A couple of weeks ago, we heard the news that Star Trek 4 is officially back in the works. The plans for a follow-up to 2016’s Star Trek Beyond stalled for a while there when the original idea to have Chris Hemsworth return as Kirk’s dad fell through. Director S.J. Clarkson left with that concept, but Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley has stepped in to helm the production. And we may now know something about what he intends to do with the franchise.
Specifically, we might just have found out who the main villain of Star Trek 4 will be. According to our sources – the same ones who told us Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds had cameos in Hobbs & Shaw, and that Ewan McGregor was returning in an Obi-Wan TV show – Paramount is looking into using Kruge in the movie as the primary antagonist. For those not aware, Kruge the Klingon warlord originally served as the villain of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as played by Back to the Future legend Christopher Lloyd.
If Kruge ends up being the villain of Trek 4, he’ll be the second classic Trek foe rebooted in the Kelvin universe films. The 2009 origins movie featured new character Nero the Romulan (Eric Bana) while 2012’s Star Trek into Darkness (in)famously brought back Khan, with Benedict Cumberbatch filling the role. That was a pretty controversial choice, though, so it’s not surprising that Beyond went for a fresh creation in the form of Idris Elba’s Krall, a mutated former Starfleet officer.
Some fans might be apprehensive about a new version of Kruge, then, but on the upside, it’d mean that the Klingons would be put front and center again. With each successive movie, folks have been hoping that the Klingons would have a major role to play yet they’ve ended up disappointed each time.
By the looks of things, though, Hawley is considering answering our wishes in Star Trek 4. And while this isn’t set in stone just yet and can still change given how early on in the development process the project is, you certainly wouldn’t hear any complaints from us if this is the direction they decide to go in.
