Well, we’ve come a long way since boldly going where no man has gone before. Since the original Star Trek series made its debut in 1966, Star Trek has created a massive cult following on a global scale. We’ve had six television series, with Star Trek: Discovery being the seventh hitting CBS’ All Access streaming service this year and a slue of films over the past 30 years. Not to mention comics, novels, video games and even table top role playing games. Star Trek has a deeply impacting, loyal fan base.
At the time it was only announced that a new potential Star Trek film was being talked about. And non other than Quentin Tarantino (yes, you read that right) was the one that submitted the idea and story to current Star Trek reboot helmer J.J. Abrams, who received the idea with great enthusiasm. Now, it has been officially announced that Quentin Tarantino, the man who gave us Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, Inglorious Bastards and other delightfully violent, juicy films has been signed on to direct and partially write a new Star Trek film. It has also been reported that in order to use his idea and sign him on as director, the film had to have an approved, solid rated ‘R’ rating. That’s right folks, we’re getting an R-rated Star Trek film!
For many, we can see this extreme, bold move as either a major win for a new direction for the future of the Star Trek franchise or an extremely major loss and probably a crippling fan base loss as well. The ‘worst’ rating a Star Trek film has even received was a PG-13 rating for mainly the J.J. Abrams reboot films. Even the CBS series Star Trek: Discovery dropped a few F-bombs here and there during the first half of the series.
It is honestly a bold move, and really unexpected too. No one in their right minds would have thought that an R-rated Star Trek film would come to fruition as a discussion topic, let alone being green lighted. And for Tarantino to direct it? If you can remember any of his films, which all have been rated ‘R’, they were extremely violent, graphic, bloody and always had some sort of controversial subject matter in them. So for us to have a Quentin Tarantino-directed Star Trek film kind of worries us as much as it excites us. Star Trek was never ever meant to be violent or graphic either. Sure, the newest films have been more action packed, but never really walked a fine line in terms of subject matter. To add more worry, this would be Tarantino’s first directorial debut in a franchise, which means he has never worked a franchise film series before.
For now, all that has been revealed is that Tarantino is attached to direct the film and its solid ‘R’ rating; there has been no word so far as to if the J.J. Abrams cast of the rebooted films will be attached to Tarantino’s or if it will even take place in the same universe as Abrams’ films. We’ll keep you updated!
