Tarantino’s rumored Star Trek film would be set on a “gangster planet”

Paramount is at a crossroads on where to take the Star Trek movie franchise. One option: Quentin Tarantino directs a movie about space gangsters.

For a long time now, there’s been buzz about a Star Trek movie helmed by Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantino. Now, rumors are finally circulating concerning what the movie would be about.

Apparently, Tarantino’s Star Trek movie would be based on an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series called “A Piece Of The Action,” where Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise visit a gangster planet.

Naturally, leave it to a genre fanatic like Tarantino to take the reins of a sci-fi series and do a story where everyone walks around with tommy guns and wide-brimmed hats talking like wise guys.

The pairing of Tarantino with Star Trek was always odd. Tarantino’s films are known for their excessive language and over-the-top violence, while Star Trek keeps it solidly PG-13. I’m a huge fan of both Tarantino and Trek, but this sounds like an excuse to take Star Trek and turn it into another film-literate bloodbath.

If Tarantino is going to direct a Star Trek movie, I’d rather he apply his unique style to the more traditional Star Trek universe. Give me the worst ship in the Federation on the fringes of space trying to save the galaxy with a ship full of foul-mouthed, quick trigger rejects.

But we’re probably getting ahead of ourselves, as Paramount is reportedly at a standstill as it considers where to take the Star Trek movie franchise next. Fargo creator Noah Hawley had a pitch involving a pandemic that sweeps through the galaxy and kills millions, but that’s been put on the backburner for obvious reasons. Tarantino’s film, too, is down a bit on the priority list. That leaves another movie in the J.J. Abrams series, with Chris Pine and the rest of the cast coming back for another go-round. But that’s been held up on account of salary negotiations.

At least Star Trek is still killing it on TV:

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h/t The A.V. Club