Star Trek is really going all out with its television at the moment, and has announced a staggering amount of titles set to air in the near and distant future. Among them is a series bound for Nickelodeon, which will focus on catering to an audience younger than what one may consider the typical Star Trek demographic. A producer of the franchise recently said that, ideally, the untitled digitally animated series will be a "great way" to bring younger minds into the world of Star Trek.
That producer is Heather Kadin, who explained that this upcoming Nickelodeon series won't hold the hands of its audience like adults may expect. That's thanks in large part to the creative minds helming one of Star Trek's new animated entires, Dan and Kevin Hageman. Here's how Kadin put it:
The reason we went to the Hagemans is because if you’ve seen their work, you know that they’re not writing Muppet Babies. It’s not 'Little Spock and Little Kirk.' It’s not playing down [to viewers] that way. Even [with] their characters in Ninjago — they are teenagers — I was able to watch that with my kids and they write with a very epic quality. They tell stories the way we tell stories in live action: serialized, turning over cards. I think it will be a great way for fans to introduce the franchise to their kids, and for new fans to be formed, because it’s such a big franchise, [it can be hard] to get into as a kid.
Heather Kadin indicated the purpose of Nickelodeon's Star Trek series is to get kids into the franchise, but noted it won't be doing so by giving children an overtly kiddie experience. Much like the Hageman brothers' project Ninjago, there will be conflict and drama, though I wouldn't say any of it isn't age appropriate. That shouldn't be too surprising considering a good deal of classic Star Trek is suitable for children, buy may be a bit dry for short attention spans.
The only bad news about Star Trek's Nickelodeon project is that it's going to take a while for audiences to get to see it. The initial word was that the 3D animation would take a long time, and that 2021 was a tentative release year for the yet-to-be-named series. Now, Heather Kadin confirmed to TrekCore.com that the wait will be even longer than that, which she admitted she was shocked by.
I was surprised! As someone who makes big, live-action shows, I heard how long it was going to take and I was like, 'What?!' Because it’s 3D animation, so just takes that much longer…
That's quite a long time to wait, especially considering one wouldn't describe the long list of upcoming Star Trek installments as "kid-friendly." Granted, the Star Trek: Lower Decks show certainly will appeal to a teen crowd, but it won't be the serious fare like Nickelodeon and Star Trek are collaborating on. Looks like the kids will need to wait on this one, and hopefully, the wait will have been worth it.
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As mentioned, the untitled Star Trek children's series won't be on Nickelodeon until 2021 at the earliest. Stick with CinemaBlend for updates on its development in the meantime, and for a look at what's happening in the world of television and movies in the near future.
