Star Trek's 60th anniversary served as a time for fans to reflect on their love for Gene Roddenberry's beloved sci-fi saga. As that affection poured out from fans, two of the franchise's biggest icons -- William Shatner and George Takei -- were still engaged in a feud. And more recently, amid the milestone anniversary, Shatner spoke about his ongoing beef with his former scene partner.

Just recently, Shatner spoke to USA Today about the anniversary as well as his ongoing feuds with past cast members. Takei and Walter Koenig have both taken shots at the Captain Kirk actor over the years, citing his negative attitude on the set of the iconic TV show. However, Shatner has maintained that he never interacted with them and repeated this in the latest interview:

On the other hand, both Koenig and Takei have claimed that it was Shatner's arrogance and lack of compassion for lesser actors on the set that led to them going public against him. Admittedly, the feud has gotten petty in more recent years, with Takei roasting Shatner's space flight and the Shat-man trolling Takei on his birthday.

We've occasionally seen points in which the feud boiled over, such as when Takei alleged that Shatner and Nimoy had a quiet feud on the show. Shatner has fired back at Takei more than Koenig over the years, citing his former co-star's habit of bringing him up whenever he's promoting other projects.

It would've been great if, in the spirit of what Star Trek is about, these two put aside their differences and buried the hatchet. Of course, William Shatner has famously never watched Star Trek or kept up with the franchise, so his feuds and gripes with past actors are some of the things he can confidently speak on. Not that it hasn't stopped him before from commenting on Trek-related matters he didn't have full context on, but I digress.

Beyond some drama from the franchise's most high-profile actors, Star Trek's 60th anniversary came and went without much fanfare. Strange New Worlds Season 4 is currently releasing new episodes that are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. But, with the show set to end next season and Starfleet Academy ending after Season 2, there are many questions about the franchise's future as far as TV goes.

Fortunately, Paramount does have plans to bring Star Trek back to theaters, with a new movie written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. There's optimism on the studio's part that project will thrust the franchise back into the mainstream, and hopefully, it'll keep this franchise chugging for another sixty years.

As for whether there's hope for William Shatner and George Takei to make amends at some point, that seems unlikely. But, hey, more surprising things have happened. While fans ponder that though, they can celebrate Star Trek by streaming the series over on Paramount+. While Takei and Shatner may not get along, they're still very entertaining to watch in The Original Series.

Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass." Stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' latest episode parodied the world of soap operas, and much like its bonkers puppet episode, the series didn't hold back. It welcomed Days of Our Lives icon Deidre Hall for a guest role as the ship's counselor, who shared her thoughts with CinemaBlend on how the sci-fi series handled her beloved genre.

Hall has been a fixture on Days of Our Lives for 50 years, just a decade short of Star Trek's existence. As such, she grew up watching Captain Kirk, but this episode of Strange New Worlds would be the first time she's experienced the series swerving into her genre. I had to ask how she felt about the episode overall, and if the actors needed any guidance to make it fit the acting style of soap operas more. Fortunately, Deidre Hall said she had no notes for the cast and really enjoyed it:

Hall referenced her character, Dr. Marlena Evans, and the infamous demonic possession storyline from decades ago. She noted that even when Strange New Worlds was doing a parody, things can always get weirder on Days of Our Lives. She even noted that even though the episode's parody felt heavy-handed, there might've been times when it didn't go far enough.

Parody can both delight and offend, and I was dying to know how Deidre Hall felt about the overall execution now that she'd seen the episode. Fortunately, the actress had only positive things to say, and lauded the largely tongue-in-cheek effort:

It's good to expose the fandom to other genres, especially with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ending after next season. We still have episodes left on the 2026 TV schedule to get through, and another abbreviated season coming after.

I did love that this latest episode centered on Captain Pike and the fallout from losing Batel and the family he raised with her in the alternate universe. While there was a happiness intended in giving Pike a life with his love, the loss when returning to his own time was devastating.

As we march toward the end of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the creators lay out plans for a spinoff that could happen, I think it's important for this show to close the door on Pike. We know how his story ends after his horrible accident thanks to TOS, but it would be great to see him reach a relative peace with it ahead of the incident.

We'll see if that spinoff happens, and continue to tune in for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episodes in the meantime. I'm eager to see how Season 4 ends, and how it sets the stage for the final season.

Paramount wants to bring Star Trek back to theaters, and Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are working to make that happen. The Spider-Man writers are working hard on the new movie's script and will eventually direct it as well. They recently talked about their inspiration and name-dropped two Denzel Washington movies the script is inspired by. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic for this!

The duo spoke to Inverse about their Trek movie and how they'd like their movie to be compared to Training Day and Crimson Tide. It gives fans the best information yet about what this movie might be about, and how this adventure may involve The Federation and Starfleet.

What Crimson Tide And Training Day Have In Common, Besides Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington isn't the only connective tissue between Training Day and Crimson Tide, as both movies rely on the tense relationship between two individuals in which the stakes are high. Crimson Tide deals with a Captain and Executive Officer locked in conflict about launching a nuclear strike after receiving an incomplete message. In Training Day, a young cop spends 24 hours under the wing of a corrupt narcotics detective.

Both movies are centered on authoritarian jobs, in which there's a chain of command and high-pressure situations. It leads me to believe this upcoming Star Trek movie, for which a title has yet to be announced, will revolve around a character who has a superior officer with a stance they don't agree with. Both are great movies, and the stories behind them are equally as fascinating.

One controversial thing Star Trek fans will point out is that both movies feature law enforcement of some kind. While Starfleet does protect Federation planets, its primary purpose is exploration and defense. Look up any series with a Paramount+ subscription, and that much is clear, so I do wonder if Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are headed in a new direction with this story set far beyond the traditional Trek timelines.

Will Star Trek's New Movie Offer A Cynical Take On Starfleet?

Training Day is a movie that deals heavily in corruption, which makes me wonder, is this new Star Trek movie set to do the same? John Francis Daley offered a bit more on the subject in the interview and said the following:

This isn't anything entirely new to Star Trek, of course. Fans have seen traitors in Starfleet before, and the TOS episode "Balance of Terror" feels very similar to the plot of Crimson Tide. Both men, who claim fandom of the sci-fi franchise, likely know this, so no need to raise the pitchforks just yet.

There are a lot of eyes on this Trek movie, what with no active shows in production following a period in which there were two to three running at the same time. It feels as though Paramount Skydance is looking to reset things, at least on the movie side, and rather than embrace the Kelvin films, start fresh in a new direction under the guidance of some celebrated creatives.

We'll see if the effort pays off, and we're watching a new Star Trek movie in theaters here in the coming years. As someone who's seen a lot of these projects come and go over the years, I'm not holding my breath that it'll come out, but I'd love to see it happen, especially if Denzel Washington's films serve as a guiding light!

Tom Bergeron went from a fan to an actor on Star Trek: Enterprise pretty quickly, and it's all thanks to Whoopi Goldberg. As talk about a revival of the prequel is making the rounds on the internet, the former Americ'as Funniest Videos and Dancing with the Stars host shared the story behind his guest role on the sci-fi series.

As Trek continues on the 2026 TV schedule, Bergeron was a guest on Droppin Names With Brent And Jonny and talked about how a visit to the set of Star Trek: Nemesis inadvertently led to his appearance in Season 1 of the prequel. He jumped into the story and how he piggybacked on Goldberg's visit to Enterprise:

This was quite an offer to extend to Bergeron, and would doubtless be the dream of any Trekkie. What I would've given to be an extra, let alone a guest star on a Rick Berman Star Trek show! I don't want to speak for every fan, but I'd imagine that for anyone with the Trek know-all this would be a dream role, and there was only one thing standing between him and the guest spot. It's that pesky thing called "acting experience," and the host had very little of it.

Tom Bergeron was well-known in Hollywood as a host and anchor, but had pretty limited acting credits. He had an uncredited appearance in Gremlins, and a credit in which he appeared in an episode of The Nanny. Fortunately, Whoopi Goldberg's acting abilities were second-to-none, and she was able to fool Rick Berman into thinking they needed to take him on. What happened next is classic:

Whoopi was at least familiar with Tom Bergeron from their time together on Hollywood Squares, so she probably knew he could handle it. Now he's forever immortalized in Star Trek history, in an episode that's currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. Those who look up "Oasis" won't need to search around long to see him, as he's in the opening scene.

It doesn't appear as though the Star Trek: Enterprise team ultimately felt deceived by his appearance, considering he was welcomed back in Season 4 as a different character. It's also good to see that getting in prosthetics didn't dissuade him from the role, as others like Jeffrey Dean Morgan nearly quit acting over it.

It's fun to see actors play multiple characters across Star Trek, as well as see people who love the franchise get a chance to join in the fun. Now I just wish Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes would have Tom Bergeron back on the podcast just to exclusively talk about his love of Trek.

Speaking of Whoopi Goldberg, she also has a pretty interesting story about how she got involved in Star Trek. It almost feels like that's a prerequisite, or actors might just be great storytellers.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Level-Five Transporter Accident." Stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription, and read at your own risk!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode is finally here following lots of teases. It was probably a given that the fandom would have strong thoughts and, so far, the collective response is divided. Some hate it, and others love it, to put it simply. However, the common thread I've noticed is that those who love it also seem to mention Jim Henson and the Muppets.

For those unaware, the puppets created for "Level-Five Transporter Accident" were made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. In the episode, the crew is transformed due to an accident with the transporter and is tasked with defending the Enterprise from invading Orions. It all ultimately ends up being a weird dream Spock is having, and those who did enjoy the episode had some passionate thoughts:

• Crazy once in awhile. We are lifelong trekkies. - LindaHowiler
• Level six is where they turn into "Pigs in Space". 😂 - fifimetz
• Jim Henson’s Shop is pure magic. Loved the design of the puppet crew - mzofchak
• So inventive and fun, what a joy to see a jim henson creature shop star trek crossover!! i had a blast watching this episode - sorayanaviadesign
• 😂 Amazing episode! Missed opportunity for Miss Piggy on the Enterprise though 😭 - phxnerd92
• I'm ok with a fully muppet ST from now on - no_one.man

Many loved the episode, and I would argue that with Seth Rogen's Muppet Show special airing earlier in the 2026 TV schedule, now was the perfect time to chase it with this. Plus, there is some pre-existing connective tissue between Muppets and Trek, as fans pointed out with the popular parody "Pigs In Space."

Of course, there were also fans who despised the episode, with the consensus that it was too silly for Star Trek. Whether it was Spock's dream or not was of no importance; they didn't like it:

• Come closer to my punches. - TheReverendPuck
• Gene Roddenbery would be disgusted - KevinVerhees1
• I've been a Star Trek fan for 55 years. This episode was the worst I've ever seen in all the different versions of Star Trek. I turned that crap off after 10 minutes. - klaus_47053
• Rumors continue that Season 5 will just be the Enterprise crew living in the Brady Bunch house with ALF. Special appearances by LEGO Batman and Patton Oswald. - saganbaby
• I don't even care enough to watch anymore. And yes I need to write about it - mortaupt

I can understand the frustration of some Star Trek fans. Strange New Worlds' stories have embraced "strange," but are generally lacking as of late in the type of space adventures that made the series so popular. This season, in particular, seems to embrace the theme of each episode feeling like a parody of some other popular franchise, and storylines and arcs of characters have fallen by the wayside.

Personally, I enjoyed the episode but, with the final season approaching, I do have concerns. Co-showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman have made it clear they intend to set the stage for Kirk's first day on the Enterprise in the finale, which means writing out a good deal of characters before that happens.

Puppet episodes are fun but are probably more ideal for series that don't have strict limits of ten-episode seasons. Star Trek fans are hungry for traditional franchise adventures, especially now that Strange New Worlds is one of the only remaining live-action shows in the franchise. Could this episode have done better had it aired a few years ago? I imagine that would be the case, unless there's just a huge chunk of fans who don't care for Jim Henson's Muppets.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 continues on Paramount+ with new episodes on Thursdays. Puppets aside, there are some great episodes for those not into that, and one of them stands as star Babs Olusanmokun's favorite to film.

CinemaBlend was lucky enough to ask Babs Olusanmokun about his favorite episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and if you've been keeping up with the sci-fi series available with a Paramount+ subscription, you won't be surprised by one of his choices. His first pick, I would wager, is many fans' favorite by a long shot, but his second was certainly a surprise.

With Strange New Worlds currently in the midst of Season 4's run on the 2026 TV schedule, I wanted to know which episodes the M'Benga actor considers to be his favorites, now that the series has completed filming. As mentioned, I wasn't shocked by his first choice, especially since many would regard it as M'Benga's best episode of the series:

"Under The Cloak Of War" was one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' darkest stories, as M'Benga struggled to reconcile with the fact that the Klingon ambassador aboard their ship was a rehabilitated war criminal from the days he fought in the Federation-Klingon war. The episode ended with a fight between the two that ended in the ambassador's death, and it was left up in the air whether M'Benga killed him in self-defense or in cold blood.

Babs Olusanmokun's second choice was the Season 4 episode "A Case of Chiaroscuro." The actor clarified that it wasn't so much watching the episode, but the process of making it:

The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode paid homage to the noir genre, as Una, M'Benga, and Celia found themselves on a planet in which the people were trying to free themselves from Klingon occupation. The episode even makes a Casablanca reference, though it has little in common with the heartbreaking movie aside from the fact that they're both filmed in black and white.

I can totally see why Babs Olusanmokun would love "A Case of Chiaroscuro," from an acting perspective, especially since most of his scenes take place either in the Med Bay or elsewhere on the Enterprise. In that regard, it's cool that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has allowed its actors a lot of different scenarios to play with throughout its run, rather than falling into a rut with the same space adventures week in and week out.

Of course, there are some fans who are questioning if we need so much variety in Star Trek, especially when the noir episode was followed by an episode where everyone turned into puppets. Whatever fans may feel is null and void at this point, seeing as Strange New Worlds is wrapped and already has its final episodes in the can. I do wonder, however, if this growing trend of the show embracing the "strange" and less of the "worlds" part of its title will have a lasting impact on its legacy when it comes to the fandom.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues with new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Stream new episodes as the celebration of the franchise's 60th anniversary continues, and we keep our fingers crossed for more updates on what's coming up in the future.

The Star Trek and Supernatural fandom collided recently thanks to some playful ribbing between William Shatner and Misha Collins. While neither is currently working within their famous franchises, they're hard at work on the convention circuit and taking potshots at one another as part of a playful feud.

As new shows hit the 2026 TV schedule, fans of two of the best sci-fi franchises are quibbling on the internet over photography fees for stars at Comic-Con Scotland. There, Supernatural's Jensen Ackles will be charging the equivalent of $245 dollars plus a booking fee for fans who want to take a picture with him. Conversely, William Shatner is a steal at only $129, and when a fan pointed this out online, the 95-year-old actor had this to say:

Misha Collins, who is also appearing (and similar to Shatner charging between $115 and $149), caught a stray from the Trek star there. Supernatural fans needn't worry about him, however, as he was prepared to throw a playful jab right back at the icon:

For those who aren't familiar, or are reading between the lines thanks to that picture above, Collins and Shatner have been celebrity friends for quite a while. IGN posted about their friendship way back in 2014, back when Shatner was live-tweeting CW shows to support Collins. He's also been a participant in Collins' famous charity scavenger hunt, GISH, which is to say there's no bad blood between these two. This is a celebrity faux feud at its finest, similar to Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

As for Jensen Ackles' photography price, it's fair to say his star power is still pretty high in Hollywood. Beyond Supernatural, he joined the cast of The Boys, and even has a recurring role on the CBS series Tracker. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of fandoms he's a part of now, and that high price may be to dissuade some, so he doesn't spend an entire day snapping photos.

Meanwhile, Shatner's past episodes of Star Trek are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and he's done a few other shows with fans who may pay to take a picture with him. I should also note that while the price is lower, it's also reflective of the fact that Shatner's been traveling to conventions for around fifty years and makes tons of appearances around the world. People are still lining up and taking photos, so maybe the lower price point doesn't matter to him as much as landing the gigs in the first place.

Hollywood is obviously a place where actors can network, but we need to appreciate how conventions have brought actors together to where interactions like this can happen. Not to mention fans in Scotland will soon get to see both William Shatner and Misha Collins under the same roof. Who knows, maybe they'll troll each other again at the convention? Doubtless, we'll have more to talk about here soon enough.

Watch William Shatner in Star Trek over on Paramount+, while Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles' Supernatural is available on Peacock. I can confirm they're great watches, as someone who indulges in both, but I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone reading this that.

Just on the heels of learning the Star Trek: Picard spinoff would've centered on Worf's son Alexander, we're getting another story about how The Next Generation star Michael Dorn accidentally impacted a major storyline involving the character. It turns out Dorn had a role to play in the death of K'Ehleyr, Alexander's mother, and it all happened because of a joke.

The actor told the story during a recent appearance on Dropping Names With Brent And Johnny, and lamented that he got actress Suzie Plakson "fired" from what could've been a long-running role as Worf's former lover and Alexander's mother. She only lasted two episodes on TNG, as Dorn said he made a poor joke to a writer that led to K'Ehleyr getting killed off:

K'Ehleyr died in "Reunion" (currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription), and Alexander was sent to live with Worf's adopted parents but would return to spend time with his father. It does make me wonder what might've happened had the show kept her around, and if Worf would've eventually gotten back together and had his entire family on the Enterprise.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about K'Ehleyr was her dual Klingon and human heritage, which was later explored with the Voyager character B'Elanna Torres. WhatCulture states that K'Ehleyr actually served as an inspiration for B'Elanna, as the writing team wanted a Klingon on the ship but did not want to create a character who felt too similar to Worf. That's not a bad legacy to have, considering a lot of people would rank B'Elanna among Star Trek's best characters.

Michael Dorn felt bad about Suzie Plakson losing her role as K'Ehleyr, but it is worth noting the actress played other roles in the franchise. She played a Vulcan in TNG, a Q in Voyager, and an Andorian in Enterprise. Sure, those weren't as meaty roles as the one she had playing Worf's former fling, but it's not like he put her out of a job for good!

She may not make the list of most memorable guest stars of The Next Generation, but Dorn made sure to shout her out during his appearance on Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes' podcast. It's always great to hear these actors get together, as it feels there is a limitless number of stories they could tell from the set of their acclaimed sci-fi series. For example, I don't think I could ever hear enough about how the actors used to wrestle in between takes.

The best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many other shows are available to stream on Paramount+. This is one of those shows where you can throw on any episode and have a blast watching, so don't feel like you have to start with Season 1!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has its long-awaited puppet episode coming to the 2026 TV schedule, and even knowing about it in advance, nothing could've prepared me for this. This whole episode just looks so silly, and these photos make me all the more eager to watch it ASAP with my Paramount+ subscription.

A "Level-Five Transporter Incident" will turn the crew into puppets, though based on these photos and the synopsis, Spock will be unaffected. Check out the situation, which I'm sure the Vulcan will struggle with, below:

I'm always shocked at how Ethan Peck can keep a straight face when filming such ludicrous scenes. It certainly has to be the most challenging part of the role, especially on a show as silly as Strange New Worlds.

There's been a lot of talk about the puppet episode, which was brought to life in collaboration with The Jim Henson Company. Strange New Worlds is no stranger to pushing the envelope of what the franchise has achieved over the years, and this might be the wildest attempt to subvert what Trek is yet.

Whether it'll be embraced by the fans at large or rejected, I'm eager to see. Personally, I welcome Strange New Worlds throwing just about everything at the dart board at this point, as there are currently no active television shows in development. If ever there was a time to experiment with what Star Trek can be, this is it.

I can understand the whiplash Star Trek fans might be experiencing, however, as Season 4 has radically changed themes for the past few weeks now. We've gone from a ghost story to Una singing in Klingon in a story inspired by The Hangover, and we're just coming off a noir episode. Now we have puppets, so if anyone is feeling a bit overwhelmed by how quickly the genres are shifting, I totally get it.

Perhaps it's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds getting it all out of its system, as we wait for the final season coming up in the future. After all, the series will have to write off a number of characters in its final episodes, and add a handful if it hopes to work up to James T. Kirk's first day on the job as Captain of the Enterprise. All this to say, I can imagine those final six episodes could be more serialized, so maybe we should embrace Season 4's wild twists and turns while that's still a part of the show.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 continues on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Get pumped for the puppet episode, and be sure to check back in after all the fans have had a chance to see it.

Star Trek is bringing its classic movies back to theaters this year, but that's just an appetizer to the brand new film that's on the way. Jonathan Goldstein and John Frances Daly are deep into making a new movie unlike anything fans have seen, and while some may be concerned by that, they think fans will be "surprised" by their take.

CinemaBlend had a chance to speak to the duo at San Diego Comic-Con, and after they publicly shared some details on the movie during a panel at the event, they gave us just a bit more. To start, Goldstein revealed his credentials for writing a Star Trek movie and talked about geeking out at the con after a chance encounter with an icon:

Meeting George Takei is quite an honor, especially if you're someone who grew up with an appreciation for the original Star Trek. I also appreciate the love of The Next Generation, especially since its best episodes represent the gold standard that Trekkies expect when watching other content.

The filmmakers were quick to acknowledge, however, that TOS and TNG don't account for the entirety of Star Trek. Goldstein explained their job is to make something that both pays homage to every Trek series available with a Paramount+ subscription while still coming up with an entirely new premise fans haven't seen before:

It's a bold gambit, and one that Star Trek has only embraced in part in its new era. Even Star Trek: Discovery, which took the franchise further into the future than it had ever been previously, originally started back in the TOS era. Namely with Burnham being the adoptive sister of one of Trek's best characters, Spock.

I do believe that the best way to bring in new fans while catering to the existing fan base is to re-introduce Star Trek with new characters. I think we've seen by now that bringing in ties to previous entries makes a general audience apprehensive about tuning in, as there's history and background they're missing.

There's a lot riding on John Frances Daly and Jonathan Goldstein's Star Trek movie, as it'll be the first new feature film to hit theaters for the franchise in over a decade. I'm sure that Paramount would like to get one of its biggest sci-fi IPs off the ground again, and in a position where it can churn out movies at a bigger clip in the future.

While we wait for the new Star Trek movie, keep in mind that there's plenty of Trek waiting for readers over on Paramount+. Strange New Worlds is airing Season 4 at the moment, and if you're looking to see Rebecca Romijn sing 80s power ballads in Klingon, you should totally check it out.

Before Star Trek returns to theaters with a new movie, its previous classic movies are returning to the big screen. AMC and Cinemark will be bringing a series of episodes and movies back to theaters, and of course there's a must-have popcorn bucket to accompany it.

From September 4th to the 8th, the best Star Trek movies are headed back to theaters with a twist. Each classic installment will be a "double feature," with a TOS episode attached that matches the themes or story of the accompanying movie. Here's what is being paired up, via Inverse:

• "The Changeling" and Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• "Space Seed" and Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
• "Amok Time" and Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
• "The City On The Edge Of Forever" and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

I can't help but notice Star Trek V was left off the list, though given William Shatner's opinion of the movie, along with the general public, that's understandable. I'm excited to head to theaters and see these episodes and movies, as well as pick up these collectibles showcased by AMC:

In a time when studios are not that concerned about the functionality of these novelty popcorn buckets (looking at you, Trojan horse), I'm glad whoever designed this didn't insist on jamming popcorn in through the Enterprise saucer. Putting the popcorn in the 60th anniversary tub isn't just functional; it's more "logical."

As someone who first watched The Wrath of Khan immediately after viewing "Space Seed," I'm eager to experience that all over again. In my opinion, that's the only way to fully appreciate the movie, though it is one of the most acclaimed movies of the franchise.

I also can't help but be a little disappointed we're not seeing the Kelvin movies make a comeback as part of this celebration, especially since it's the 10th anniversary of Star Trek: Beyond. Perhaps there's apprehension on Paramount's part to bring those movies back to theaters, lest they get the fans all up in arms about a fourth movie never happening.

I'm curious to see what the fan turnout will be for this event, and if it will have any impact on Paramount Skydance's ongoing efforts to bring the franchise back to theaters. Perhaps if a lot of fans show up for this event, there will be more urgency in getting new Trek projects in the works than what we've seen.

As it stands right now, the 60th anniversary has arrived, as there are no active shows in development. It is good to see there are some things to celebrate as this anniversary happens, and ways to celebrate for fans that continue to hold the line while we wait for more announcements.

I'm ready to return to theaters to see Star Trek, and will be on the lookout for more details as the dates approach. Fingers crossed we get even more surprises before the year is up, and maybe even some other classic movies returning to theaters.

Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas is finally opening up about the pitch he made for the sequel series codenamed Legacy, and of course, characters from The Next Generation are involved. I wasn't surprised by that detail, but I was shocked to hear the follow-up series would've featured Worf's son Alexander Rozhenko in a story heavily centered around the Klingons.

Matalas, who previously hinted the Klingons were involved in his pitch, spilled more details at the latest Star Trek Las Vegas convention. First Flight Podcast shared the details with the rest of the world not in attendance. And while we won't see it on the 2026 TV schedule or likely anytime in the future, I'm hoping I'm wrong about that.

Worf's Son Alexander Was At The Center Of A Klingon Conflict

As Terry Matalas explained it, Star Trek often used Klingons as a mirror for what was happening with Russians. Star Trek: Legacy would've followed suit, introducing the idea that the Klingons were dealing with "unstable elements" and that Worf's son, Alexander, would be one of those elements in the story.

Matalas didn't get more specific than that, but one could speculate Alexander was a revolutionary of some sort calling for major change in the Klingon Empire. He was, after all, very different from his father. Although later appearances in Deep Space Nine would show he tried his best to assimilate into Klingon culture.

I'm fascinated to hear more about the pitch and in which way Alexander was disruptive. Part of me wonders if he'd gone back to embrace his identity as a child raised largely by humans, and tried to introduce more human concepts to Klingons. The other part thinks maybe Alexander, desperate to prove his belonging, leaned so extremely into Klingon tradition that even his own father wouldn't recognize him. In any case, it would've been great to get another Worf story, especially with lots of Klingons involved.

Could Star Trek: Legacy Still Happen?

Fans are making the most out of Star Trek's 60th anniversary, despite the fact that there are zero shows in active development. One has to imagine that Paramount Skydance will put more shows into production, however. When that happens, could Star Trek: Legacy be greenlit?

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was one of the new era's most acclaimed seasons, as it featured the entire bridge crew of The Next Generation and other big callbacks. Fans immediately called for a spinoff, and while Terry Matalas had a pitch ready to go, Paramount already had its roadmap planned for what was on the horizon for the franchise.

Eventually, Matalas was offered a job by Marvel and is now the showrunner for the upcoming VisionQuest series. I suppose there's always a possibility he could come back to Star Trek after and make this series if asked, but then it's a matter of pulling in all the actors required to make this series possible. Then again, with the former cast remaining passionate about the project long after it seemed probable it would happen has me wondering if that would actually be as hard to pull off as I imagined.

The good news is that Star Trek: Picard is still available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and there's always a chance that watching it could nudge decision-makers into giving this spinoff another chance.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe episode "Spoiler Alert: Bert is Magic." Stream the episode with an HBO Max subscription and read at your own risk!

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe had another great episode and brought back a wonderful guest star from The Big Bang Theory days. Wil Wheaton appeared as an enforcer for the Magic Guild, and while his time was short-lived, it now has me eager for him to return for a potential Star Trek crossover.

Wheaton is one of Star Trek's biggest cheerleaders, and I almost wonder if he's already pitched the franchise crossing over with the new HBO Max series. In any case, this latest episode on the 2026 TV schedule has me hoping we'll get a crossover, and it would be easier to do than you might think.

Wil Wheaton Could Totally Appear As Wesley Crusher In Stuart Fails To Save The Universe

Seeing Wil Wheaton blast magic out from his fingers had me thinking about how Wesley Crusher joined the Travelers in Star Trek, and how Wesley could totally land in Stuart Bloom's universe. Travelers are not bound by the traditional laws of time and space, as we saw a ton when the character was featured in the animated series Prodigy.

Stuart Bloom is a comic book guy, but he generally seems to be an expert on all things that are nerdy in pop culture. No doubt he'd recognize the value someone like Wesley Crusher could bring to his quest to save the universe, provided he could get over the obvious paradox of Star Trek being a fictional franchise in his universe.

Outside the show's universe, it's no secret that Warner Bros. Discovery is in the midst of a merger with Paramount Skydance. With Paramount being the one with the rights to the Trek franchise, it feels like it would be easy, maybe even preferred, if Stuart Fails To Save The Universe gave the storied sci-fi franchise a rub.

The TBBT Franchise Has Long Referenced Star Trek, So A Crossover Would Be Amazing

Wil Wheaton appearing as himself on The Big Bang Theory shows just how much Star Trek DNA is in the franchise. Sheldon Cooper regularly viewed Spock as his hero, rightfully so as one of Trek's best characters.

To have Stuart and friends step aboard the Enterprise or any other revered ship of Star Trek, it'd be a huge moment for the franchise. Plus, given the Star Trek alumni who have appeared on TBBT over the years, it could make for reunions that wouldn't otherwise happen on a traditional Trek show.

Whether it'll happen, we'll just have to wait and see. It certainly seems possible within the premise of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, in which the team gets caught up in just about every situation imaginable. This includes some scenes from the trailer which appear to show Stuart trapped in The Matrix, and battling Mr. Freeze from Batman.

Until that Star Trek crossover comes, I'll continue to enjoy Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, which streams new episodes on HBO Max on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This season is off to a great start, so I'm eager to see where else Season 1 leads.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Human Best Friend." Stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!

The latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode to hit the 2026 TV schedule features the most impressive feat I've seen in the franchise's modern era, especially after learning how much effort it took. That's right, while "Human Best Friend" was a goofy episode featuring the crew on shore leave, Rebecca Romijn told CinemaBlend that singing in Klingon was no vacation.

I spoke with Rebecca Romijn about the latest episode, in which we saw Una sing the late Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" entirely in Klingon. It wasn't dubbed or made up; Romijn actually learned the song in alien language, and as she explained, it was quite difficult:

I like to think this was Star Trek: Strange New Worlds apologizing for the Klingon boy band scene, but that's just my opinion. I do love, though I am not surprised, that the show ensured Romijn sang a translated version of the song accurately, especially since the setup for that scene likely took way longer than what we saw onscreen.

Filming has wrapped on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but even then, Rebecca Romijn said she'd like to commit that performance to memory. I confessed I'd love to see it become a party trick she performed at future Comic-Cons and fan appearances, and it seems like that's a possibility based on how she responded:

On the heels of a scary episode that had Kirk questioning his role as a father, I'm thrilled Star Trek: Strange New Worlds had the sense to give us something as light as "Human Best Friend." It definitely felt like the premise was "What if Star Trek was The Hangover," but that's not to say it was a bad thing.

Plus, it was another Ortegas-heavy episode, which fulfilled the promise of highlighting characters who will not be a part of Kirk's Enterprise. These are the types of episodes we'll appreciate should the spinoff that Strange New Worlds' showrunners are hoping for happen, as Erica, Una, and La'an will ultimately not be a part of that adventure. Hopefully, there will still be opportunities for them to appear as guest stars!

I guess I should first hope that there are plans for Star Trek television shows to continue, as San Diego Comic-Con came and went without any new show announcements to speak of. It's looking like Paramount Skydance is waiting to announce what's on the way for the franchise, or putting all its efforts into making sure a new movie for the franchise can finally hit theaters.

In the meantime, we still have more episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to get through, with new episodes airing on Thursdays on Paramount+. After Season 4 wraps, we can assume Season 5 is coming in 2027, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Star Trek marks its 60th anniversary on 6 September, and a new book explores the franchise’s history from an interesting perspective. A riff on the popular “let’s condense a subject into 100 things” subgenre, Ben Robinson’s The Star Trek Archive tackles items such as Gene Roddenberry’s original pitch document for the series, Kirk’s command chair, Mego’s ‘70s action figures, Geordi LaForge’s visor, and Seven of Nine’s shiny silver jumpsuit, using these iconic props and ephemera as jumping-off points for discussion. (The salamanders from infamously duff Voyager episode “Threshold” get a look-in too!)

Significant behind-the-scenes figures from the world of Trek, like designer Michael Okuda and writer/showrunner Brannon Braga, also pop up to talk about their favourite items. Crammed with trivia, anecdotes from cast and crew, behind-the-scenes photographs, and concept art, it’s a fun read.

The Star Trek Archive: 100 Objects And Stories From The Final Frontier is out on 17 August (RRP £39.99), but thanks to Titan Books we have five copies to give away. To put your name in the hat for the chance to win one, simply answer the question below. PLEASE NOTE: THIS COMPETITION IS OPEN TO UK ENTRANTS ONLY.

Star Trek has impacted generations of viewers and spawned numerous films and series over the years, with the franchise continuing to this day. So, it's shocking to learn that it wasn’t always a success, and William Shatner shared what really happened when Star Trek: The Original Series went from rags to ratings riches.

Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in 1966 on NBC and ran through 1969, capping at 79 episodes. It wasn’t exactly a ratings success, but it had a dedicated fanbase, and the network stayed with it for a bit. However, Star Trek met an unfortunate end after the third season. It wasn't until years later that it became a hit, as Shatner, who portrayed the iconic Captain James T. Kirk, recalled to People:

Star Trek fans already proved themselves during the show’s original run, as they were campaigning for its continuation and even sent letters to NBC to keep the show going, according to CBR. However, it was how people showed up when the show was in syndication that really saved the franchise.

Shatner praised the fans for keeping Star Trek going, noting all of the “beautiful stories” they were able to tell because of them and the sci-fi writers who were contributing. The actor went on to star in seven Star Trek movies between 1979 and 1994, and direct 1989’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. While he won't be returning to the Star Trek franchise any time soon, his love for it and the fans will never go away. Even if he still isn't happy about Captain Kirk's death:

Based on what was said here, it feels like if Star Trek didn’t eventually go into syndication, the franchise wouldn’t exist. Or perhaps it just would’ve taken a lot longer to get back up again. Star Trek fans are dedicated; they even complain about the franchise’s direction, so I have to believe they would have helped bring The Original Series back on everyone’s radar, even if it took a little longer.

I’m still surprised that ratings didn’t hold up when the fans were certainly showing up, but at least syndication proved to be a winner for the Star Trek franchise. Now, those with a Paramount+ subscription can watch practically everything that has come out because of this remarkable ratings rise.

Jerry O'Connell is such an advocate for the Star Trek universe, you'd forget he's only been a part of it a relatively short time. In fact, he joined in 2020 after his wife was first introduced as Una in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, so it's funny she wasn't the first to congratulate him when he landed his role in Lower Decks.

The actor voiced Jack Ransom in Lower Decks throughout its run, with the character eventually becoming a Captain in the finale. He's held his Starfleet rank over the head of his wife, Rebecca Romijn, for years, and maybe that's because she wasn't even the first to congratulate him when he joined the Star Trek world, at least via text. He explained to EW that it was actually an old co-star, who is also a part of the sci-fi universe:

I'm not surprised to hear it was Wil Wheaton, because he might be the only bigger advocate for Star Trek and its fans than Jerry O'Connell. Despite this complex history with Trek via his run as Wesley Crusher on The Next Generation, Wheaton's remained a notable face who feels like the ambassador for the brand, and I can imagine he was legitimately excited to have O'Connell join Lower Decks.

That text might've just helped Wheaton secure a cameo role on Star Trek: Lower Decks, though I'd like to think creator Mike McMahan was already a fan. It's a shame we never got an episode in which Ransom and Crusher had a chance to interact a ton, but who knows what's in store for the future?

It's the question all Star Trek fans are interested in, as the 60th anniversary yielded no announcements thus far about future shows, and only minimal updates on the upcoming movie. The ending of Lower Decks opened the door for both characters to appear in a spinoff series exploring the various universes of Trek, but who knows if we'll ever get to see a follow-up happen.

If not, at least we still have new episodes with Rebecca Romijn's Una to enjoy, as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to air Season 4. Who knows, maybe before this season or the final season ends, we could see Wil Wheaton back as Wesley Crusher as he's become a Traveler. I'd love to see Jack Ransom, but unfortunately, Jerry O'Connell doesn't look like his character in the series:

I'd be willing to suspend my disbelief, if only to see Jerry O'Connell act in Star Trek alongside Rebecca Romijn. There was an opportunity to pull that off when Lower Decks had its crossover with Strange New Worlds, but only Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome appeared as live-action counterparts of their characters. Fingers crossed there's one more crossover planned for the future that could make this happen.

Watch all the Star Trek you can handle right now on Paramount+. Strange New Worlds is currently running Season 4, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays. This season is already off to a great start, so anyone who hasn't watched yet needs to catch up.

It's the tenth anniversary of the release of Star Trek: Beyond, and Simon Pegg paid tribute to the last theatrical release for the storied sci-fi franchise. Now, as recent headlines detail plans for the next Trek movie, Pegg has me in my feelings with his bittersweet message celebrating his film's release.

Of every actor involved in Star Trek's Kelvin universe, Pegg has been the most optimistic about a fourth film happening. Unfortunately, amidst celebrating its anniversary, his latest comments feel like a white flag admitting we'll likely never see that movie happen. Check out the caption he attached to his Instagram post that featured several photos from behind the scenes:

He went on to reflect on what's happened since the film's release, and the potential for more, saying:

I didn't need to hear it from Simon Pegg that the fourth Kelvin movie likely wasn't happening, but it stung just a bit more. Many Star Trek fans would've loved to see this movie happen, and we've been strung along for years as scripts came and went with no forward progress.

While this post is meant to be celebratory, it also feels like a eulogy, celebrating what might be the end of the Kelvin universe in Star Trek. However, I do love seeing all the pictures he shared from filming, all of which can be found below:

As a Star Trek fan, this has me a bit emotional. And I think it's hitting extra hard right now because there is so much uncertainty in the franchise as of late, with no new shows on the horizon, and stars saying the franchise may be taking a break. Overall, it's been hard to stay optimistic.

Star Trek: Beyond stands as evidence of that challenge, as we never saw a fourth movie despite critical acclaim. The underperforming box office returns might've been a factor, but it's not like it was a flop. Even if it was, Simon Pegg was one of the first to say it was poorly marketed.

"Beyond" that, the star power of the ensemble only grew over the years, and interest in seeing a new Star Trek movie remained high. Unfortunately, none of those ideas ever panned out, and now ten years later, it feels more impossible than ever that we'll see a movie with them happen simply because of how much time has passed. It's bittersweet, but at least we got three special films out of it.

Star Trek will return to theaters eventually, though we don't have a release date yet. Watch Beyond on Paramount+ right now, and reminisce on how great this movie was. Also watch it for Anton Yelchin, whose unfortunate death will always be tied to this release.

Star Trek: Enterprise star Scott Bakula recently shared an update on the previously reported pitch for a spinoff starring Archer, and he really didn't hold back about whether it could really happen. While his comments more or less state we shouldn't expect to stream it with a Paramount+ subscription anytime soon, there is some hope.

The star spoke to TVInsider in connection with Star Trek's 60th anniversary. With that in mind, and with this being a year when no shows are in active development, he was asked if there was a possibility the pitched Star Trek: United spinoff was any closer to becoming a real series. He said the following:

While Paramount Skydance is going full steam ahead with planning for Star Trek's return to theaters, the television side has stalled. Both Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy will presumably end in 2027. And with no new announcements for shows at San Diego Comic-Con, it seems the company is waiting for Trek head Alex Kurtzman's contract to expire at the end of 2026 before entertaining ideas for new shows.

I can't help but feel a bit rattled by what Scott Bakula said in regard to this latest period for Star Trek, specifically because he likened it to when Enterprise ended. I don't think any Trekkie right now wants to hear that we might be in for another five-year gap before we get a new project, but who knows if that's just him sharing his personal speculation or something he's heard while helping pitch Star Trek: United.

For those in the dark about the aforementioned spinoff, it was revealed that Bakula and Star Trek: Enterprise writer/producer Mike Sussman had pitched a series that follows Archer after he assumed his role as President of the United Federation of Planets. The series was described as a mix of political and espionage drama, which sounded pretty intriguing to some.

There's also an argument that in the wake of diminishing interest in Star Trek, the last thing Paramount Skydance needs to pursue is more shows that cater to diehard fans and require past knowledge of other shows. While we have no idea how the company will feel or approach upcoming Trek shows, it's worth noting the movie is set up to highlight an entirely new cast and time period.

Doing this creates a jumping-on point for newcomers to Star Trek, who don't need decades of knowledge to appreciate or understand what's going on. As much as I would personally appreciate a follow-up to Star Trek: Enterprise, making a sequel series to a show that struggled to find an audience during its run on television feels like a recipe for failure, and likely not something the franchise would indulge in at this time. Of course, I'm no executive, so maybe we'll be surprised by the time we do get an announcement for the next Trek series.

So, with all that said, I'll keep a shred of hope alive. Now, as we wait for more information on new Star Trek, Scott Bakula's Enterprise series is available to stream over on Paramount+.

We finally have some details on the upcoming Star Trek movie that's been touted as the franchise's grand return to theaters after a decade away. Writer/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend to share an outline of what they've been working on. Thanks to this update, Trekkies now have some vague idea about the movie's characters and setting.

Star Trek Will Not Rely On Past Characters For Its Upcoming Movie

Daley and Goldstein were panelists for Collider's Director's On Directing panel, and confirmed that their script for the unnamed Star Trek movie is still a work in progress. Given that, fans likely won't see the film until far beyond the 2026 movie schedule. It was previously revealed that Daley and Goldstein's movie would not take place in the Kelvin timeline, but that was about all we knew. Now, we have confirmation from Goldstein that the movie will feature an original cast of characters, which defies the trend we'd seen in past movies.

What's worth mentioning is that even the Kelvin timeline brought in Leonard Nimoy's Spock. So I'm intrigued to see how this film progresses with a group of fresh faces.

I also question how Star Trek fans will respond. Thus far, the most successful TV shows have thrived by leaning on nostalgia and familiarity. It's strange to hear the hard pivot for the franchise in this new direction, especially when just a couple of years ago, Patrick Stewart claimed a Picard-led movie was in the works. So who will be the new stars, and will this story be centered around Starfleet? Those questions remain unanswered.

The Movie Is Set In The Far Future, For One Big Reason

Jonathan Goldstein also confirmed that the new Star Trek movie would be set in the future, perhaps further than we've ever seen. Here's what Goldstein had to say about that, specifically:

With unfamiliar characters and a new timeline, the motive behind the new Star Trek movie are clear. The goal is to create a new entry point for the mainstream, and hopefully ,one that the diehard (but dying) fandom can support as well. It's a bold gambit, but they have the creatives who brought Spider-Man back to audiences writing the script.

Star Trek is clearly on the cusp of a new chapter, with zero shows in active development as it continues to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Season 4 of Strange New Worlds is currently airing and is streamable for those with a Paramount+ subscription, with a final abbreviated season scheduled for a later date. Then there's one final season of Starfleet Academy, which was greenlit before its cancellation.

This upcoming movie could tell us a lot about Paramount+'s future direction for Star Trek as a whole, though we don't know that for sure. Obviously, there's going to be effort on the film side to draw in new fans, so I'm curious to see if that will be happening on the streaming side as well with shows.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds kicked off Season 4, which means we officially only have fifteen more episodes until the series ends. Granted, we won't see the final six episodes until after the 2026 TV schedule is over, but with San Diego Comic-Con coming and going without any major franchise announcements, it's hard not to wonder what's next. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have anything planned, but that could change.

I had a chance to speak to the duo ahead of the premiere being available with a Paramount+ subscription, and had to know what both men have planned for the future. Perhaps sensing I was trying to find a subtle way to ask if their pitched sequel for the series was happening, they said this:

It's the big question on everyone's mind as there are currently zero Star Trek shows in active development, despite it being the 60th anniversary. Based on the latest Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, it would appear that the franchise is in a holding pattern, at least for television, until Alex Kurtzman's contract expires later this year.

Either that, or the priority is to get Star Trek back on the big screen, which is a noble cause. It's been a decade since the franchise had a theatrical release, and while Section 31 was a Trek movie made for streaming, it wasn't well-received.

For now, fans have been burned so often with promises of a movie that it's just not top of mind for some. Many would rather see a stronger lineup of shows for streaming on the horizon, as we've seen in the past number of years.

Here's hoping that Paramount+ has the same plans, and that it's just waiting to name a new head of the franchise before we start seeing more shows put in development. Maybe with a new face running the franchise, projects like Star Trek: Year One could actually see the light of day.

Some might point to the fact that Star Trek: Picard never got a follow-up as evidence that a Strange New Worlds spinoff is dead in the water, but I think the situation is different. When fans were begging for Star Trek: Legacy, Paramount already had different projects in the works. Now, with a potential clean slate, it feels like a Paul Wesley-led spinoff could almost certainly happen with fewer hurdles to jump through.

Unfortunately, we can only speculate, which remains a point of frustration for fans. It feels like there are so many questions surrounding Star Trek, and zero answers. I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be a different story when New York Comic-Con rolls around in October.

Before that, check out the preview shared with those in attendance at SDCC.

We have new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to enjoy on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Season 4 is widely cited as one of the best by the cast, so I'm eager to see if the fans agree!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds just premiered on the 2026 TV schedule, but the fun doesn't stop there. That's what stars Rebecca Romijn and Anson Mount believe, anyway, as the two stars and childhood fans of the franchise have me convinced we'll be watching new franchise entries via Paramount+ subscription before too long.

Before Rebecca Romijn moves on to reprise her role as Mystique in the Marvel universe, I had a chance to speak to her and Mount ahead of the Season 4 premiere of Strange New Worlds, which is currently streaming on Paramount+. When I asked the stars whether they could say anything to ease the minds of fans worried about what's next for Star Trek, seeing as no shows are in active development, she said this:

In no way does she sound worried about the future of Star Trek, and feels confident it'll still be around years from now, and as she mentioned above, it'll continue to be relevant to new generations.

Anson Mount agreed, and dropped a fact that blew my mind in the process. He couldn't claim it as his own, but I appreciated him passing it along during the interview all the same:

Translation: Star Trek is as American as apple pie. Perhaps more so, because apple pie actually originated in England. I guess the math does check out that if America is celebrating its 250th birthday, and Trek its 60th, that is somewhere in the ballpark of 25%.

Rebecca Romijn and Anson Mount's thoughts echo those of other prominent names of Star Trek, many of whom don't believe it will ever fully go away. I tend to agree, especially with Paramount still making efforts to bring it back to the big screen with a movie on the big screen.

Star Trek will continue, but I think there are solid fears from fans about how it will continue. How long will fans have to wait for a new television series, and who will be put in charge of making it happen? As it stands, it seems the company is ready to move on from Alex Kurtzman running its television department, leaving the door open for fresh blood to take the reins. Kurtzman did tell CinemaBlend a while back that fans shouldn't fear this transition period, merely because there's just so much Paramount has to tackle to complete its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

All this to say, it doesn't sound like anyone in charge is worried about Star Trek ending. So we'll continue to play the waiting game and remain optimistic that positive updates on the franchise are on the way. Beyond that, watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 on Paramount+ with new episodes streaming on Thursdays!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 4 return amid the 2026 TV schedule is just around the corner, and I've been excited for a while. However, comments from series co-creator Akiva Goldsman already have me nervous for the fifth and final season's run. The producer spoke about the ending of the beloved series and shed some light on the plan that he and the creative team have in place.

Goldsman spoke to TV Insider about charting out Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' endgame, which track with what he told CinemaBlend about SNW about his goals for the finale. The goal is for the series finale to bring us right up to Kirk's first day as Captain of the Enterprise, which means the final season will need to take care of some other things first. He explained below:

It's not anything unexpected, considering we've learned Sulu and Bones have been cast for the final season. However, I do have concerns. Namely, I worry about what this means for the final season and whether this specific direction will lead to the final episodes feeling drastically different from the rest of the series.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Has A Lot To Tackle (And Not A Lot Of Time Left To Do It)

Assuming that Season 4 doesn't get a jumpstart on writing off its characters that aren't around in the original Star Trek, Strange New Worlds is going to spend a lot of time handling that in its abbreviated season. There will only be six episodes in Season 5, as that was the number co-creators Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers told Paramount+ they needed to close out the show after Season 4.

I worry that's a tight window to work out all the changes needed to make the bridge look like Kirk's Enterprise. But, presumably, the co-creators had a plan.

Will The Need To Resolve Storylines Hurt The Flow Of The Series?

Something Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has thrived on since its debut is great way it balances its characters' story arcs with the "adventure of the week" format. Now, based on what I'm hearing, it almost feels necessary for the series to adapt heavier serialization in order to get to the point where it can set up Kirk's first day on the Enterprise.

It's important to me that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has a great final season because, quite frankly, a bad final stretch has tainted the legacy of many shows (Trek or otherwise). Let's not forget that when people bring up Enterprise, one of the main elements talked about is how bad the ending is.

If SNW's final season feels like too much of a deviation from what worked before, I fear people will feel like it's less than everything that came before. Granted, the series hasn't steered fans wrong so far, and Season 4 has been largely acclaimed by the cast, who say it's among the best of the series. Whatever was filmed, the series is already wrapped for good, so I guess I just need to have faith (of the heart) that the final season won't be too far off course from what we've seen.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns to television on Thursday, July 23rd. Tune in to see Captain Pike's crew take on some new adventures and tackle a wild scenario in its Season 4 premiere.

Star Trek fans are hoping for some big announcement at San Diego Comic-Con regarding what's ahead for the franchise, as we're not sure what's on tap after the 2026 TV schedule wraps up. It's the 60th anniversary, after all, and while there are things planned for the upcoming Hall H panel, I wouldn't hold my breath for anything big.

Fortunately, we have Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returning for those with a Paramount+ subscription ahead of the convention, and the cast will be at the event. There are also some familiar faces set to appear, but I remain skeptical that any of it amounts to a new series or footage of a movie that is just around the corner.

What Star Trek Has Announced For Its Hall H Panel

Star Trek is planning to take the iconic Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25th, at 3:30 p.m. ET. It's been announced by Variety and others that a Strange New Worlds panel will take place, featuring the bulk of the cast. After that, there will be a 60th anniversary celebration panel, with a list of attendees already lined up.

Star Trek' Hall H Panel Guests

• Rod Roddenberry (EP and son of Creator Gene Roddenberry)
• Michael Dorn (TNG, DS9, Picard)
• Robert Picardo (VOY, Prodigy, Starfleet Academy)
• Connor Trinneer (Enterprise)
• Cirroc Lofton (DS9, Starfleet Academy)
• Doug Jones (Discovery)
• Michelle Hurd (Picard)
• Jerry O’Connell (Lower Decks)
• Christina Chong (Strange New Worlds)
• Karim Diané (Starfleet Academy)
• George Takei (TOS)

It's a great lineup of people, and I'm happy to see Star Trek: Starfleet Academy get some representation despite its quick cancellation. I'm sure it'll be a great panel, but will it result in a new series or movie announcement? Again, I'm skeptical.

Why I'd Be Shocked If We Get A Movie Or TV Show Announcement

A panel celebrating Star Trek is great, but nothing about that lineup suggests to me we'll be getting a new scripted series or an update on the upcoming movie being developed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. I could see something being announced in line with a retrospective look at the franchise or a documentary, but nothing beyond that.

Star Trek seems to be in a holding pattern, and with shows planned through 2027 and franchise head Alex Kurtzman's contract set to expire at the end of the year, it doesn't seem Paramount+ is in a hurry to announce anything else. It feels as though the franchise is prepping to bring a new face to guide Trek into a new era, though that has not been explicitly confirmed.

As Jonathan Frakes and others have pointed out, it's a bummer that the 60th anniversary of Star Trek has come and gone with so little fanfare. Here's hoping I have it wrong about the upcoming panel at San Diego Comic-Con, or possibly New York Comic-Con is going to yield some more details about what to look forward to when it comes to the future.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, July 23rd. Get hyped for the upcoming episodes, especially since we don't know when we'll get new episodes of any Trek series after it wraps.

The Star Trek franchise is well known for bringing back franchise veterans, and it seems that may now be the case with one of its actors. A Star Trek: Discovery star seemingly shared that he might be returning to a series soon, only to delete the post from social media quickly. More specifically, it looked like James Frain jumped the gun a bit when hinting that his Sarek could be returning, and the moment is made even more iconic due to the caption shared with the post.

Frain, who played Spock's father and Michael Burnham's adopted father in Discovery, dropped a picture of himself in full Vulcan makeup on Instagram. As previously mentioned, though, the post didn't stay up long. Fortunately, I was able to get a look at it before it was taken down and can share the caption that Frain attached to the selfie of himself as Sarek:

The timing comes just as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to debut Season 4 on the 2026 TV schedule, though none of the footage released so far has shown Sarek. That said, it's not wild to think he'd make an appearance, given that Spock is on the Enterprise and has had a few adventures involving family throughout his time on the series.

If Sarek doesn't pop up in Season 4, fans should also consider that filming wrapped on Season 5 in late 2025. Based on what James Frain said, maybe he was hinting that he was featured in the final season, and I would love that. What if this means we're finally getting the payoff to the storyline with Angel, which soft-launched Spock's eventual showdown with his half-brother Sybok?

While we know Sybok and Spock cross paths in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the character was mentioned after the Enterprise crew encountered his romantic partner, Angel. It seemed like the show was setting something up but, as of the end of Season 3, there's been no closure on that front.

There's also other ground to tread with Spock and Sarek, as Star Trek has shown throughout its history. Sarek disapproved of his son joining Starfleet over the Vulcan Science Academy and, while they would later reconcile, they often butted heads due to Sarek's more Vulcan mindset.

The father and son never really had a heartfelt exchange in an episode until The Next Generation episode "Final Days," which is available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. In the episode, Spock is able to visit his father on his deathbed, and the two have a long overdue discussion about their feelings for one another. It's a heavy episode, especially considering Vulcans suppress their emotions.

As for other ways Sarek could reappear, I suppose it's possible he's featured in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as a hologram, or there's some secret project from the franchise that's on the way. I don't think the latter is in the cards, but I guess if it is, maybe we'll find out at one of the upcoming Comic Cons in San Diego or New York. In any case, I'm excited about the prospect of James Frain's Sarek returning.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 premieres on Paramount+ on July 23rd. We'll have to wait and see if Sarek pops up but, in the meantime, I'm just happy to have new Trek to watch after a long hiatus in programming.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is switching up things with James T. Kirk's character, but fans can lower their phasers because this sounds like a great change. With Season 4 set to stream for those with a Paramount+ subscription on July 23rd, I was surprised to learn that we'll get an appearance by a Wrath of Khan character I didn't see coming.

David Marcus, Kirk's son, will appear in Strange New Worlds Season 4, as revealed by SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend in its cover interview. Henry Alonso Myers revealed the writing team wanted to do an episode that will show Kirk as a father to a younger David. He talked about the reason for the episode, hoping to add to, rather than retcon, the story of Kirk's son:

David Marcus was the love-child of Kirk and Dr. Carol Marcus, both of whom only occasionally saw each other due to their long-distance and on-and-off relationship. Rather than invite the implication that Kirk didn't really have a role in David's life until he was an adult, he was killed off in the third Star Trek movie, so we get robbed of a ton of father/son time.

So, when it comes to Strange New Worlds, what they're doing is not a retcon; instead, it's giving attention to something that the original series hadn't tackled during its run. Let's be real, Star Trek already has a history of showcasing imperfect fathers, with characters like Worf never getting to fully redeem their shortcomings as a dad. That won't happen with Kirk, as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will supplement what we know about him as a dad with more in this upcoming episode:

The goal of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was always to talk about what came before Kirk's captaincy on the Enterprise. While there's questions of whether Paramount+ would consider announcing a sequel to the series before the 2026 TV schedule ends is still up in the air, I think episodes like this could ultimately help show fans and executives why such a show should exist.

In that, Star Trek: Year One, or whatever it is eventually called, will never actually replace the original series. At the same time, it can strengthen and modernize it by introducing story arcs that help connect the dots for certain things shows made in the '60s weren't as focused on.

In addition to that, Strange New Worlds has plans to show us dinosaurs and an episode in which the crew is turned into puppets. Honestly, I'm just thrilled they're finding ways to give us something abstract and fun, while adding more emotional beats as well. The premiere can't get here soon enough!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is coming to Paramount+ starting on July 23rd. I can't wait for the new episodes, even if it moves us one step closer to the abbreviated final season.

It's been months since the rumor first cropped up that Patrick Stewart was retiring from acting following the release of Avengers: Doomsday. Now we're finally hearing from the actor, and it appears that whether he announced his retirement or not on the set of the upcoming Marvel movie, he's not planning on hanging it up.

Stewart spoke to TVInsider about a litany of topics, and eventually the topic of his rumored retirement came up. The actor clarified where things stand with his career, suggesting that it's not so much retirement as it is a lack of available roles:

It's totally understandable that Hollywood only has so many roles for the 85-year-old English actor. This is especially true when the franchise that helped bring him to prominence, Star Trek, is not currently producing any shows.

I'm not surprised to hear Patrick Stewart is not retired after all, as he has a track record of jumping the gun with statements. It's unclear if he actually said that on the set of Avengers: Doomsday, but he also very publicly said he'd never play Professor X again almost a decade ago. Now he's going to reprise the role in the biggest blockbuster on the upcoming 2026 movie schedule.

Of course, it's not like I expect to see Stewart suddenly cropping up all around Hollywood and starring in a lot of movies, but it's good to know the possibility is still there. I'm sure there are plenty of other voice acting roles he can still do without the stress of having to be on the set of a show or movie.

It's always difficult as a fan when actors reach an older age. Part of me is already plotting out his next Star Trek appearance, but at the same time, who knows what Patrick Stewart wants to do? The three seasons of Picard were supposed to be his farewell to the franchise. The last thing I want to do is prod him into continued appearances if he's not into the idea, or content with what he has coming his way at the minute.

In any case, it's nice to dream. And now that we know he's still taking jobs, we can do just that. As much as I preach about tempering expectations, I'm already envisioning him on the Enterprise once again, having one final adventure as Jean-Luc Picard with the entire crew.

Fans can see Patrick Stewart in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18th. I'll be thrilled to see him and all the other cast members in this adventure, in which I think their characters have met their match when it comes to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.

Star Trek is known for bringing back notable characters in some form or another, and I'm excited that another is poised to reappear. Jake Sisko is returning to Trek, though we won't see Cirroc Lofton's character appear on a show airing amid the 2026 TV schedule. Sisko is returning by way of a novel, and I'm hopeful that after his surprise appearance in a Season 1 episode of Starfleet Academy, we'll get some additional context on an aspect of Jake's personal history.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Peacemakers is now available to pre-order on Amazon and, if you're someone who still watches Benjamin Sisko and the gang deal with drama on the promenade, you'll want to pick it up. Sure, it's not a series we can stream with a Paramount+ subscription, but it could give us some additional context on something Jake said in regard to his father during my favorite Starfleet Academy episode.

What Is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Peacemakers About?

The Peacemakers hails from prolific Trek author Una McCormack and follows Jake Sisko five years after the Dominion War. In an attempt to escape everyone from Starfleet intelligence to the Bajoran people, he accepts an invitation to attend an arts festival on Cardassia Prime. Strange events soon start to occur and, with death surrounding him, he's thrust into an adventure.

It's an adventure I'd love to see play out in a limited series, but with no active Star Trek shows in development, I'll settle for this. Jake is a great character, and I'm as amped to see him return as I was to see Wesley Crusher in his own novel.

What Jake Sisko Says About His Father In Starfleet Academy

As mentioned, this upcoming novel has the opportunity to address something we learned from Jake Sisko in the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode, "Series Acclimation Mil." In the episode, SAM does a deep dive into the life of Benjamin Sisko, finding similarities between his responsibilities as an emissary of the Prophets and her being an emissary to her homeworld of Kasq.

Ultimately, SAM becomes convinced that if she can find definitive answers to what became of Benjamin Sisko and whether he was dead or alive following the Dominion Wars, she can justify her attending Starfleet Academy to the people of Kasq. She ends up speaking to a hologram of Jake Sisko, who tells her that his father was "around" after the war but cannot provide her with definitive proof that he was.

This opens the door for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Peacemakers to explain how Jake felt Benjamin's presence in his life, even if he didn't physically appear to his son after the end of the series. I would love if this book has a moment in which there's some supernatural event or unexplained phenomenon that backs up what Jake said to SAM. I have a feeling there will be, but I guess we'll just have to wait and read!

Unfortunately, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was canceled, though Season 2 is still expected to stream on Paramount+ in 2027. I'm excited for more episodes as well as this new adventure with Jake Sisko!

The late Roger Ebert is one of the film industry's most notable critics, and while he's no longer with us, many of his opinions live on via the internet. We're all familiar with the classic movies he hated, and that he had some occasionally radical opinions, such as his radical distaste for fandoms and the role they hold in Hollywood.

While I hold reverence for Ebert and the road he paved as much as other past critics, I have to say I was shocked by this quote from his book, A Horrible Experience of Unbearable Length: More Movies That Suck, traveling the internet. In it, he goes on a rant that serves as a takedown of fandom culture, and doesn't mince words on how he feels about it. Read it below:

It's pretty rough stuff to read, especially if you're someone excited about upcoming Star Wars movies or bummed about the lack of new shows on the way for Star Trek. I find myself in both of those categories, and as a proud member of many fandoms, I have to talk about my problems with what Roger Ebert said so long ago.

Fandoms Are Not Full Of "Socially Inept" People

Roger Ebert made a lot of generalizations about fandoms, and I think the rudest is calling people who are dedicated fans "socially inept." Speaking personally, some of the biggest Star Trek fans I know are not only plenty capable of talking about things outside of it, but they've also managed to turn that fandom into a career.

In fact, many of Star Trek's recent showrunners, like Mike McMahan, started out as fans, and they used their encyclopedic knowledge of The Next Generation and other shows to pay homage to them or even come up with new ways to enjoy them. Some of them even became actors on the series, like Tawny Newsome. Go to one of her panels, and you'll realize she's forgotten more Trek knowledge than you may know.

These are just high-level examples, and say nothing to scores of fans I've met over the years who thrived in their job fields as engineers, scientists, doctors, or content creators. To generalize "fandoms" as nothing but a place for social outcasts to amass and spew facts at each other is not only rude, it's widely incorrect in my opinion. Fans across all across the human spectrum, which is part of what makes it so special.

Roger Ebert Forgets The Personal Attachment Many Have To Fandoms

Another thing Roger Ebert fails to understand about fandoms is that an intense love of any franchise can often start from an earnest place. Maybe we love a particular show or movie because we watched it with a loved one, or we experienced it through a particularly remarkable time in our lives. Entertainment can be therapeutic or comforting, and in those moments a fandom is born.

The way Ebert talks about it, it's like a person who is effectively a blank slate found a show and used it to shield the world from just how boring they were. Again, that's very rarely the case, and sounds like a comment from someone who was never really a part of one. Had he actually participated in a fandom, I think he might feel differently, but I guess we'll never know.

All this to say, I still admire Roger Ebert, and his right to have an opinion that still makes people feel things even from beyond the grave. Even if I think his opinion is wrong, I have to respect that!

With the news of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cancellation dominating the first half of the 2026 TV schedule, some might've forgotten it still has another season on the way. Season 2 will air sometime in 2027 for those with a Paramount+ subscription, and while we wait on that, star Robert Picardo shared a hopeful wish for the series' future.

Picardo was recently doing some post-production work on Season 2, and hyped up anyone waiting on these episodes when they drop. While it's bittersweet that there are only so many episodes left, I'm in my feels to hear how proud he is of them. Check out his message he posted on X alongside a BTS image:

When CinemaBlend talked to Robert Picardo back in 2025, asking if he believed Paramount+'s merger with Skydance would impact Starfleet Academy, he felt positive that it wouldn't. Now, as another merger with Warner Bros. Discovery is imminent, and the franchise's future looks more uncertain than ever, I can't help but be bummed out that he seems less sure in his latest comments.

On the flip side, I'm happy that he feels proud of the work he and the cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy put in on Season 2, and hopes it will impact the future of the franchise going forward. At a time when no active Trek shows are in development, I think it's important for fans and stars to stay clear about what they want when it comes to any potential return.

It's a question many will have to figure out following Starfleet Academy's cancellation, which promised a lot of original stories and new developments in the Star Trek universe. Unfortunately, some fans preferred sticking to the past, with Picard Season 3 and Strange New Worlds seeing some of the best viewership numbers of this new era.

It's clear nostalgia resonates with a large number of Star Trek fans, but we've also heard Paramount fears the fandom is dying. The franchise is stuck between a rock and a hard place, in which it needs a show that will serve as an entry point for new fans, but will also be embraced by the existing fandom.

If the answers for how to solve this problem were simple, I don't think Paramount would've let one of its most-revered franchises get in this position. Unfortunately, it's in a jam, and while we're seeing plans for Trek to go back to theaters, we're left twiddling our thumbs and wondering what's next on the television side.

Until then, we still have Star Trek left to enjoy over on Paramount+. As mentioned, Starfleet Academy will likely return in 2027, and I can't wait to see how the final season plays out.

Showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers are talking about missed opportunities ahead of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' premiere on the 2026 TV schedule, and it's bumming me out. Not long after revealing they were close to getting William Shatner in the series, we're now hearing the fabled Doctor Who crossover was also close to happening.

While both shows nodded at each other in recent years, Goldsman recently told AwardsRadar during an interview that he was actively working with recently departed Who showrunner Russell T. Davies on making the crossover a reality. Here's what he said:

As a fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek who loves the new era of both, this is just another gut punch. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already wrapped filming on its final season, and Doctor Who is on indefinite hiatus for the time being. We were so close to having The Doctor on the Enterprise in live-action, and now we're presumably back to square one and may never see it happen. That situation could change a year or two from now, but as it stands, it feels there's no chance.

Of course, I say live-action crossover because we've seen The Doctor and Jean-Luc Picard cross paths in comic books thanks to IDW Publishing's crossover. I should also point out that in addition to Pelia's mention of traveling with The Doctor in Strange New Worlds, the series also showcased the TARDIS in a background shot of a Season 3 episode.

As for Doctor Who, The Doctor implied to companion Ruby Sunday that Starfleet is a real organization when she likened his technology to something out of Star Trek. It had me jazzed back then and hoping I'd stream a crossover one day with my Paramount+ subscription, but it just wasn't fated to be. Here's hoping both franchises find a way to cross paths again down the line, and it's all we hoped for and more.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 premieres on Paramount+ on July 23rd. As for Doctor Who, we're not sure when we can expect to see the series return, but I'm crossing my fingers and toes we don't have to wait too long.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds dropped a trailer ahead of its return on the 2026 TV schedule, and we got a better look at what to expect in Season 4. I also got a reason to believe that a spinoff fans really want should happen. So, after seeing more of the dinosaur and other exciting moments, I need to talk about a simple scene between James T. Kirk and Spock that made me confident a spinoff is a good idea.

While we still have one more season of Strange New Worlds to enjoy with a Paramount+ subscription after Season 4 wraps, there are no in-development shows on the horizon. There is, however, a pitch from the showrunners to do a spinoff centered around Paul Wesley's Kirk as head of the Enterprise, and I'm officially sold on the idea after seeing he and Peck's Spock gel in the latest trailer, which you can see below.

Paul Wesley And Ethan Peck's Moment In The Season 4 Trailer Sold Me On The Year One Spinoff

Spock and Kirk have had some moments on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but this show isn't really about their relationship. We've seen stronger interactions between Spock and Captain Pike, which makes sense, considering that it's necessary to explain why Spock risked his Starfleet career and life to deliver the incapacitated Pike to Talos IV in the original series episode "The Menagerie."

Star Trek: Year One would be where we'd see Spock and Kirk properly form their brotherhood, which was made iconic thanks to the chemistry Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner had on the original series. I wasn't confident Paul Wesley and Ethan Peck could have that same dynamic, but after seeing Kirk tease Spock with the following line, I think they can pull it off:

The line itself is the work of writers, but it's the delivery between the two that sells it. Paul Wesley shines with some classic dry sarcasm that walks the line between teasing Spock, while Ethan Peck remains stoic-faced. However, it feels so clear that there's a small part of Spock that is both amused and "fascinated" by his Starfleet colleague. These guys get it, and I need more of that in a spinoff, should Paramount+ decide to move forward with one.

What Is Star Trek: Year One?

At its core, Star Trek: Year One is meant to be the early days of Kirk serving as Captain on the Enterprise, after Pike accepts his promotion and hands over his command. This would further bridge the gap between Strange New Worlds and the original series, showcasing how the bridge crew grew into their older and more experienced selves.

The argument for Star Trek: Year One being greenlit is simple. The Enterprise sets for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can be recycled for the spinoff, and SNW is doing the heavy lifting in setting it up by bringing in characters like Sulu, McCoy, and others who aren't currently on the show.

While Anson Mount and other stars of SNW would appear sparingly or not at all, the spinoff already has its most important roles cast. With the bridge crew largely in tow and showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman campaigning for the spinoff, one would think the decision would be easy for Paramount+ given the series' success.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Paramount Skydance's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery could present some shakeups for all IPs on both sides, including Star Trek. With Strange New Worlds ending, Starfleet Academy canceled, and Alex Kurtzman's contract with the franchise set to expire at the end of the year, it feels like Paramount+ is leaning toward shaking things up with a new creative, rather than continuing the latest era of Star Trek television. If that's the case, it's hard to imagine the Year One spinoff happening, but we'll just have to wait and see.

For now, we just need to watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 when it premieres on Thursday, July 23rd, and remain optimistic that there is a plan for the franchise when it comes to streaming. If a Kirk-led spinoff isn't on the table, then I'm even more bummed that Strange New Worlds wasn't able to make that William Shatner cameo happen.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is returning to the 2026 TV schedule in July, but understandably, its fans are looking ahead to the future. With filming on the final season already wrapped, there's curiosity as to whether the proposed spinoff starring Paul Wesley's James T. Kirk will happen. Wesley recently shared the latest, though it seems there's not a whole lot of progress on that front.

The spinoff, codenamed Star Trek: Year One, was advertised as a soft reboot to the original Star Trek series that would depict the early years of the Enterprise bridge crew under Kirk's command. Wesley was asked about it during the FanX Comic Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana (via Collider), and the actor, who's wrapped his time on Strange New Worlds:, cracked a joke about Paramount+, saying:

That's a kind and non-confrontational way of stating what Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes mentioned a while back: there are no Star Trek shows in active development at this time. As such, there's nothing for him to say when it comes to the existence of Star Trek: Year One, and there may be no new show announcements for a while.

If there's any good news, it's that Paul Wesley remains as committed to returning as James T. Kirk for a spinoff as he was when CinemaBlend asked him about it back in 2023. He's ready to make a spinoff happen, but it's going to require Paramount+ to give it the green light first:

Who knows when or if that call will come, as Paramount is still in the midst of finalizing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. While there are plans for Star Trek to return to theaters, it seems as though we're in a holding pattern with television, with Paramount+ potentially waiting for the end of Alex Kurtzman's contract to pick the next person to lead Star Trek's next era of television.

Additionally, Paramount+ has a window of time before it's without Star Trek content on the streaming side. Strange New Worlds Season 4 is out this year, and then 2027 will presumably bring the final season as well as Season 2 of the already-cancelled Starfleet Academy. It could be a minute before we find out what's next for Star Trek, but hopefully, we'll get some answers sooner rather than later.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns with Season 4 on Thursday, July 23rd. Thus far, we've had no real indicator one way or another that there will be big announcements about new shows before the year is up, but if there are, fingers crossed Paul Wesley is involved.

Right now, Star Trek fans have to do a bit of waiting for a new series to hit the 2026 TV schedule. All the while, though, they're now being treated to some big news. In a shocking turn of events, a character from The Next Generation is returning in a pretty unexpected way. Michelle Forbes will reprise her role as Ro Laren in a video game that promises to go full horror, and I'm beyond pumped!

A trailer dropped for Star Trek: Shadow Frontier this weekend, and it shows Ro making her way through a spooky and foreboding planet. Meanwhile, a voice can be heard speaking to her and, by the end of it all, I had full-on chills. Check out the teaser for the game, which is set to be released on all major gaming platforms:

Star Trek: The Next Generation has plenty of WTF moments, but nothing quite as scary as this! I just have so many questions. For example, why is Ro by herself, and whose mysterious voice is that? We only know a bit so far, but I'm intrigued by what I've learned.

What Is Star Trek: Shadow Frontier About?

While Ro Laren made her Star Trek debut in The Next Generation, fans saw her return in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard. Based on the official plot description for Shadow Frontier, I'm willing to bet this game takes place closer to Ro's Picard appearance than TNG, and the story sounds great:

The game is a collaboration between Paramount Games and Bloober Team, the latter of which is known for making high-quality psychological horror games. Anyone familiar with Layers of Fear, the newest Silent Hill games or Cronos: The New Dawn can probably tell any of the uninitiated that this Trek game is in good hands.

Who Is Ro Laren?

For those who need a refresher, Ro Laren is a celebrated character in Star Trek, best known for her arc in The Next Generation, in which she defects to The Maquis during a deep-cover mission for Starfleet. Anyone who used a Paramount+ subscription to check out Picard's final season learned that Laren was later captured, rehabilitate, and put back to work for Starfleet, and it seems this is where her story picks up.

I think the biggest question is regarding whether there will be cameos from other notable Star Trek characters, seeing as Ro interacted with Jean-Luc Picard quite a bit in her TV appearances. Patrick Stewart did mention something a long time ago about reading a script tied to Picard but, at the time, many assumed it was for a movie or series. Could he be lending his voice to the game for a quick cameo? We'll have to wait and see.

Even if that isn't in the cards, I'm thrilled for some positive Star Trek news after the wave of cancellations and the current situation in which there are no active shows in development. Fortunately, it appears things are looking up and, hopefully, Shadow Frontier will be released soon. That way, fans can celebrate the franchise's 60th anniversary with a quality horror game.

Keep an eye out for more updates on Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, and watch old episodes of The Next Generation over on Paramount+. I'm still in shock that we're actually getting a game in which Ro Laren is the star, and I hope we get similar games with other more obscure characters taking center stage!

When news broke that Amazon moved on from the Stargate project it announced last year, I was only mildly surprised. I was even less surprised when I heard the alleged reason was due to its concept, which was deemed something that could only appeal to dedicated fans and not a wider audience. That's because I think this cancellation points to a larger problem that's seemingly impacting a lot of major sci-fi franchises.

The 2026 TV schedule has been brutal for fans of sci-fi television, as Star Trek has zero shows in active production, Doctor Who will reportedly cancel its Christmas special, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is struggling to fight off being overtaken by a horror movie at the box office. Legacy sci-fi franchises are going through it right now, and there are some common threads between all these situations that I think creatives need to figure out quickly.

Core Fandom Support Is Seemingly Not Enough To Make A Show Successful Anymore

One thing all these franchises have in common is their ties to streaming, and it seems the messaging is clear. While there may once have been a time when a franchise's fandom could support a series on its own, those days are gone. I've theorized that different generations of fans with different beliefs have segmented fandoms and made it difficult to unify what they all want in a series.

A simpler expectation is that older fans are dying, and one Star Trek actor confirmed as much. I guess it makes sense, as some of these franchises reach the 60-year mark and beyond that a few would be lost along the way or simply fall off. Then limiting access to streaming subscriptions feels like it further sections off who can watch, with the bottom line seemingly being that executives aren't keen on relying on the small population of fans who will stream.

Changing A Treasured Franchise Is Not The Key To Success Either

It is frustrating to hear that Amazon allegedly passed on Stargate because it felt too niche and not something that appealed to a wider audience. While I don't know anything about the plot, I do know the person responsible for it, Martin Gero, made the revival of Quantum Leap. That probably landed him the job with Stargate, because he did about as good a job as possible at creating a revival that honored the original show while still being accessible to casuals.

We've also seen plenty of shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Wars: The Mandalorian strive to prove there is a way to walk the tightrope between serving fans and the masses.

However, it sounds to me as though Amazon is seeking someone to take the concept of Stargate and make it something new, and if that's the new corporate playbook for success, I'm worried for the rest of the legacy sci-fi franchises.

We'll see what becomes of Stargate as Amazon reportedly looks for someone else to bring the franchise back to life. As for the rest, we may hear more on Star Trek and Doctor Who when San Diego Comic-Con rolls around, and I'm hoping we'll finally see some good news.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' staff attempted to get William Shatner back as Captain Kirk, but they weren't able to make it happen before filming the final season. Now, as the series prepares for Season 4's debut on the 2026 TV schedule, we're hearing about the massive cameo they tried and failed to get.

Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman and EP Alex Kurtzman talked to Polygon about the idea and how they quietly worked for years to try and get Shatner to return to Star Trek. With the series wrapped and Shatner revealing elsewhere he'd been in contact with the show about appearing, they pulled back the curtain on the plan they had to bring the 95-year-old actor back as Captain Kirk. I love the idea, and am a little upset we didn't get to see this happen.

William Shatner Would've Reprised His Role As James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, But As An Alternate Version

Bringing back William Shatner as James T. Kirk, especially at the actor's current age, presented a challenge. Akiva Goldsman had a pitch, however, and wanted to do an episode centered around an alternate version of Kirk that would be linked to the classic Star Trek episode, "The City On The Edge Of Forever."

In the original story, McCoy inadvertently destroys the timeline whilst visiting the past under the influence of a drug. Kirk and Spock follow McCoy back to the past, trying to figure out what he did that forever altered the course of history. Whilst there, he falls in love with Keeler (played by Joan Collins), only to learn that McCoy's saving her from a deadly accident is what ruined their timeline. Kirk is forced to allow the accident to happen, thus restoring the timeline.

In this new potential story, rather than return to his adventures, this version of Captain Kirk would stay behind in Depression-era New York to live out his days with the new love of his life, Edith Keeler. Obviously, the details are thin because the idea never fully came together, but I'm sure it would've been great had they gotten a chance to work on it fully.

What Alex Kurtzman Had To Say About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Missing Out On Including William Shatner

It's a cool pitch, but I imagine the logistics of pulling a script together in a way that didn't rebreak the Star Trek timeline were too hard to navigate. Alex Kurtzman seemed to agree it was sad that bringing back William Shatner and other scrapped ideas didn't happen, but believed it was ultimately inevitable:

As psyched as I am to watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 4 and 5 with my Paramount+ subscription, I can't help but be a bit bummed by what Kurtzman said. If there are tons of ideas that were left on the table, it makes me more eager to see more adventures. In fairness, that may be the point, considering Akiva Goldsman has petitioned for a spinoff of Strange New Worlds prior to this.

Unfortunately, we've known for a while that the days of hundred-episode Star Trek shows are over. Five seasons for a streaming series is considered an impressive metric, and with ten-episode orders becoming more commonplace, it's inevitable that ideas will be left on the table in the writers' room.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 premieres over on Paramount+ on July 23rd. William Shatner may not be in it, but with all the incoming crew members joining Kirk's Enterprise during the final two seasons, I'm still plenty excited about what's to come.

Star Trek and Rick and Morty crossing over sounded like fantasy back when the latter's former showrunner, Mike McMahon, first wrote Lower Decks. Fast forward to now, and Dan Harmon confirmed to CinemaBlend that it would actually be pretty easy to make it happen, despite Lower Decks' ending.

While speaking to Harmon and showrunner Scott Marader ahead of Rick and Morty's Season 9 return on the 2026 TV schedule, I brought up Warner Bros. Discovery's pending merger with Paramount Skydance and how that would put both franchises under the same umbrella. I asked if it would be possible for an official crossover to happen, even with Lower Decks off the air, and Harmon confirmed it'd be easier than I even thought to make it happen:

He's right, and if Dan Harmon and crew say they want access to the Lower Decks assets for a crossover episode/special, is Paramount Skydance going to say no? If it were me, I wouldn't say no to one of the best animated series out there giving my legacy franchise some increased relevance.

And while Star Trek: Lower Decks and Rick and Morty have distinctly different styles in how their teams approach storytelling, Scott Marader confirmed there are people on staff who would be great for a crossover adventure. Beyond Lower Decks creator Mike McMahon serving as a previous showrunner for the series, Marader confirmed they have a former LD writer on staff:

Bernard, who contributed heavily to the first three seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks, is now working on Rick and Morty, according to showrunner Scott Marader. He's not the only fan on staff who is a massive Trekkie as Dan Harmon is also a big fan of the franchise as well.

While Trekkies may worry Rick and Morty may lean too far into the "wtf" elements of The Next Generation or have Rick make Q look like a joke, I don't think that would be the case. If there's one thing I've learned from seasons of watching Rick and Morty, it's that the staff is loaded with people who love sci-fi. I wouldn't even hesitate at the thought of Lower Decks and Rick and Morty having a crossover, especially since the alternative is Lower Decks never returning to television.

My only hesitation would be that I'm not sure how the greater Rick and Morty fandom would react, and how they'd feel about a Trek-heavy episode or feature crossover. Not everyone may be as enthusiastic as I am about that happening, but with the series renewed through Season 12, maybe it doesn't matter? Surely we can spare one episode for the Trekkies, right?

Rick and Morty Season 9 airs on Adult Swim on Sundays at 11:00 p.m. ET. Season 9 is off to a great start thus far, and as someone who had a chance to see the entire season in advance, I can safely assure fans the best is yet to come.

It's been a rough time for Star Trek fans as of late, but Strange New Worlds' Season 4 premiere as part of the 2026 TV schedule has offered reasons to be excited. Ahead of the show's return in July for those with a Paramount+ subscription, we're now getting a real idea of what to expect. On that note, it seems fans like myself are going to get more of something they've been asking about for a while, and I couldn't be happier about it!

Strange New Worlds Season 4 Will Highlight Those Not On "Kirk's Enterprise"

According to a new summer preview from Polygon, Strange New Worlds will step away from seasonal big bads in Season 4 and put the focus back on the bridge crew. Specifically, fans can expect episodes that center around the people who aren't in "Kirk's Enterprise," and that's very exciting to hear.

It's also already known that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is making way for Sulu and "Bones" McCoy. However, in conjunction with the notion of more character-driven stories, the series will also prepare Erica Ortegas, Una Chin-Riley, and Erica Ortegas for their eventual exits. Presumably, this will set some of them on the path to appear in future adventures, though don't be surprised if one of them leaves the Enterprise in a casket.

If any Star Trek fans are reading this and are skeptical, I get it. We've been promised more of Melissa Navia's Ortegas in the past and, while Season 3 was a step in the right direction, it still feels we know so little about her. The same is true with Una and La'an, who have more or less become filler characters following their major arcs in early seasons. Hopefully, this season does right by them, and sets the stage for their exits as well as opens the door to future appearances in other shows. At the same time, it'll just be great to get more episodes centered around specific characters in general.

What Else Is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 About?

A season centered entirely on the characters who won't be on Kirk's Enterprise would be daring, but fans surely already know enough to feel sure that won't be the only thing Strange New Worlds does ahead of closing out things in Season 5. The fandom was teased with the existence of an episode in which the crew would be turned into puppets, and the teaser trailer revealed there will be dinosaurs as well.

The cast and crew seem pretty jazzed for fans to see it, but whether it'll be well-received depends on fans (and critics). It's safe to say morale is pretty low following the cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which means no shows are currently in development as far as the general public knows.

However, there is hope that San Diego Comic-Con will bring more news of upcoming projects, but that's not a guarantee. Until then, I continue to look ahead to the Trek shows we do have on the way, which as of writing is two seasons of Strange New Worlds and one more season of Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 should be a treat due to those varied and character-driven stories, and I'm hoping they collectively set the stage for a spectacular final season. Fortunately, the cast seems pretty positive that it's something the fans will love, so I'm putting my trust in their judgment. The season premieres on Paramount+ on July 23.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns to the 2026 TV schedule for its fourth season this summer. At the same time, fans already know a fifth and final is on the way, and many are already pursuing details on the final episodes. Fortunately, the cast is willing to answer some questions, though Rebecca Romijn's latest comments about Season 5's tone have me thinking I'm not ready.

Romijn took a break from hyping her return as Mystique in Avengers: Doomsday to talk Trek at CCXP, as she spoke to Collider about the eventual series finale of Strange New Worlds. The actress was asked whether it was emotional to read through that final episode, which led to the unexpected reveal that might be the most substantial piece of information we've heard about the final season yet:

I may need to break out the tissues. Sure, I expected the season to be emotional, and I would be mildly concerned if the ensemble cast that spent five seasons filming together weren't crying when it was all over. Still, this sounds like it's going to evoke a range of emotions amongst viewers. What I am excited to hear is that it sounds like we're going to get a lot of goodbyes in Season 5, as each major character gets to summarize their arcs.

Before closing out its journey, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has to welcome Sulu and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. CinemaBlend previously reported that actors had been cast for the roles, with Thomas Jane playing McCoy. As for Chekov, the showrunners confirmed he's not joining the cast, as he's still a teenager throughout the entirety of Pike's tenure on the Enterprise.

Of course, with the arrival of Kirk's bridge crew, Strange New Worlds must also say goodbye to those who weren't a part of his ship. Rebecca Romijn's "Una" is one of those characters, as are La'an Noonien Singh and Erica Ortegas. Knowing those characters may get their own exit highlighted makes me happy, even if I'll be emotionally devastated watching the exit of Una, one of Star Trek's best characters.

All this to say, Rebecca Romijn didn't explicitly promise anything, and it's entirely possible we see one of those previously mentioned characters exit in Season 4. That certainly makes me nervous about streaming the upcoming season with my Paramount+ subscription, though I wouldn't miss it for the world, no matter how traumatizing it may be.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns for Season 4 on Thursday, July 23rd, on Paramount+. I'm excited for the new episodes and curious about how this season will set up the final season and the arrival of Kirk's Enterprise era.

By now, fans are surely aware thatStar Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to end with its fifth season, and the fourth one is set to air as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Details are, of course, being kept tightly under wraps, though the stars of the show have shared some details here and there. On that note, Celia Rose Gooding is banging the gong and praising Seasons 4 and 5. While we eagerly wait to watch new episodes with a Paramount+ subscription, the Uhura actress is dropping some key words to describe the season, and they have me pumped!

Season 4 of Strange New Worlds arrives on July 23rd and, ahead of its arrival, TrekMovie.com caught up with the cast at CCXP Mexico City and talked about the upcoming episode. With the showrunners and actors alike calling Seasons 4 and 5 the best of the series, Celia Rose Gooding was asked about that and why she felt that way:

It may sound silly to get excited about the idea of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds embracing its "strangeness" and "newness." However, it's worth noting the fact the series didn't really live up to those adjectives with Season 3, and that was one of the complaints that longtime fans had. Viewers seem to love character arcs and seeing Spock and others get meaningful storytelling, but they also want to see space exploration and odd scenarios.

We still don't entirely know what's in store for Seasons 4 and 5 of Strange New Worlds, though there are a few things we can expect. It's known that there will be a puppet episode, and there's also a dinosaur in the latest trailer. Additionally, the entire bridge crew from Kirk's Enterprise should be in place by the end of the series.

While Season 3 received a middling response, Seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds were some of the most-celebrated episodes of the new era of the franchise. They set a high bar, so I think it's bold of the actors and actresses to praise the final run of the series, which has already been filmed in its entirety.

I can't help but wonder if there are plans for Star Trek: Year One, the proposed spinoff featuring Paul Wesley's Kirk as the lead to further bridge the gap between the new adventures and TOS. Right now, the franchise faces a lot of uncertainty with the impending merger with Warner Bros. Discovery halting any new television orders by Paramount Skydance for now. We'll see if that remains the case come the end of the year, but at the moment, it seems the franchise is in a holding pattern.

More immediately, though, let's see if Star Trek: Strange New Worlds lives up to the "strangeness" and "newness" that's been promised and provide a bit of that "final boss energy." The show returns with new episodes on July 23rd. Here's hoping there are some great surprises in store as well.

Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher is returning to Star Trek, at a time I'd argue he's needed most. While we wait for new shows to arrive on the 2026 TV schedule, a new novel has been released that puts Beverly Crusher's eldest child back in the limelight after we missed out on seeing him in Picard Season 3.

Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate is now available to buy, and I'm certainly psyched to read it after hearing how much author Dayton Ward will incorporate characters from Picard Season 3, as well as other classic moments from the franchise. For those who have been petitioning for the Legacy spinoff, this may be the closest we get to seeing that happening.

How Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate Brings Back Wesley Crusher

For those who aren't current on the past few years of Star Trek, Season 2 of Picard reintroduced Wesley and revealed he's officially become a Traveler after leaving with them in The Next Generation. As we saw in Prodigy Season 2, Wesley was able to seamlessly jump between moments in time and bring others with him.

That's exactly what Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate will highlight, as he'll take Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher, and Raffi Muskier with him through time to stop whatever is attempting to alter key moments in Starfleet history. Conveniently enough, those moments are some of Trek's most-celebrated episodes, so expect a lot of callbacks while reading.

As noted above, the newest Star Trek novel hails from prolific franchise author Dayton Ward, who has written numerous Trek books and short stories since the late 90s. As someone who loved his novel Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures, I can't wait to check out this latest story. Other fans may know him for his Strange New Worlds anthology contributions and his various The Next Generation novels.

This Is The Novel We Need In A Time Where Star Trek's Future Is In Limbo

With it seeming as though Paramount Skydance is looking to retool Star Trek on the television side, it's important to see a novel like Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate already making waves within the fandom. Specifically, I like that it sounds like an adventure that will blend both the newest and old elements of the franchise and show just how well these storylines mesh together.

The only thing I'm upset about is that this book serves as a reminder that Star Trek: Prodigy is not available to stream via Paramount+ subscription alongside all the other Trek shows and movies. Season 2, without question, delivered the biggest arc we've seen for Wesley in the entire franchise, and it would be great to revisit that while reading through this novel.

Aside from that, I do love that creatives continue to give Wil Wheaton a redemption arc as Wesley Crusher, given the blowback the character received from fans during The Next Generation days. It's cool the character is now the closest thing Star Trek has to Doctor Who's Time Lords, though let's not forget there's still a chance Time Lords exist in Trek.

As mentioned, Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate is available to purchase right now. I plan to dive into my copy soon and then start brainstorming a series pitch for Wesley Crusher revisiting meaningful moments throughout Trek history.

Leonard Nimoy took issue with how Gene Roddenberry wanted Spock to be portrayed in Star Trek, and it apparently resulted in the actor almost walking away from the role that cemented his career. The surprising story comes from a director who worked on the iconic episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Director Joseph Sargent spoke about the dispute between the creatives in the book The Fifty-Year Mission — The First 25 Years. The beloved late actor was said to have been frustrated, since playing a character like Spock meant having to deny his every instinct to embody the role more performatively. He went to creator Gene Roddenberry to discuss his frustration (via Woman's World.com), and according to Sargent:

While future Star Trek shows would write in ways that showcased more emotional depth in Vulcans, a large part of what made Spock so inhuman was his ability to overcome emotion with logic. As such, Gene Roddenberry wasn't going to flex on this, and while Nimoy threatened to quit, he ultimately stuck around and helped create one of the best Trek characters of all time.

Joseph Sargent went on to talk about how he saw Leonard Nimoy's career evolve, and felt compelled to ring him up after seeing one of the movies the actor directed. He said:

Nimoy didn't just direct one of the best Star Trek movies; he had a series of features afterward outside of the franchise, like Three Men And A Baby. While it's possible he might've gotten that opportunity down the line eventually, getting the chance to direct Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home certainly made the path to non-Trek directing gigs easier to get.

I'd argue Leonard Nimoy also paved the way for future Spock actors to explore their half-Vulcan and half-human background. Ethan Peck, whose version of Spock will return to the 2026 TV schedule in Strange New Worlds this summer, has had many scenes in which a younger Spock was "emotional," though it was far more muted than the average human.

It's wild to think of what Star Trek might've been like without Nimoy as Spock, and if it would've taken off in the way it did with sci-fi fans. The show thrived on the famous chemistry between Nimoy's Spock and William Shatner's James T. Kirk, and I'm not sure it'd be the same if any other actor played the role.

It's a great story to be reminded of the same year as Star Trek's 60th anniversary of the original series' premiere. With no active shows in development at the moment, fans haven't had much to celebrate as the franchise faces a lot of questions going forward. Right now, my question is if we can get some more remasters of classic Trek content available with a Paramount+ subscription, because I'd love an excuse to revisit some of these shows.

Star Trek's 60th anniversary continues, as fans wait for the premiere of Strange New Worlds Season 4 on July 24th. Tune in for dinosaurs, Kirk, and Spock, and see how Ethan Peck keeps the spirit of Leonard Nimoy's performance alive.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is returning to the 2026 TV schedule this summer, and it's looking like a wild Voyager connection could be coming up in Season 4. While we wait to stream new episodes with a Paramount+ subscription on July 24th, I need to talk about the dinosaur in the latest look at the season and if it is tied to the Voth.

A new trailer for Strange New Worlds Season 4 popped up over the weekend, and while there were no new scenes of the upcoming puppet adventure, we did see what looks to be a roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex. Unfortunately, we didn't get anything beyond that, so let's talk about what this scene could mean in detail, and how it could tie into a famous Voyager episode.

Is Strange New Worlds Going To Visit Prehistoric Earth?

I never want to assume anything when I see a clip of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, because there are just so many reasons we could be seeing this clip of a T. Rex. For example, maybe they went to a prehistoric planet that also has dinosaurs, or this is a dream Pike had. Let's also remember that last season featured a prototype Holodeck, so this could be a scene from a simulation.

Of course, another possibility is that the Enterprise crew somehow time-traveled back to Prehistoric Earth, and judging by the burning trees around the dinosaur, it may have shown up in the midst of an extinction event. I'd hate to see what the special effects bill was for this episode if so, but excited all the same to see dinosaurs in Star Trek if it ends up bringing the Voth back into the franchise.

Did The Enterprise Play A Role In The Voth's Existence In Voyager?

For Star Trek fans who don't remember or didn't watch Voyager, dinosaurs played a big role in the episode "Distant Origin." In the episode, the ship encounters a planet whose advanced species, the Voth, are a distant genetic relative of an extinct dinosaur species from prehistoric Earth. A Voth scientist wishes to use the Enterprise and its Voyager crew as evidence of the existence that Voth life first started on a distant planet (Earth), but he's deemed a heretic and coerced to recant his views.

While the Voyager episode confirmed the Voth evolved from dinosaurs that lived on Earth millions of years ago, it was never explained how the species escaped the planet before the extinction event that wiped out all the dinosaurs. Star Trek fans have theorized there was an advanced dinosaur species that developed space travel, or it's possible another advanced species transported them elsewhere.

We may finally get an answer thanks to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and I'm wondering if Pike's Enterprise may inadvertently be the ones who set the Voth on their eventual path of evolution. No guarantees the episode will even reference the episode, but given the nods we've seen over the years, I'm hoping they wrote this episode with that wtf Voyager episode in mind.

I'm hype for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to return, even with Season 4's arrival meaning that there's only one more season left if one of the best Trek shows of the modern era.

The Star Trek franchise may be in a holding pattern, but that doesn't mean its most beloved stars are out of a job. In fact, we have two stars hailing from the The Next Generation era that are set to appear in a crime series. Voyager's Kate Mulgrew will team up with Deep Space Nine's Colm Meaney for a series called The Yank.

The broadcaster RTÉ reported it's teaming with a selection of production companies to commission The Yank as a six-part series. Filming is already underway in Conamara, Galway, in Ireland. (Screen Ireland will be in the mix by association.)

Mulgrew will star in the series, with Colm Meaney being a co-star alongside others. I'm psyched to see this collaboration, especially considering Meaney never joined in on Trek's new era, and hoping I'll be able to watch it with via Netflix subscription or some other streaming service access.

What Is The Yank About?

Kate Mulgrew will go from playing a criminal in Orange Is The New Black to a NYPD detective who returns to her family's home after a traumatic event. Unfortunately, she's pulled into a murder investigation and teams up with local authorities to look into the death of a climate activist.

The series is a script from writer Eithne Verling, who made The Yank specifically for Kate Mulgrew after the two met when the actress was on vacation in Galway. I knew the actress was always proud of her Irish heritage, so maybe this series will atone for some of Star Trek: Voyager's WTF scenes with Fair Haven.

Why I Hope The Yank Will Get Picked Up In The United States

It's not Star Trek, but I do hope to see The Yank get picked up by some streamer or network to run in the United States. As mentioned, Colm Meaney wasn't a part of the recent stretch of Trek television, so I'll relish the opportunity to see him in this series. Then there's Kate Mulgrew, who did voice work for the canceled animated series Prodigy, but has not had a chance to appear in live-action.

At a time when it feels like Trekkies might be waiting on the next new television show in the franchise for a while, The Yank sounds like it could be a great distraction. It's not often we get to see a lot of these actors, especially the older ones, take on roles outside of Star Trek. With Patrick Stewart reportedly retiring from acting soon, we might see it happen even less frequently.

As such, I do hope that networks and streamers are keeping an eye on The Yank, because I know I'd like to give it a watch here in the U.S. when it releases. In the meantime, I guess I can always enjoy both Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney's previous Trek episodes with a Paramount+ subscription.

The 60th anniversary of Star Trek hasn't been a very fun one for fans, as some feel the franchise is stuck in a holding pattern amidst news of Starfleet Academy's cancellation and no meaningful updates on the film side. Franchise veteran Jonathan Frakes feels the same way people are feeling, but offered some words of wisdom as someone who has worked within Trek for a long time.

Frakes spoke to TrekMovie.com recently, and as someone with experience both in front of and behind the camera, he's a valued voice in the Star Trek community. The actor talked about the 60th anniversary, and the sad circumstances in which it arrived at a time when things aren't going great:

It is a weird time for the franchise, as Star Trek has zero shows in active development for the first time since 2015, when Discovery was first announced. It seems the television side is in a holding pattern, while Paramount Skydance prepares for a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, and EP Alex Kurtzman's contract with the studio expires at the end of 2026.

All this to say, it's April, and there's still time for the 60th anniversary of Star Trek to get the party rolling later on. The franchise doesn't officially hit the big 6-0 until September 8, as that was the date in 1966 when the world first met The Original Series' characters, albeit through a reconfigured pilot.

Strange New Worlds will return for Season 4 later this year, and it's possible Paramount will set that date to coincide with the September anniversary. With San Diego Comic-Con and NYCC appening in the coming months, there will be more opportunities for Paramount Skydance to make big announcements for Trek, across both film and television.

That said, Paramount Skydance has a lot of other things to work out with Warner Bros., and with Star Trek tentatively having content to roll out throughout the end of 2027, it seems decisions on what to do next could be placed on the back burner if there are other pressing decisions to be made in the meantime. The new film project teased at CinemaCon would certainly apply there, since it's unclear when we'll learn more about it.

While there is some sadness to pull from Jonathan Frakes' comment, I do appreciate his reminder that Star Trek will continue. The sci-fi franchise has survived for sixty years, and it wasn't all happy times on that road to 2026. While there may be a gap in content, it's comforting to hear vets like Frakes maintain they do think it'll make a comeback. In the meantime, I have access to a Paramount+ subscription and can enjoy the next year of content until we have more answers.

Here's hoping we have some more details about the future of Star Trek before the year ends, and if that's not possible, as soon as we can possibly hear more. I do agree with Jonathan Frakes that the franchise will resurface, but I'd rather not wait too long for it to do so.

Paramount Skydance announced its upcoming Star Trek movie is still "in development," and somehow, that's bumming me out more than the recent cancellation of Starfleet Academy. At a time when it feels Trekkies desperately need some positive news about the franchise's future, we're again stuck in this waiting period.

This year at CinemaCon, CEO David Ellison made exciting announcements about the studio's projects and confirmed it will aggressively release films throughout the 2026 movie schedule and beyond. However, TrekMovie.com and others reported that Star Trek was more or less a footnote, which is only a bit better than the previous year, when it was forgotten entirely. To me, that's not just upsetting, it's unacceptable, and it has me questioning just how serious the studio is about getting a movie out to its fans.

Star Trek Fans Know Nothing More About Star Trek's New Movie Than They Did In November

Back in November, we learned that John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were working on a new Star Trek movie, which had many excited because they're just a handful of years removed from co-writing Spider-Man: Homecoming. At the time, it was reported that it was likely the movie would be disconnected from previous entries in the franchise, both in film and television, and would feature new characters.

Essentially, we were given nothing in terms of what it would be about, which is exactly what we got this time, too. A Star Trek movie that has nothing to do with previous works is "in development," which can mean anything from a script actively being written to its just a studio commitment to make a movie happen. If this reads as snarky, it's because Paramount has been repeating this same line for the past decade, and we're no closer to seeing another Trek movie in theaters right now than we were back when Star Trek: Beyond was first released.

Paramount Skydance Is Really Dropping The Ball On Star Trek's 60th Anniversary

Star Trek's 60th anniversary as a franchise was meant to be a big year for the franchise, and yet, Paramount Skydance has done little in the way of assuring fans it's still the high-value IP that brought in billions in streaming revenue not that long ago. Movies take a while to make, I know that, but we can't even get a bread crumb of what the pitch is or what this movie is even about?

We do have unreleased seasons of Star Trek shows on the way, but I think many people want some promising news about the path forward. It doesn't seem like that will happen until Paramount Skydance's merger with Warner Bros. happens, but I would assume that discussions have to be happening.

There's still hope that we'll get some special news about the future of Star Trek when San Diego Comic-Con rolls around, but I'm getting increasingly pessimistic after CinemaCon's presentation came and went. It's disappointing because I know a ton of Trekkies ready to celebrate the 60th anniversary, but so far, there's very little reason to get excited.

We'll continue to keep an eye out for what's ahead for Star Trek as the year continues. Almost all the shows and movies are available on streaming with a Paramount+ subscription, so make sure to pick up one to enjoy some classic shows.

The cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy raised many questions about the future of the franchise and created a lot of speculation. Unfortunately, it's also led to misinformation, as William Shatner was forced to release a statement denying rumors he had a "secret" conversation with Paramount/CBS about Star Trek.

As former Trek veterans like Tim Russ speculate on the motives behind Starfleet Academy's cancellation, Shatner is going on the offensive on Instagram and denying videos alleging he met with executives to discuss the modern direction of Trek and influenced the decision. Shatner quoted his famous line from a Saturday Night Live skit in his response:

Shatner is referring to an influx of AI-narrated videos on YouTube, which use generated images and alleged false narratives to suggest he and other prominent stars like Patrick Stewart are against the modern era of Star Trek. One of those videos in particular has 257,000 views, and features a thumbnail of Shatner yelling at Starfleet Academy actress Kerrice Brooks. It was uploaded weeks after the actor tweeted about meeting the cast and calling them adorable.

The videos maintain that William Shatner bemoaned modern Star Trek and shared a role in this latest era seemingly coming to an end, just weeks after he publicly bemoaned Starfleet Academy's cancellation. He continued his statement, offering candid advice to fans eager to believe he has an axe to grind against the modern era, and "hate watching" Trek in the name of bashing it:

William Shatner may be caught up in this situation due to comments he made years ago during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. The actor became a notable face for the "anti Nu-Trek" fans after he said creator Gene Roddenberry would "turn in his grave" if he saw some of the stuff happening in the modern shows.

CinemaBlend followed up with Shatner years later, knowing he famously does not watch Star Trek, and wanted clarity on why he said that. He said he was speaking about intimate relationships between coworkers, something Trek has highlighted as far back as The Next Generation. Despite that, some took it as commentary related to inclusive casting and portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships.

The impression that William Shatner isn't a fan of "woke" Star Trek prompted lawmakers in Washington to publicly request he run the franchise, which also got support from prominent figureheads like Elon Musk. Perhaps now that he has made his stance clear on the situation, we'll see less of this false content claiming otherwise.

While there are no active shows in development, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will return to the 2026 TV schedule later this year. I look forward to its return, if only so the fandom can take a break from the back-and-forth discourse about the franchise's future.

The future of the Star Trek franchise has been a significant conversation as of late, and that's completely understandable. As of right now, the IP has zero shows in active development following the cancellation of Starfleet Academy. Now, as fans wait to hear what's next, Voyager star Tim Russ is suggesting politics might've played a role in its cancellation.

TrekCulture recently spoke to Russ, who also appeared in Picard Season 3, as well as the podcast audio drama Khan. The actor talked about the discourse surrounding the "woke" messaging and speculated about it playing a role in the series' eventual cancellation:

Russ also brought up the purported political affiliations of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, suggesting his closeness with President Donald Trump and his administration might have factored into the decision. Trump's Homeland Security Advisor publicly bashed Star Trek: Starfleet Academy back in January and called for William Shatner to take control of the franchise. Elon Musk, who has close ties to Trump via spearheading the DOGE program, has also publicly criticized the series.

Prior to Paramount+'s merger with Skydance, Star Trek actors, including Robert Picardo, did not foresee it impacting the franchise all that much. Now, we're heading into the rest of 2026 with no new shows planned, and it feels more likely with each passing day that Paramount Skydance will not renew the contract of its current head of Trek television, Alex Kurtzman. After bringing up that Star Trek has always been "woke," Tim Russ continued, further speculating that Ellison's thoughts on the show factored into its cancellation:

Russ' comments come after suggestions that the Trump administration played a role in CBS' cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and various changes made to CBS News programs. Of course, the actor isn't claiming to have any inside information as to what happened and is only suggesting that politics played a factor in the cancellation.

What has been evident, though, is the Star Trek brand's attempts to pull in a new, younger audience with some of its recent programming. Section 31 actor Robert Kazinsky shares the executives' belief that the fandom is "dying" and needs younger fans to keep the sci-fi staple chugging along past its 60th anniversary.

Starfleet Academy seemed to be an attempt to do just that, using a mix of veteran actors and 20-something unproven talent to pull back the curtain on a key piece of Starfleet that hadn't previously been explored.

Now, with its ending and a pending merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. on the way, one has to wonder when fans will get an announcement about when a new Star Trek series will be developed. With two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds yet to air, and one final season of Starfleet Academy coming out, there's some time before there's no Trek left to watch, so it may be a while before any decisions are made.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, as well as other previous franchise shows, are available to stream on Paramount+. The discourse surrounding the franchise continues as more actors share their thoughts about the future, and I'm hopeful we'll hear much more from them when some future decisions are finally announced.

Star Trek is at a critical juncture, as its 60th anniversary approaches. Most recently, the cancellation of Starfleet Academy sparks major questions about the future of the franchise. Uncertainty also looms over Alex Kurtzman's stint as the head of the TV side of the IP and the timeline for a new show announcement. At the same, author Andy Weir is catching heat from another noted author over comments made about the Gene Roddenberry-birthed franchise.

Weir is having a moment right now as the film adaptation of his acclaimed 2021 novel, Project Hail Mary, is crushing at the box office and getting rave reviews. Of course, the noted sci-fi author had some clout due to his previous works, but he now has people talking due to sharing critiques of Star Trek's latest era.

Andy Weir Had Some Harsh Words For Aspects Of Star Trek's Current Era

Andy Weir was a guest on a podcast hosted by The Critical Drinker, who is known for his "anti-woke" philosophy regarding Star Trek and other science-fiction shows. The conversation about Trek's new direction started when the host said that he'd prefer if Paramount Skydance retconned the entirety of the new era of Trek. From there, Weir shared his own views:

While Weir does enjoy some of the new Star Trek, it would seem he's not a fan of Discovery, Picard, Prodigy and Starfleet Academy. That said, his actual comments aren't as inflammatory as I'd originally assumed, though I would love to hear more about what it is he does and doesn't like about the new era.

Weir then said he approached the franchise about pitching a show, but it was shot down. He also talked about the experience and his impression of Alex Kurtzman, based on their meeting:

To note, the comments read as being a lot more inflammatory than Weir's actual tone, which felt like he was being more jokey than aggressive. Either that, or Weir possibly realized in real time his comments could catch on, especially as Project Hail Mary continues to dominate the box office, and he tried to soften it. In any case, the sentiments are out in the wild, and not everyone is happy with them.

How Writer Don Winslow Called Out Andy Weir

Weir's comments made rounds amongst Star Trek fans and apparently, other celebrated writers as well. Don Winslow, who is known for The Power Of The Dog, The Force, Savages, Crime 101 and many other books, wasn't a fan of what his fellow novelist had to say. In a post on X, he publicly called out Weir and asked that he issue an apology:

After that initial tweet, someone asked why Winslow would make a statement about the comments. With that, Winslow continued in a second post:

To be clear, it seems Winslow is not mad at Weir for having an opinion on Star Trek but more so for publicly bashing Alex Kurtzman as a creative. Kurtzman, of course, has written a chunk of Trek episodes for the new shows and is involved in the creative oversight of each of them.

Andy Weir Apologizes To Alex Kurtzman

Whether Don Winslow was responsible for this or not, Andy Weir decided to publish an open letter to Alex Kurtzman on Facebook as an apology. The writer explained that he didn't think before speaking, and tried to clarify his stance on what was said:

Good on Weir for speaking out, as some might've just waited for the heat to die down after the comments. Here's hoping Alex Kurtzman sees the message and is appreciative of the comments.

While the Star Trek team has no confirmed plan on the TV side, Paramount Skydance has made it clear there's an intention to release a theatrical movie. Writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were hired specifically for that reason, though there haven't been any updates about progress on that front. With no active shows in development on the 2026 TV schedule, the field is wide open for the movies to make a comeback. I'd be curious as to how Andy Weir would feel about additional feature films compared to the recent shows.

The good news is there is still new Star Trek to enjoy, so hold onto that Paramount+ subscription. Strange New Worlds Season 4 is expected to release later this year, and then 2027 will bring us its fifth and final season, along with Season 2 of Starfleet Academy. Here's hoping that by then we have some answers about what's next for Trek-related TV projects.

When CinemaBlend asked Robert Picardo in 2025 whether Paramount's merger with Skydance would impact the franchise, he felt pretty certain that it wouldn't happen. Of course, no one could predict that months later, Paramount Skydance would also merge with Warner Bros. Discovery, which has once again thrown everything into flux. Now, amidst positive assurances that the show would be fine, Starfleet Academy has been canceled, and the actor has offered a sobering message about his hopes for the franchise going forward.

Picardo added his voice to other Star Trek actors' comments, like William Shatner, who bemoaned the cancellation not long ago. On Screen and Beyond interviewed Picardo, and he shared his thoughts on what he hopes will be ahead when it comes to Trek programming in the future:

The actor's comments are in reference to the discourse that surrounded Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in Season 1. Some fans decried the series as "too woke," citing changes like an openly gay Klingon as too extreme for the franchise. While critics and overall reviews for the series were high, the series seemingly failed to find enough of an audience for Paramount Skydance to bring it back for Season 3.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cancellation comes at a key time, as it's the final year of Alex Kurtzman's deal with Paramount+. With no active shows in development at the moment, it appears as though the company will select a new person to head Star Trek television, though nothing is set in stone at this time.

Whatever the case may be, it would seem that this era, which started back in 2017 with the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, is over. It's possible Paramount could look into rebranding the franchise for its future shows or evaluate ways to try and entice new viewers while still serving the classic fandom.

Paramount Skydance has not signaled its plan for Star Trek television, though there have been public intentions to get a movie back in theaters soon. We're coming up on a decade since the last Trek movie premiered in theaters, but it seems like that could soon come to an end if all goes to plan. Whether that means television will take a backseat until that goal is realized, we can only wait and see.

There's a lot of uncertainty in Star Trek right now, but fortunately, most of the shows are still available to stream over on Paramount+. Plus, we also have the final seasons of Strange New Worlds and Season 2 of Starfleet Academy on the way, so there will be some new content to look forward to as the franchise figures out its next steps forward.