Simon Pegg Doesn't Expect to Do 'Star Trek' as Long as the Original Cast

Simon Pegg is a big part of the Star Trek film franchise now, but he doesn't expect to hit retirement age while still playing Mr. Scott.

In an interview with JoBlo, Pegg said that he's optimistic about the franchise's future, but that he doesn't expect the Kelvin timeline Enterprise crew to be doing this job into old age.

"I don't foresee us being like the original crew, and doing it when we're, like, unusually old," Pegg said.

For reference, Pegg is currently 48 years old. Costars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban are each 37, 40, and 45 respectively.

When Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was released in 1991, the last film featuring the Star Trek: The Original Series cast, James Doohan, the original Mr. Scott, was 71. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were both 60, and DeForest Kelley was also 71.

Even if Pegg doesn't want to be chief engineer into his 70s, the crew still has a few good years and a few good adventures left in them.

The Kelvin timeline crew should soon be embarking on their next voyage. It was recently revealed that Star Trek 4 will be directed by SJ Clarkson. Pegg says the cast is excited.

"[T]here's so much more to do with those characters," Pegg said. "I'm very excited about SJ Clarkson being hired. JJ emailed us about that just before it was announced. Everybody was so excited. I think Zach [Quinto]'s actually worked with her. I've seen stuff she's done, and I think it's a great choice, and it's about time."

Pegg previously clarified that he and Jung are not writing the script for Star Trek 4.

"Doug [Jung] and I were never going to write the fourth [Star Trek]," Pegg said in a previous interview. "That was never the deal. Doug and I are doing something together at Bad Robot, which I probably can't talk about just yet. So, [J.D.] Payne and [Patrick] McKay, who wrote the abortive third [Star Trek] script with the previous director [Roberto Orci], they are writing a fourth one. That as far as I knew was the kind of [Chris] Hemsworth thing. That is as much as I know."

The first three Kelvin timeline Star Trek movies - Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond - are all available now on home media. Star Trek 4 still does not have a production start or release date. Another Star Trek movie based on a pitch by Quentin Tarantino is also in development.