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After more than a decade of waiting, it seems we may finally get a new theatrically released Star Trek movie. While dedicated Trekkies have heard that before, the directors of the only known Star Trek movie in development recently shared details about their project. The pair helming the new Trek film, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, broke down the movie’s influences in an interview with Inverse.
Specifically, they cited Training Day and Crimson Tide as jumping-off points for what they’re going for.
What are Training Day and Crimson Tide about?
For those unfamiliar with Training Day, it stars Ethan Hawke as a newcomer LAPD narcotics officer under the tutelage of the corrupt detective Alonzo Harris, played by Denzel Washington. As for Crimson Tide, it’s a thriller about a U.S. nuclear submarine facing off against a Russian ultranationalist faction threatening to launch nukes at the U.S. and Japan (interestingly enough, it also stars Washington).
As for how the Training Day influence will show up in the film, Daley said the movie will center on some of the “bad apples” in Starfleet. “I would say it’s really kind of a look at the institution of Starfleet and any institution as a whole that has existed for a long time and what that does,” Daley said to Inverse. “I think the portrayal of Starfleet and the people that work within it have always been generally idealized versions of what the future could be. And while this [script] isn’t a cynical or nihilistic take on it, I think it does acknowledge that there are some bad apples in every institution that can have a strong voice and can really make an impact on that institution and everything it stands for.”
Past Star Trek movies have dealt with Starfleet bad apples before to varying levels of success, including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Into Darkness. But Daly and Goldstein have another twist on the Star Trek formula.
“It takes place almost in real time, and it just is a whole other look at what a Star Trek movie could be without betraying the fundamentals of what it should be,” Daley said.
The pair added that the film will center on all-new Star Trek characters. “I mean, look, we don’t want to rely on fandom,” Goldstein said. “We don’t want to just hope that there’s enough fans of the original [TOS] or The Next Generation or whatever who will turn out for this. We want to just make a great movie that lives in the world that people are familiar with — some people are familiar with — and that others will discover. And then, with good fortune, we launch a new franchise into existence.”
What movies are Daley and Goldstein known for?
Although the film is still only in development, there are reasons to be excited based on Daley and Goldstein’s recent work. The pair previously co-directed and co-wrote the surprisingly fun Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which starred former James T. Kirk actor Chris Pine. Before that, they co-directed the action comedy Game Night, and their most recent theatrical release, Mayday, also received positive reviews.
Without Daley and Goldstein’s film, Star Trek would unfortunately be at risk of going on ice for a bit. Besides Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, both of which will end after their next seasons, there aren’t any announced TV series in the works. Hopefully, this movie can get the franchise back in Paramount’s good graces.
