Why Does Star Trek 4 Keep Getting Delayed? Zachary Quinto Speaks Out

Seven years after the release of "Star Trek Beyond," Spock actor Zachary Quinto recently expressed hope for the franchise's future, but also uncertainty about whether or not the Kelvin Timeline will be further explored in a potential "Star Trek 4." Quinto's Vulcan science officer made his debut in the J.J. Abrams-helmed 2009 "Star Trek" cinematic reboot, serving as the second-in-command to Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk. He would reprise the role in 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness" and then again in "Beyond" in 2016. While a fourth installment was announced, there's been little progress in the years since, even though the "Trek" franchise has seen somewhat of a resurgence lately through several new original series on Paramount+.

During a recent Q&A, a fan asked Quinto whether or not the success of shows like "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" (which introduces a new Spock played by Ethan Peck) and "Star Trek: Lower Decks" might have put a fourth film entry on the back burner at Paramount. According to trekmovie.com, Quinto insisted that this is not the case and that, if anything, he welcomes the deluge of fresh "Trek" content. "I don't think that has anything to do with it," Quinto said. "Actually, I think the more there is, the more it gets people excited about what could be."

However, despite seeming hopeful he one day may return to the Enterprise, Quinto ended his response with somewhat of a warning for fans to not get their hopes up. "I don't know if and when it will happen... And if [another movie] coalesces again and we come back and we're able to do it, wonderful. If not, we had a great run."

In 2015, before "Beyond" even began production, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that "Star Trek 4" was already in the works with already Quinto attached to return along with Pine. However, the movie has since languished in development hell, and updates have been few and far between. And it's not just the viewers waiting for an official update. Pine himself said he was "frustrated" with the lack of any new information on the project. Speaking to Esquire, the Kirk star called the project "cursed," and said, "I don't know anything. In 'Star Trek' land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything. I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors... It doesn't really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it's how it's always been."

But the project is still, at least in theory, alive. In the same story, Esquire reports that producer J.J. Abrams is still optimistic about a follow-up and even has a plot in mind. "I will say it's the first time [since the original reboot] that we have a story that feels as compelling as the first one," he told the magazine. 

It's a promising tease, but with little more to go on, we're still as in the dark about "Star Trek 4" as its cast apparently is. Either way, the stars' recent comments prove that they still just may boldly go on another adventure someday.