Yesterday I came across some news which made the Trekkie in me very interested and excited indeed. My friend Chris sent it to me over Facebook, probably knowing that it would get me going. According to this Empire article, the great Quentin Tarantino himself has been hired by Paramount to make the next Star Trek film. Tarantino is apparently a big Trek fan, and was very interested in doing it. But that’s not all: a little googling later on revealed this incredible news. Sir Patrick Stewart has said he would be interested in reprising the role of Captain Picard if Tarantino is directing. He is often asked whether he would ever play Picard again, and he replies that he would, but only under special circumstances – this apparently qualifies.

How awesome is this? I know it has yet to come to fruition, and it’s largely speculation for now, but a Star Trek film directed by Tarantino starring Stewart would be great. Tarantino would probably want to take the franchise to a much darker, more visceral place, but that could give it the fresh lease of life it currently needs. I feel the same hint of caution I usually get when I come across news like this, of course: it might turn out to be a dead end. Yet the news of James bond appearing at the 2012 olympics and Monty Python reuniting both turned out to be gloriously true, so I’m hoping this will be a similar case. Picard was always my favourite captain; to see Patrick Stewart step back into the role, after all this time, after I dedicated a chapter of my MA to him, after meeting him, for me, would be incredible. This is a story I’ll be keeping a very close eye on indeed.