The delays in the production of Star Trek 4 may prove to be an obstacle to the film's success, as the franchise has now lost the best part of its momentum. In 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise by establishing a separate timeline. Known as the Kelvin Timeline, Abrams' continuity proved to be a fresh and innovative way to take inspiration from Star Trek: The Original Series without becoming burdened by decades of continuity. Though the Kelvin Timeline exists outside of Star Trek's Prime Universe, its movies have still proved to be among the franchise's most successful.
After Star Trek built the foundation for the Kelvin Timeline, Star Trek Into Darkness established some key differences. The third film in Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline, Star Trek Beyond, proved to be the best yet, with an entirely original story that felt fresh and exciting while still evoking the spirit of The Original Series. In this, Star Trek Beyond was able to cement the legitimacy of the Kelvin Timeline within the wider franchise, simultaneously teasing the exciting new direction future sequels would be taking the Enterprise's story in.
In spite of Star Trek Beyond's success, Star Trek 4's production encountered a number of issues and delays. These delays have pushed the Star Trek sequel's release date further and further, which in turn has seen interest in the film begin to dwindle. There are even those that now believe it's too late for Star Trek 4, as much of the momentum built by the Kelvin Timeline movies has been lost.
Why Star Trek 4 Still Needs To Build On Beyond
Regardless of the franchise's lost momentum, it's vital that Star Trek 4 builds on Star Trek Beyond. One of the best aspects of Beyond was the promise it showed for the franchise's future, establishing new and interesting stories within the Kelvin Timeline that didn't rely on Original Series callbacks or loosely adapted stories. Instead, Star Trek Beyond began to take the Kelvin Timeline in a new direction, and Star Trek 4 must continue that trajectory if it still wants to capitalize on Beyond's success.
Another reason that Star Trek 4 needs to continue Beyond's story lies with the Enterprise's crew. Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline cast has now proven their excellent chemistry, which both honors and reimagines that of the Original Series'. This is part of what has contributed to the Kelvin Timeline's success, as it makes the separate continuity exciting for those well-versed in Star Trek's history and also those that are new to the franchise. Keeping this intact for Star Trek 4 is a necessity - even more so after the many delays in the sequel's production.
The Star Trek 4 delays are unfortunate because they have prevented the franchise from capitalizing on Star Trek Beyond's success. However, there is still interest in seeing the continuation of the Kelvin Timeline's story, and Star Trek 4 is better than another reboot. While the majority of the franchise's momentum has now been lost, Star Trek 4 can still prove to be an excellent continuation of the Kelvin Timeline's story providing it can pick up where Star Trek Beyond left off.