While the Star Trek franchise appears to have found itself once again on the small screen, thanks to more than one successful and popular series, the big screen future of Gene Roddenberry's creation is still very much an open question. There have been a few different ideas that have started and stopped, and one of the most intriguing was when Quentin Tarantino said he wanted to make a Star Trek movie. While many fans got on board with such a radical idea, one person who isn't quite so sure of that is Rod Roddenberry, the son of the creator.
While Quentin Tarantino expressed interest in making a Star Trek movie, his idea was clearly to still very much make his type of movie as well. The plan was for an R-rated Star Trek film, and an idea like that is sure to get some extreme responses. Rod Roddenberry tells Forbes that while he would try to keep an open mind if such a movie were to happen, he admits to having difficulty with it because he has a somewhat rigid idea of what Star Trek is and should be. Roddenberry explains...
I struggle with that because the way I’m pretty myopic with the way I see Star Trek. I mentioned that I grew up with fans coming up to me out saying how Star Trek inspired them and gave them hope for the future. It’s the optimism and the messaging in there that make Star Trek what it was. I truly believe that. If you create a Star Trek, that is just action; that is not Star Trek, in my opinion. That’s what makes it different than Star Wars, and I love Star Wars, but they can both coexist. And I love Tarantino’s work and the kind of films that he does. I am trying to have an open mind.
Rod Roddenberry calls his own view of Star Trek "myopic" and that's pretty telling. He admits that he sees the franchise as something very specific and would have difficulty seeing it become something different. Still, he says he would try to be open to new interpretations.
At this point it seems unlikely that we'll ever see a Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie. While the idea got some steam behind it initially, nothing has ever come of it and the idea seems to be mostly, if not entirely dead. And that's maybe too bad. Even Rod Roddenberry admits that we would be interested to see what ideas Tarantino would have. It's possible that such a movie would have been really good. He continues...
I would be curious to read a script on his take. I do not think you could say we’re going to do a Reservoir Dogs Star Trek. I’ll be honest, that doesn’t work for me, but he is a fan, and I think as a fan, he probably understands to some degree that Star Trek has to have some of this messaging. I would be curious, and I would try to have an open mind, but I’m not sure what it would be. I am glad that people are willing to explore that at least.
Star Trek has been around for 55 years and it has millions of fans. Many would probably love to see Quentin Tarantino take a crack at the franchise. Others are likely like Rod Roddenberry, and are a tad apprehensive.
