‘Star Trek’ Creator’s Son Had Reservations About Quentin Tarantino’s Franchise Involvement

The son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was not on board for Quentin Tarantino taking a stab at the sci-fi franchise with his own unique filmmaking.

An R-rated Tarantino Star Trek will never happen now, but the Oscar-winning writer-director was years ago working on a possible project with Revenant screenwriter Mark L. Smith. Paramount is not moving forward, though, a move made clear in July when Matt Shakman was tapped to helm the next film. Tarantino previously said he had moved on from the idea.

Rod Roddenberry, producer, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment and son the franchise creator, recently said he was not a fan of Tarantino’s possible involvement, telling Forbes “I’m pretty myopic with the way I see Star Trek.”

A fan of Tarantino’s work, Roddenberry said his reaction was not personal, but important in order to protect the brand.

“I mentioned that I grew up with fans coming up to me out saying how Star Trek inspired them and gave them hope for the future. It’s the optimism and the messaging in there that make Star Trek what it was,” he told Forbes. “I truly believe that. If you create a Star Trek, that is just action; that is not Star Trek, in my opinion. That’s what makes it different than Star Wars, and I love Star Wars, but they can both coexist.”

Still, Roddenberry said he would be “curious” to hear a Tarantino pitch for Star Trek.

“I do not think you could say we’re going to do a Reservoir Dogs Star Trek. I’ll be honest, that doesn’t work for me, but he is a fan, and I think as a fan, he probably understands to some degree that Star Trek has to have some of this messaging,” said Roddenberry. “I would be curious, and I would try to have an open mind, but I’m not sure what it would be. I am glad that people are willing to explore that at least.”

Smith recently revealed on the Bulletproof Screenwriting podcast that he spent a good deal of time working with Tarantino on a Star Trek script, which involved time travel and had at least one “awesome cool gangster scene,” IndieWire reported.

Roddenberry also made headlines when he said in a separate interview he was not a fan of the ’80s William Shatner Saturday Night Live sketch where the Capt. James T. Kirk actor made fun of fans.

“I never really appreciated that skit because I think it was demeaning to the fans,” Roddenberry told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think it was disrespectful, especially for a character who was an open-minded, intelligent leader.”

Shatner called Roddenberry’s SNL remarks “presentism” in his response, expanding with, “It’s presentism because it applies today’s value systems [and] beliefs about what is ‘bullying’ [and] what is ‘disrespectful’ to a time when those were not the values or opinions and nobody was really offended but the mindset people have is that it makes them look intelligent [and] caring.”