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SYFY WIRE Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino wants to go where no Star Trek movie has gone before: a hard R rating

By Josh Weiss
Tarantino Star Trek

Did you notice a sign in front of that Starship that said "Dead Klingon Storage"?

Star Trek and Quentin Tarantino aren't exactly two brands that go well together. One is a beloved sci-fi franchise about mankind's potential beyond this planet while the other is a beloved filmmaker known for over-the-top violence and expletive-laden dialogue. Nevertheless, Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterdshas been quite vocal about writing/directing a Star Trek movie and going where no person has gone before.

Speaking with Empire magazine for the publication's July issue (on sale Thursday, June 13), the celebrated director confirmed that if he were allowed to tackle the iconic sci-fi franchise, the finished result would not be for audiences of all ages.

"Oh yeah!" he said in reference to the movie containing a sailor's mouthful of swear words. "It’s an R-rated movie. If I do it, it’ll be R-rated. There’s a script that exists for it now. I need to weigh in on it, but I haven’t been able to do that yet."

Tarantino Star Trek

Last summer, Simon Pegg (Scotty in J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek cinematic universe) offered an update on Tarantino's vision, stating that it could be five years or more before we would even get to see it. Pegg would know as he not only starred in the new franchise, but helped write the third installment, 2016's Beyond.

“Quentin’s idea is another thing [from the S.J. Clarkson version],” Pegg said. “He came in to [J.J. Abrams’] Bad Robot and pitched it and it’s been put in the bank. I think he had us in mind when he came up with the idea; he likes the new cast. But he’s going to be so busy with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that I can’t see him doing it for five or six years, by which time we might be too old anyway.”

Tarantino's next film is his '60s-era Tinseltown "fairy tale," Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which opens in theaters everywhere July 26.

The movie's plot, while mainly apocryphal, features real-world figures like Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Bruce Dern, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, and Clifton Collins Jr. round out the incredible ensemble.