Quentin Tarantino and Star Trek hardly felt like obvious bedfellows, especially with an R-rating thrown into the mix. For a while, it looked as though the two-time Academy Award winner’s stab at sci-fi was actually going to happen after he continually talked it up publicly, but the chances of it coming together have grown increasingly slim.
The Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs director remains adamant that he’s retiring after his next feature, and while he could feasibly co-write that screenplay with The Revenant‘s Mark L. Smith and have somebody else step behind the camera, Paramount are moving forward with two new Star Trek projects, which would appear to shunt Tarantino’s effort into development hell.
While a lot of Tarantino and Trek enthusiasts will be left disappointed if the 1930s-set gangster film doesn’t see the light of day, one person who wouldn’t be all that bothered is creator Gene Roddenberry’s son Rod. In an interview with Forbes, he admitted that despite being a fan of the filmmaker’s work, he doesn’t believe he’d be the right person to continue his father’s legacy.
“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.
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.”
That’s an understandable point of view; Star Trek has always been loaded with subtext about humanity, whereas Tarantino’s work is largely characterized by unflinching violence, pop culture references and plenty of creatively foul-mouthed verbiage, none of which particularly suits or reflects the franchise.