When the long-awaited WandaVision), Star Trek 4 is scheduled for release on December 22, 2023, and is expected to follow up the events of 2016's Star Trek Beyond.
Anton Yelchin died in a tragic accident on June 19, 2016, just over a month before Star Trek Beyond's theatrical release on July 22, 2016. Just 27 years old, the Russian-born Yelchin was a respected actor who was popular among his peers. Along with starring as Ensign Chekov in the three Star Trek movies produced by J.J. Abrams, Yelchin is also known for his roles in Alpha Dog, Leonard Nimoy and the original Spock but it also became a touching meta nod to losing Anton Yelchin in the prime of his life. Although Mr. Chekov was alive at the end of Star Trek Beyond, producer Abrams stated there was no intention of ever recasting Anton Yelchin's role as Chekov in a future Star Trek movie.
However, Star Trek Beyond also introduced Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), a new female alien character who could perfectly step into the role Ensign Chekov performed on the Enterprise. Jaylah is a young woman of an unknown species who lived as a scavenger on the planet Altamid. She met Scotty (Simon Pegg), Captain Kirk, who Jaylah referred to as "James T.", and the rest of the crew when they were stranded on Altamid after the Enterprise was destroyed by Krall (Idris Elba). Without the help of Jaylah, who led them to her "house," which was the derelict USS Franklin, the Starfleet heroes couldn't have escaped Altamid and defeated Krall. Star Trek Beyond ended with Jaylah enrolled in Starfleet Academy, which was an obvious setup for her to come aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-A.
Jaylah was purposefully designed by Star Trek's filmmakers to be a new, ongoing female character. After the controversy that met Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) in Star Trek Into Darkness, Jaylah was a successful retry of introducing a new female Star Trek heroine that was as well-received as Lt. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The alluring alien design of Jaylah, along with the athletic physicality and unusual wit Sofia Boutella brought to the role, won Trekkers over and made Jaylah an unforgettable screen presence. Boutella also had crackling chemistry with Simon Pegg's Scotty and Chris Pine's Kirk.
It would be logical for Star Trek 4 to be set a few years after Star Trek Beyond to reflect the age of time in the real world. The benefit of a time jump also means that Jaylah will have completed Starfleet Academy and could be stationed on the Starship Enterprise as an Ensign, as opposed to vanishing like Alice Eve's Carol Marcus. It's unclear what the next voyage of Captain Kirk's crew will be about, and Anton Yelchin's Chekov will always be missed, but thankfully, Jaylah is already established as a fan-favorite Star Trek character and she is perfect to take Mr. Chekov's place in Star Trek 4.
