If Captain Jean-Luc Picard returns in a new Star Trek movie, it would be great news. And not just because Patrick Stewart rocks and Picard is the greatest Starfleet captain ever (Sorry, Captain Georgiou!). The real reason why Picard’s return would kick so much ass is that it might mean that for the first time since 2002, Star Trek could actually move forward in time again.
On Friday, in the wake of numerous news reports that Quentin Tarantino might helm a new, R-rated Star Trek feature film, Trek veteran Patrick Stewart told The Hollywood Reporter: “One of my dreams is to work with Tarantino. I admire his work so much, and to be in a Tarantino film would give me so much satisfaction. So, if he is going to direct something to do with Star Trek and there was the possibility of dear old Jean-Luc showing up again and doing that for Mr. Tarantino, I would embrace it.”
Stewart also added that such a film would be “gripping,” which is almost certainly true. But the big news here is that if Picard is in this new Tarantino movie, the film would suddenly be free of any of these insane canon and timeline problems all the contemporary Trek projects have had since 2009.
Jean-Luc Picard being back on the big screen could mean the new movie would take place after Star Trek: Nemesis. And though it sounds insane, Star Trek: Nemesis is the furthest, canonically, Star Trek has made it into the future. Set in 2379, this film ended with Picard commanding the USS Enterprise, heading out to a place, well, where no one had gone before.
The Enterprise versus the Romulans...and the Remans...and a clone of Captain Picard in "Nemesis.'
Despite the general lackluster response to Nemesis, how cool would it be if this Tarantino Trek just picked-up right after that? The number one challenge faced by both Star Trek: Discovery and J.J. Abrams’s reboot Kelvin Universe films is that they are set in the 23rd century. This means all the Star Trek stories that have been released in theaters and on TV after 2002 have been looking backward, rather than forward. And while Star Trek Beyond was fantastically nostalgic, and Star Trek: Discovery is twistingly compelling, neither setting has allowed for this rich fictional universe to head further into the future.
So, if Picard does team up with Quentin Tarantino, let’s hope everyone insists the movie is just set after the Nemesis and whatever happens next is the new future of the Final Frontier. Even if it gets a little messy.
The new Star Trek film project helmed by Quentin Tarantino has not been confirmed yet by Paramount Pictures. Meanwhile, the second half of Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 returns on Sunday, January 7, 2018.
If you liked this article, check out this video that explains why the Klingons looked so different in Star Trek: Discovery.
