In a new interview with Katee Sackhoff on The Sackhoff Show, Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty, is still willing to return for the ‘Star Trek’ sequel. However, he admitted it will always be ‘tainted’ for a specific reason.
The actor referred to the 2016 death of Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in the movies, and said:
“I’d love to do more. Obviously, it’s been forever tainted because we lost Anton, and that was a really hard thing for everyone involved, and for the real world, let alone anything else. If we do come back, if there is another opportunity to come back, then I’d love to. Because as we were saying earlier on, it’s a group of guys that I dearly, dearly love and don’t get to see very often. It would be good to get back together with them.”
Pegg’s history with Yelchin began in November 2007, when they started filming the first ‘Star Trek’ movie. Yelchin played Chekov, impressing with his roles in ‘Along Came a Spider’ and ‘Charlie Bartlett.’ Pegg admits there would be sadness in returning for ‘Star Trek 4’ without Yelchin, but he would still welcome the chance to reunite with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña, and John Cho.
When Will We See ‘Star Trek 4’?
Nearly a decade after ‘Star Trek Beyond,’ it’s still uncertain if ‘Star Trek 4’ will happen. In March, it was reported that Steve Yockey from ‘The Flight Attendant’ was writing the script for the final installment. However, in May, Chris Pine said he was surprised by this news and still doesn’t know the project’s status. Pine said:
“I honestly don’t know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with ‘Trek,’ I just wait and see.”
Yelchin’s death was a tragedy. Producer J.J. Abrams said Chekov’s role won’t be recast if ‘Star Trek 4’ is made. Luckily, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ introduced Jaylah, played by Sofia Boutella, as a new character. At the end of the movie, Jaylah was set to join Starfleet.
