So fans have gotten to know the Star Trek universe and its characters and narrative intimately. Although there are many stories to tell, dozens have already been told, so we have a good idea of what we’d like to see in the next movie.
Want: Science
Star Trek has introduced us to scientific concepts like the Dyson Sphere, warp-drive, Heisenberg compensator, and Vulcan nerve-pinch - okay, maybe that last one isn’t so scientific. But unlike other sci-fi shows that focused on magic or The Force or suspect technology, Star Trek has historically been based on modern scientific theses. Sure there are horrible monsters and robotic zombies and empathic abilities, but creator Gene Roddenberry strived to make the stories plausible. Star Trek should put the science back in science-fiction.
Don’t Want: Holodecks
One of the worst writer’s crutches in Star Trek: The Next Generation was the Holodeck, a large room on the Enterprise where crew members were subjected to virtual-reality simulations. This was a clever way for ST: TNG characters to interact with new worlds or unusual situations - but the plot device expanded exponentially to dominate episodes and, on occasion, overtake the “real” Enterprise.
Star Trek: Voyager and even Star Trek: Discovery have made use of similar technology to tell their stories, foregoing the key premise of Star Trek: actually traveling to other planets. The Holodeck allowed for lazy writing and low-cost production values but has outlived its usefulness several movies ago.
Want: Sex And Violence
Many Star Trek fans salivated at the thought of Hollywood bad-boy Quentin Tarintino writing a movie script. Tarintino’s movies have delved into graphic violence and the occasional nude scene, never shying away from an “R” rating. Although it’s highly unlikely Paramount will go in this direction, the need to keep Star Trek rated PG-13 has been restrictive lately.
Since its inception in the sixties, Star Trek has been intended for adults with the pacing, the intelligence, and the storytelling themes. That a Star Trek movie, or even streaming TV show, could up the ante and show more adult situations seems like a logical progression.
Don’t Want: Resurrections
When a character dies on Star Trek, it’s assumed they aren’t “really dead” - which makes compelling storytelling difficult. Since time-travel is a key component of Star Trek mythology, it makes sense that a character’s death can be reset; but this is a tool to be used lightly, not to hammer your way out of a plot hole.
Resurrection was used most effectively on Star Trek: The Search for Spock, where a beloved character was brought back in the final reel. Even then it was met with some derision, and the goodwill it garnered from Star Trek fans has been long spent.In the Star Trek universe, dead-and-gone should be just that.
Want: Less Star Wars
When director JJ Abrahms was tasked with reviving Star Trek in 2009, he admitted to being “more of a Star Wars” guy - and was subsequently given the keys to that franchise in 2015. So Abrams imbibed Star Trek with more of the flash and sparkle he enjoyed in George Lucas’ Star Wars films - whizzing spaceships, improbable aliens, and many quick-cuts.
But lumbering starships and long intergalactic journeys have been a hallmark of Star Trek from the beginning. Cinema and TV are filled with space and fantasy adventures, with all the glaring spectacle that goes with it. Star Trek should skew towards a slow burn, to differentiate itself from all the sci-fi franchises available today (but not Star Trek: The Motion Picture slow!)
Don’t Want: Pandering to Fans
Star Trek fans are many and vocal, and likely impossible to please as a whole. That said, Star Trek should stop pandering to fans with an abundance of easter-eggs and winking at the audience.
This was most prevalent in the return of the “Khan” storyline in Star Trek: Into Darkness, in an all-too-clever nod to the beloved Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. This semi-nostalgic revision continues with the return of Mr. Spock in Star Trek: Discovery (more on that below). The need to address and then potentially discard key elements of all the movies and TV shows beforehand has become tiresome.
Want: More Character Arcs
Do Star Wars fans really know who Lando Calrissian is? The space-pirate is developed briefly in the two movies he features in, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. However, audiences don’t get to know Lando until he returns in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and his appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t service his character much.
Here’s where Star Trek exceeds - fans know a lot about Kirk, Spock, Picard, Data, Janeway, Burnham, and even Captain Pike since his time in the “new” movies and Star Trek: Discovery. Although films are limited in on-screen time, it would be better for Star Trek to continue to take the time to develop their key characters.
Don’t Want: Temporal Cold War
One thing Star Trek doesn’t need is any more clever plot devices like the Temporal Cold War in the first few seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise. They sound interesting and give your series an overall story spin, but the payoff is limited. If you have to explain the overarching threat to the audience over and over, something has gone wrong in the writer’s room.
These “temporal” or “time travel” plot devices also lead to infinite retconning - and that’s not a pun. Don’t take Star Trek down a path that can’t be resolved without complicated or illogical plotting.
Want: Seven Of Nine
The character Seven of Nine is relatively late to the Star Trek universe, having been introduced after three TV series and nine movies. But she’s attractive, intelligent, emotive, and part Borg - what’s not to love? Her character’s role - the logical, sympathetic crew member who carries much of the technical dialogue - has been so valuable as to be covered by T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) in Star Trek: Enterprise, a retconned (e.g. emotional) Data in subsequent movies (and perhaps Star Trek: Picard), and several cast members in Star Trek: Discovery. That she returns to add some careful diction to Star Trek: Picard is a welcome sight.
Don’t Want: More Captains
Star Trek is all about a stoic leader captaining a hardy crew ferrying the Federation of Planets’ morales across a cold universe - but does it always have to be? There have been enough Captains to fill a rum commercial: Kirk is sometimes ineffective but still gets recycled and Picard is limping into his own series. As for the others, Sisko (Avery Brooks) is crazy, Archer (Scott Bakula) wasn’t that compelling to begin with, and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) has been chewing scenery on Orange is the New Black. We’re still deciding on Star Trek: Discovery because more Michelle Yeoh is never a bad thing.
The Star Trek universe has also stretched the characters of Captain Spock and Khan Singh - or any villainous captain who’s overacting William Shatner - about as far as they can go. The last thing we need from Star Trek is another captain in a chair.
