Jaylah Returns
Speaking of Beyond, while it did a great job at using familiar characters like Bones better than before, it also served up a great new character in the form of Jaylah, as played by Sofia Boutella. Fun fact: writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung came up with her name from the common nickname for Jennifer Lawrence: J-Law.
In a film franchise that’d often sidestepped the women in the cast – putting Zoe Saldana’s Uhura in a curious relationship with Spock and having Alice Eve’s Carol Marcus strip off for a pointless underwear shot – it was a treat to have an independent, likeable female character who hoovered up a lot of the screentime. Jaylah proved to be a standout part of the ensemble, too, thanks to her action heroics, tragic backstory and her love of “classical” music.
At the end of Beyond, Jaylah was invited to join the Starfleet Academy. This likely would mean she’d still be in school during the time of Star Trek 4, but we’d be fine if a situation was dreamed up that meant she could serve onboard the Enterprise to add some further diversity to the crew. What’s more, it would just be a lot of fun to see the feral child struggle to work in the confines of the regimented, organized Starfleet.