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:
I think, sadly, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our incredible franchise, it seemed very unfortunate that they’ve chosen this moment to not have any new Trek in production. It seems like a very unfortunate irony. I’m sure that Trek will resurface, it always has, and it always will. And the power that Roddenberry invested in it seems to have made it through six decades.
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.
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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.
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