Since the debut of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, there has always been at least one new Star Trek series in active production, but that streak came to an end with the cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The future of the franchise feels very uncertain, but one Paramount executive told Deadline that the studio is “the home of Star Trek, and we have series coming back.“
Star Trek is Important to Paramount
Jane Wiseman, EVP & Head of Originals for Paramount+, said, “It is our goal and it is our job to figure out what the next bounce of Star Trek is,” she said. “We’re talking to a lot of writers, we are leaning on CBS Studios, and it is imperative that we figure out what the next iteration is in this franchise because it’s just too important. We also are in touch with Paramount Pictures, they have a Star Trek movie that’s in development.“
What About Alex Kurtzman?
You’ll notice that Wiseman didn’t mention Alex Kurtzman, who has overseen the franchise for years. His tenure has won just as many detractors as fans, but his contract is set to expire later this year. It remains to be seen if Paramount chooses to renew Kurtzman’s deal or chart a new course entirely.
Earlier this year, Kurtzman spoke with TrekMovie and confirmed that conversations with the studio are happening. “Yes, I’ve had conversations with them about the future of Star Trek,” he said. “Yes, we’ve gotten nothing but support. Yes, there have been specific shows that have been discussed. And we’ll see. I’m truly at the beginning of the conversation with them now… I don’t have anything to report yet. But I can report that the conversations are happening.“
Wiseman’s mention of “talking to a lot of writers” does seem to indicate they’re looking for a new shepherd for the franchise, but nothing is official yet. I would think that David Ellison’s new Paramount regime might want to make a fresh start.
The New Star Trek Movie
Although the franchise’s future on the small screen is unclear, there is a new movie in the works from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the duo responsible for 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
The pair have teased that the project won’t feature any of the characters seen in previous Star Trek movies and will be set “a little further into the future than we’ve been before.” Whether that means post-Picard (25th Century) or post-Discovery (32nd Century) remains to be seen. At San Diego Comic-Con, Daley told Collider that it will be “a version of Star Trek that no one’s ever seen before.“
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