Simon Pegg isn’t sure if there’s a fourth film coming in his Star Trek series, and while a bit sad, no more films based on that crew might be a good thing.
Ever since J.J. Abrams has taken over the reins of Star Trek, there’s nothing new being made. Yes, there’s been three films, two series and a butt load of freeware. Yet all of it focuses on what’s already been. Yes, the first season of Star Trek: Discovery was mostly unique but even that relied on Michael Burnham being Spock’s adoptive sister. Then in season two, they brought in Spock and Captain Pike. The new film franchise was based on the original characters and Star Trek: Picard is literally just Old Man Logan but with Star Trek. So, I don’t mind that Simon Pegg doesn’t have much hope in a fourth film in this continuity.
Pegg even went on to say that the films weren’t very profitable. Saying that he thought they needed to hit $600 million to make a profit.
"The fact is, Star Trek movies don’t make Marvel money. They make maybe $500m at the most, and to make one now, on the scale they’ve set themselves, is $200m. You have to make three times that to make a profit."
If Pegg’s assessment is correct, and that the films need to break about three times their budget to make a profit (keep in mind how expensive it is to advertise), then that means all three of the new-Trek films failed to make a profit for the studio. (Makes you think how much CBS is losing…)
Yes, I did enjoy the new films. Yes, there is a lot more to explore with Kirk and the crew. If the series we got were in the distant past or a new show set on a starship with new characters set during the time of Picard but not involving any past characters, then I’d be all for a fourth film in this franchise. That’s not what we’re getting, however. Star Trek, despite fans claiming that Trek is going in a new direction, actually isn’t. It’s relying on nostalgia to sell the franchise. Hey, that’s your fourth film title, Star Trek: Nostalgia.
Going where we’ve already gone before, but with new ‘pew-pew’ sound effects.
Star Trek: Discovery has divided the fandom and frankly hasn’t been the hit that CBS has been looking for. This isn’t a statement on quality, merely a statement of fact. Partly because fans, by and large, don’t like prequels. We know what happens. Oh, Anakin is a whiny brat? Thanks. Goodbye, badass Darth Vader.
We don’t need prequels. Fans, mostly, want new stories told off of the backs of past stories. You didn’t need to watch Star Trek: Next Generation to watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: Voyager. They told new stories. Yes, for DS9 they did use Colm Meaney and Michael Dorn but they weren’t nostalgia acts then. They were key components of the universe.
Nothing we’ve gotten has been entirely unique. The last piece of unique Trek-television-media we got was Star Trek: Enterprise. Maybe that’s why execs are hesitant to do something new or different. Either way, I think the Trek-films should be put on ice for a while, just until a new idea comes along that isn’t another reboot or cash grab on our youth.