Star Trek: Beyond broke a classic Star Trek tradition, but Leonard Nimoy's whale movie did it first. In 2016, Star Trek: Beyond was released as the third installment of JJ Abrams' reboot series that started in 2009. The film depicts Captain James T. Kirk's (Chris Pine) crew facing off with an ominous new adversary, Krall (Idris Elba). However, the Starship Enterprise doesn't play a big part in the movie. Captain Kirk, Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the rest of Star Trek: Beyond's crew end up using other means to defeat Krall.
This approach wasn't the first of its kind, despite being an interesting change for the Star Trek reboot franchise. Leonard Nimoy's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home depicted the original USS Enterprise crew without their ship as well. After the destruction of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew use a commandeered Klingon Bird-of-Prey to travel back in time. The ship, ironically named the HMS Bounty by Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), provided the film with a change of scenery that more Star Trek movies could benefit from.
Star Trek Beyond Broke The Same Tradition As Leonard Nimoy’s Whale Movie
The Enterprise was also notably absent in Star Trek IV
Captain James T. Kirk's (Chris Pine) USS Enterprise is destroyed early in Star Trek: Beyond, leaving the ship's crew stranded on the planet Altamid. They have to face off against Krall with nothing more than an old and broken-down Starfleet ship, the Scott Bakula-era USS Franklin. Although the Franklin is still part of the Federation's history, its operation by Kirk and the crew marks an important dynamic shift. The use of another ship breaks the Star Trek tradition of the Enterprise being the ship to save the day, operated by a familiar crew who knows the starship inside and out.
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the Star Trek: The Original Series crew finds themselves in a similar situation. Without the Enterprise, they pilot a stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey to travel back in time to save Earth from certain doom. Kirk's crews in different Star Trek timelines operating without their traditional starship gives both movies an extra edge. Our Starfleet heroes must think outside the box and improvise new ways to overcome impossible odds.
Star Trek Movies Are Sometimes More Interesting Without The Enterprise
Being without the Enterprise makes the stranded crew make out-of-the-box decisions
Star Trek: Beyond's ending proves that the crew of the Starship Enterprise is indeed still a crew, even without the Enterprise. By working together on the barely operational USS Franklin, they defeat Krall and save the day. Like in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the USS Franklin's makeshift crew even used music - Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" - to disorient their enemies. This dynamic helped both films explore the characters on a deeper level since they didn't have the familiarity of the Enterprise to back them up in battle. Instead, audiences saw the crews use their skills and ingenuity to survive.
The entire Star Trek timeline is full of adventures of the USS Enterprise in its different incarnations. In different universes and time periods, the iconic Star Trek ship houses some of the franchise's best stories. However, without the Enterprise, its crew is left to develop unorthodox plans to defeat (or prevent) whatever evil may be threatening them or the Federation. Star Trek: Beyond is a great example of the "no Enterprise" tactic originally used in Star Trek IV. This tactic could still benefit Star Trek because it often leads to more interesting dynamics than the classic Enterprise tradition.
