of the series ( and that ’ s saying something after Khan ’ s ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) high-octane turn in Into Darkness ). There may be little hope of a major uptick of intellect , but Beyond at least managed to sneak in a little bit of brains . While the action set pieces will likely get larger and more elaborate , the writers of the fourth fi lm could slip a little more thought-in-motion into the next fi lm . Beyond was a fantastic popcorn fl ick with lots of fun references ( such as Chekov ’ s insistence that Scotch is a Russian invention ), but it also had several lost opportunities for deeper philosophical examination . It would be gratifying for Trek devotees to be able to watch some good old-fashioned Federation principles explored , rather than merely enforced . Classic Trek fi lms were able to sneak clever moments beneath the surface , such as the ethical dilemma of playing god ( Genesis in Wrath of Khan ). Also , the heavy-handed message about treating the planet with respect from The Voyage Home seems like quaint bits of common sense now . Beyond did manage to throw in some subtle jabs at extreme libertarianism ( Krall as Trump ) and re-envision Hikaru Sulu as gay ( a move George Takei wasn ’ t thrilled with ). For the most part , though , the rebooted series has avoided or cribbed its moral quandaries from its predecessors ( better than nothing ). The writers of Star Trek 4 shouldn ’ t be afraid to explore current events in allegorical form , either as Pegg and Jung did in as much as they could . Nor should they be unwilling to seek out new worlds for longer than it takes to jump a motorcycle over them . MORE SEEKING OUT NEW LIFE The rebooted Star Trek fi lms have given fans a lot of interesting new places and devious plots , but little of the crew ’ s actual fi ve year mission . True , their odyssey only began in the falling action of Into Darkness . But for a fi lm and TV series based on space travel , the fi lms have spent a surprisingly large amount of time grounded or in familiar places . Yorktown Station and the uncharted nebula were gorgeous , but it would ’ ve been fun if they served as more than just set dressing . While it ’ s unlikely Paramount will suddenly tell its producers , writers , and directors to dial down the popcorn action and crank up the Star Trek : The Motion Picture elements ( which bored many hardcore Trekkies ), it would be nice if the next movie explored its surroundings a little more before blowing them up . The Enterprise ’ s next mission could even kick off with their investigation of a planet , a trip to a familiar world or two ( more on that below ), charting a star system , or expanding their understanding of human possibilities . And then , yes , a cosmic bad seed can blow something up . REVENGE IS A LEFTOVER DISH As far as villains go , the rebooted Star Trek series has done fairly well – especially with its caliber of actors . Idris Elba , Benedict Cumberbatch , Eric Bana , and Peter Weller are all extremely talented and capable of great depth and range . However , Elba ’ s antagonist Krall in Beyond , much like Admiral Marcus in Into Darkness ,
23 | BOOM
FEATURE
Nero in the eponymous reboot , the Son ’ a in Insurrection and , of course , Khan Noonien Singh in the original Wrath of Khan , were all vengeance-oriented adversaries . Sure , Shakespeare ’ s famous line about revenge food meshes well with Ricardo Montalban ’ s quip about space temperatures in Wrath , but Trek has been down the vengeance path one time too many . For the fourth entry , it would be nice to see an adversary who doesn ’ t feel the need to destroy the Federation or seek comeuppance against Kirk . The next big baddie could simply view the Enterprise or Starfl eet as an obstacle or nuisance . Some of the most memorable franchise villains – such as the Borg and V ’ Ger ( arguably ), General Chang ( despite Christopher Plummer ’ s deliciously ham-fi sted delivery ), and the Dominion – antagonized based on their suspicious nature , superiority complex , attachment to order , or were galactic overachievers . In its next outing , Kelvin-Trek needs to face a more universal threat than Krall or Khan or Nero , as menacing as they were . If the writers can ’ t invent another modern classic villain , let ’ s face it , Star Trek is loaded to bear with them . BRING ON THE KLINGONS While the Klingons made a brief appearance in Into Darkness , few fanatics or casual audiences would mind revisiting their ilk . The aggressive species played heavily into the classic fi lm and television series , but in the reborn timeline , the Empire of Kahless could play a slightly different role . During Abrams ’ re-Wrath of Khan , Kirk managed to stave off a war between the two galactic superpowers . His actions could have altered this timeline ’ s events to refl ect those closer to the progress made in The Undiscovered Country . Naturally , much like General Chang , the Romulans , and Admiral Cartwright , not everyone would be thrilled at the prospect of a Federation-Klingon peace treaty . The next escapade for the Enterprise could explore the battle for peace between the galactic powers – before getting sucked into a temporal anomaly or however Kirk meets up with his father . Of course , the rebooted Trek is pretty action packed , so maybe the Federation will just wind up toe-to-toe with their old adversaries . If , for some strange reason , the Klingons don ’ t thrill fans anymore ( unlikely ), there are other fun adversaries who could rear their ugly heads in the Kelvin timeline . The alternate timeline could also take advantage of interesting Original Series nemeses like the Tholians ( who would look really cool with big budget CGI ), the curious Sphere Builders , or even the Gorn could make for an entertaining fourth romp into the rebooted realms . Because honestly , where ’ s a 23rd century version of Gul Dukat or Q when you need him ? WHAT ’ S UP WITH NEW VULCAN ? While we ’ re on the subject of Trek nemeses impacting major damage , fans have heard precious little about the remnants of one of the Federation ’ s core members lately . Since Nero took out Vulcan , the the planet ’ s diminished populace has barely been heard from aside from a few exchanges between Old Spock and New Spock