With only a limited number of upcoming Star Trek shows currently in the works, one can't help but feel the winds of change are swooping in on the beloved sci-fi franchise. With that comes a lot of conversations about the more recent entries in the franchise, and of course, comments from the people who used to be involved in the old shows about ways the new generation can improve.
Brannon Braga was a name synonymous with The Next Generation, serving as a writer and co-producer, and later became the showrunner for Voyager and Enterprise. All this to say, he has a lot of experience with the shows, and thinks bringing back one key change from the past could make all the difference for future Star Trek shows as they become available with a Paramount+ subscription.
Brannon Braga Believes Star Trek Shows Should Return To Longer Seasons
Brannon Braga spoke alongside Kate Mulgrew to a room full of Star Trek: Voyager fans at Star Trek Las Vegas, and during their conversation, they talked about the modern state of the TV landscape. Braga shared his thoughts about modern Trek specifically, and his viewpoint that shows should go back to the 20+ episode seasons (via TrekMovie.com):
I look at this [STLV] audience, and I think you’re here because you had a long-term relationship with Voyager. Voyager was 26 episodes a year. Some of you probably keep it on because it’s cozy and that’s the kind of relationship you had. A lot of shows now are Tinder relationships—eight episodes every two years, I don’t think so. That’s not going to be something you necessarily pass on to your kids. And I think that’s a loss… It’s a new paradigm. And some shows are still doing it… NCIS does like 22. But I really don’t know what’s in store for the future of Star Trek, the TV franchise anyway, but I hope, I hope that eventually they get back to a longer, more sustained season.
Braga's comments from the convention are getting a lot of traction following the conclusion of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, which fans felt was uneven in terms of quality. Even the showrunners told CinemaBlend the writers' strike made it difficult to find a groove, though they promised Season 4 they were fully on track. Could the season have had a different perception if Season 3 had more episodes? I think Star Trek: Voyager's most WTF moments would argue against that, but I disagree with this stance for other reasons.
More Episodes Would Mean Scaling Back Production Quality, And It's Also Unrealistic To Imagine
It's easy to state Star Trek needs to go back to longer seasons, but much harder to do in practice. Franchise head Alex Kurtzman effectively confirmed the days of 100-episode series runs are likely done when it comes to Trek. Not even this biggest shows on streaming, like Stranger Things for example, are getting episode orders of that size, so it's hard to imagine that Trek would be treated any differently.
I'm Just Now Realizing Something About Star Trek's Latest Announcements That Has Me Concerned
In the case that it were feasible, one would imagine the sacrifice would have to be that Star Trek shows spread its budget out much further rather than get more money to spend. Maybe some fans would be ok with a series that looks more similar to what we saw with Enterprise toward the end of its run, but I think the ship has largely sailed on that format.
The case could be made that The Orville, which Brannon Braga is an executive producer on, shows the classic format of The Next Generation era is still viable, but let's not forget the facts. The latest season of the series was ten episodes, took quite a while to make, and we're still waiting on news of Season 4 happening three years later.
In short, I agree with Brannon Braga that we should have as many Star Trek episodes as possible, but I think we're already at the point of what the current landscape for television allows. Sure, it would be great for Starfleet Academy to run as many episodes as NCIS, but one of those two has a lot more depth to it than the other. Personally, if Starfleet Academy turned out to be similar to a typical police procedural, I don't think I would like it very much.
For now, I can imagine that Brannon Braga's wish for longer seasons of Star Trek will fall upon deaf ears, but I'll still be psyched for Starfleet Academy's arrival on Paramount+ in early 2026, all the same. After that, we're looking forward to Season 4 of Strange New Worlds, and hopefully the arrival of some movies on the big screen. Until then, maybe it's time for a re-watch of Voyager.
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