Star Trek 4 Film Possible Standalone? (Updated)

Star Trek 4 writer and director Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) provided an update on this thoughts for the film with Deadline. The short of it is he is doing his "own take on Star Trek", still considering story ideas with Paramount and that there is no script yet. He also indicated he has not been given a mandate to connect the recent TV shows with the movie but did not mention anything about the previous 3 movies. End result there are ideas but no concrete story, no script and so any thoughts about being a standalone film, sequel, reboot, rehash, or whatever other theories are out there right now are far to premature to consider seriously. Below are the full quotes:

“I have my own take on Star Trek, and going back to what I loved about the series Next Generation – when a lot of franchises focus on ‘might makes right’, ‘Star Trek’ is about exploration and humanity at its best, and diversity and creative problem solving.

There’s nothing better than that moment when William Shatner puts on his reading glasses and lowers Khan’s shields. It doesn’t cost anything. But it’s that triumphant feeling about outsmarting your enemy.

For me it’s about to getting to those elements of the show. I don’t necessarily find action in and of itself interesting unless it’s story. So, it’s early days, I’m still talking with Paramount and I have a take and I gotta write a script.”

“There isn’t a mandate from Paramount to connect it. And on some levels, there’s a bit of the wall, the TV version and the film version. I have my own story and want to make sure as I did with Fargo and Legion that I’m respectful to the underlying material. That I’m not unintentionally changing things that people love or feel passionate about. So, it’s important to do that research as I go.”

Missed this as an interview with The Hollywood Reporter sheds more light on the reboot possibilities.

To call it Star Trek IV is kind of a misnomer. I have my own take on the franchise as a life-long fan.

Asked if the film would involve a new cast, he responded, "Yeah, I think so. Yeah."

Pressed if anyone from the cast last seen in 2016's Star Trek Beyond would return, Hawley added, "It's early days. I don't know. But new characters often involve new cast."