Published May 4, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
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William Shatner gives a definitive answer about whether Quentin Tarantino's R-rated Star Trek movie will ever be made. In 2019, the Academy Award-winning writer-director was developing a Star Trek movie that would have starred Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, the role Mr. Shatner embodied in Star Trek: The Original Series.
Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek movie was a feature-length adaptation of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "A Piece of the Action." Quentin intended his Star Trek to be a 1930s gangster picture, replete with the director's trademark dialogue, foul language, and bloody violence. However, Tarantino soon walked away from his Star Trek movie over "creative differences."
Monopoly Events' Jamal Niaz interviewed William Shatner at Liverpool Comic-Con, where the 95-year-old legend spoke enthusiastically about knowing Quentin Tarantino, calling the acclaimed director a "wonderful guy and [an] extraordinary talent.” When asked about whether Tarantino's R-rated Star Trek movie will ever be made, Mr. Shatner was clear:
“No. It’s past its time. He has passed his time, and I have…”
Watch William Shatner's interview below:
In 2019, Quentin Tarantino joined the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. Tarantino told host Joshua Horowitz that William Shatner's Captain Kirk is the reason why he likes Star Trek more than Star Wars:
Somebody asked me, ‘What is it about Star Trek that you like?’ Easy. William Shatner. I love William Shatner as James T. Kirk. That’s why I like Star Trek. The reason I like Star Trek more than Star Wars is William Shatner isn’t in Star Wars.” William Shatner especially as - well, I actually like William Shatner in almost everything - but William Shatner as James T. Kirk is… that is my connection. That is why I like it.
William Shatner and Quentin Tarantino have met, and the admiration is mutual. However, despite also loving Chris Pine's version of Captain Kirk, Tarantino stepped away from Star Trek because of his master plan to retire after directing ten feature films. Quentin couldn't reconcile Star Trek as his 10th and final film.
Tarantino still hasn't confirmed what the last movie he directs will be after abandoning The Movie Critic in 2024.
Custom Image by SR Image EditorAfter Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global in 2025, the studio reiterated its commitment to making new Star Trek movies but canceled Star Trek 4, the J.J. Abrams-produced movie starring Chris Pine's Captain Kirk. Instead, Paramount Skydance reportedly intends to make new Star Trek movies unconnected to previous films and TV series.
As William Shatner unequivocally stated, the relatively brief window where Quentin Tarantino could have directed an R-rated Star Trek movie has passed. Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek will always be one of the 60-year-old franchise's great "What If?" scenarios, because if it had happened, there would have been nothing in Star Trek quite like it.
Created by Gene Roddenberry
English (US) ·