Quentin Tarantino’s vision for a Star Trek movie never materialized, but his plans would have altered the timeline forever. By the middle of the 2000s, the Star Trek franchise had left TV and was in its first hiatus since The Motion Picture debuted in 1979. However, J.J. Abrams rebooted the franchise with the eponymous film in 2009.

Set in an alternate universe, the Kelvin trilogy follows the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise going on new adventures that are separate from what happened in the original movies and shows. This Kelvin timeline opened the door for new storytelling possibilities, but it also placed it in a somewhat difficult spot in the larger Star Trek franchise.

Creators would need to dream up new things to happen to Kirk and his crew since the events of The Original Series don’t exist in the Kelvin universe. This throws out almost the entire Star Trek timeline, and distances the Kelvin movies from a lot of the aspects of the franchise that casual fans gravitate toward.

Nevertheless, the possibility of new Star Trek movies was an intriguing possibility, and auteurs like Quentin Tarantino wanted to get in on the action. The mastermind behind films like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill had a dream of making his own Star Trek movie, but it seems as if Tarantino was going to alter the Kelvin universe in the process.

Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek Idea Was Always Impossible After The Kelvin Trilogy

Too Much Had Happened For It To Ever Make Sense

Quentin Tarantino’s vision for Star Trek will probably never see the light of day, but he has been rather forthcoming with information about his ideas in various interviews. As reported by Trek Movie, Tarantino was somewhat confused by the entire Kelvin timeline idea, and latched onto the concepts that originated in The Original Series.

Tarantino discussed his dislike of the Kelvin universe, saying “Something happened in the first movie that kind of wiped the slate clean? I don’t buy that. I don’t like it.“ Instead, his idea would have involved “the whole series” having happened, instead of throwing it all out or cherry-picking key aspects.

The filmmaker wanted to use the Kelvin cast, but set them in the original universe. This would have been confusing, since the 2009 film makes it clear that Chris Pine’s Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock aren’t the exact same people in both universes. Tarantino doesn’t seem to understand this, thus leading to his disjointed ideas for a fourth film.

Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek Movie Should’ve Happened Immediately After The 2009 Reboot

The Kelvin Sequels Make Tarantino’s Idea Impossible

Since Quentin Tarantino was considering making a fourth film in the Kelvin universe, his idea was immediately canceled out by Into Darkness and Beyond. His concept could have worked if it had been released right after the 2009 film, because he could have controlled how much of the classic TOS stories actually happen in the new universe.

However, both sequels jump forward in the timeline, and take place during the five-year missions aboard the Enterprise. This negates the classic TOS episodes, and would make it nearly impossible for Tarantino’s version to happen. Khan in Into Darkness is especially tricky, because he specifically erases the events of “Space Seed”.

To make a fourth film in the series, Tarantino had a lot less to work with, especially if he was attached to the idea of the entire TOS era remaining intact. He spoke as if his story took place before all the TOS episodes, meaning it would be impossible to go back once Into Darkness and Beyond had already happened.

Even if it was a prequel, it would need to sort out all the thorny details of what is and isn’t canon anymore. Episodes like “City on the Edge of Forever” would be almost impossible to keep in canon, because the time travel would introduce some mind-bending confusion about which universe is which.

An R-Rated Tarantino Star Trek Movie Would’ve Been A Better Sequel Than Into Darkness

Tarantino Could Have Set The Tone For The Kelvin Universe

One of the most enticing and controversial ideas that Tarantino had for his Star Trek movie was to make it an R-rated experience. Trek has always had a squeaky clean image, and a deviation from that could have been very good or very bad. However, with Tarantino at the helm, it likely would have been an interesting experiment.

Regardless of how the R-rated aspects would have worked out, it would have been better than Into Darkness. The film’s dour tone and bleakness were unearned, and it was certainly a big departure from the upbeat 2009 film. Khan was also a poor imitation of his original self, and without the backstory, the new Khan felt like a generic villain.

There’s More Chance Of Vulcan Getting A Stand-Up Comedy Club Than Us Getting Tarantino’s Star Trek Movie Now

Tarantino’s Star Trek Has Likely Been Scuttled Forever

Now that nearly 10 years have pᴀssed since Star Trek Beyond, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Quentin Tarantino will get to make his movie in the final frontier. Plans for a fourth film in the Kelvin universe have stalled, and the tragic pᴀssing of Anton Yelchin has taken a lot of fun out of the prospect of another adventure.

Tarantino has set a limit on how many films he will direct, and it’s unlikely that Star Trek will be his last movie. He is the kind of filmmaker who has lots of ideas, but only a few materialize. Star Trek won’t be gone from the big screen for long, but Tarantino won’t be involved when it comes back.