John Cho discusses Quentin Tarantino's abandoned Star Trek pitch

Actor John Cho has reflected on the abandoned R-rated Star Trek film pitch by director Quentin Tarantino. Cho, who portrays Hikaru Sulu in the Kelvin timeline, expressed disappointment regarding the project's cancellation, noting that while he heard rumors of the pitch, specific details were not shared with him at the time.

Tarantino had previously pitched the concept to J. J. Abrams, and screenwriter Mark L. Smith developed a screenplay based on the idea. The proposed film was described as “Pulp Fiction in space,” inspired by the classic episode “A Piece of the Action.” The plot reportedly involved the Enterprise crew encountering a planet influenced by 1920s Chicago gangster culture.

Despite the development of a screenplay, the project is considered defunct following Tarantino's 2024 confirmation that the film would not move forward.