Star Trek 4 Director Says the Movie Will Be a Return to the Essence of Trek

Now that Star Wars is done disappointing and causing division amongst its fans for the time being, Star Trek is coming to reclaim its spot as the most divisive Star series. There is going to be a fourth Star Trek film, and after plans to have it directed by S.J. Clarkson fell through, Noah Hawley was brought in. Hawley is known for the FX series Legion and the television show Fargo.

According to /Film, in a recent interview, Hawley said that his Trek film will be a return to the spirit of the series’ original creator, Gene Roddenberry.

“Star Trek is such a special story about exploration and empathy and diversity and humanity at its best and creative problem solving,” Hawley said. “It was never designed in its origins as an action series. It was always about humanity having to fit into the universe and solve problems through diplomacy and outsmarting their opponents. So I’m excited to get back to that.”

The first two Trek movies that were directed by J.J. Abrams received very mixed responses from fans, but there’s a large consensus that it isn’t “really Trek,” as it’s, just as Hawley put it, more concerned with action than diplomacy or exploration. Star Trek Beyond is considered an exception and more of a loyal vision of what Trek ideally is.

“I’m excited to make a big movie that appeals to everyone in that way,” Hawley said. “I feel like I went through an experimental phase with Legion and then with Lucy. I’m excited, with Fargo and with Star Trek, to just tell a great story well. I’m sure once I get into the filmmaking of it, I’m always trying to innovate and find ways to create emotions in an audience that they don’t expect and so we’ll just have to see.”

Hawley did clarify that he has not written the script yet, but he’s going over ideas and trying to figure out what would lead to the most enjoyable story for the broadest audience, Trekkie and non-Trekkie a like.

“I just went in and chatted with my friends at Paramount about what they were looking for and then some ideas that I had and then just sort of developed a more specific idea that they seemed to like,” Hawley said. “I still have to write a script and everything.”

I’m looking forward to it, and maybe instead of just doing a continued version of the original series, maybe, just maybe, they can pull from other Trek franchises? What’s better than one timeline of Picard and Sisko? Two timelines of Picard and Sisko! Still, the most important thing Star Trek can do, as a series, is to keep moving forward.

There’s something sort of ironic about a series that was so looking towards an optimistic future, being so consumed by retreading the past, in both Star Trek Discovery and the recent films. Star Trek is at its best when it gives us something new, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Hawley can deliver that.

(via /Film, image: Paramount)

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