Star Trek Episodes That Should (and Shouldn’t) Inspire Quentin Tarantino’s Movie

Connor Ahluwalia
Movies Star Trek
Movies Star Trek Sci-Fi

While Star Trek 4 edges ever closer to production, rumours are also swirling about Quentin Tarantino’s separate Star Trek project. Tarantino has indicated that he would like to do a modern update of a classic episode as a big-budget, two-hour feature.

Should:

With that in mind, let’s look at some classic original series episodes that would make for a great film adaptation starring the Kelvin-timeline crew.

“The Cage”

A modern retelling of “The Cage” would have to make some changes, given that Christopher Pike is dead in the Kelvin timeline. The basic premise, however, remains fascinating. It’s an Inception-like mind game between humans and their telepathic captors in an illusion-filled zoo.

Of the original show’s forays into psychodrama, the unaired pilot is probably the best, and with modern budgets, Tarantino could create a trippy masterpiece. Besides, who doesn’t want to see a Talosian on the big screen?

“A Piece of the Action”

One of TOS’ funniest episodes, “A Piece of the Action” sees Kirk and Spock intervening on a planet whose inhabitants have modeled their society on the gangs of Prohibition-era Chicago.

Tarantino would be a great fit for the material — it’s weird he’s never done a 1920s mobster movie. It would also be good to see a Star Trek movie that really embraces comedy. Seeing Zachary Quinto’s Spock dressed like Al Capone and toting a Tommy Gun would be worth the price of admission.

“Patterns of Force”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have what was, in the 1960s, a deeply controversial episode about the horrors of Nazism. While some elements are a bit cringe-worthy by modern standards — the Third Reich is repeatedly praised for its “efficiency” — it still stands out as one of Star Trek’s boldest political parables.

Tarantino has also handled such themes before in Inglorious Basterds. Given the world’s current political climate, it might be time for an update of this rebuke of fascist ideology.

“Assignment: Earth”

I’ve written before about why the franchise should revive “Assignment: Earth“, and this would be a great opportunity to do it. The crew is basically guest stars in this episode, which focuses on interstellar secret agent Gary Seven and his quest to stop Earth from annihilating itself in the 1960s.

Tarantino enjoys period pieces and is currently helming the ’60s-set Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Since he never got to do the James Bond film he envisioned, maybe “Assignment: Earth” can be his consolation.

“Day of the Dove”

A claustrophobic, no-holds-barred brawl between the crew and the Klingons, trapped on the Enterprise at the mercy of an alien that feeds on hate? Now that sounds like something Tarantino could update masterfully.

The original episode is fine, but this is one that could be improved upon by a skilled director. Trekkies might complain that Star Trek shouldn’t just be about action, but since the best Trek films tend to be action movies, they may want to reconsider.

Shouldn’t:

On the other hand, Tarantino definitely should not touch these episodes for a variety of reasons.

“The City on the Edge of Forever”

Tarantino actually name-dropped this one when talking about episodes he would like to remake, and it’s a terrible idea. The original episode is widely considered to be the series’ best. It won Harlan Ellison a Hugo Award and a Writer’s Guild of America Award. TV Guide named it one of the 100 greatest TV episodes of all time (twice).

The problem? Any remake, no matter how good, can never measure up to all that. Remember Star Trek Into Darkness? Yeah, let’s not do this again.

“The Doomsday Machine”

This is actually my favourite TOS episode, and it’s great. But even if the Moby Dick-inspired plot could sustain a two-hour film, it’s just too familiar.

Star Trek has done the “obsession with revenge” thing too many times for a new version to be compelling. If Tarantino is going to revisit old ideas, there are fresher ones for him to choose.

“The Way to Eden”

The Way to Eden” is not a good episode, but that’s not why Tarantino should stay away from it. He would probably be able to get a good story out of a hippie cult hijacking the Enterprise to search for paradise. He is, after all, directing a movie about Charles Manson right now.

Unfortunately, this story was already retold in a Star Trek film. The result was Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which is still the worst Star Trek movie ever made. With that baggage working against it, it might be a good idea to just leave this idea alone.

“The Omega Glory”

This may be the worst TOS episode of them all, and one of the worst in the franchise’s history. The crew comes upon a civilization that worships the American flag and is at war with a stand-in for Communist China.

The result is a hilariously sincere scene in which Kirk extols the virtue of the U.S. Constitution to the natives and pauses to smile at the Star-Spangled Banner. Star Trek may be made in America, but its future is a globalist paradise, and this kind of jingoism is best forgotten.

“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”

A lot of people remember this episode, probably because of its distinctive metaphor for the pointlessness of racism. The Enterprise transports two aliens whose skin is half black and half white. Despite being comprised of the same colors, bigotry stems from their colors being the opposite of each other (black on the left and white on the right and vice versa). While it was compelling and clever in the 1960s, modern questions of racial injustice need a more nuanced allegory. Tarantino would be better off starting fresh if he wants to tackle such themes.

It remains to be seen if Quentin Tarantino will actually end up making a Star Trek movie. If he does, he would be wise to note that some episodes are better fodder for adaptations than others.

Star Trek 4 is currently in pre-production, tentatively set to be directed by S.J. Clarkson. Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek project is reportedly being scripted.

Connor Ahluwalia
Connor Ahluwalia is a FANDOM Contributor at FANDOM. He is a lifelong Trekkie and a devoted fan of the Arrowverse. Connor is always looking for good sci-fi, fantasy, or political drama (or all three).