Star Trek Beyond Ending & Why No Sequel 8 Years Later Explained

Star Trek: Beyond's ending left the door open for the further adventures of Chris Pine's USS Enterprise crew, but it's now 8 years later, and Star Trek 4 has yet to surface. Directed by Justin Lin, Star Trek Beyond, the third entry in the J.J. Abrams' produced Star Trek movies, stranded the USS Enterprise crew on the planet Altamid. Discovering an abandoned Starfleet vessel from a century earlier, it's revealed that the villainous Krall (Idris Elba) and his army are the mutated crew of the USS Franklin, and Krall has been plotting his revenge against the United Federation of Planets ever since crashing on Altamid decades ago.

While Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) are considering their futures in Star Trek Beyond, there was never any indication that this was intended to be the final Kelvin Timeline movie. Feeling lost from his five-year mission, Captain Kirk applied to become Vice Admiral of the revolutionary new Starbase Yorktown. Meanwhile, the death of Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has forced the younger Spock to consider leaving Starfleet and continuing Spock Prime's diplomatic work on New Vulcan. By the end of Star Trek Beyond, Kirk and Spock realize they belong aboard the USS Enterprise together and launch a new five-year mission. Nearly a decade later, audiences are still waiting for Star Trek 4.

Star Trek Beyond's Ending & How Kirk Beat Krall Explained

Kirk faced the ghost of the Federation's past

Krall had been tracking the USS Enterprise since it took possession of an ancient artifact that was the final component needed to complete the construction of the Abronath, a devastating ancient bioweapon. With the Abronath in his possession, Krall and his swarm set off for Starbase Yorktown to wipe out its inhabitants. Giving chase aboard the USS Franklin, Kirk, and the crew first had to weaken Krall's swarm. Spock and Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) beamed aboard one of the swarm ships to throw off their formation, allowing the Franklin to destroy the ships by using "Sabotage," Kirk's favorite Beastie Boys song, as a discordant and disruptive noise.

With the Swarm destroyed, Captain Kirk discovered the truth that Krall was actually human, the embittered war veteran Captain Balthazar Edison. Krall had survived the destruction of the Swarm and still intended to use the Abronath by unleashing it into Yorktown's atmospheric regulator to wipe out all life aboard the space station. Kirk and Krall fought in the central atmospheric regulator, with the Enterprise Captain attempting to prevent Krall from unleashing the weapon. With help from Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg), Kirk was able to override the regulator and eject Krall, and the Abronath, into the vacuum of space.

Star Trek Beyond Launched The USS Enterprise-A

A new five-year mission begins when Star Trek Beyond ends

With the original USS Enterprise destroyed in the spectacular first act of Star Trek Beyond, Captain Kirk needed a new ship after saving Yorktown. The USS Enterprise-A is teased by Commodore Paris (Shohreh Aghdashloo) when she says that the only other ship capable of navigating the nebula near Altamid isn't near completion. With the Enterprise destroyed on Altamid, this new starship was presumably hastily renamed so that the Federation could retain its flagship.

As the Enterprise crew gathered to celebrate Captain Kirk's birthday at the end of Star Trek Beyond, they looked out admiringly at their new starship - the USS Enterprise-A. The construction of the new starship appeared to signal the ongoing adventures of Kirk and the crew. However, to date, the new Enterprise hasn't been put through its paces on the big screen, as Star Trek 4 is perennially delayed by multiple behind-the-scenes issues.

Why Kirk Is Not Vice Admiral & Enterprise Crew Changes

Kirk passed on his promotion.

Captain Kirk's heroism guaranteed him the Vice Admiral position aboard the Yorktown, but he ultimately declined it. Echoing the advice Captain Kirk (William Shatner) gave to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek Generations, Kirk decides that there's no fun in becoming a deskbound Admiral. Instead, Jim was revitalized by his experiences on Altamid and realized that it was an adventure and the chance to "fly" that he really wanted, not a promotion.

Spock, meanwhile, discovered an old photo of the Prime Universe USS Enterprise crew, considerably older than their Kelvin Timeline counterparts. Realizing that he had made friends for life with his Enterprise crew, Spock decided not to leave Starfleet for New Vulcan. Touchingly, Kirk and Spock never voice their doubts to each other, an unspoken acknowledgment of the mutual importance of their friendship.

Some Enterprise crew members were tragically killed during the fight with Krall, including Ensign Syl (Melissa Roxburgh) who hid the artifact for Kirk. However, Star Trek Beyond teases a potential addition to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek cast in Jaylah (Sofia Boutella). Kirk got the brave alien woman they met on Altamid fast-tracked into Starfleet Academy, suggesting that she may have returned as Ensign Jaylah in Star Trek 4. Sofia Boutella wants to return as Jaylah if Star Trek 4 happens.

Star Trek Beyond Lost Leonard Nimoy & Anton Yelchin

Two tragic losses to the Star Trek family

Leonard Nimoy's death in 2015 is acknowledged by the passing of Ambassador Spock in Star Trek Beyond. Even in death, Nimoy's Spock influenced Zachary Quinto's Kelvin Timeline Spock, as his personal effects revealed the lifelong friendships that his younger self had formed. It was a touching tribute to the legacy of Leonard Nimoy that also acknowledged Star Trek's 50th anniversary when Star Trek Beyond was released in 2016.

Tragically, Anton Yelchin was killed in a freak motoring accident at his home a month before Star Trek Beyond's theatrical release. It's for this reason that the movie ends with a dedication to Anton Yelchin, and Star Trek Beyond is a wonderful tribute to his portrayal of Ensign Pavel Chekov. Yelchin gets some great action sequences and comedy moments which he always excelled at as Chekov. Another tribute to Anton Yelchin was recently made with Star Trek: Picard's President Anton Chekov (Walter Koenig).

Why Star Trek Beyond Hasn't Had A Sequel In 8 Years & Counting

Star Trek 4 is redefining "development hell"

Paramount has mounted multiple attempts to produce Star Trek 4 since 2016, with one possible version planning to bring back Chris Hemsworth as Lt. George Kirk in a time travel team-up with his son, Captain Kirk. Another Star Trek 4 idea by Quentin Tarantino was to be a cinematic adaptation of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "A Piece of the Action", involving a planet whose society was inspired by 1920s Chicago gangsters. For whatever reason, neither of these projects got off the ground, though it's been suggested that pay disputes kiboshed the "Two Kirks" movie idea.

Chris Pine's Star Trek 4 plan hints as to why it's taken so long for a Star Trek Beyond sequel to surface. His reference to Paramount wanting Star Trek to compete with the big blockbusters of Marvel Studios is particularly telling. Although far from being a flop, Star Trek Beyond didn't perform as strongly at the box office as expected. Clearly, the various scripts drafted for Star Trek 4 haven't inspired much hope for big box office returns in the eyes of Paramount's studio heads. Ironically, the delays in getting a workable script that can compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe led to director Matt Shakman departing the project for Marvel Studio'sTheFantastic Four: First Steps.

Star Trek 4 is reportedly still in development, with a new screenwriter, Steve Yockey, working on a new adventure for Chris Pine's USS Enterprise crew. Star Trek 4 is being billed as "the final chapter" of the saga J.J. Abrams began in Star Trek (2009), although not much more is known about its progress. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and their fellow actors have publicly stated their desire to return to Star Trek but the wait continues.

Star Trek Beyond Influenced Star Trek On Paramount Plus

Modern Star Trek TV has J.J. Abams' DNA

While Star Trek as a movie franchise appears to be in a state of flux, the streaming era has allowed Star Trek to make a hugely successful return to TV. The DNA of J.J. Abrams' Kelvin Timeline movies is shared by these new Star Trek TV shows. It's telling that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds focuses on younger versions of Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding, and Kirk (Paul Wesley), who were arguably the main trio of Star Trek (2009) Also, Captain Pike's Enterprise is as sleek and cinematic as the one seen in the Star Trek movies.

Similarly, the uniforms worn by the crew in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds reflect the movie costumes worn by Chris Pine and his movie cast. While Strange New Worlds is episodic, shows like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery have told huge movie-style stories across whole seasons. If Star Trek Beyond is truly the end for Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline, its legacy lives on in the franchise's TV renaissance. Star Trek on Paramount+ was made possible by the success of the Star Trek movies that proved there was still an appetite for Gene Roddenberry's vision.

Star Trek Movies Are Coming Back Without Star Trek 4

It's a new era for Star Trek movies

Even without Star Trek 4, a new era is beginning for Star Trek movies. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, Star Trek: Section 31 premieres in 2025 as the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. If Section 31 is the success Paramount+ and CBS Studios hope for, it opens the door not just for sequels but for more Star Trek streaming movies. New Star Trek streaming movies could be about myriad subjects, including, potentially, the hoped-for spinoff of Star Trek: Picard dubbed Star Trek: Legacy.

Star Trek movies are also returning to the big screen thanks to director Toby Haynes, who is launching an Untitled Star Trek prequel movie that will reportedly start filming in late 2024 for a potential 2026 premiere. Said to take place mostly on Earth "decades before" J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, Haynes' Star Trek prequel is aimed at general audiences to appeal to those not steeped in Star Trek's expansive canon. Star Trek Beyond rang in Star Trek's 50th anniversary in 2016, but a very different kind of Star Trek movie looks to mark the franchise's 60th anniversary in 2026.