Chris Pine says he loves everything about ‘Star Trek’

It’s been six years now since Star Trek Beyond, the most recent movie in the legendary sci-fi franchise, hit cinemas and there has yet to be a follow-up to it. But it’s not for lack of trying on Paramount’s part as the studio has been attempting to get Star Trek 4 off the ground ever since. Nor is to do with the cast’s disinterest in returning to the U.S.S. Enterprise, as Chris Pine (the Kelvin timeline’s Captain James Tiberius Kirk himself) has gushed about how he loves everything about the Star Trek universe.

Following the news that he and his fellow Starfleet officers, like Zoe Saldana (Uhura) and Zachary Quinto (Spock), are finally coming back for another outing, Deadline quizzed Pine on how things are shaping up with Star Trek 4. The Wonder Woman actor revealed that he’s met with director Matt Shakman, “who I really like”, and is just all-round excited to dive back into that world.

Conceptually, I love it. I love Star Trek. Again, I love the messaging of it. I love the character. I love my friends with whom I get to play. It’s a great gig. I mean, it’s a gig I’ve had, working and not working, for 15-plus years. It cemented the career that I have now. I’m honored to be a part of it. It’s given me so much. I think there are plenty of stories to tell in it. You know, I think Star Trek for me, it’s an interesting one.

It’s unclear exactly what Paramount has planned for the fourth Trek film at this stage, though the hiring of WandaVision veteran Shakman suggests they’re looking to sprinkle some Marvel magic on it. That said, in this same interview, Pine voiced his hope that Star Trek 4 will operate on a smaller scale than its predecessors as he doesn’t think that it should go head-to-head with the MCU at its own game.

Let’s make the movie for the people that… love Star Trek. Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great.

According to Karl Urban, a script is yet to be completed, but it does seem like things are finally going somewhere. And, while fans wait for Pine to don the gold jersey again, a new James Kirk is about to debut on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, played by The Vampire Diaries‘ Paul Wesley.