Quentin Tarantino's R-rated "Star Trek" movie isn't happening anymore, but that doesn't mean people are ready to stop talking about it. The thought of Tarantino boldly going where no man -- including him -- has gone before is an intriguing prospect. After all, until the trashy B-movie hoot that is "Star Trek: Section 31" came along and showcased the sleazier side of the "Star Trek" galaxy, the sci-fi franchise was PG. A carnage-filled Tarantino take on the lore, with Mark L. Smith writing the script,
could have been fun, and it would have been interesting to see if the filmmaker could work within the parameters of Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" rulebook. (Spoiler: He probably wouldn't have.)
Based on what we do know about Smith and Tarantino's unmade movie, however, it seems that it really would have marched to the beat of its own drum. Speaking at a 2025 Fan Expo panel moderated by Collider, Simon Pegg -- who plays Montgomery Scott in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot franchise -- shared what he was told about the project from people who were involved in the conversations, and it sounds like it could have been divisive:
"I think it would have been such an incredible sort of curio to see 'Star Trek' through his lens. I don't know how it would have gone over with the fans, but it certainly would have been an interesting thing."
The polarizing response to "District 13" indicates that some Trekkies don't want their franchise to stray too far from the beaten path, and a Tarantino flick would certainly have done that. Some fans would definitely have been upset, but it's worth considering the possibility of a film of this ilk attracting a different kind of audience. Still, Tarantino's idea might not have been entirely out of left field for the property, as the story was inspired by an episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series."
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Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek Movie Was Inspired By A Classic Episode
The story for Quentin Tarantino and Mark L. Smith's "Star Trek" movie was reportedly set on a planet similar to Earth in the 1930s and would have pitted the Starfleet crew against gangsters. The creatives seemingly took inspiration from the original "Star Trek" series episode "A Piece of the Action," in which Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) all visit a planet that's reminiscent of 1920s Chicago. According to Smith, he and Tarantino watched old gangster movies for inspiration, and they had a lot of fun while doing it. Despite the nods to "Star Trek: The Original Series," Tarantino told Deadline in 2019 that the film would also have been reminiscent of one of his own crime classics. In his own words:
"It'll be 'Pulp Fiction' in space. That 'Pulp Fiction'-y aspect, when I read the script, I felt, I have never read a science-fiction movie that has this s**t in it, ever. There's no science-fiction movie that has this in it."
For now, Tarantino's "Star Trek" movie looks set to become one of Hollywood's big what if? stories, but who knows? Maybe it would have happened if he hadn't vowed to retire after his next directorial effort. The good news, though, is that Simon Pegg believes "Star Trek 4" could still happen, and that counts for something.
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