3 reasons why a 4th Star Trek film may never happen

A focus on streaming/television

There’s no doubt that the parent company of not only Star Trek, but Paramount Studios, ViacomCBS, has a desire to emphasize the upcoming re-launch of CBS All Access as Paramount+. The new streaming service will incorporate the content on CBS All Access, namely Star Trek and the Twilight Zone (if it gets more seasons), as well as Viacom-owned properties like Spongebob Squarepants, Yellowstone, and other series like Bar Rescue.

That means if there are any new Star Trek films, they’ll likely follow in the format of other straight-to-service movies, like how Psych’s second film was released on Peacock. This would be a way to lower cost, cut out the distribution middle man, and focus on getting the property out as fast as possible. All while not worrying as much about release dates and competition.

That also means that larger, bigger budget versions of Star Trek would take a back seat to more stripped-down versions. If an episode of Star Trek: Discovery/Picard costs around $8.5 million to make, it’s likely that the film version on the streaming service may cost, at most, $16 million or so. This means those big-name actors fans have known in the Kelvin timeline would not be reprising their roles.

It also means that the focus would shift from the Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto led films, to possibly seeing Star Trek streaming actors, like Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones getting the call-up, so to speak. It would be in line with typical streaming trends. If Hollywood is anything, it’s unoriginal. So this would obviously be something they’d consider.