The upcoming Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie could do something only one other Star Trek movie has done. At Cinema Con 2024, Paramount Studios confirmed the Star Trek origin film that had previously been rumored, and revealed that it was slated for a 2025 release. Not to be confused with Star Trek 4, the presumed sequel to 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie will take place decades before J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film. Toby Haynes, who directed Black Mirror’s Star Trek-inspired episode, “USS Callister,” will direct the film, based on a screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith.
J.J. Abrams will reportedly be a producer on Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie, and the story will be set within the alternate Kelvin timeline established in Abrams’ prior Star Trek films. Almost no information has been revealed about the plot or cast of the movie, or exactly where it will fit within the Star Trek timeline. With the resurgence of Star Trek television on Paramount+, the studio seems ready to bring the franchise back to the big screen. One thing nearly every Star Trek film has had in common is that they focus on the adventures of the Starship Enterprise, but Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie could be about another ship entirely.
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The Star Trek franchise on Paramount+ continues with new series and made-for-streaming movies as well as more Discovery and animated shows.
Star Trek’s Origin Movie May Not Be About The Starship Enterprise
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is the only other Trek movie not set on the USS Enterprise.
Star Trek 2009 established the alternate Kelvin timeline branched off from Star Trek’s Prime timeline in 2233 when the Romulan mining ship Narada emerged from the future. The Captain of the Narada, Nero (Eric Bana), blamed the destruction of Romulus on the Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the United Federation of Planets. When Nero destroyed the USS Kelvin, whose First Officer was Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), this event altered the future, as well as the life of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), and created a new timeline. The USS Enterprise that would become Captain Kirk’s was not launched until 2258 in this timeline, meaning the Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie might not feature the iconic Starship Enterprise at all.
Currently, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is the only Star Trek film that does not heavily feature the USS Enterprise, as it had been destroyed in the previous film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew use a commandeered Klingon Bird-of-Prey dubbed the HMS Bounty to travel back in time in The Voyage Home, but the new USS Enterprise-A is commissioned at the end of the film. At this point, the Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie could feature any number of ships that have been referenced in various Star Trek projects, or it could feature a completely new ship and crew. Then again, the next Star Trek theatrical feature film could end up featuring a starship named Enterprise, after all.
Could Captain Archer’s NX-01 Enterprise Appear In Star Trek’s Origin Movie?
How far back in time will the Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie go?
The success of Star Trek: Picard season 3 made it clear that many viewers love to see returning characters and callbacks to previous Star Trek projects, which could influence the Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie. If the film goes far enough back in the timeline, it could depict the original Enterprise NX-01 commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). The NX-01 launched in 2151, paving the way for what would become the United Federation of Planets. It’s unclear (and perhaps even unlikely) that the Star Trek origin film would go this far back in time, but with time travel, flashbacks, and alternate timelines, anything is possible.
Paramount recently revealed that Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31 film will be set in Star Trek’s “lost era” before Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the studio might want to explore other eras within the Trek timeline that have yet to be heavily featured. The Untitled Star Trek Origin Movie could depict the time just before or after Nero arrived from the future, or it could shift its focus to an era that has not even been considered. Either way, it remains to be seen if the Star Trek origin movie will become only the second Trek film that’s not about the Starship Enterprise.
Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, & Star Trek Beyond are available to stream on Paramount+.
