‘Star Trek’ prequel movie release date, cast and crew, plot, and more

When will we get a new Star Trek movie? That’s the question Trekkies throughout the Alpha Quadrant have been asking ever since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, but now we may finally have our answer.

As per a Deadline report on Jan. 10, 2024, Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a new Star Trek film. Yes, we know, we’ve heard this many times over the past eight years and have nothing to show for it, with filmmakers as varied as Noah Hawley, Matt Shakman, S.J. Clarkson, and even Quentin Tarantino being set to steer the Enterprise back into cinemas before their respective productions fell through.

But, hey, maybe this one will make it. And, look, it’s a prequel? Prequel’s are fun, right? Name one sci-fi franchise with Star in the title that made a bad prequel? See, you can’t.

So, as we prepare to report to the bridge once more, let’s beam up everything we can about this latest Star Trek film in the works.

What is the Star Trek prequel movie about?

Initially, plot details for this new Trek were kept tightly under wraps, with only a rough time-frame for the story supplied. According to Deadline’s sources, this prequel movie “takes place decades” prior to the events of the 2009 movie starring Chris Pine and company, which memorably kickstarted a new continuity — known by fans as the Kelvin timeline. In other words, this will neatly skip any debates about whether the Kelvin timeline is still canon by simply being set prior to Kirk’s time on the Enterprise.

Speaking of the franchise’s flagship, er, flagship, it seems that this prequel is going to offer some conceptual crossover with Star Trek: Enterprise. According to additional details shared by Variety on March 27, the project “will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise.” Well, that was basically what Enterprise was already, as the mid-aughts series documented the maiden voyages of the first vessel to bear the name Enterprise. Still, it didn’t quite get to cover the origins of the Federation, so it seems likely that could be something explored in this film.

Who is directing the Star Trek prequel movie?

What we can reveal for certain about the prequel is the three creatives currently attached to it. J.J. Abrams is once again on producing duties through his Bad Robot production company. This will be his second time producing rather than directing one of these films, after passing the baton to Justin Lin with Beyond.

Paramount has entrusted the directing gig to Toby Haynes, a highly experienced television director whose resume makes it abundantly clear why he’s landed this job. Having already worked on episodes of Star Wars series Andor and Doctor Who, Haynes has a strong shot at being the only filmmaker to work on the full holy trinity of science fiction franchises. Unless Abrams has any interest in popping into the TARDIS, that is.

What’s more, Haynes also directed a certain episode of Black Mirror that Trek fans will no doubt be familiar with: season 4’s “U.S.S. Callister,” which was a dark, irreverent and yet strangely loving homage to Star Trek: The Original Series. Haynes admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that he’s such a super-fan he was responsible for many of the episode’s Easter eggs and callbacks. So, don’t worry, this guy gets it.

Haynes will be working based on a script from screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith, who hoovers up major IPs and franchises like other people do skittles. His past credits include The LEGO Batman Movie, Child’s Play, It Chapter Two, The Flash and the upcoming Beetlejuice 2.

Who could be in the Star Trek prequel movie?

Unfortunately, for those banking on seeing more of Pine’s James T. Kirk and his faithful crew, that ain’t gonna happen here. The time-frame of several decades prior to the events of the 2009 movie means it’s impossible — well, OK, nothing’s impossible in Trek but it’s still highly unlikely — for Abrams’ original cast to return here. What we’re probably looking at is a whole new cast of characters to get to know. If this is the case, it will be the first Trek film to have a wholly original cast not derived from a TV series.

The good news for Kelvin timeline fans is that Star Trek 4 remains in development, with screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer confirming in September 2023 that it’s “still on the tracks.” The problem, of course, is that it currently has no director, following Shakman exiting to helm Marvel’s Fantastic Four. It’s possible Haynes was offered this project first but he preferred the idea of the fresher prequel script.

When could the Star Trek prequel movie release?

Well, here’s the thing. The way that every variation of another Star Trek movie since 2016 has been sucked into a black hole before it had the chance to make it to screens leaves it extremely difficult to guess when we can expect the prequel to get here. A specific release date has yet to be revealed, which is probably a smart attempt to save face from Paramount, after Star Trek 4 spectacularly failed to arrive on its intended Dec. 22, 2023 due date.

Assuming pre-production on the prequel actually goes smoothly, however, then you’d imagine Paramount would be keen to get this one out as soon as possible. Even so, realistically, the earliest we could expect it to materialize is some time in 2026. Which, funnily enough, would be a full decade since Beyond released. At least we have that Michelle Yeoh streaming movie on its way as well.