As you know, there was a point in Quentin Tarantino’s career where he was developing an R-rated Star Trek movie, and when he first started on that journey he had a lot of ideas for things that he wanted to do.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, writer Lindsey Anderson Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, The Magic Order) shared that she was actually in the writer’s room for Tarantino’s Star Trek movie, and she opened up about that experience and the “passionate ideas” that Tarantino had. She said:
“We got in there and [Tarantino] started with, ‘So what are your guys’ ideas for a movie?’ and I think I went first,” said Beer. “So he listened to us patiently and just kind of nodded his head, and then he took out his notebook and started talking for 20 minutes with lines of dialogue and passionate ideas that he’d already written. It wasn’t really a story yet; they were just random thoughts he had on a movie, but it was so passionate and so wonderful. And I laughed to myself and thought, ‘Well, why didn’t we start with that?’ There was a funny moment where he just stopped in the middle of that room and turned to me and said, ‘Lindsey, you’re really good at this.’ And getting that compliment from somebody whose career I admire so much meant a lot, obviously.”
She wasn’t the only one who worked with Tarantino on the film. The script was also being developed by Mark L Smith (The Revenant), and he previously shared his own experience and what they were planning for the film, saying:
“I wrote a Star Trek with Tarantino, and that was a sci-fi script on which I could have fun and lean into some bigger, broader things.
“We wanted [The Midnight Sky] to be in the future, but not so far in the future that anyone would feel that it couldn’t be happening. I went through a lot of different TED talks as far as the planets that would be chosen, and the way the ship would have to operate. As they’re going through space, I kept it where they go into blackout zones: they lose communication for a few weeks, so all the messages they were getting from home were at least a couple of weeks behind. Sure, I cheated in a few areas, but nothing major. It wasn’t like anyone was being beamed up!”
Smith went on to explain that he was drawn to the “deep” characters in the series, saying, “The relationships all felt real, and something I could relate to.” He also revealed that Captain Kirk would be in the film and that they had so much fun with the character:
“I love Picard. And Kirk is always just so fun. Tarantino and I had so much fun with him, because Kirk is just William Shatner, y’know? It’s like: you’re not sure who is who, so you can kinda lean into that! Because you watch Chris Pine and he’s playing Kirk, but he’s also playing William Shatner a touch.”
It was previously reported that Tarantino’s movie “is based on an episode of the classic Star Trek series that takes place largely earthbound in a 1930s gangster setting.”
The episode that this story is based on is titled “A Piece of the Action,” which was the seventeenth episode of Season 2. It aired on January 12, 1968. The story centered on Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy as they beamed down to a planet called Iotia where they discover a planetary government patterned after the Chicago gangs of the 1920s.
Tarantino said that he also wanted to bring some Pulp Fiction elements into the series as well. He also said:
“I don’t know if I’ll do it or not. I’ve got to figure it out, but Mark wrote a really cool script. I like it a lot. There’s some things I need to work on but I really, really liked it.”
This Star Trek film project will most likely never be made, which is a shame, because a lot of fans would’ve liked to have seen it! This could’ve ended up being a really cool and fun Star Trek flick.
