According to early reviews, Star Trek: Beyond is a step in the right direction. The first film was an action-packed sci-fi romp, and was generally well-received ... but the second film in the reboot timeline, Into Darkness, was criticized for being overly serious and a bland remake of Wrath of Khan.

If early reviews are anything to go by, Beyond has once again managed to find a balance between humor and drama without sacrificing story or action.

Granted, it's still a bit too early to know how fans will react. Star Trek: Beyond won't actually hit theaters until July 22 ... but that's not stopping Paramount Pictures from announcing the next film in the series.

That's right: Paramount Pictures just announced that a currently-unnamed Star Trek sequel is in the works, and that most of the main cast will be returning to reprise their roles. Not only that, but a major character from the 2009 Star Trek will be making a comeback: Chris Hemsworth will be returning as James T. Kirk's seemingly-dead father.

Considering how much money these films make, another sequel isn't all that surprising — but the addition of Hemsworth to the cast does give fans a few clues as to what the story of Star Trek 4 could be.

When it comes to possible storylines, the first and most obvious choice would be something involving time travel. The reboot series (or "Kelvin Timeline" for you uber-fans) was built on the idea that time travel fundamentally changes how the main characters' stories play out — and it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to see even more effects of the original film's time-bending events play out in the fourth movie. Plus, it'd be a great way to bring the reboot series full-circle while toying around with some of the most classic Star Trek tropes out there.

Another, less-satisfying explanation as to Hemsworth's reappearance would be the "he wasn't dead, just missing" cliche. Given the vastness of the Star Trek universe, the idea of someone being lost in space for decades isn't all that far-fetched, but without perfect execution, such a story would likely come off as a forced way to add another star to an already star-studded cast.

Honestly, though, there are a hundred possible explanations as to why Kirk's dear old dad would suddenly reappear ... and that's half the fun of Star Trek!

Sadly, it looks like it'll still be quite a while before fans have any idea of what the story of Star Trek IV will be: Paramount has yet to reveal any other information about the film, including possible release windows. Not only that, but if the writing process is anything like Beyond's troubled production, the script could go through quite a few changes before filming even begins.

Thankfully, even if the fourth Star Trek movie is still a few years away, fans have something to tide them over: Star Trek: Beyond is due out on July 22.