Ever sinceStar Trek: Discoverylaunched in 2017,Star Trekhas experienced a renaissance, and I predict that we’ll get at least 5 newStar Trekprojects in the next 10 years. Paramount+ put out a veritable feast ofnewStar TrekshowsfollowingDiscovery, but the streamer has slowed itsStar Trekoutput, with only 2 newStar Trekshows on the horizon:Star Trek: Strange New WorldsandStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.BothStar Trek: Discoveryspin-offs have at least 2 seasons ahead, but that can’t be all we have to look forward to.
After all, newStar Trekshows have made the franchise accessible to almost everyone, regardless of their depth of knowledge or familiarity with theStar Trekuniverse. Long-time fans eager to revisitStar Trek: The Next Generationreunited with the castinStar Trek: Picard, and returned to the late 24th century inStar Trek: Lower Decks. Younger fans even got their own jumping-on point in the stellarStar Trek: Prodigy, a perfect introduction to the franchise.Star Trekwill undoubtedly keep expanding, but we can predict where we’re going based on whatStar Trekhas already put out.
5Star Trek 4
One More Voyage For Chris Pine And The Crew Of The Starship Enterprise
The most compelling argument forStar Trek 4still happening is that J.J. Abrams' USS Enterprise cast deserves a fitting send-off, no matter how much time has passed sinceStar Trek Beyond.ModernStar Trekwouldn’t be here if not for JJ Abrams’Star Trek(2009), which kicked off renewed interest inStar Trekand proved the franchise still had legs. Setting the new movies in a separate timeline also gave the Prime Timeline permission to exploreStar Trek’s multiverse in more depth.
The nextKelvin TimelineStar Trekmoviewas first announced in 2015, the year beforeStar Trek Beyondwas released.Since then,Star Trek 4has been in development hell, but somehow hasn’t fallen off the table yet, even with a veritable revolving door of writers and directors attached to the project. I’d love for the plot ofStar Trek 4to tie up the multiverse storylines we’ve seen in streamingStar Trekshows, but I’ll be happy with any story that gives the Kelvin Timeline the ending it deserves.
4A Star Trek: Voyager Reunion
In Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3 Or A Star Trek: Voyager Movie
AfterStar Trek: Picard’s long-awaitedStar Trek: The Next Generationcast reunion,Star Trek: Voyageris most likely the next cast to reunite.Kate Mulgrew revealed that she’s in talks to return toStar Trek—presumably in live-action, since a new project would be separate from Mulgrew’s involvement as multiple Janeways inStar Trek: Prodigy. While this may not necessarily take the shape of aStar Trek: Janewayseries, it’s worth noting that nearly every member of theUSS Voyager crew in modernStar Trekis accounted for. That’s a pretty solid set-up.
An establishedStar Trekshow might host theStar Trek: Voyagerreunion.Voyager’s Doctor (Robert Picardo) will be inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, so flashbacks to the years after Voyager’s return could be part of the EMH’s lesson plan.Star Trek: Prodigyhas already reunited moreVoyagercharacters than any other modernStar Trekshow, so that’s another potential stage—but it will take time to makeProdigyseason 3, if Netflix opts to renewStar Trek: Prodigyat all. Butideally, aVoyagerreunion would be a stand-alone project,not a sidequest.
3A Star Trek: Lower Decks Spinoff
Star Trek: Cerritos, Star Trek: Starbase 80, Or Both
I think it’s reasonable to expect we’ll seecharacters fromStar Trek: Lower Decksimported into a newStar Trekproject. AfterLower Decks' ended on Paramount+ after 5 seasons, showrunner Mike McMahan said he’s not done with these characters.Star Trek: Lower Decks' finale did set up 2 potential new projects. A spin-off could be either the continuing adventures of the USS Cerritos, stories from Starbase 80’s position at a multiversal gateway—or both.
There area couple more clues pointing to moreStar Trek: Lower Decksin the future. LikeLower Decks,Star Trek: Discoverywas unexpectedly canceled after 5 seasons, butDiscovery’s story can keep going thanks to theStar Trek: Discoverycharacters signed on forStar Trek: Starfleet Academy. Doing the same thing forLower Decks—importing characters into a newStar Trekshow with a new title—would also solve the problem raised by their promotions. And that show might even be theStar Trekworkplace comedythat Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien have in the works.
2A Better Star Trek Streaming Movie
Paramount+ Needs To Give Made-For-Streaming Star Trek Movies A Second Chance
As the first made-for-streamingStar Trekmovie on Paramount+, I had high hopes that Michelle Yeoh’sStar Trek: Section 31movie would launch a new format forStar Trek.Section 31was a disappointmentacross the board, but that doesn’t mean streamingStar Trekmovies are dead in the water.Section 31’s first week numbers were surprisingly good, which provesa streamingStar Trekmovieisa good idea—but it has to be written as a feature-length project from the start, instead of being cobbled together from a series outline.
Future movies could explore multiple kinds ofStar Trekstories without the investment of ordering a series.
The best way to get fans on board with a new streamingStar Trekmovie afterSection 31’s failure to deliver would be to set it in the 24th (or early 25th century), because we’re already emotionally invested in the post-Star Trek: The Next Generationera. But no matter when in theStar Trektimelinea new movie takes place,Paramount+ delivering a more well-thought-outStar Trekstreaming movie would give this format a second chance to succeed.And future movies could explore multiple kinds ofStar Trekstories without the investment of ordering a series.
1Star Trek: Legacy
Captain Seven Of Nine’s USS Enterprise-G Show Is A No-Brainer
Even the most popular streaming shows take years between seasons, so I wouldn’t writeStar Trek: Legacyoff just because it’s been 2 years since the setup.Paramount+ knows we wantStar Trek: Legacy, so the delay might be a matter of logistics.Legacyneeds to coordinate multiple schedules, from showrunner Terry Matalas, who’s currently working on Marvel Studios’VisionQuest, to the USS Enterprise-G crew members established inStar Trek: Picard. Plus,Star Trekshows are notoriously expensive, soStar Trek: Legacymight only happen afterStrange New Worldsendsand frees up the budget.
Based on how much the fans want it, Paramount+ would be remiss to skipStar Trek: Legacy. If it seems unlikely now, just remember the state of theStar Trekfranchise 10 years ago. In 2015,Star Trek: Discoverywas announced as a streaming exclusive on CBS All-Access, and streaming was still a novelty. No one knew ifDiscoverywould even get off the ground, let alone open the doors to a whole flood of newStar Trekshows—and here we are. So who knows? The next decade ofStar Trekmight be just as surprising.
