Star Trek movies Kelvin Timeline is (finally?) dead

[Blackstar]

https://variety.com/2025/film/features/david-ellison-hollywood-takeover-paramount-warner-bros-1236569136/

[Blackstar]

https://trekmovie.com/2025/11/04/paramount-reportedly-wants-fresh-take-for-star-trek-moving-on-from-another-kelvin-movie/

https://blog.trekcore.com/2025/11/paramount-has-moved-on-from-a-star-trek-kelvin-timeline-sequel-film-says-new-variety-report/

https://gizmodo.com/it-sure-sounds-like-star-trek-4-is-dead-again-2000681431

[Blackstar]

https://gizmodo.com/a-brand-new-star-trek-movie-is-coming-from-the-team-behind-dungeons-dragons-2000686178

[JH]

The D&D movie was great but I had thought it was something of a commercial failure. I’m a bit surprised they are being given something as big as a new Star Trek movie. Pleased, though.

[Blackstar]

https://blog.trekcore.com/2025/12/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-wraps-production/

[JulesVerneATV]

The postmodern destruction of Star Trek

[Blackstar]

I generally avoid posting much Star Trek stuff here, in part because the online discussion of Trek is pretty awful and shallow. You can only hear "girlboss" and "woke" and "the message" said so many times before you want to throw a shoe at the screen. We get it: you're a middle-aged white male who has a lot of complaints about a TV show when you really should go cut the grass and wash the car.

[JulesVerneATV]

Starfleet Academy Vs Star Trek Deep Space 9

[JulesVerneATV]

Are we all experts? is everyone's opinion valid in art and music and tv and movies? I admittedly watched A LOT of Trek its always been on the tv as a re-run show but I'm not a 'Trekkie'. I only watched the originals later and I am impressed with how great some of the old episodes could be. I caught some episodes from the old cartoon 1973-1974 I think it was very charming, later doing shows like He-Man or Ghostbusters and finally owned by DreamWorks Animation.
FILMATION ASSOCIATES was the original animated studio
https://www.toonopedia.com/filmatn.htm
 I believe Gene Roddenberry would have embraced a lot of new film techniques, video game and animation technology if he was still here. I could see Gene Roddenberry very much enjoying animation like WALL-E,  maybe he would have enjoyed Anastasia or Hayao Miyazaki movies, its difficult to know if he would have respected tradition hand drawn animation or gone the full CGI route like Ne Zha 2, Toy Story etc. I think he would have enjoyed the Asian style of film and animation but I think he would have been sad to see Hollywood collapse and for Asia and overseas film to become so dominant. Indie film makers in the US I think Gene would have enjoyed.

Gene Roddenberry is a very very interesting person, if he were alive today he would be 104 years of age I'm sure he would still contribute to Star Trek but Paramount is very ambitious, has its own ideas and had crazy desires with the property for many decades. There were also a lot of hissy fits and office politics behind the scenes, as he aged it would be very difficult for him to have that same vitality and energy that gives him control of his artistic property. It's possible Gene Roddenberry would have taken the show in different directions, he also liked Westerns, he liked crime dramas, he even liked the 'Supernatural' stories doing occult stuff and even did smutty slasher horror type sexy crime stories which were probably taboo during their time maybe still controversial today. There is a whole lot of 'Cold War' in Star Trek, going into the real life cultural and ethnic and nation and political influences in Star Trek is a whole other rabbit whole. However there uis definetly that USA / NATO the Americana culture vs the USSR Russia Soviets in star Trek. The Klingons might have some Arab or Viking or Japan influence maybe even Korea from the writing team but they are without doubt influenced by Russian threat in the Cold War. Gene's final influence is in Star Trek the Next Generation and Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country, it feels like another 'Hunt For Red October' type film. The big enviornment space explosion, ecological devastation of the Klingon space miner 'Moon' or scifi homeworld feels a lot like Chernobyl or the Empire coming to an end after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, there are probably references to the prison system, the Russia attempts at reform and the general feeling the USSR was failing mirrored in the writing on the Klingon. The guy Kirk fights in the Gulga prison looks a lot like a Jem'Hadar, you get the feeling Star Fleet the Klingons will be working together on space stations etc Star Trek’s First Chameloid Shapeshifter in the movie feels like it influenced Odo in Deep Space 9 even though it is non-canon and a different creature, Gene would have influenced movies like Star Trek First Contact as a lot of the stories such as the Borg, post apocalypse world and Vulcan plot had already existed and part of 'canon'.

I think it would be very interesting to see Gene's opinions on other writers or directors or political events or scifi that would follow. I think its possible he would have been open to writing for other scifi and working with directors and writers from other big movies and shows. There are ideas from other shows I think he would have liked, Gene also liked timetravel, maybe he would have worked with all the other writers Rockne S. O'Bannon, the X-Files guys, Westworld, The Expanse, Stargate, the current people from Japan or SKorea, James Cameron etc. I don't think he liked the Star Wars message I'm not sure what Gene disliked about it maybe it was 'War' or the religion cult part of it or the characters with mystical superpowered world of Jedi Force magic and lack of 'science' but I think he would have liked shows such as Mandalorian.

Maybe Gene if he were still alive would have wrote episodes for Sherlock or Fargo or West World, his unique style of optimist writing and humor is missed on movies and tv. One of the things that makes Star Trek fail for me today is the humor doesnt last, it is too quick and gone, nothing lasts and overall is terrible. It's hard to speculate where the career of Gene Roddenberry could have gone if he were still alive, would he have worked on the comicbook superhero stuff the horror and war films and 'Sword and Sorcery'. Vietnam movies and the Hulk tv show and Batman and Superman and Conan the Barbarian were already big things and Gene didnt seem to have much interest in this stuff. He did have politics comments in his movies and shows but he did it subtle, I think he was more futurist than staying in the past. His wife Majel Barrett-Roddenberry worked with JMS and the guys from Babylon-5, I think shows like Earth Final Conflict and Andromeda did have something to say even if they are not ranked with the best scifi. I believe Gene would have been fascinated with current developments in robotics and AI, I dont think Gene is as 'Atheist' as some people say. He was secular and believed in a separation from the Temples/Church and Government  a guy a Shaman Mathematician philosopher Charles Muses, said Roddenberry's views were "a far cry from atheism" he was supposed to be very spiritual but perhaps disliked all the larger organized religions. I believe DS9, Voyager, Enterprise would have been different shows if Gene were still alive. I think he would be comment on events the kids addictions to video games and poke-mon, the huge sales in 'Harry Potter', maybe Gene would be disturbed and impressed by events such as Hurricane Katrina, all the new Virus outbreaks, the formation of the EU currency followed by Brexit, the 2004 Indian Ocean Thailand Indonesia earthquake and tsunami, the Fukushima meltdown, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, constant cycles of violence, bombs, vehicle ramming attacks and school shootings. I dont know what his opinions would be on the devastating riots in Los Angeles, the voyeurism of trials like OJ, I think the Clone Sheep Dolly would have been interesting for him. The 20 year long War in Afghanistan 2001–2021 and the Fall of Kabul to Taliban Terrorists and Russians attacking Ukraine probably would have disturbed him a lot, I think a lot of news events would influence his work if he were still alive.

I think something changes to tv and movies and world culture after 911 and the 'War on Terror'. You had shows become gritty and open alcohol and drug use and crime on tv, gangs and superhero comicbook stuff  and 'Monster Fantasy' takes off and terror is a subject. Tv changed post 911 and suddenly like Weeds, Nip/Tuck, Game of Thrones, Sopranos, Battlestar,  Yellowstone televison and global culture changes you had 24, Homeland, Designated Survivor. House of Cards was highly rated it is a bit weird now with questions around the lead actor with all that Epstein Weinstein scandal or 'culture'. 'Lost' is one of those tv shows that everyone talked of during the 2000s, 2010s but doesnt last the test of time and fades into nothing. I believe Gene Roddenberry was very patriotic in his own unique way and loved the United States culture, he might have been something of a 'Japanophile' also. I think Gene would have embraced technology but I dont know how he would have viewed the rise of social media or shows like America's Got Talent and the latest X-Factor singer thing, I think he would still be a traditionalist in his music with Composer(s) who did scores in an Orchestra way but I think he would also embrace new technology and new visual 'Special Effects' . There is a lot that Gene Missed after his death, the 1993 WTC van bomb, the Doomsday cult in Japan a Tokyo subway sarin terror attack, the bursting of the Japanese economic bubble when people once thought Japan would take over the world, would he have expected the rapid rise of China...would ships be named the USS Shanghai or USS Beijing instead of the 'Akira', I dont know how he would have viewed developments in Latin America or Europe or Africa, I believe Gene would have expected many of the directions Russia went after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Were the races in the original Star Trek meant to represent different real countries?
but wasnt the original Romulan of Trek supposed to be Analogy / Comparison of US relations with the Chinese?
Some say the Romulan is simply 'Rome' in space.

then who were Vulcan? Emotionally repressed Japanese, Germans, Taiwanese?
Andorians, Ferengi?
Gene wasnt around for Deep Space 9 so he did not have input on Occupation of Bajor stories by the Cardassians
The Federation of Gene is US centrist looking very  Pax Americana look and feel.

Were the races in the original Star Trek meant to represent different real countries?

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/10758/were-the-races-in-the-original-star-trek-meant-to-represent-different-real-count

Yes and no.

The Original Series (TOS) has a mix of both. Like most sci-fi, it wasn't written about the future, it was written about the (then) present day.

The Klingons, however, were a race locked in a cold war with the Federation, and it was meant to exemplify the feelings of the time.

Wikipedia says this

    The Klingons took on the role of the Soviet Union in opposition to the United States' future counterpart, the United Federation of Planets.

I dont think he liked Monarchy but he respected Japan culture and had a Shinto Wedding ceremony while in Japan, I think the rise of  Islamic State of Iraq and Syria would have been a distrubing, troubling thing for him. He might have classed Flat Earthers as part of an insane online digital 'cult'. I think Gene would have expected the rise of SKorea as an economic and cultural power despite political turmoil of the 1980s but maybe he would think Gangnam Style sounded like dumb disco music. I think the work of JMS on Babylon-5 would have impressed Gene, maybe he would have liked Stargate. I think Gene Roddenberry would have liked Christoper Nolan films, maybe he would have liked Joss Whedon style of writing I dont think he would have liked Zack Snyder Dawn of the Dead, Man of Steel, Justice League, Rebel Moon I dont think he would like the Michael Bay style of movie making. David Lynch is a strange one because there are times Gene Roddenberry showed he was into the esoteric, spiritual and weird even if people try to class him among the 'Atheism' philosophy.

Star Trek was around the time of the ColdWar. I think Star Trek as a story did very well to survive so long after the Fall of the Soviet Union. Gene Roddenberry like Isaac Asimov pre-dates the current era Trump, Biden, Obama, Bush junior the 2005-2025 ish era of 'Culture Wars'. In our current world of culture wars people are put into boxes Left vs Right the new Right party vs new Left party, I dont think Gene's work should be looked at that way. He might have agreed with political positions of John F. Kennedy on humans rights but also agreed with Nixon on the Sino-Soviet split or Nixon's EPA protection of waters, plants, animals. Maybe today in media we try to label films too much as right leaning or left leaning. Yes Gene Roddenberry have been impressed by 'Avatar' but James Camerson is now doing characters with far worse writing issues than Isaac Asimov did. I think Gene would have found the visuals in the 3 Avatar movies stunning he might have even been impressed with some 'message' the 'Space-Whale' hunting scene and the environment, impressed with the visual effects. However I think James Cameron's story and characters would have left Gene 'unimpressed' everyone knows all those characters from Star Wars or Marvel or DC or Star Trek, almost everyone who is a fan of entertainment can tell you about the Borg, Kirk, Picard, Han Solo, Vader, the super hero and supervillain Batman, Spider-Man, Loki, the Joker, Thanos, the Western shooters The Man with No Name and its characters from 'The Dollars Trilogy', Agent Smith from the Matrix, "The Dude" Lebowski, Gandalf, Tony Stark...their back stories, their romances, what motivates them or doesnt in the case of 'the Dude'....even video game characters have more dept than Avatar...it is impressive visually with great world building
..but Avatar the finer details of the story are forgettable.

I dont know if Star Trek works in the post-911 world. I didnt hate the tv show 'Enterprise' I think some of its episodes were good but a lot was ok just a cycle of hit and miss. The Chosen Realm episode from Enterprise tv series did show ok writing, it did try but I think Star Trek overall died with Enterprise. They have tried to bring it back with Christopher Pike tv story, Star Trek 2009 film but I think its dead, one thing it is missing is the humor which is often terrible. Orville or Galaxy Quest are funny parody of Star Trek but Star Trek has now become a parody of itself just as the movie tv universes of Marvel/DC have started outlive its own usefulness. His son Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry Jr has been having some influence on the brand since 2016, there is a lot of power plays and politics happening behind the scene, some writers quitting Trek and never looking back while Paramount does its own thing trying to milk the franchise for one last performance.

[MattMason]

Are we all experts? is everyone's opinion valid in art and music and tv and movies? I admittedly watched A LOT of Trek it’s always been on the tv as a re-run show but I'm not a 'Trekkie'. I only watched the originals later and I am impressed with how great some of the old episodes could be.<snip!>

As Blackstar noted, less is more when it comes to Star Trek, both as viewable content but also in conversation. Even as a young Boomer that watched TOS first-aired as a kid, wow, that’s too much of a brain-dump to read, my friend.

Star Trek has always worked best and has always been human stories and occasional Aesop talks as space fantasy. When it strays too much into titillation (Seven of Nine), hitting your audience with author-edged opinions other than of the theme “Be excellent to each other” or trying to be science fiction (it can’t be without undoing its own internal accepted non-consistencies), you get something other than ST, and people begin to zone out. That’s especially true in a world with dozens of shows in direct competition in the fantasy realm.

Time to give ST a long pause to regroup for another generation for now.

[Star One]

I generally avoid posting much Star Trek stuff here, in part because the online discussion of Trek is pretty awful and shallow. You can only hear "girlboss" and "woke" and "the message" said so many times before you want to throw a shoe at the screen. We get it: you're a middle-aged white male who has a lot of complaints about a TV show when you really should go cut the grass and wash the car.

I used to think that the fan discussion of Doctor Who was bad until I looked at the Trek community. I think the only fan community that’s worse is Star Wars.

[Blackstar]

Time to give ST a long pause to regroup for another generation for now.

At the risk of over-simplifying, I think Trek's basic problem now is that it's simply a business for a studio. There is nobody in charge who has a vision that they want to share. That doesn't mean that the people working on it don't have visions, or agendas--they do. But for the most part they are shoehorning their own agendas into a franchise that they don't revere, they're just using it. I think that arguably up through Voyager, maybe even Enterprise, the people running Trek shared a version of Roddenberry's vision. That has been done for several decades now.

[JulesVerneATV]

I dont think J J wanted to truly relaunch Trek, he made his money and delivered a good show. Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was busy with Star Wars for a while then he moved on to a Batman cartoon, was involved with getaway driver / crime syndicate tv shows 'Duster'
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12160826
J. J. Abrams maybe he still has power to sell product and get people into the cinema seats like James Cameron does, his last project was supposedly a toys to movie production, a Hot Wheels film adaptation. It seems to have stalled maybe? Post Covid and with all the Flops and 'Writers Strikes' a lot of movies went into Production Limbo / Development hell.

The days of Hollywood releasing another remake of remake and easily making over 1 Billion seem over. Some entertainment products had costly delays only coming out now after years of delays but the 'Barbie' movie about a toy product sold well, video game stuff like 'Minecraft' is also selling and I'm not sure that is a good thing for cinema.

I dont have a dislike for the Star Trek 2009 film I think the franchise if it was to survive needed new life at this time. It's good but I dont think it added anything new other than new actors and some flash bang special effects.

There is a lot of politics and corporate moves behind the scenes and it is difficult to predict who will be in control of what artistic properties at the moment.

Netflix vs. Paramount: Everything to Know About the $108 Billion Battle for Warner Bros. and HBO

https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/netflix-vs-paramount-everything-know-225600543.html


The movie Directors Cut of Star Trek VI was only released in 2022

https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=2466


What is the deeper meaning of “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” ?

A Cold War Analogy in the Stars
https://www.scifidimensions.com/what-is-the-deeper-meaning-of-star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country/

At its core, “The Undiscovered Country” is a direct parallel to the fall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent attempts at reconciliation between the United States and Russia. The Klingon Empire, representing the Soviet Union, faces an ecological disaster – the destruction of their primary energy source, Praxis – that threatens their very existence. This mirrors the economic and political instability that plagued the Soviet Union in its final years.

The film presents a scenario where the Klingons, weakened and facing collapse, are forced to seek peace with their long-time enemy, the Federation. Just as the United States and the Soviet Union had a long and often hostile relationship, the Federation and the Klingons were locked in a decades-long cold war characterized by suspicion, proxy conflicts, and mutual distrust.

[Blackstar]

I dont think J J wanted to truly relaunch Trek, he made his money and delivered a good show.

Actually, he did. Back around 2013 or so--meaning just around when the second Kelvin Universe movie was done but before the third--I talked to somebody who was peripherally involved in Trek. Not somebody involved int he movies, but somebody who ran a licensed product that was closely tied to Paramount/CBS (they were kinda split at the time in a very complicated way). He said that JJ had made a bid to control all of Star Trek. He wanted the movies, TV show rights, and gaming rights. He wanted to produce a sort of coordinated Star Trek universe. But he didn't get it. I don't know when he tried to do that, if it was before the 2009 movie, or after it (probably after, because the movie did well and he had some clout). But he tried and failed, and after that, Trek simply became one of several projects he was involved in rather than his primary focus. And of course he got courted to go do a Star Wars movie, which was much more his interest.