Now that Star Trek 4 has been confirmed to be boldly going where no one has gone before, returning star Zoe Saldaña has discussed the “bittersweet” feeling of returning to the Enterprise without the late Anton Yelchin. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Saldaña, who has played Nyota Uhura since J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot back in 2009, confirmed that the cast will all be returning for Star Trek 4, and believes that this in itself pays tribute to the memory of Enterprise crew and family member Anton Yelchin.
"We're excited. Obviously, it's bittersweet because we are coming together for a fourth time and one of us is no longer with us with Anton's passing, but we honestly feel that going back and keeping the Star Trek family together is a way to really keep him alive in our thoughts and our hearts because he was such a fan. And he was such a devoted artist to the craft and also to Star Trek. So, it would be great to get to go back to work and get to, you know, be together with the gang."
Anton Yelchin, who starred in all three Star Trek movies as Pavel Chekov, died as the result of a freak accident in 2016. The actor, who was only 27 at the time of his death, was killed after being pinned between his Jeep Grand Cherokee and a brick pillar gate post outside his house which occurred due to a faulty gearshift. Yelchin passed away between the filming and release of Star Trek: Beyond, with the sequel concluding with a tribute to the cast member. J.J. Abrams has since stated that the role of Pavel Chekov will not be recast.
Star Trek 4 is Happening, But the Announcement Surprised the Cast
Commencement on Star Trek 4 was announced last month, with Paramount confirming that both J.J. Abrams and the original cast will return for the long-awaited sequel. “We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new ‘Star Trek’ film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ into areas that you’ve just never seen before,” Abrams said in a statement at the time. “We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.”
The news however reportedly surprised the cast, with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña, and John Cho all being “blindsided” by the announcement that Star Trek 4 is finally happening.
It has taken a long, long time for Star Trek 4 to materialize, and now that it has, we can only hope that the movie will find a satisfying way to pay tribute to the late, great Anton Yelchin.