Star Trek isn't like any other big franchise currently dominating the box office. It's part of a franchise going back 50 years, but it's not really part of any shared universe, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC. That said, it's still a franchise, with the expectations of sequels always on the horizon. As the third movie in the reboot series, there were rumors that Star Trek Beyond could be the final film in the franchise. As such, it would have to have a satisfying, non-cliffhanger ending. But, with news of Star Trek 4 confirmed just days before the release of Beyond, new possibilities opened up. Star Trek films have never featured post-credits scenes, but if a fourth Star Trek movie is already in the works, then maybe Star Trek Beyond has a post-credits scene. At least, that's what some fans hoped.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no post-credits scene in Star Trek Beyond. That's right: there's no funny cap on the movie, no gag reel, and no tease for what's to come. Now, just because Beyond doesn't have a post-credits scene doesn't mean it leaves nowhere to go for future movies. Space, as we all know, is infinite, and so too, apparently, are the missions of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
At the end of Beyond, the crew of the Enterprise gathers to complete their five-year mission, already two years complete, to explore uncharted space for the Federation. In keeping with the more episodic nature of both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, Beyond consists of mostly a self-contained story. The bad guy is defeated, the crew is reunited back on the Enterprise, and everyone is excited and ready to get out into space. It's a hopeful ending that works whether or not a fourth Star Trek movie actually comes to fruition.
But it definitely will, as the official announcement of Star Trek 4 stated that the fourth film would find Captain Kirk on a quest to meet his father, George Kirk, who died the day Kirk was born when he Captained the U.S.S. Kelvin while it was under attack by Nero and his evil crew. Despite his death, George Kirk, as played by Chris Hemsworth, will make an appearance in the fourth Star Trek , and it looks like he'll be doing more than just a cameo. "In the next installment of the epic space adventure Chris Pine's Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father," read the Star Wars 4 press release.
You might think that this idea sounds far-fetched, but keep in mind the entire reboot franchise begins with the creation of a black hole that causes Nero and Spock Prime to travel back in time, changing the course of history. So it's not like time travel is completely out of the question. Furthermore, the end of Beyond found Kirk and his crew ready to explore a previously uncharted nebula — a corner of space completely unknown to the Federation. The crew could literally find anything there, from a time traveling species to a weird planet that brings dead relatives to life (I'm hoping Winona Ryder makes an appearance as Spock's mother).
In the absence of a post-credits scene, Star Trek Beyond doesn't give us any clues as to how, exactly, Kirk and his father will meet. However, it opens up endless possibilities. Who cares how it happens? At least we know whatever it is, it will be original and, hopefully, loads of fun.
Images: Paramount Pictures; Giphy (2)
