. With the Kelvin Timeline itself being the results of time journey alteration, the franchise may use the Temporal Wars as a meta-concept to discover the Kelvin Timeline’s place inside the Star Trek canon. This time journey side may additionally revive the idea of bringing Chris Hemsworth again, like the unique plan for Star Trek 4.