Writer-director Noah Hawley may have his sensors locked on the next Star Trek film project, but in new comments from the Fargo and Legion creator today, his plan for the final frontier may not be one that we’ve seen before.

First reported as a Paramount Pictures hire back in October, Hawley spoke with Deadline today in his first public comments on the Star Trek film project he’s been tapped to write — and direct — after previous attempts at a fourth Kelvin Timeline film fell apart over a year ago.

I have my own take on ‘Star Trek,’ and going back to what I loved about the series ‘Next Generation,’ when a lot of franchises focus on ‘might makes right’, ‘Star Trek’ is about exploration and humanity at its best, and diversity and creative problem solving.

There’s nothing better than that moment when William Shatner puts on his reading glasses and lowers Khan’s shields. It doesn’t cost anything. But it’s that triumphant feeling about smarting your enemy. For me it’s about to getting to those elements of the show. I don’t necessarily find action in and of itself interesting unless it’s story.

So, it’s early days, I’m still talking with Paramount and I have a take and I gotta write a script.”

While early trade reporting seemed to indicate that Hawley’s project would be another film featuring Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin Timeline movie cast, his comments today seem to indicate that his pitch to Paramount will be one starting fresh with new actors — and possibly new characters, depending on what his still-unwritten script might contain.

Hawley also commented on the project to The Hollywood Reporter, saying “Yeah, I think so,” when asked if his film would have a new cast.

To call it ‘Star Trek IV’ is kind of a misnomer. I have my own take on the franchise as a life-long fan… It’s early days. I don’t know. But new characters often involve new cast.

That doesn’t mean we should expect Hawley’s nascent project to tie into the ever-expanding world of Star Trek television projects, either: additional comments from the writer seem to imply that despite the recent CBS-Viacom corporate merger, there still may be a divide between Trek TV and film oversight.

Speaking again to Deadline:

I know Alex [Kurtzman, who manages ‘Trek’ television]. There isn’t a mandate from Paramount to connect it. And on some levels, there’s a bit of the wall, the TV version and the film version.

I have my own story and want to make sure as I did with ‘Fargo’ and ‘Legion’ that I’m respectful to the underlying material. That I’m not unintentionally changing things that people love or feel passionate about. So, it’s important to do that research as I go.

With the seemingly-waned interest from Quentin Tarantino in pursuing his own film project, and Trek TV boss Alex Kurtzman looking as far as five years ahead in television development for the franchise, it does seem that Hawley may be the only man poised to tackle a Trek movie right now — or at least, “as soon as possible” after work on Fargo Season 4 is completed, according to the writer.

But with all things in the world of Trek movies, we’re still a long way away from seeing the franchise return to the silver screen — while we’ll continue to monitor and report on new developments as they break, don’t get too worked up about a potential “Hawley Timeline” just yet.