JJ Abrams is already teasing an "incredibly exciting" Star Trek 4

Star Trek Beyond is exactly one week away from its cinematic debut, and the early word on the film has been very positive. If audiences agree with the critics then it could mean that the threequel won't be the last time this iteration of Kirk and co explore the galaxy, and at the end of the LA press conference for the film (via Den of Geek) producer JJ Abrams revealed that there's already been talk about a fourth film internally:

"Yes, and there’s something that hopefully we’re figurative minutes away from talking about. But the answer is 100 percent yes, and it’s incredibly exciting".

Abrams' comment speaks to the confidence Paramount have in the film, and it sounds like Star Trek 4 will come down to how much money Star Trek Beyond makes. Should it come to pass, it'll be interesting to see what happens personnel-wise; Abrams is clearly still very invested and involved in the franchise so a return to the helm wouldn't be out of the question, and the filmmakers would also have to make a decision about what to do with Chekov after the tragic passing of Anton Yelchin. For now though, all we can do is wait and see how Star Trek Beyond performs at the box office.