Simon Pegg believes Star Trek 4 is forever tainted

The last we saw of the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek crew was in the 2016 Star Trek Beyond film. The movie didn't make as big of a splash at the box office as its predecessors, but that hasn't stopped Paramount from dabbling in the idea for a fourth movie. Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be seen as too many obstacles have been in the way of a positive move forward. And while all of the cast of these films are interested in returning, Simon Pegg, who played Scotty, brings up a painful subject that would have to be addressed.

In an interview with Katie Sackhoff on The Sackhoff Show, [via Slashfilm] Pegg did say he would love another opportunity to come back, but he added, "obviously, it's been forever tainted because we lost Anton, and that was a really hard thing for everyone involved, and for the real world, let alone anything else."

There would have to be an explanation for Ensign Chekov's disappearance if Star Trek 4 were to actually be made. J.J. Abrams told the Toronto Sun in 2016 that the part would not be recast as he thought "Anton deserves better." [via Trekmovie] But Abrams wouldn't elaborate on how Ensign Chekov would be written out of the movie. And while there are ways to write off a character, it's much more difficult when the actor behind that character has actually passed away.

The sets would be stark reminders of who was no longer there and might even make it more difficult for the actors to proceed. Back in 2017, Karl Urban [Doctor McCoy] told Screencrush that if they don't get a chance to make another Star Trek movie, "then I’m really happy to have ended on such a good note" before adding "and we’re all still grieving over the fact that it was the last time that we got to shoot with Anton [Yelchin]. We’re all like a family. It won’t be the same without him."

It's been eight years since Star Trek Beyond, and we're likely looking at another two-three years if Star Trek 4 is made. That still won't make it any easier for the cast to film without Anton Yelchin.