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10 Best Star Trek Spinoffs, Ranked

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The Star Trek franchise is entering a new era with new Paramount+ series and movies on the horizon and the final season of Picard now streaming in its entirety. As audiences continue to return again and again to the final frontier and wide variety of worlds in Star Trek , the franchise is nowhere near its end.

In 50+ years since Star Trek: The Original Series first aired, the franchise has introduced ten different spinoff series that have carried forth their predecessor's legacy. While each of these shows has its merits, some simply stand above the rest as the greatest spinoffs in the Star Trek galaxy.

Updated January 18, 2024 by Robert Vaux: The article has been updated to reflect changes in the Star Trek franchise since it was originally written. It has also been updated to conform with current CBR guidelines.

10 Star Trek: The Animated Series Captured The Original Show's Magic

Star trek: the animated series.

The further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Star Trek: Voyager Actor Weighs in on Controversial Tuvix Debate

Star Trek: Voyager's Tuvix actor Tom Wright shares his opinion on whether Janeway made the right decision about his character's fate.

Star Trek: The Animated Series was the first official spin-off of the original show, as well as the first animated project in the franchise. Coming several years after the cancelation of The Original Series , this spin-off depicted the continuing adventures of the USS Enterprise crew, bringing back many members of the original cast in voiceover roles.

The Animated Series is a terrific entry in the Star Trek pantheon, though its popularity hasn't withstood the test of time in the same way that other spin-offs have. Though the series was able to mostly capture the magic of its predecessor, the animation, technical aspects, and general tone are a testament to the age in which it aired, paling compared to later series.

9 Discovery Paved the Way for a Star Trek Renaissance

Star trek: discovery.

Star Trek: Discovery launched in 2017 as the first Star Trek series in over a decade, following the crew of the eponymous starship, which included are entirely new characters. The show acts as a prequel to The Original Series , set a decade before its events and occasionally featuring cameos from future Enterprise crew members, including Spock (Ethan Peck)

During its early seasons, Discovery landed with critics but created controversy among audiences : drawing criticism for apparent tampering with the Star Trek canon, including the surprise reveal that Spock had an adopted sister. However, the series deserves credit for effectively rejuvenating the Star Trek franchise, paving the way for multiple new series set in the original franchise canon for the first time since the movie reboot in 2009.

8 Prodigy Is Star Trek for the Family

Star trek: prodigy.

A group of enslaved teenagers steal a derelict Starfleet vessel to escape and explore the galaxy.

Did Star Trek (2009) Incorporate a Story From a Canceled Original Series Movie?

When J.J. Abrams helped reboot Star Trek in 2009, elements of the film seemed borrowed from The Academy Years, a discarded Original Series era movie.

Star Trek: Prodigy is an animated spinoff directed at children while also acting as somewhat of a spiritual successor to Star Trek: Voyager . The series follows a group of young aliens who commandeer the USS Protostar and travel across the galaxy, with the crew of the Voyager , including Captain Katheryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), in pursuit.

As a fun exploration of Star Trek 's vast world, Prodigy is certainly a worthwhile series for any fans of the franchise, especially as a follow-up to Voyager . However, because it is aimed primarily at children, Prodigy never reaches the emotional depths and moral quandaries of its other sister series, though future seasons may reverse this trend.

7 Picard Brings Back a Favotire Star Trek Character

Star trek: picard.

Retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard is drawn back into action when a mysterious young woman seeks his help, triggering a journey that leads him to confront the ghosts of his past. As he assembles a new crew to uncover the truth behind a dangerous conspiracy, Picard navigates a galaxy that has changed significantly since his days aboard the Enterprise.

Star Trek: Picard finally returns to the story of fan-favorite Starfleet admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) 20 years after his final appearance. The series acts as an epilogue to Picard's story after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation and even features several returning characters from other Star Trek properties throughout its three-season run.

Despite the incredible cast for Picard , the series struggled to find its stride. The first two seasons paled in comparison to Picard's earlier adventures, failing to justice the show's existence. However, Picard truly soared in its third and final season, which finally does justice to its title character and beloved cast of characters. It may have taken a while to get there, but Picard firmly stakes its claim in the Star Trek fandom.

6 Lower Decks Let Star Trek Laugh at Itself

Star trek: lower decks.

The support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, have to keep up with their duties, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

After Star Trek: Discovery, the 32nd Century Should Be the Franchise's New Frontier

Star Trek Discovery avoided a host of potential continuity issues by leaping 900 years into the future. The franchise as a whole should follow suit.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is an animated spin-off exploring the lives of lower-ranking crew members on the USS Cerritos . Poking fun at the franchise's propensity to ignore any Starfleet crew members not listed in the opening credits, Lower Decks is the first Star Trek series to be considered a comedy.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is one of television's strangest spin-offs , becoming one of the more unique series in the franchise by far. However, it brings a much-needed fresh perspective to the long-running franchise. Though some viewers may worry that Lower Decks doesn't take the franchise's canon seriously enough, it is difficult to deny that the show doesn't make for entertaining television.

5 Enterprise Showed the Early Days of Star Trek

Star trek: enterprise.

A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

Set a century before the events of The Original Series , Star Trek: Enterprise follows the first crew of the eponymous starship on their early adventures throughout the galaxy. Sporting a crew that included Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), Trip Tucker (Connor Trineer), and T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), the series ran for four seasons in the early 2000s.

Enterprise was a stark departure from previous series, building out the lore of the franchise and focusing on character-driven drama. Although the series started out well, it dwindled in quality enough to receive a cancelation order after its fourth season, creating a long hiatus wherein no new Star Trek series were produced until 2017's Discovery . Nevertheless, Enterprise remains a generally enjoyable foray into deep space with fun and engaging characters.

4 Voyager Took Star Trek Beyond the Final Frontier

Star trek voyager.

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

10 Controversial Star Trek: TOS Episodes That Wouldn't Fly Today

Star Trek: The Original Series has released several polarizing episodes that wouldn't work today, from "Omega Glory" to "Mudd's Women."

Star Trek: Voyager took place in the 24th century, following the crew of the titular spaceship, led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and their adventures in deep space as they attempt to return home. The series ran for seven seasons, ending in 2001.

Voyager was the perfect next step after the end of The Next Generation . Exploring an all-new starship and its cast of new characters, the series greatly expanded the borders of the franchise in all the best ways. Furthermore, its gender-balanced cast, which included Star Trek 's first female Starfleet captain, marked a significant turning point in the franchise.

3 Deep Space Nine Showed the Shadows in Star Trek's Universe

Star trek: deep space nine.

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the first series in the franchise not set aboard the USS Enterprise . Instead, the series follows the inhabitants of the Deep Space Nine space station, led by Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). The series, which was set in the same timeframe as Voyager , ran for seven seasons before coming to an end in 1999.

Deep Space Nine is one of the best Star Trek series, building the lore of the franchise in new and inventive ways. Although early seasons struggled as a result of the show's sedentary setting, later episodes fixed this issue by moving to the USS Defiant . While Deep Space Nine separated itself from previous series in all the best ways, modern Star Trek learned all the wrong lessons from Deep Space Nine , often falling short in its reimagining of the franchise.

2 Strange New Worlds Returns to Star Trek's Roots

Star trek: strange new worlds, gene roddenberry created star trek, but who is the woman behind the franchise.

Fans laud Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, but he didn't do it alone, with Dorothy D.C. Fontana being a very important woman in franchise history.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a spinoff of Discovery , with both series set in the same timeframe. The show follows the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), James T. Kirk's predecessor aboard the Enterprise . Having only aired two seasons, Strange New Worlds has rapidly become a fan favorite.

Strange New Worlds gets Star Trek right , using the perfect blend of old and new characters to expand the lore surrounding the crew of the Enterprise . The series manages to set up events to come in The Original Series without belaboring its point, and while there is still plenty of time for it to go off the rails, it is the best Star Trek series currently airing new episodes.

1 The Next Generation Moved Star Trek Beyond Kirk's Enterprise

Star trek: the next generation.

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was the first live-action spin-off in the franchise, following the crew of the Enterprise , led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, nearly a century after the events of The Original Series . The Next Generation ran for seven seasons, with its cast also appearing in four original films.

The Next Generation is everything a spinoff should be, improving upon its predecessor in every way. The beloved series holds a deep reverence for the original without repeating its story. Instead, the show introduced new concepts, characters, and storylines that expanded the franchise well beyond what it had been before. The Original Series may have kicked off Star Trek , but The Next Generation made it a franchise.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

• star trek (tv)

The History of the Star Trek Spin-Off

We sit at the edge of over 20 new Star Trek spin-offs , everything from the second season of Star Trek: Discovery to a yet unnamed Star Trek Picard series. It is hard to imagine a time when every department store aisle was not filled with Star Trek spin-offs. From cereal to bedsheets Star Trek is everywhere.

It was not always this way.

“Star Trek” was slow to launch. Spin-offs started extremely modestly compared to the warp speed we see today.

During the shows, original run spin-off merchandise was hard to come by for early fans. This was due in part by the fact that television properties, unlike today, were not considered good candidates for spin-offs in any form. This expectation came much later, thanks to Star Wars which fully cemented and realized the spin-off juggernaut that we see today.

“Rack Toys”

Those first Star Trek fans that witnessed the birth of a cultural phenomenon were offered very little that they could bring home to show their love of the iconic show. Besides the quick-to-produce t-shirts and buttons, the first merchandise was the usual “Rack Toys.” Rack Toys are those cheap toys that are found in dollar stores (traditionally grocery stores, drug stores, and dime stores) these toys bear little resemblance to the property that they are tied to. While these examples did not come out until the early 70s, some examples of these early toy spin-offs, include a parachuting Kirk and Spock rubber “figures” and guns that looked nothing like the iconic Phasers seen in the show. Nothing says Star Trek like a parachuting Spock.

Uniquely Star Trek

Two spin-off products that were available while the show was finding its way during its original run are unique even until today. The first were AMT model kits. Model Kits are obviously not unique, but the licencing deal that Gene Roddenberry cut with AMT certainly was. Part of AMT’s licencing fee included providing models for the show. Some of these first AMT models can be seen in episodes, “The Doomsday Machine” and the popular “The Trouble with Tribbles.” AMT models most significant contribution to the show was building the now iconic shuttlecraft, first seen in the episode “Galileo 7.” AMT designed and built not only the model kit to be devoured by these early fans, they built the full-scale prop used in the episode itself. This was one way Gene Roddenberry was able to finance the vision he wanted for the cash-strapped show.

The second spin-off item available to fans while the show was still in its first run was the book The Making of Star Trek  by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry.

This book first released in 1968 helped establish everything we now take for granted in Star Trek . While spin-off merchandising was still unexplored territory so too was opening up the behind the scenes story of how to create a hit TV show. This book did just that, it is part how to write for TV book and part Star Trek history. The book documents the rich backstory and incredible level of detail that Gene Roddenberry poured into the show. From the set design by Matt Jefferies to Gene’s consultations with DARPA the deep state defence contractor.

These two firsts helped establish Star Trek as something unique in television and built the fan base it continues to enjoy. From these early spin-offs, we now have highly detailed Star Trek blueprints and technical manuals right up to cut away model kits of the Enterprise itself. Both of these early works the unique licencing deal and the making of book were unheard in annuals of pop culture and remain unique to Star Trek .

The first true media spin-off of Star Trek was found in print. As mentioned fans craving more Star Trek could find it in the bookstore. From making of books to original novels and episode adaptations. Long before home video was an option and even before the episodes could be found endlessly in syndication. Episode adaptations by James Blish were available to fuel fan imaginations. These adaptations often based on early draft scripts were first released in 1967 while original episodes were still airing weekly.

Star Trek has a long and rich history in the printed word.

1972 – The Convention is Born

Another first in pop culture was the Star Trek spin-off conventions. While Sci-Fi conventions had been around for years, Gene Roddenberry had even promoted his new series at such conventions. Star Trek was the first television show to receive its own dedicated convention. Just 3 years after the last original episode aired the Star Trek Lives! Convention blew away every expectation in 1972. These conventions and their offspring continue almost unabated.

Toys Improve

The most iconic toy merchandise in a landscape of both limited choice and half hatred attempts were found in the now classic Mego Star Trek figures . These figures first released in 1974 a full eight years after the show initially aired were a runaway hit for both Star Trek and Mego. Mego Corporation was a true pioneer of the action figure genre all through the 70’s.

The company went bankrupt and closed its doors in 1982, yet just a few months ago in July 2018 Mego Corporation has returned . Many of these early Star Trek figures can now be bought again at retail, but this is a story for another day.

After the loss of Mego, toys continued to flounder as spin-offs. Few licenses found success through the movie years in the 80’s. Even Galoob’s line based on the release of S tar Trek: Next Generation  in 1988 fell flat. Toy spin-offs finally found success again in 1992. In 1992 a full 5 years after the primer of Star Trek: Next Generation Playmates Toys released its first action figures. Toys have continued to find success since then through various licenses.

Star Trek Returns to the Screen

Star trek: the animated series.

The first true spin-off of Star Trek after print was Star Trek: The Animated Series . For the first time, Gene Roddenberry’s vision could be seen on TV again with new episodes. The show featured many of the same writers, producers from the live action series. In addition, almost the entire cast returned to voice their characters. The series produced by the now iconic Filmation Animation Studio, lasted only 2 seasons.

The animated series managed to correct a few of the original show’s flaws, like including 2 entrances to the bridge. Being an animated show, the production was able to utilize many elements that were too costly to include in the original series. These include more complex aliens like the three-armed alien bridge crew. The series also features a plot device most associated with Star Trek: Next Generation  – the Holodeck. Plans to include a Holodeck go back to the original series but were deemed too costly to realize.

False Start: Star Trek Phase II

By 1974, it was clear to Paramount Pictures that more Star Trek was needed to fill the demand. Rumours of the show’s return were everywhere. Paramount’s first attempted following the cancellation of the animated series was the never-realized Star Trek: Phase II television series. Scripts were written, sets were built, but something happened on the way to V’Ger. Star Wars  exploded in 1977, thus, the new TV series turned in to  Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

Star Trek: The Motion Picture launched what became the continuation of new adventures with the original TV crew. In all, 6 movies were released between 1979 and 1991 featuring the 1960s cast.

While the 80s proved Star Trek was still popular and viable, yet another spin-off came in the form of Star Trek: Next Generation . Set 80 years after the events of the original crew’s adventures, Captain Picard and crew set out to explore strange new worlds.

In all, 5 spin-off series have come from such humble beginnings. Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Enterprise and finally Star Trek: Discovery .

The Future is the Undiscovered Country

Who knows where it will end? With a premise as rich as Star Trek , it is hard to imagine it ever could. One could easily envision almost any genre working within the Star Trek frame. A Star Trek  series could make an impressive, futuristic backdrop to a crime police drama for example.

Case in point – CBS All Access (CBS’ streaming service) has just optioned the first official Star Trek comedy series . The newly announced series Star Trek: Lower Decks will be a half-hour animated comedy series. It seems at least for now we have come full circle, with the latest Star Trek spin-off going back to the first spin-off as an animated series. Hopefully, this one will last a lot longer than first.

No release date has been announced for Star Trek: Lower Decks , so until then catch the latest Trek on Star Trek: Discovery returning January 17th 2019

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The Best '80s TV SpinOffs, Ranked

The '80s are widely considered a golden age of TV. From great sitcoms to inventive late-night variety shows, the 1980s really changed television forever. But not to be forgotten in all of that great TV are the tremendous spin-offs that premiered in the '80s. These are the best1980s spin-offs, ranked from best to worst by TV fanatics. Some of these shows expand the universe and continue the journey of fan-favorite characters from their predecessors, while other great 1980s spin-offs on this list merely take place in the same location as the show they're based on. 

What are some of the series that you'll find on this list of1980s spin-offs list? After appearing in popular segments on The Tracey Ullman Show , The Simpsons were given their own series in 1989. This great spin-off holds many titles including the longest-running sitcom and the longest-running animated program in America. Mork & Mindy is another good spin-off that aired in the 1980s.

A Different World followed The Cosby Show character, Denise Huxtable, as she went off to college. Other great shows on this top '80s spin-offs list include The Jeffersons , The Facts of Life , and Muppet Babies .

• Premiered : January 15, 1974
• Genres : Comedy

Worth Your Time?

The Jeffersons

• Premiered : January 18, 1975
• Genres : Comedy,Comedy

Laverne & Shirley

• Premiered : January 27, 1976

Mork & Mindy

• Premiered : September 14, 1978
• Genres : Comedy,Fantasy

The Simpsons

• Premiered : December 17, 1989
• Genres : Animation,Comedy

The Facts of Life

• Premiered : August 24, 1979

Family Matters

• Premiered : September 22, 1989

Mama's Family

• Premiered : January 22, 1983

Three's Company

• Premiered : March 15, 1977

• Premiered : September 13, 1979

Muppet Babies

• Premiered : September 15, 1984
• Genres : Adventure,Animation,Fantasy,Kids

Star Trek: The Next Generation

• Premiered : September 28, 1987
• Genres : Adventure,Drama,Fantasy,Science Fiction

• Premiered : October 8, 1988

A Different World

• Premiered : September 24, 1987

She-Ra: Princess of Power

• Premiered : September 9, 1985

What's Happening Now!!

• Premiered : 1985
• Genres : Sitcom, Comedy

Count Duckula

• Premiered : February 6, 1988
• Genres : Animation,Comedy,Kids

Just the Ten of Us

• Premiered : April 26, 1988

Joanie Loves Chachi

• Premiered : March 23, 1982

• Premiered : January 12, 1981
• Genres : Drama

• Premiered : 1980
• Genres : Sitcom, Action

• Premiered : September 26, 1983

Degrassi Junior High

• Premiered : 1987
• Genres : Soap opera, Teen drama, Drama, Children's television series

• Premiered : 1988
• Genres : Sitcom

Checking In

• Premiered : 1981
• Entertainment
• Watchworthy

Den of Geek

The First Star Trek Spinoff Would Have Explored a Very Different Kind of Frontier

As Star Trek was meeting its potential end, Gene Roddenberry tried to make a very different sci-fi spinoff with Assignment: Earth.

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By the end of Star Trek ‘s second season, Kirk and the Enterprise had encountered many godlike beings and advanced technologies. Yet, they still reacted with shock when, during a trip back to 1968, a mysterious person interferes with the ship’s transporters, and even more so when the person reveals himself as a serious-looking human holding a black cat named Isis.

That man, they discover, is Gary Seven a 20th-century human and member of an alien peacekeeping force. Seven has been sent back to his home planet to prevent a rocket launch that would further enflame the Cold War, a mission that Kirk and Spock take too long to understand.

Such is the plot to “Assignment: Earth,” the 1968 finale to the Original Series ‘ second season, which was also almost the last episode of the entire series. But even if that had been the end of Kirk and crew on television, it may not have been the end for Gary and his feline companion. After all, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had originally hoped to turn “Assignment: Earth” into an ongoing spinoff series, one that would have taken a slightly more grounded approach than exploring the final frontier.

A Missed Assignment

“Captain, we could say that Mister Seven and Miss Lincoln have some… interesting experiences in store for them,” says Spock at the end of “Assignment: Earth.” The line was intended as a tease for the audience, capping a backdoor pilot that Roddenberry hoped would lead to his next hit sci-fi series. But even before it was folded into Star Trek, the idea for “Assignment: Earth” began life as its own standalone show. Unfortunately, when none of the networks showed interest in ordering a pilot, Roddenberry and co-creator Art Wallace reworked the idea, instead launching “Assignment: Earth” via the also imperiled Star Trek .

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For that reason, “Assignment: Earth” spends more time with Seven than it does Kirk and Spock. Played with stoic reserve by Robert Lansing, Seven goes about his mission to disrupt the launch at the (fictional) McKinley Rocket Base with utter seriousness. Along the way, we learn a bit about his backstory. The descendent of humans abducted by aliens in 4000 BC and brought to peak mental and physical ability, Seven has returned to his people’s planet to prevent Earth from destroying itself before they can achieve harmony.

Along the way, Seven dazzles audiences with his high-tech equipment, including a massive computer hidden behind a bookcase in his apartment, his voice-activated typewriter, and his “servo,” a pen-shaped device that operates as a multipurpose tool.

The episode also gave Seven two partners, the first was Isis, who may or may not also sometimes be a sexy lady (this is a Roddenberry show, after all). The second is a hip ’60s woman called Roberta, played by Teri Garr . In her first major role, Garr shows off the comic timing that will make her a star, playing Roberta as sometimes overwhelmed by the advanced technology, but with a strong moral core and moments of bravery.

But despite all of the pieces in place for a cool sci-fi series, in which Gary and his crew continue to protect Earth’s timeline from being altered, neither audiences nor networks wanted more of Gary Seven. And when we next saw the Enterprise crew, they had much more important issues to deal with, namely finding Spock’s Brain in the season 3 opener.

The Best Star Trek Books Ever Written

Modern Star Trek Needs to Bring Back ‘Filler’ Episodes

The assignment continues.

Even if Lansing and Garr never returned as Seven and Roberta, Trekkies didn’t forget about them. The characters play key roles in the Eugenics Wars novels by Greg Cox from the early 2000s. In those stories, Seven finds the boy Khan Noonien Singh in a secret lab in 1974 India. Seven rescues the boy and plans to raise Khan in the ways of the aliens who taught him, hoping that Khan will use his augments for the good of humanity.

But when Khan takes steps that lead to the Eugenics Wars, Seven and Roberta try to stop him, essentially becoming his first nemeses. Seven’s failure to prevent Khan’s rise leads to his retirement from his post, with the mature Roberta taking over in his place.

Seven and Roberta have also appeared in several Star Trek comics, including a 2008 five-issue miniseries Star Trek: Assignment Earth by IDW Comics , written and penciled by none other than comics legend John Byrne. The comic picks up three months after “Assignment: Earth,” and follows the duo on a series of adventures, which involve more nuclear facilities, secret cloning labs, and even a return trip to the Enterprise .

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All of these stories present Seven and Roberta as secret agents, which makes sense, given that Roddenberry modeled the characters on popular British agents James Bond and The Avengers . However, sci-fi fans will notice quite a few similarities between the “Assignment: Earth” heroes and another popular franchise timey-wimey franchise following an alien protagonist: Doctor Who .

Like the Doctor, especially William Hartnell ‘s first incarnation, Seven has a stoic demeanor, which sometimes clashes with his cool young female companion. He uses alien equipment to go where he needs to anywhere on the planet (not through time, but given how easily the Enterprise time travels, it’s hard to believe that Seven didn’t have a few tricks to pull it off).

Seven solves problems by pointing his pen-shaped servo at things, which allows him to open and unlock doors, turn on computers, and that can even be set to stun, just like the sonic screwdriver. He even gets past security with a wallet full of fake ID cards, which feels a lot like psychic paper. Of course, psychic paper wasn’t added to Who lore until the Russel T Davies reboot. And even the sonic screwdriver didn’t appear until the Second Doctor serial Fury from the Deep , which aired at the same time as “Assignment: Earth.” Clearly, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln were onto something in 1968.

“I have never felt so helpless,” Kirk confesses in a supplemental log late in the episode. It’s a telling statement. Not only does Seven get most of the attention in “Assignment: Earth,” but Kirk and Spock spend the entire episode following his trail, confused and inert.

Had a letter-writing campaign not convinced CBS to produce one more season of Star Trek , “Assignment: Earth” would have been an ignoble end to the series but perhaps also the jumping off point for new adventures starring Mr. Seven and his companions. But even if Trek ‘s legacy is more than secure in 2024, it would still be nice to see the characters of Seven and Roberta make some sort of return. After all, humanity still needs a lot of help.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Ranking All The ‘Star Trek’ Series That Never Were

From Captain Kirk to Captain Picard and back to Captain Kirk, the Star Trek franchise has thrilled its fans with several awe-inspiring chapters on both television and the big screen, but it’s also worth remembering that there have been numerous unrealized additions to the Star Trek canon. So, as we all celebrate Star Trek and its illustrious half century of existence and inspiration, lets look back at (and rank) those projects that ultimately failed to boldy go.

6) Hopeship

Science-fiction author Darlene Hartman briefly developed a hospital ship-based Star Trek spin-off with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the ’60s that never came to be. Later, she’d publish the Star Trek -influenced Einai novel series under the name Simon Lang. Its fifth book, published in 1994, was titled Hopeship . And that might have ultimately been the best place for such a concept. As a complimentary piece, the portrayal of advanced medical procedures, tools, and medications is fascinating and at times riveting, but it’s not immediately clear where the conflict would have come from on a high-tech space hospital show in the ’60s.

5) Untitled Spock/Vulcan Series

After the cancellation of TOS , Paramount wanted Roddenberry to produce a spin-off that centered around Spock and the planet Vulcan. As detailed in the book, The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Roddenberry passed on this idea due to his belief that the human element that surrounded Spock on the Enterprise and in Star Trek allowed Spock’s unique alien behavior to stand out, and that without that “contrast,” it wouldn’t work. He probably wasn’t wrong.

4) Star Trek: Phase II

In 1975, after years of pushing for a continuation of the franchise, Roddenberry started work on Star Trek: The God Thing — a project which was to be the first Star Trek film. This eventually gave way to the Chris Bryant/Allan Scott-penned Star Trek: Planet of the Titans before the idea of a film was scrapped and the idea of Phase II — the apple in the eye of the planned Paramount TV network — was given life. ( Star Trek: Voyager was charged with the same responsibility when UPN launched in 1995 and the brand new Star Trek series would also be used to attract subscribers to CBS’ streaming service, CBS All Access, so some things never change.)

Phase II , which was supposed to take the crew of the Enterprise (absent Leonard Nimoy, who wasn’t interested in coming back at the time) on another five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, chugged toward realization with casting, set construction, and scripting underway before the Paramount network failed to launch, ultimately causing Star Trek: The Motion Picture to rise from its ashes.

In that this was supposed to be a continuation of the original show, it’s hard to judge the concept harshly. But the idea of losing a weekly Star Trek series without Nimoy is tough to mourn, especially when you consider that the death of Phase II led to the birth of a mostly successful film franchise that might not have existed had the show come to be.

3) Assignment Earth

More than a mere concept, Assignment Earth came to life in a season two episode of TOS that served as a backdoor pilot featuring Robert Lansing as Gary Seven and Teri Garr as his assistant, Roberta Lincoln.

In the episode, Seven, a human born off-world, takes over a mission from two dead colleagues to ensure that mankind doesn’t launch into a nuclear war. Unfortunately, Kirk and Spock are not initially aware of this, but everything works out in the end, and Seven is told that, according to Federation records, he and Lincoln have more adventures on the horizon. Unfortunately, the Federation didn’t check with NBC because the Assignment Earth series never made it to air, but the characters lived on in The Eugenics Wars novels (where Seven’s story ties to Khan Noonien Singh’s at one point) and in a 2010 John Byrne comic book mini-series.

An Assignment Earth TV series would have been interesting in that it would have — for better or worse — allowed Roddenberry and his team the chance to churn out topical and politically relevant sci-fi stories without the barrier that Star Trek ‘s aliens and deep space travel provided. But it also would have felt a bit like Doctor Who. (Seven had a companion and a sonic screwdriver-like device called a Servo, after all.) So, maybe it’s for the best that the show never came to be.

2) The Hard Reboot

J. Michael Straczynski ( Babylon 5 ) and Bryce Zabel didn’t want to create another Star Trek series back in 2004 : They wanted to go back to the start to retell the story of the original five-year mission with Kirk, Spock, and the rest in an effort to unburden the franchise from the weight of its own history and the limitations created by the canon. The team also wanted to implant a central mystery within the show, with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy leading the Enterprise into the unknown to find an advanced race and seek out the “common origin of all lifeforms everywhere, the truth that will unite a galaxy.” It was a big idea, to be sure, and one that made sense on its face when you consider the state of the franchise at that time with poorly recieved Next Generation films and Enterprise as the most recent entries. But while the J.J. Abrams’ reboot shows that the studio was interested in doing something extreme, this wasn’t it — most likely because it would have iced the idea of a film franchise for years.

1) The Adventures of Harry Mudd

There have been plenty of lovable space rogues — Han Solo, Mal Reynolds, Jack Harkness — but Harry Mudd was among the first, and he’s a part of the archetype’s DNA. Unfortunately, the idea of developing a spin-off following the mustachioed smuggler’s two live-action appearances on TOS fell by the wayside. Why? Because there just wasn’t enough time to develop it, according to Gene Roddenberry, who revealed the existence of the once-possible spin-off to Mudd actor Roger C. Carmel at a party after the moment had passed. Of all the spin-off ideas, this seems like the one that is furthest from the central ethos of Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe, but it also sounds like it would have been the most fun.

This article originally ran on November 3, 2015

'Star Trek: Prodigy' is the 'Voyager' spin-off you never knew you wanted — and we love it

And you thought it was just a kids' show… Why "Prodigy" is the perfect continuation of Captain Janeway's story.

Of all the TV Treks to date, " Star Trek: Voyager " is the one with the most definitive ending. From day one, the show was on a mission to get Captain Janeway and her lost-in-space crew back from the distant Delta Quadrant. Once that objective was achieved in series finale "Endgame", however, there wasn't much left on the ledger labelled "unfinished business". The series certainly wasn't calling out for a follow-up, but two decades later it's got one — and it's great.

Okay, " Star Trek: Prodigy " isn't technically the eighth season of "Voyager", but it's undeniably the '90s show's spiritual heir. Unlike "Picard", which used its third season to deliver the perfect send-off for the "Next Generation" crew, "Prodigy" substitutes wall-to-wall nostalgia for youthful exuberance, to tell the story of a bunch of kids who stumble on a grounded Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant.

They're a likeable group seemingly focus-grouped to look good on a lunchbox. Indeed, on many levels, "Prodigy" is the quintessential Nickelodeon animation, working through a playbook that's been serving Saturday morning cartoons since the '80s. A gang of mismatched heroes with plenty to learn? Hat tip to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Characters trapped in an unfamiliar and hostile alien location? Thank you, "ThunderCats". A cute, wise and indecipherable sidekick? That'll be Brain in "Inspector Gadget". They've even brought the obligatory mentor along for the ride.

But while it would undoubtedly have been easier to set a fun, kid-friendly cartoon in a loose facsimile of the "Star Trek" universe, "Prodigy" goes all in and embraces the franchise's history with the same reverence "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels" had for the "Star Wars" movies . That aforementioned mentor is an Emergency Training Hologram based on a certain Captain Kathryn Janeway (voiced by original actor Kate Mulgrew ), and she ties the voyages of the USS Protostar to nearly six decades of "Trek" storytelling — while helping her protegés to learn the ropes, and shape the future of the universe. 

The show is ingeniously structured, drip-feeding the " Star Trek " references to keep older viewers interested without alienating new recruits. Like most of the show's younger viewers, the rag-tag crew of the Protostar (each one an extra-terrestrial) have no knowledge of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Federation. But with Janeway as their guide, their close encounters with Tribbles, the Borg and even the Kazon (Klingon-esque antagonists so lame that "Voyager" quickly left them behind) provide a gateway to "Trek"'s wider universe, plotting a course for the real story to get started.

"Prodigy" may be targeted at kids, but it's hard to imagine how any show could more embody the values of "Star Trek". As in "Voyager", the crew of the Protostar are charting a course through an unknown region of space, working as a team to science their way past the obstacles they encounter, while formulating theories that (almost) sound plausible.

As with all the best Starfleet crews, the chemistry is fantastic, all the way from conventionally cocky Dal R'El, to malleable Mellanoid slime worm Murf, and — perhaps best of all — Zero, a telepathic, non-corporeal Medusan. Their species first appeared in "Star Trek: Original Series" episode "Is There in Truth no Beauty", and they have to keep their true form hidden in a robot suit to avoid driving shipmates mad. (Just as "Voyager" did with the entirely CG Species 8472, "Prodigy" relishes the fact its alien lifeforms aren't limited by what's feasible for human actors in prosthetics.)

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The production also features none of the "it'll do…" mindset you'd once have expected from a kid-oriented spin-off. The theme is by top Hollywood composer Michael Giacchino (whose previous credits include "Rogue One", "The Batman", JJ Abrams first "Star Trek"), while the voice cast is packed with top talent like John Noble ("Fringe"), Daveed Diggs ("Snowpiercer") and Jameela Jamil ("The Good Place"). The space battles are pretty spectacular, too.

And for anyone expecting a dumbed down plot, "Prodigy"'s second season shoots preconceptions down faster than you can say "Temporal Mechanics 101". The foundations of season two were laid in season one, when the real Janeway (now a Vice Admiral, as revealed in " Star Trek: Nemesis ") learned that an experimental starship called the USS Protostar — under the command of her former first officer, Chakotay — had been located on a planetoid called Tars Lamora, and was now under the control of a bunch of fugitive kids.

Without venturing too far into spoiler territory, what follows is a complex and sophisticated story involving time loops, a first contact scenario gone horribly wrong, and an antagonist with a serious (and, arguably, understandable) grudge against Starfleet. It has monsters (known as the Loom) who can erase their victims from history, and a brief excursion to the Mirror Universe — where, yes, goatee beards are still a surefire giveaway that you're talking to a villain. It also features some refreshingly familiar voices (Robert Beltran as Chakotay, Robert Picardo as the Doctor, Ronny Cox as Admiral Jellico ), and a pivotal role for a former boy wonder who quit Starfleet to play at being Doctor Who.

If "Prodigy" is not quite "Voyager" season 8, it's definitely season 7.2, a passing of the torch to the next, next generation. This show was never about Janeway, Chakotay or the Doctor but its wonderful, cynicism-free celebration of "Star Trek" could never have worked without them. 

As this era of Starfleet deals with synth uprisings and the evacuation of Romulus — events destined to leave lasting scars on Jean-Luc Picard and the Federation — it's good to know the crew of the Prodigy are still out there, somewhere in the cosmos. There's no question they deserve a third season to see what strange new worlds they might find.

Every episode of "Star Trek: Prodigy" is available to stream on Netflix .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Richard's love affair with outer space started when he saw the original "Star Wars" on TV aged four, and he spent much of the ’90s watching "Star Trek”, "Babylon 5” and “The X-Files" with his mum. After studying physics at university, he became a journalist, swapped science fact for science fiction, and hit the jackpot when he joined the team at SFX, the UK's biggest sci-fi and fantasy magazine. He liked it so much he stayed there for 12 years, four of them as editor. 

He's since gone freelance and passes his time writing about "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and superheroes for the likes of SFX, Total Film, TechRadar and GamesRadar+. He has met five Doctors, two Starfleet captains and one Luke Skywalker, and once sat in the cockpit of "Red Dwarf"'s Starbug.  

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Star Trek, explained for non-Trekkies

Celebrate the legendary sci-fi series’ 50th anniversary with these 25 essential episodes.

by Caroline Siede

There are few pop culture franchises more intimidating to the uninitiated than Star Trek. While “Beam me up, Scotty” and the Vulcan hand salute have worked their way into the mainstream lexicon, it can feel virtually impossible to find a way into the expansive franchise, which spans five live-action TV shows, one lesser-known animated series, and 13 feature films, including the three rebooted films starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto .

It’s a lot to wrap your head around in writing, much less onscreen. So just in time for the TV show’s 50th anniversary, we’ve rounded up 25 possible entry points to help Star Trek newbies boldly go where many have gone before.

These aren’t necessarily the 25 best Star Trek episodes (although some definitely qualify), but they demonstrate the depth and breadth of what the iconic franchise has to offer. And, most importantly, they should play well for complete novices.

A quick overview of Star Trek ’s 50-year journey through space

Dreamed up by writer and former Air Force pilot Gene Roddenberry , Star Trek began life as a humanistic science fiction TV show on September 8, 1966. Though The Original Series , as it was later dubbed, was canceled after only three seasons, it would turn out to have unprecedented cultural influence.

Thanks to Star Trek ’s success in syndication during the 1970s, the original cast reunited for six feature films. The success of that film franchise then inspired four spinoff TV shows in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager , and Enterprise each focus on a new captain and his or her loyal crew. Four movies starring The Next Generation cast round out the Star Trek canon.

Except for the recent Pine/Quinto films, which establish an alternate timeline, all of this Star Trek material is set in the same universe. That means the more you watch, the more you’ll come to understand Star Trek . But each of the TV shows and movies are (mostly) designed to function independently as well. So each one can serve as a potential entry point to the larger franchise.

Star Trek: The Original Series

The basics: Ran for three seasons (79 episodes) from 1966 to 1969

Nickname: TOS

The premise: A five-year mission of space exploration in the 23rd century

The first Star Trek series is still the most iconic in the eyes of many fans, and its characters will be familiar to anyone who has seen the rebooted Trek films. With roguish Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) in command, the crew of the starship Enterprise completes a five-year mission of scientific exploration and intergalactic diplomacy. They operate as part of a pseudo-militaristic organization called Starfleet, which itself is part of a larger diplomatic organization called the United Federation of Planets (or just “the Federation”).

The Original Series establishes the two most crucial elements of the Star Trek ethos: The show is set in a utopian future in which divides based on race, gender, and nationality are a thing of the past (reflected in the unprecedented diversity of the main cast), and it uses the lens of alien cultures to comment on contemporary issues. So while humanity may have ended bigotry, the half-black, half-white aliens of the planet Cheron are still torn apart by prejudice. That allows Star Trek to both imagine a better world and comment on the harsher realities of our real one.

Though the rubber alien suits, foam rocks, and slower pacing can feel dated to modern eyes, there’s still a remarkable relevance to the boundary-pushing Original Series. (The show broadcast one of the first interracial kisses on TV .)

Best for: Those who want to watch the most iconic aspects of Star Trek; fans of older TV shows; those who enjoy the characters from the rebooted films

Recommended viewing order: There’s no serialization, so you can either start from the beginning or hop around to episodes that interest you. The first two seasons are the strongest, while the third — which Roddenberry was less involved in — features a significant drop in quality.

“The Devil in the Dark” (season one, episode 25)

Star Trek could occasionally overreach in its attempts at direct political allegories, and the show was often stronger when it dealt with broader themes of tolerance instead. In this episode, the Enterprise is called to help a mining colony deal with a subterranean monster threatening its operation. But during their investigation, Kirk and his crew begin to realize the creature might not be quite as monstrous as it appears.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” (season one, episode 28)

Widely considered the best episode of The Original Series and one of the best Star Trek episodes of all time, “The City on the Edge of Forever” combines sci-fi concepts, fish-out-of-water comedy, and human drama in a standout hour of television. When Kirk, Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ), and Dr. Leonard McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ‎) pass through a mysterious “doorway to the past,” they wind up stranded in 1930s New York City. Desperate to fix a broken timeline, they must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to return the universe to its proper order.

“Journey to Babel” (season two, episode 10)

Vulcan First Officer Spock remains one of Star Trek ’s most iconic characters thanks in no small part to Nimoy’s pitch-perfect performance as a logical alien devoid of emotion. Spock also established an archetype Star Trek would return to in all of its future franchises: the outsider struggling with identity. “Journey To Babel” puts Spock front and center as he receives a visit from his Vulcan father and human mother. Though the episode perhaps bites off more than it can chew — there’s also a subplot about a Federation peace conference — that makes it a good example of the breadth TOS has to offer.

“The Trouble With Tribbles” (season two, episode 15)

While Star Trek was never intentionally campy in the vein of Adam West’s Batman, it could still be a profoundly silly show. And “The Trouble With Tribbles” stands as one of the most successful comedic entries in Star Trek history. A tense standoff with the Klingons — a warlike enemy of the Federation — gives way to an even bigger crisis when the Enterprise is overrun by adorable fuzzy creatures known as tribbles.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

The general rule of thumb for the six Original Series movies is that the odd-numbered ones are bad while the even-numbered ones are good. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (in which the crew travels back in time to the 1980s to save a couple of whales) is the most purely enjoyable film, while Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a fitting sendoff for the original crew.

But The Wrath Of Khan remains the cinematic jewel in Star Trek ’s crown. Returning to a thread from a TOS episode called “Space Seed,“ Kirk reencounters a group of super soldiers from his past. Fans of Star Trek Into Darkness will discover plenty of familiar building blocks assembled in an even more engaging manner.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The basics: Ran for seven seasons (178 episodes) from 1987 to 1994

Nickname: TNG or “ Next Gen ”

The set up: A continuing mission of space exploration in the 24th century

To open up new storytelling possibilities, the first Star Trek spinoff series takes place a century after Kirk’s original five-year mission. Onboard an updated version of the USS Enterprise , Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) commands a brand new crew on an ongoing mission of exploration. With a more intellectual captain at its helm, The Next Generation added even more philosophical depth and cerebral storytelling to the original Star Trek model. Together, The Original Series and TNG stand as the two pillars of Star Trek and the series Trek fans are most likely to be familiar with.

Best for: Fans of smart sci-fi with a healthy dose of allegory; those who want to see the most iconic aspects of Star Trek

Recommended viewing order: The first season is virtually unwatchable, while the second is fairly uneven as well. To get the best of what TNG has to offer, watch the odd but intriguing pilot “Encounter at Farpoint,” the great second season episodes “The Measure of a Man” and “Q Who,” and then start with the show’s third season. There’s very little serialization, so it’s easy to jump around to whatever episodes intrigue you.

(Note: Star Trek: First Contact is the TNG feature film most worth seeking out. Generations and Insurrection are uneven but have their moments. And Nemesis is best left unseen.)

“The Measure of a Man” (season two, episode nine)

Building on the outsider archetype established by Spock, Data ( Brent Spiner ) is an android who lives and works among the Enterprise crew. But when a cyberneticist expert requests permission to deconstruct and study his positronic brain, Data’s right to exist is put on trial. “ The Measure of A Man” is a tense courtroom drama that raises questions about the very nature of humanity. Plus, it’s an early example of the Shakespearean gravitas Patrick Stewart regularly brought to TNG.

“The Hunted” (season three, episode 11)

This isn’t necessarily an iconic episode , but it’s a solid example of a TNG allegorical outing. Charged with investigating a planet requesting entry to the Federation, Picard and his crew cross paths with a highly trained escaped prisoner. The episode functions as a broad commentary on PTSD and veteran care while highlighting the thoughtful way in which the crew deals with the political problems of other cultures.

“Clues” (season four, episode 14)

Proof that not every episode of Star Trek strives for philosophical depth, “Clues” is a purely enjoyable sci-fi mystery episode that utilizes the entire TNG ensemble. While investigating a mysterious isolated planet, the crew is knocked unconscious for only a few seconds. But as they start to notice oddities around them, they begin to wonder if something more insidious is at work.

“Darmok” (season five, episode two)

One of the most celebrated episodes of TNG explores the role language and culture play in diplomacy. While struggling to make first contact with a new alien species, Picard is transported to a deserted planet alongside the alien captain. To survive, the two must work together despite barely being able to communicate. “Darmok” is a powerful example of TNG ’s ability to use sci-fi trappings to tell humanistic stories.

“Parallels” (season seven, episode 11)

After returning from a trip, Klingon chief of security Worf ( Michael Dorn ) begins to notice strange inconsistencies around him. It soon becomes clear that he’s leaping through alternate versions of his life, and to return things to normal, he must enlist the help of his crewmates — despite the fact that his relationship with them keeps shifting. Like “Clues,” this is an enjoyable mystery, but it also showcases TNG ’s ability to blend conceptual sci-fi storytelling with thoughtful character drama.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The basics: Ran for seven seasons (176 episodes) from 1993 to 1999

Nickname: DS9

The set up: A space station on the edge of civilization in the 24th century

Rather than take place on a traveling ship, the next Star Trek spinoff series is set on a space station called Deep Space Nine, a stationary hub located on the edge of Federation space. Pragmatic Commander Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ) — the first black lead of a Star Trek series — quickly learns to bend Starfleet code in order to keep his ragtag station running, all while raising his son Jake ( Cirroc Lofton ).

With its racially diverse cast, strong female characters, and serialized storytelling, Deep Space Nine pushed Star Trek to greater heights than ever before. For viewers who prefer the feel and pace of contemporary genre TV, it’s by far the best Star Trek series to start with.

Best for: Fans of darker sci-fi, complicated politics, and serialized storytelling; anyone hesitant about getting into Star Trek

Recommended viewing order: Deep Space Nine is the most consistent Star Trek series, and it benefits greatly from being watched in its entirety. While the first two seasons are somewhat uneven, they help establish the show’s characters and conflicts. The show starts to find its feet in the third season, and kicks into high gear with the start of the Dominion War arc at the end of season five, at which point DS9 becomes more heavily serialized.

“Emissary” (season one, episode one)

Star Trek isn’t known for strong pilots, but “Emissary” introduces the world of DS9 with remarkable finesse. As the only Trek series set in a static location, DS9 could tell ongoing stories about war, politics, and religion without feeling the need to wrap things up at the end of each episode. “Emissary” establishes many threads the show would follow for years to come, including the political struggles of the newly liberated planet Bajor, the emergence of an intergalactic wormhole housing godlike aliens, and Sisko’s complicated relationship to Starfleet.

“Duet” (season one, episode 19)

This all-time great DS9 episode centers on Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), one of the series’ strongest characters. A former Bajoran freedom fighter, Kira spent her life fighting against brutal Cardassian occupiers. This episode explores the horrors of that occupation via a small-scale character drama that puts Kira face to face with a man who may have been responsible for murdering thousands of her people.

“Civil Defense” (season three, episode seven)

“Civil Defense” is an entertaining disaster-movie romp that shows off the entire DS9 ensemble, including its talented supporting cast . When an old Cardassian security program is accidentally activated, Deep Space Nine goes on lockdown. What starts as a minor inconvenience quickly turns into a major threat, as the crew must scramble to stop the station from killing them.

“The Way of the Warrior”

While the cast of Deep Space Nine never made a feature film, this extra-long season four premiere basically functions as one. Thanks to a growing threat from the Dominion — an intergalactic military superpower controlled by a group of shape shifters — a massive war seems imminent. With the Klingon Empire (a 24th-century ally of the Federation) growing paranoid about Dominion spies, Sisko enlists the help of TNG ’s Klingon security chief, Worf, to calm the tension.

While the full nuances of this episode’s politics will likely be lost on new viewers, it’s nevertheless a great example of the political complexities and military conflicts that would come to dominate DS9 ’s later seasons.

“Take Me Out to the Holosuite” (season seven, episode four)

Deep Space Nine is by far the darkest Star Trek series, featuring the kind of interpersonal conflicts its predecessors shied away from . Some Trek fans accused the show of losing the spirit of Roddenberry’s vision, but DS9 is still recognizably Trek . Take, for instance, this joyously cheesy riff on The Bad News Bears. When an old Vulcan rival challenges Sisko to a baseball game — a defunct 21st-century sport that just happens to be his favorite — Sisko must transform his motley crew into a functioning baseball team in only two weeks.

Star Trek: Voyager

The basics: Ran for seven seasons (172 episodes) from 1995 to 2001

Nickname: VOY

The set up: A lone 24th-century ship stranded 70,000 light-years from Earth

The final two Star Trek series are remembered mostly for the ways they failed to live up to their potential, and both have been blamed for “killing” the franchise . Yet if Voyager and Enterprise never quite reach the heights of their predecessors, there are still pleasures to be had in both.

Voyager kicked off with a “lost in space” concept that seemed to promise more of the complex serialized storytelling that had come to define Deep Space Nine. Instead, the show pulled from the episodic Next Generation model: A mostly amiable group of explorers spend their time meeting new alien cultures and dealing with space phenomena.

Many Trek fans dislike that the show “hits the reset button” at the end of each episode, so that the ship is never too badly damaged nor too low on supplies. But Voyager has its strengths, too, including a lighter tone and an emphasis on conceptual sci-fi storytelling. And with Kate Mulgrew ’s Captain Kathryn Janeway at the helm, Voyager is by far the most explicitly woman-centric Trek series of all time (another possible reason why it’s so reviled by certain Trek fans).

Best for: Parents introducing their kids to Star Trek for the first time; those who enjoy cheesy but cerebral genre shows (think the lighter episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer ); fans of woman-centric storytelling

Recommended viewing order: Voyager has little serialization in terms of plot, but some strong character arcs and relationships develop across its run. It’s never unwatchable, but for a streamlined viewing experience, watch a handful of episodes from the first three seasons for flavor, then pick up with the third season finale “Scorpion, Part 1.”

“Eye of the Needle” (season one, episode seven)

On its very first mission, Voyager winds up tossed 70,000 light-years from Earth into the uncharted Delta Quadrant — a distance that requires a 75-year journey home. Forced to team up with a similarly stranded group of Federation freedom fighters called the Maquis, Voyager’s newly mixed crew sets out on their long journey home.

Though the show didn’t always take advantage of its premise, “Eye of the Needle” shines a spotlight on the crew’s difficult situation when they discover a wormhole that may lead back to their Alpha Quadrant home. Meanwhile, the ship’s Emergency Medical Hologram ( Robert Picardo ) begins to grapple with his role on Voyager , establishing him as the show’s resident “outsider” character.

“Deadlock” (season two, episode 21)

There’s a line in “Deadlock” that perfectly sums up Voyager ’s ethos. “We’re Starfleet officers,” Janeway explains. “Weird is part of the job.” More than any other Star Trek series, Voyager enjoyed playing around with bizarre sci-fi concepts. After traveling through a dense nebula, Voyager discovers it’s been “quantum duplicated” into two ships. The two crews — and, most importantly, the two Janeways — must figure out a way to re-merge their vessels, or at least ensure that one survives.

“Someone to Watch Over Me” (season five, episode 22)

Voyager improves dramatically from its fourth season on with the introduction of Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ), a Borg drone turned human who reluctantly joins the crew after her connection to the Borg hive mind is severed. Though clearly styled for her sex appeal, Seven quickly developed into one of the most interesting characters in Star Trek history. Alongside the holographic Doctor, she fulfilled the show’s “outsider” role, and in “Someone to Watch Over Me,” the Doctor gives Seven a crash course in dating, providing a lovely showcase for two of Voyager ’s strongest performers.

“Blink of an Eye” (season six, episode 12)

Captain Janeway is first and foremost a scientist, and a palpable enthusiasm for science runs through Voyager. That’s especially true in “Blink of an Eye,” which unfolds like a short story celebrating human ingenuity. Voyager finds itself trapped above a planet on which time works differently; while minutes pass for the crew, years pass on the surface. As Voyager struggles to break free, the planet’s inhabitants develop a scientific culture inspired by the “sky ship” that has long hovered above them.

“The Void” (season seven, episode 15)

With its lighter tone, chipper banter, and action-adventure focus, the Trek series Voyager most calls to mind is The Original Series . And “The Void” is perhaps Star Trek ’s greatest tribute to Roddenberry’s Federation ideals. After being sucked into an empty “void” in space, Voyager discovers a dog-eat-dog ecosystem in which trapped ships raid one another to survive. When Voyager’s own supplies are stolen, Janeway must decide whether to compromise her principles to keep her crew alive.

Star Trek: Enterprise

The basics: Ran for four seasons (98 episodes) from 2001 to 2005

Nickname: ENT

The set up: A prequel set in the 22nd century

Enterprise is the second Star Trek series to squander its interesting premise. Set roughly 100 years before Kirk’s original five-year mission, this prequel takes place on the original Enterprise, Earth’s first Warp 5–capable ship. Rugged Captain Jonathan Archer ( Scott Bakula ) leads humanity’s first major exploration outside the solar system.

Unfortunately, Enterprise struggled to establish much of a personality for itself, and was hampered by bland characters (not to mention an embarrassing lack of diversity). Yet the show earned praise for its willingness to embrace serialized storytelling and long-term consequences. Like Voyager, it’s best enjoyed with lowered expectations (particularly for its horrifically cheesy soft-rock opening theme song).

Best for: Those who enjoy action-centric sci-fi; Star Trek completists; Scott Bakula fans

Recommended viewing order: Enterprise is never unwatchable, but it starts to find its feet in the third season (which tells one season-long story) and the fourth (which is broken into two- to four-episode “mini arcs”). For those who don’t want to tackle the whole thing, watch a handful of episodes from seasons one and two for flavor, and then jump ahead to the second season finale, “The Expanse.”

“Dear Doctor” (season one, episode 13)

While hardcore Trek fans have some problems with the ethics of its ending, “Dear Doctor” succeeds as an hour of drama and a great showcase for Dr. Phlox ( John Billingsley ), one of Enterprise ’s strongest and most underused players. This episode explores Phlox’s unique position as one of the only aliens serving aboard the ship. It also highlights the difficult diplomatic decisions the Enterprise crew must make long before Starfleet had the Federation to guide it.

“Detained” (season one, episode 21)

Though designed as a Star Trek origin story, Enterprise frequently became distracted by attempts to comment on the war on terror in the way The Original Series commented on Vietnam and the Cold War. That was especially true of the show’s third season, where a 9/11-esque attack on Earth kicked off a season-long arc about retaliation.

“Detained” is an early example of Enterprise ’s interest in political allegory: When Archer finds himself in an internment camp for an alien race called the Suliban, he learns that the violent “Suliban Cabal ” he had previously encountered don’t represent the views of the entire species.

“The Catwalk” (season two, episode 12)

One of the most intriguing things about Enterprise is that the crew doesn’t have access to all the technological advances that are commonplace on the other Star Trek series. Though the show didn’t always take advantage of its prequel status, “The Catwalk” is a fun look at the rough-and-tumble early days of Starfleet. Unable to travel fast enough to outrun a deadly neutronic wavefront, the crew must seal themselves in the heavily shielded catwalks in order to survive.

“Cogenitor” (season two, episode 22)

On the whole, Enterprise favored bland, action-heavy sequences over the kind of thoughtful sci-fi storytelling that had initially defined Star Trek. But Enterprise could be introspective when it wanted to be. In “Cogenitor,” the crew befriends a sociable alien race with a similar mission of exploration. But the way in which they treat their “cogenitors” — a third gender crucial to their reproduction — raises questions about intervening in other cultures.

“Similitude” (season three, episode 10)

Enterprise ’s third and fourth seasons are by far its strongest, but because of their serialized nature, those episodes don’t always work out of context. “Similitude,” however, is a mostly standalone story that illustrates Enterprise ’s growing competency. When chief engineer Charles “Trip” Tucker III ( Connor Trinneer ) falls into a life-threatening coma, Archer okays a controversial plan to create a fast-growing clone and harvest its organs to save Trip.

While the episode can be read as a commentary on stem cell research, cloning, and “savior siblings,” it’s mostly a moving rumination of life, death, and what it means to be human.

Remember: It’s okay to just dabble in Star Trek

There’s no “right” way to get into Star Trek . Fans have fallen in love with the franchise through all sorts of different channels, and where to jump in mostly comes down to personal preference. (The one exception is Enterprise. Although it’s chronologically the “first” Star Trek series, it’s actually best enjoyed by viewers who have a working knowledge of the franchise.)

All five of the TV shows and several of the movies are currently streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and CBS All Access. And more so than most contemporary genre TV shows, Star Trek is designed to be watched out of order in syndication. So don’t feel the need to be a Star Trek completest — even plenty of hardcore Trekkies aren’t.

But do be sure to venture beyond just the movies. The best of what Star Trek has to offer has always existed on TV.

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This Is The Correct Order In Which To Watch The Star Trek Franchise

Don't look now, but "Star Trek" is a thing again. It's been a while — after redefining television in the 1960s and enjoying a resurgence in the '80s and '90s, the final episode of ""Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005 marked the beginning of a dark period in which there was simply no "Trek" to be had. Then, in 2017, the drought ended with the premiere of " "Star Trek: Discovery ," and when it rains, it pours. "Discovery" heralded the arrival of a whole new era of ""Star Trek," and that's just the beginning — Paramount+ will soon play host to two new "Star Trek" shows, with three more currently in development, and there's a new movie scheduled for release in 2023 . Suddenly, we are awash in "Trek," which means that if you're unfamiliar with Gene Roddenberry's universe, it's a pretty good time to jump on board. Only where do you start with a franchise this big — and more importantly, what's the proper watch order?

These are the questions we're here to answer. While it's tempting to try and watch "Star Trek" chronologically, using either the fictional timeline or release dates, we recommend an order that's a bit of a blend of both. Following this list should result in an experience that provides a complete picture of what "Star Trek" is while also remaining easy to binge. With that in mind (and with the understanding that a few spoilers are unavoidable ), it's time to boldly go where every previous "Star Trek" installment has gone before!

The Original Series

When you watch "Star Trek," you really need to begin at the beginning. Not with Enterprise, which is set earlier in the "Trek" timeline than any show, but with "Star Trek" — or as it's lovingly called these days, "The Original Series." This is the show that ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969, forever altering the television medium, the science fiction genre, and the experience of being a fan. While some viewers may find the special effects laughable or the political themes unsubtle, the most astonishing thing about "TOS" is how well it holds up, even more than 50 years later. The first two seasons, in particular, are absolutely riddled with classic episodes, and while the third season is significantly worse due to changes in the creative team, it's still fun to watch William Shatner ham it up as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy raise a single Vulcan eyebrow as Mr. Spock, and the original Starship Enterprise soar through space. Most importantly, though, those first 79 episodes introduce rules, concepts, and even characters that "Star Trek" is still playing with today, from Class M planets and the Prime Directive to Khan and the Klingons.

The Animated Series

The unofficial fourth and fifth seasons of "Star Trek," "The Animated Series" aired on NBC from 1973 to 1974, after tempers had cooled somewhat between NBC and Roddenberry, who left "Star Trek" after its second season out of frustration with the network. Not only was the entire original cast back (minus Walter Koenig), but so was Roddenberry, and so was D.C. Fontana, Roddenberry's longtime assistant who had grown into one of the most celebrated "Trek" writers and had also departed after Season 2. Between the return of some of the show's original creative minds and cast, and the fact that animation allowed them to do so much more than live action special effects of the era, "TAS" is pure, undiluted "Star Trek."

It's never been made explicitly clear whether "TAS" is canon, but considering the number of "TAS" ideas re-used in later live-action shows, plus the introduction in "TAS" of canon pieces of backstory, like Kirk's middle name, it's silly at this point to believe otherwise. And it's required viewing for completists who want to see every televised adventure undertaken by the original Enterprise crew.

The first six films

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released by Paramount in 1979, and while it's not an especially good film, it holds historical importance as the launching point for the "Star Trek" movie franchise. The real highlights in this part of the list, though, are the three films that followed. The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home essentially form their own trilogy of movies within the larger "Trek" saga, and are some of the most popular and critically acclaimed installments in the franchise. "The Wrath of Khan," in particular, tends to show up near the top of "best science fiction films in history" lists, making the titular Khan such an iconic villain that he was recast for the J.J. Abrams reboot movies, while "The Voyage Home" is probably the most charming "Star Trek" film, as the Enterprise travels to the past to rescue the humpback whale species from extinction.

Even the most dedicated binge-watcher can safely skip the horrendous fifth movie, "The Final Frontier," but "The Undiscovered Country" is an absolute masterpiece, and taken together, these six films provide a worthy capstone to the franchise's inaugural era.

It might seem counterintuitive to follow up the oldest "Star Trek" series with one of the newest, especially given that "Star Trek: Discovery" actually takes place prior to "The Original Series." But there's a good reason to jump from the tales of Kirk and Spock to the tales of Michael Burnham and...well, and Spock, who shows up in Season 2. "The Original Series" and its accompanying animated and film extensions are foundational to "Discovery," which is set shortly after the events of the rejected "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage." And characters from "The Cage" show up in Season 2 and are also appearing in their own spinoff, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

While an in-universe chronological watch order would put the first two seasons of "Discovery" before "TOS" and the third season at the very end (as the crew travels forward in time to the far future) it makes more sense to us to treat "Discovery" as its own story. The third season does occasionally reference "past" events from other shows, but that does lead nicely into the next "Trek" installment...

The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)

For many Trekkies today, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was their introduction to the franchise, and for good reason. If any one series beyond the original can lay a claim to being the single most iconic "Star Trek" story, it's Next Generation, which premiered in 1987 and went on to not only have seven seasons of its own, but to jumpstart a chain of interlocking "Star Trek" shows that would thoroughly dominate the 1990s. Before that, though, the first five seasons of Next Generation stood alone, and if you're trying to get somebody instantly hooked on Trek, this might actually be the place to start, despite the fact that the first couple of seasons don't hold up incredibly well.

If you're absorbing all of "Star Trek," though, "Next Generation" has to be the place to start. After all, it's the next generation of what, exactly? The answer is the Starship Enterprise, which comes with an entirely new cast and crew, introducing the world to Worf, Data, Counselor Troi, and Geordi LaForge, and permanently branding the hearts of a thousand Trekkies with the image of Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The Next Generation (Season 6) / Deep Space Nine (Season 1)

Okay, this is where it gets weird. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" debuted in January 1993, just a few months after "Next Generation" kicked off its sixth season — a season full of unmitigated classics, incidentally, from the return of Montgomery Scott in "Relics" to the legendary two-parter "Chain of Command." Picard even makes a cameo in the first episode of "DS9," which takes place aboard a space station and uses the ideas and events of earlier "Next Generation" episodes to inform characters like Commander Benjamin Sisko and Quark. It's essentially impossible to understand Sisko's backstory, for example, without first having seen the "Next Generation" episode "The Best of Both Worlds."

Despite the fact that they take place over roughly the same time period, we recommend watching the entirety of Season 6 of "Next Generation" followed by the entirety of Season 1 of "DS9," if for no other reason than the former has more episodes than the latter, making it a complicated process to intercut between them. But however you choose to do it, these two seasons really should be watched back to back.

The Next Generation (Season 7) / Deep Space Nine (Season 2)

Similarly, the second season of "DS9" coincides with the last "Next Generation" season. While it might lack the standout episodes of earlier seasons, Season 7 manages a few achievements. For one thing, it puts a bow on one of the most beloved shows in television history with a flourish, ending the program with an ambitious, timeline-jumping two-parter that ties directly into the events of the very first episode. It also inadvertently lays the groundwork for a much more modern "Trek" show with an episode about junior officers called "Lower Decks." But most importantly, it ties into and reinforces "Deep Space Nine," most notably in the penultimate episode "Preemptive Strike," which deals with concurrent "DS9" problems like the Cardassians and the Maquis.

By the end of Season 2, "DS9" has already proven capable of standing on its own, having picked up and ran with the Maquis threads from earlier "Next Generation" episodes, returned to the Mirror Universe first introduced in the original series, and introduced the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar, who will serve as the series' primary antagonists. But the stories of Picard and company were far from over...

Generations

The four feature films built around the cast of "Next Generation" are a direct continuation of the movies that came before, not least because the first one, 1994's "Generations," serves as a bridge between "TOS" and its descendant, and between Kirk and Picard, in about the most literal way you could imagine. This movie marks the final appearance of several characters from the original show, including Kirk himself (the one played by William Shatner, at any rate) which makes it a crucial piece of the "Star Trek" timeline, as does the introduction of Data's emotion chip. Of course, some might consider the movie worth it just to see Malcolm McDowell chew the scenery like he hasn't eaten in three days, and we can't say they're wrong.

"Generations" launched Picard's crew onto the big screen almost immediately after their exit from the small one, meaning they would continue to be the face of "Star Trek" for the remainder of the decade. But back in the realm of "Trek" TV, things were only heating up, as a new series prepared to take the field and challenge "DS9" for television dominance.

Deep Space Nine (Season 3) / Voyager (Season 1)

Once again, it's time to switch between two seasons of "Star Trek," as the third season of "DS9" overlaps with the debuting "Star Trek: Voyager." The first "Trek" series to feature a woman (Kathryn Janeway) in the captain's chair, "Voyager" also had a unique and fascinating premise. Much of the "DS9" action is driven by the existence of a nearby wormhole that leads to the Gamma Quadrant, a section of space far away from the Federation's native Alpha Quadrant. This allows the titular space station and its intrepid crew to encounter any number of new and dangerous alien species. "Voyager" goes even farther, literally — a solitary ship finds itself transported to the even more distant Delta Quadrant and spends the rest of the series trying to get home.

Due to this premise, there's no reason whatsoever to jump between individual episodes of these two seasons, as the events of one show don't affect the other in any way. But jumping between shows by the season provides a fun and accurate experience of what it was like to watch the interlocking "Star Trek" programs of the 1990s.

Deep Space Nine (Season 4) / Voyager (Season 2)

Like most "Star Trek" shows, "Voyager" takes a couple of seasons to find its feet, and Season 2 in particular contains some of its most notoriously bad episodes, from the tone-deaf Native American implications of "Tattoo" to Janeway and Voyager pilot Tom Paris turning into salamanders and having salamander babies together in "Threshold" to the utter abomination that is "Tuvix." At least it has the consideration to get them all out of the way early on.

"DS9," meanwhile, was encountering its own problems in Season 4, which took a sharp turn away from the burgeoning conflict with the Dominion and instead spent most of its time dealing with the newly antagonistic Klingon Empire. Fortunately, even as the overarching plot went briefly off the rails, the writing was getting better and better, and the diversion is, if nothing else, entertaining. As a bonus, Season 4 features one of television's first lesbian kisses, and also brings in Worf, the Klingon security officer from "Next Generation" — until Picard, Michael Dorn was the only actor to star in the main casts of two different "Star Trek" shows.

First Contact

As a result of his dual roles, Worf would spend the next several years hopping back and forth between television and the movies. One reason it's important to watch Season 4 of "DS9" prior to watching "First Contact," the second film starring the "Next Generation" cast, is because in order to include Worf in the story, the latter is obligated to include a scene in which the Enterprise rescues another ship called the Defiant, introduced in "DS9" and captained by Worf himself. Future "Next Generation" movies, which decline in quality moving forward, come up with increasingly hand-wavy reasons for his presence on the Enterprise bridge.

"First Contact" itself, however, is by far the best of the "Next Generation" films and one of the best "Star Trek" films in general, as the crew travels back in time to prevent the cybernetic hive mind known as the Borg from altering history. Not only is "First Contact" a great movie (and the film directorial debut of Jonathan Frakes, who plays Commander William Riker), it also kicks off a spectacular "Star Trek" run that can stand up against any other period in franchise history.

Deep Space Nine (Season 5) / Voyager (Season 3)

With Season 5, "DS9" gets back on track after the previous outlier season, quickly focusing around a single unified threat thanks to an alliance between the show's original antagonists the Cardassians and the Dominion. The presence of the sinister Changelings adds an intrigue element to the story, as any character could potentially be a Changeling in disguise — a concept that would be used to great effect years later in the 2004 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." The season concludes with the official start of the Dominion War, a conflict that would dominate the remainder of the show.

"Voyager," meanwhile, was also getting back on track in its third season, which generally sees an uptick in quality — particularly toward the end, with episodes like "Before and After," "Real Life," and "Worst Case Scenario." Robert Picardo, who plays Voyager's holographic doctor, also gets to make a cameo in "DS9" as the Doctor's creator, Lewis Zimmerman, in the episode "Doctor Bashir, I presume." And Season 3 ends with the first installment of "Scorpion," which catalyzed "Voyager's" official rise to greatness in part thanks to a memorable new character.

Deep Space Nine (Season 6) / Voyager (Season 4)

These two overlapping seasons, airing in late 1997 and early 1998, represent the pinnacle of "Star Trek's" '90s golden age. In "DS9," the Dominion War is in full swing, the series' much-discussed religions themes are building in prominence, the mysterious Section 31 is introduced, foreshadowing its prominent role in both "Enterprise" and "Discovery," and most memorably, the showrunners do what almost no iteration of "Star Trek" has ever dared to do: permanently kill off a member of the main cast.

Casting changes are also a major part of Season 4 of "Voyager," which jettisons the little-loved character of Kes and officially introduces Seven of Nine , a liberated Borg drone played by Jeri Ryan who quickly joins the ranks of the franchise's most widely known characters. It's an oversimplification to suggest that the overall brilliance of Season 4 is the direct result of Ryan joining the cast, but no matter how much of it you attribute to her, it's a phenomenal season of television, filled from start to finish with some of the best "Voyager" episodes (and also "Retrospect," but we don't talk about that one).

Insurrection

It's not "First Contact," but 1998's "Insurrection" is still a pretty good "Next Generation" movie, another solid offering from Jonathan Frakes. While "Insurrection" doesn't interact much with the events of "DS9" or "Voyager," watching it at this point in the "Trek" timeline provides an overall context for the state of the Federation, which has been intermittently challenged, as the movie's primary villain points out, by the Borg, the Cardassians, and the Dominion. A sense of the Federation being assailed from all sides isn't strictly necessary for the film's story of familial betrayal on a planet that confers immortality, but it does make viewing it a more interesting experience (though again, the perfunctory inclusion of Worf simply because he's expected to be in "Next Generation" movies is potentially jarring for "DS9" fans who have become invested in his character development, which "Insurrection" largely ignores).

"Insurrection" is Frakes' last "Star Trek" movie as director (though he would later direct episodes of "Discovery" and "Picard") and marks the beginning of the end of the '90s "Trek" boom. There's still plenty of great "Trek" ahead, but the curve is now pointing down.

Deep Space Nine (Season 7) / Voyager (Season 5)

The final season of "DS9" represents one of the single greatest creative accomplishments in "Star Trek" history, as no "Trek" show to date has managed to stick such an ambitious and satisfying landing. In a unique move, the last 10 episodes of the season form a single, series-ending story, and the feature-length finale, "What You Leave Behind," is considered one of the greatest "Trek" episodes of all time. "DS9" had been great for at least two seasons prior to this one, but the success of Season 7 cemented it as a foremost jewel in the crown of the "Star Trek" franchise.

"Voyager," meanwhile, continued its stellar run of episodes, capping off a three-year rehabilitation effort that saw one of the franchise's shakiest shows become one of its best. It was good timing, too, because with "DS9" wrapping up ("What You Leave Behind" aired the week after the Season 5 "Voyager" finale, "Equinox"), Captain Janeway and her crew were suddenly the only starship in the galaxy. And you, intrepid binge-watcher, can finally stop switching between two different shows.

Voyager (Seasons 6-7)

Unlike "DS9," the final seasons of "Voyager" are not its best, though admittedly, after Seasons 4 and 5, that's a high bar to clear. Season 6 comes close with a steady stream of classics, introducing both the popular Holodeck scenario Fair Haven and the "Pathfinder" storyline that sees "Next Generation" vets Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi join up as recurring characters. By Season 7, however, the quality of "Voyager" has begun to dip noticeably — the final season contains few memorable episodes and at least one extremely ill-conceived romantic subplot. It earns some redemption, however, with the two-part series finale "Endgame," which, whether you like it or not, at least fulfills the promise of the show's premise and comes to a definitive conclusion about whether the ship and its crew are ever getting back to the Alpha Quadrant. It's a moment that would have been easy to shy away from, and "Voyager" meets it head on.

"Endgame" aired in May 2001, and in retrospect, the title didn't only apply to "Voyager." The continuous story that "Star Trek" had been telling for the past 14 years over the course of three different shows and three different movies was over. There was, however, one last (incredibly depressing) chapter to get through.

The final "Next Generation" film, released in 2002, is by far the worst of them, and the worst "Star Trek" movie in general since 1989's "The Final Frontier." It was so bad, in fact, that it notoriously killed "Star Trek" — plans for a fifth "Next Generation" movie were scrapped after "Nemesis" bombed at the box office, and creatively, it's an absolute nightmare, introducing a Romulan sister planet with the unfortunate name of Remus, blatantly attempting to restart Data's entire character arc via a literal copy with the also unfortunate name of B-4, and tying these and other unfortunate decisions together with a nonsensical plot featuring Tom Hardy as a secret clone of Picard. After "Nemesis," the scuttling of future franchise installments can honestly be seen as a mercy killing.

"Star Trek" wasn't quite dead in 2002, however. While we've now officially made it through the combined stories of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager," there's one more show, independent from the others, that now enters the viewing order. And watching it involves going back to the very beginning... and even before that.

In a chronological viewing, "Star Trek: Enterprise" would actually be the first show you watch, since it takes place a hundred years prior to "The Cage." Indirectly spinning off from the events of "First Contact," it tells the story of Earth's first warp starship, appropriately named the Enterprise and captained by Scott Bakula's Jonathan Archer, and of humanity's early relationships with alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and Andorians. Despite its status as a prequel, the sheer degree to which "Enterprise" relies on its audience having knowledge of other "Star Trek" properties makes it almost impossible to recommend as an entry point. It fits much better here, as the official end of the franchise's second major era, especially given that the final episode, "These Are The Voyages...," frames itself as a holodeck simulation being watched by the Enterprise crew from "Next Generation."

"There Are The Voyages..." aired on May 13th, 2005. There wouldn't be another "Star Trek" show for more than 12 years. At this point, our watch order breaks away from order of release, but we feel strongly that it's how "Star Trek" from 1987 to 2005 should be watched.

Lower Decks

If you think 12 years is a long gap between "Star Trek" installments, that's nothing compared to the 45 years that went by between "Trek" stories told via animation. "Short Treks" was technically the first "Trek" show since "The Animated Series" to include animated episodes, and that aired in 2019, but 2020 gave us the first season of "Lower Decks," an entirely animated show about the people who don't get to hang out on the bridge.

The first franchise installment to ever concern itself primarily with characters who are not in command of a starship or space station, "Lower Decks" is the "Star Trek" equivalent of shows like HBO's "Harley Quinn" — an irreverent, adult-oriented comedy that revels in its TV-MA rating, delivering violence, sex, and swearing at warp speed frequencies. Chronologically, it's set shortly after the events of "Nemesis," but more importantly to the binge-watcher, it's the dessert following a feast — a vital dose of pure fun after absorbing almost four full decades of space drama.

The Kelvin timeline

After the box office failure of "Nemesis" brought an abrupt end to the "Next Generation" movies, there wasn't a new "Trek" film until 2009. And far from being a continuation of the existing movie franchise, this new version, simply called "Star Trek," was a reboot of "The Original Series," casting new, younger versions of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the first Enterprise crew. Sequels to the reboot followed in 2013 and 2016.

Watching these three movies as part of a "Star Trek" binge is pretty much entirely optional, since they take place in an alternate timeline created when the USS Kelvin was destroyed in battle with time-traveling Romulan ship from the 24th century, leaving an infant James T. Kirk without a father in the process. Moreover, the trilogy is widely considered to be of uneven quality (though the third movie, "Star Trek Beyond," is considerably better than its predecessor, possibly due to the departure of director J.J. Abrams). Still, if you're going to watch them, this is the place in the viewing order to do it, as a key plot point of the first film — the Romulan sun going supernova — plays a major role in "Picard."

Short Treks

The Kelvin movies might not exert much direct influence over the larger plot of "Star Trek," but they played a major role in the future of the franchise by bringing in Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman is the showrunner on "Discovery," and with the exception of "Lower Decks," he has been directly involved in every modern "Trek" series. In 2018, after the successful first season of "Discovery" led to a new expansion of the "Star Trek" franchise, Kurtzman and co-creator Bryan Fuller (formerly a writer on "DS9" and "Voyager") premiered "Short Treks," an anthology series of short, unrelated stories. As of this writing, there have been two seasons and 10 total episodes, some live-action, some animated.

"Short Treks" spans almost the entire "Star Trek" timeline — two episodes are set in the period of time between "Enterprise" and "The Original Series," while a third takes place in the far future. As a result, watching it requires a sense of the entire scope of the "Trek" universe. It's the penultimate entry in this watch order, however, because the Season 2 finale, "Children of Mars," leads directly into the final entry: "Picard."

"Star Trek: Picard" is the first of the modern "Trek" offerings to look forward rather than back, giving us a story set after the events of "Next Generation," "DS9," and "Voyager." Indeed, not only does the series follow up with Jean-Luc Picard 20 years after we last saw him (and 12 years after the Romulan sun went supernova) but it also brings in an older version of Seven of Nine, once again portrayed by Jeri Ryan. As mentioned, Picard also ties into the most recent installment of "Short Treks," which involves a terrorist attack by synthetic life forms that eventually leads to a ban on their creation — one of the many plot elements of "Picard" that has drawn criticism for being inconsistent with the original utopian vision of "Star Trek."

With so many new "Trek" shows on their way, this list will quickly become outdated. But all the upcoming series will reward previous "Trek" viewing, from Janeway's return on "Star Trek: Prodigy" to a show focused entirely on Section 31. So if you're going to binge all of "Star Trek," you might want to get started now!

Without Star Trek: Discovery, there would be no Star Trek: Strange New Worlds now

E ven though it ended this year, Star Trek: Discovery remains one of the most contenious shows among Star Trek fans and probably will for years to come. Some fans saw it as too dark while others saw it as trying too hard to be Trek. And the list of reasons that folks hate it goes on and on, but there is one inescapable reason why Discovery should be applauded. Because of this series, we now have Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Captain Pike [ Anson Mount ] was introduced in the second season of Discovery as the interim captain and with him came the mystery of Spock's [Ethan Peck] supposed killing of several people while inside a medical facility. When Spock was finally brought aboard Discovery, the chemistry between him and Captain Pike was umistakeable. Even the brief interaction we saw with Pike and his Number One [Rebecca Romijn] clearly showed a connection that would prove to be continued in Strange New Worlds. Add in the Enterprise, and you have the makings for a brand new series that would follow Captain Pike and his crew as they "go where noone has gone before."

Would we have Strange New Worlds without Discovery? We may have gotten something similar eventually, but perhaps not with these actors. That is one of the reasons that makes the series so successful, and it was Discovery fans that began the cry for a spin-off. They saw something in Pike's leadership abilities and Spock's dedication to both Starfleet and his crew.

There will always be fans who disliked the connection Discovery made between Captain Burnham [Sonequa Martin-Green] and Spock. Connecting her as his adopted sister wasn't welcomed, and many fans feel it violates canon; however, one thing you can't argue with and that's how much Strange New Worlds is liked among fans. And had Pike not beamed aboard Discovery, we might not have the Enterprise crew we have now on Strange New Worlds.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Without Star Trek: Discovery, there would be no Star Trek: Strange New Worlds now .

“Star Trek” spinoff series: Abbr. Crossword Clue

Star Trek spinoff series Abbr NYT Crossword Clue Answers are listed below. Did you came up with a solution that did not solve the clue? No worries we keep a close eye on all the clues and update them regularly with the correct answers.

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8 Ways the Original ‘Star Trek’ Made History

By: Sarah Pruitt

Updated: November 2, 2021 | Original: September 8, 2016

When "Star Trek" premiered on NBC in the fall of 1966, it promised "To boldly go where no man has gone before." More than half a century later, it has done just that. The original "Star Trek"—which lasted for only three seasons—birthed some 20 spinoff series and films; a universe of games, toys, comics and conventions; and influenced decades of science-fiction. Here are eight ways the show broke new ground. 

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek premieres Friday, November 5 at 10/9c on The HISTORY ®  Channel

1. A veteran of World War II, Gene Roddenberry created a show about fighting another world war—this time in space.

After piloting a B-17 bomber in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II , Roddenberry served in the Los Angeles Police Department before he began writing for TV. He created the short-lived series “The Lieutenant” before Desilu Studios (founded by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) picked up “Star Trek” in 1966. In an era before man set foot on the moon, the show introduced us to a 23rd-century world where interplanetary travel was an established fact: Captain Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise (named for the real-life ship that turned the tide toward the Allies in the Battle of Midway) roamed the galaxy, clashing with alien enemies like the Klingons, Excalbians and Romulans.

2. The show’s multicultural, multiracial cast put it well ahead of its time.

In addition to the half-Vulcan Spock, the crew of the Enterprise in “Star Trek”’s debut season included Lt. Nyota Uhura (played by the African American actress Nichelle Nichols) and Lt. Hikaru Sulu (played by the Japanese American actor George Takei). In an era of mounting racial tensions, “Star Trek” presented a positive image of people of different races, genders and cultures (not to mention aliens and humans!) working together cooperatively—a somewhat utopian vision, perhaps, but a heartening one. Nichols later said that she was reportedly thinking of leaving the show after the first season, but was convinced to stay on by none other than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , whom she met at a NAACP fundraiser. The civil rights leader, who admitted to being a devoted fan of the show, told Nichols that she was breaking new ground in the role of Uhura, and showing African Americans what was possible for them.

3. The original 'Star Trek' referred repeatedly to the ongoing, escalating conflict in Vietnam.

Though marketed as a classic adventure drama (Roddenberry based the character of Captain Kirk on Horatio Hornblower from C.S. Forester’s classic naval adventure series), “Star Trek” didn’t shy away from tackling moral and social issues such as war, racism and discrimination. The first season episode “Taste for Armageddon” was one of TV’s first allegories for the Vietnam War , an issue the show would return to most famously in the second season’s “A Private Little War.” In that episode, the Klingons are providing weapons to a primitive planet, and Capt. Kirk decides to do the same in order to preserve the “balance of power” on both sides. One of the most controversial plot lines of that season, the story was clearly analogous to the escalating nature of American involvement in Vietnam.

4. But it offered a positive vision for the future in the midst of Cold War tensions.

In the show’s second season, a new navigator named Pavel Andreievich Chekov showed up on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. As Roddenberry recounted in The Fifty-Year Mission , a two-volume oral history of “Star Trek” published in 2016, the character was added after the Russian newspaper Pravda pointed out that the show ignored the Soviet Union ’s pioneering contributions to space travel. But Walter Koenig, the actor who played Chekov, said the Pravda explanation was made up for publicity: The show’s producers wanted a character to appeal to a younger demographic, and just decided to make him Russian. Though a long-running theory held that the Klingons and the Federation represented the Soviet Union and the United States, two ideologically opposed superpowers, another interpretation argues that “Star Trek” functions as a critique of Cold War -era politics, by offering an optimistic vision of the future at a very uncertain moment in history.

5. It was the beneficiary of one of the most successful fan-organized letter-writing campaigns in TV history.

By late 1967, the original “Star Trek” series was struggling, and rumors flew that NBC was planning to cancel the series after only two seasons. Spurred into action, more than 100,000 fans—known as “Trekkers” or “Trekkies”—wrote letters in support of the show. In the largest of numerous protests on college campuses, 200 Caltech students marched to NBC’s Burbank, California studio wielding signs with slogans like “Draft Spock” and “Vulcan Power.” NBC eventually acknowledged the success of the fans’ campaign, announcing that the show would return for another season.

6. The show featured one of the first interracial kisses on TV.

After being “saved” by the fans, the third season of the original “Star Trek” largely bombed, but one particular moment stands out: In the episode “Plato’s Stepchildren,” Capt. Kirk kisses his communications officer, Lt. Uhura, in what is thought to be the first scripted interracial kiss on American television. Though NBC executives worried how the kiss would play on television in 1968 (especially in the South), they eventually decided to leave it in the episode, earning the show enduring fame for the barrier-breaking moment. (Though Kirk and Uhura’s liplock is often cited as the first interracial kiss on TV, a kiss between actors on the British soap opera “Emergency Ward 10” predated “Plato’s Stepchildren” by several years.)

7. It enjoyed record-breaking success in syndication post-cancellation.

Despite its cancellation after only three seasons (and 79 episodes), “Star Trek” gained new life through syndication, as the devotion of its growing fan base increased from the late 1960s and throughout the ‘70s. By 1986, nearly two decades after it entered syndication, A.C. Nielsen Co. listed “Star Trek: The Original Series” as the No. 1 syndicated show. That same year, Roddenberry launched a second TV series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which was immediately syndicated and became a ratings hit. Meanwhile, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” had grossed more than $80 million in 1979, leading to several more movies in the ‘80s and ‘90s, followed by a 21st-century “reboot” of the series starting in 2009. Trekkie enthusiasm fueled the success of comic books, cartoons, novels, action figures and other merchandise based on the series, as well as Star Trek-themed conventions attended by thousands at hotels and other venues around the world.

8. Thanks to 'Star Trek' fans, America’s first space shuttle orbiter was christened Enterprise.

In 1976, hundreds of thousands of Trekkies wrote impassioned letters to NASA arguing that the first space shuttle orbiter should be named after the starship Enterprise. Though he never mentioned the letter campaign, President Gerald R. Ford expressed his preference for the name “Enterprise,” with its hallowed Navy history, and the space administration’s officials ended up dropping their original choice, Constitution. Roddenberry and many original “Star Trek” cast members were on hand to greet the shuttle when it rolled out of the manufacturing facilities in Palmdale, California for its dedication ceremony in September 1976. Though Enterprise was used in a number of flight tests, it was never launched into space, and spent much of its life in storage.

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Did You Catch This 'Zelda' Actor in The Last Season of 'Star Trek: Discovery'?

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Actor Patricia Summersett had a blast appearing on the last season of Star Trek: Discovery , including the series finale — but you may not have even realized she was in it. Summersett starred as the Breen ruler Primarch Tahal in the final two episodes of the science fiction series, which ended earlier this year. She discussed the part FanExpo Canada in Toronto this weekend, during a panel moderated by Collider's Maggie Lovitt . Summersett was excited to get the part, as she'd grown up with Star Trek: The Original Series . She noted that getting on the show was a long, but enjoyable process:

"I had to audition for it multiple times, then flew to Toronto several times for costume fittings, and then got to work with director Olatunde Osunsanmi and spend some time on the ship."

However, she doesn't expect much recognition from the role, as she points out:

"The funny thing about being on Star Trek: Discovery and making it on to the series finale is that I'm totally covered over, and you can't tell it's me...you don't know it's me unless you look at the credits."

Who Is Patricia Summersett?

A graduate of Montreal's Concordia University, Summersett is a familiar voice to video game enthusiasts, with appearances in the Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series. However, her most prominent role to date is that of Princess Zelda in the Legend of Zelda series, beginning with Breath of the Wild ; she is the first-ever voice actor to play the princess in a video game. She has also made live-action appearances on the TV series Helix , The Bold Type , and The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair ; she also had a role in the controversial Darren Aronofsky film mother!

The Breen are a mysterious race who first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as allies of the tyrannical Dominion. During their appearances in that series, they were constantly armored and communicated in a language that sounded like audio feedback. They reappeared in the final season of Discovery , where they were seen without their armor for the first time. Summersett's character, Primarch Tahal, is to-date the only female member of the species to be seen on-screen.

The final season of Star Trek: Discovery is now available to stream on Paramount+ . Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Star Trek: Discovery

Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

Stream on Paramount+

• August 28, 2024 | Interview: Nicholas Meyer On Why ‘The Wrath Of Khan’ Endures, And His “Toxic” Memos With Gene Roddenberry
• August 27, 2024 | Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery – The Final Season’ On Blu-ray Comes To A Satisfying Conclusion
• August 27, 2024 | See Spock Imprisoned By Sela In Preview Of ‘Star Trek: Defiant’ #18
• August 26, 2024 | Edgar Bronfman Drops 11th-Hour Bid For Paramount; Skydance Merger Set To Complete In Early 2025
• August 26, 2024 | Production Begins For ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’

‘Picard’ Production Designer Says ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ Spin-off Is “Just A Nice Idea”

| January 31, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 174 comments so far

We have another update from a veteran of  Star Trek: Picard talking about a potential spin-off. Now production designer Dave Blass is weighing in, pouring a bit of reality on hopes for what has been dubbed “Star Trek: Legacy.”

Dave Blass talks Legacy

As we have been reporting since Picard wrapped up its third and final season last April, showrunner Terry Matalas has wanted to follow up the show with what he has called “Star Trek: Legacy,” which would carry on the story of Captain Seven of Nine of the USS Enterprise G and her crew of “next Next Generation ” characters. Members of the cast including stars of Star Trek: The Next Generation who appeared in season 3 have enthusiastically endorsed the idea. Just last week we reported that actress Michelle Hurd (Commander Raffi Musiker) said “If the fans still want it, they’ll start working on Star Trek: Legacy. ”

In a new interview with Wap Factor Trek , Picard production designer weighs in, clarifying the current status:

“Quoting Paramount, Star Trek: Legacy isn’t a thing,” he states, “so it’s not in development and it’s not in any way moving forward. Until that changes, it’s just a cool idea. It’s like Phase II of Star Trek: The Original Series . That actually got greenlit and was moving forward, but Legacy is just a nice idea. It’s great that the fans like it and want it, and maybe it will happen at some point. But right now, it’s not remotely a thing. It’s not happening unless something massive happens. Paramount is deep into production on Section 31 and Starfleet Academy .”

Dave Blass on the recreated Enterprise-D set from Picard season 3

To be fair to Hurd’s more optimistic update, the actress did note that work on Legacy would follow the Section 31 TV movie (which started shooting this week ) and Starfleet Academy (slated to start filming later this year). For his part, earlier this month Terry Matalas also made it clear that there was no development work being done for Legacy , noting “I wish!”

In the new interview with David Blass, the production designer did offer his hopes for Legacy , saying “I think everyone would love to see it happen.” When it comes to the logistics of such a thing, Blass pointed out that even if Paramount+ were to give the show a green light today, no production could take place until 2025, noting “Everything takes time and a lot of money.”

Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker and Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine in “The Last Generation” (Paramount+)

In an interview with TrekMovie late last year Blass talked about how he had put some thoughts into how he would approach things if Legacy were ever to happen. Regarding the set designs of the Enterprise-G, Blass said:

“I think we would keep the same style [as seen on  Picard ]. And I think we would be able to do things bigger, better, cooler. I appreciate what they what they do on the on the other [Star Trek] shows. I also look at something like  The Mandalorian  as a good touchstone because  The Mandalorian  looks like it belongs in the Star Wars universe. The technology is the same. Just because they have the “Volume” (AR Wall virtual set) and the technology to do big cool things, you don’t need to change what the look of it looks like. So I would do what we did in  Picard  in  Legacy . It should look like Star Trek. It should look like what an evolution of what  Star Trek: The Next Generation  would look like. Going into it, knowing that budgets are going to be tight and we’re going to do things and make use of the technology in ways that would benefit the show. So if you have to go to a new planet, maybe that’s the best way to use the Volume AR wall and expand sets. Maybe our engine room is more of a classic,  Next Generation ,  Voyager ,  First Contact  engine room that is a physical set that’s got height and does something like that, not a virtual set.”

It’s worth checking out the full interview at Warp Factor Trek for more from Blass on designing for Star Trek: Picard .

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com

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Can’t exactly say I’m surprised by how thoroughly this contradicts that Sci-Trek guy’s recent claim to the contrary.

Who is Sci Trek guy? And what was his claims?

A YouTuber. I don’t follow YouTube much, myself, but his recent claim that Legacy has been given the go-ahead, and will be announced over the summer for a 2025 premiere, made traction in some circles.

…Unfortunately.

Oh he sounds like another Midnight Edge channel and just throws out BS. Got it. Thanks.

Stop listening to youtube. youtube is the number one source for misinformation on the internet. YouTubers are straight up lying to get views now. Just last week I deleted my youtube account out of disgust.

I work as a journalist, believe you me, I don’t need to be reminded about this stuff.

I only heard about this secondhand via TrekBBS.

Last week, I watched a YouTube video on bathroom tile grouting. It was spot on! No misinformation that I could see, and my bathroom looks great. If you’d like A34, I could send it to you. Also, I don’t think you need a YouTube account to watch, just a link, so not all hope is lost.

You just need to exercise proper critical thinking and judgment and that will keep you away from the trashy content.

Yeah I know that guy and he’s basically a low rent Midnight’s Edge (which oddly enough those guys have been pretty quiet lately).

Everything he says is BS. And I have commented on his channel multiple times calling it out. The thing that really bothers me about people like this isn’t the fact that he keeps getting fans hopes up about a non-existent project like Legacy is in the works, but that he clearly has an agenda against Kurtzman and the current Trek shows NOT named Picard season 3.

So he makes just as many videos with the usual nonsense how Kurtzman is on his way out, Discovery is getting cancelled (I mean like years ago), Paramount is going to reboot the entire franchise, blah, blah, blah. This stuff just irritates me and people do it again and again. The stuff he clearly doesn’t like he downgrades and pretend its all going away while the stuff he does like such as Legacy is secretly being set for a 5 season run on Amazon or something. And people do it here too, they know who they are. It’s just eye rolling. And of course he makes these videos because there is a deluded but active audience that believes this stuff or simply wants to believe it. But this guy knows NOTHING.

Best example. He made a video stating his ‘sources’ at Paramount made clear the Starfleet Academy show was dead in the water with executives not convinced there is an audience for it and passed. Three days after that video they announced the show. A day after that, you guessed it, he made a video citing how his ‘trusted sources’ wasn’t informed of the ‘last minute decision’ that they decided to go with the show after all. And many people still believed him lol. You wonder how Trump voters believes everything that corrupt criminal and liar says, well, here’s your example.

Sometimes I really hate the internet.

Never heard of him, but there are a lot of people online who just make things up and pretend they have sources.

My favorite is the Nerdrotic guy who claimed Kurtzman was fired because he had a reliable source that told him so. He road that wave to huge success on YouTube. It works!

Isn’t he the same guy that claimed Picard was cancelled before it aired?

Yes I saw that too. Apparently he has contacts at Paramount and blah, blah, blah… Even went on to say that a deal had already been signed off on. Either for a Legacy movie or the origin Star Trek movie… He’s been blabbing on Stargate too but just a few days ago had to post a video that apparently it fell through (the Stargate deal). Yeah right…

Let’s not give any more oxygen to unsubstantiated rumors.

At this point it is probably safe to assume that Legacy, or whatever it might end up being titled, will depend on Paramount’s new owners. I was reading that Byron Allen’s Media Group has made an offer for Paramount Global. I wouldn’t expect much until the dust settles.

Even if this pans out…(from the article)

Per the report, Allen plans to sell the Paramount film studio, which has produced top movies from “Top Gun: Maverick” and the “Mission Impossible” franchise to the recent breakout thriller “Smile” and kid-friendly “Paw Patrol.”

He would also sell real estate and some other intellectual property but retain the TV channels and Paramount+ streaming service. He would plan to run them on a more cost-efficient basis, Bloomberg noted.

This does not say, “Investment in IPs” to me.

I agree it doesn’t and is concerning about the future of Star Trek.

If he’s just going to sell the studio and hollow out the brand and the streaming service so that it’s basically “The New CW” 2.0, I’d just as soon he sold Star Trek to someone who might invest in it. (Which may actually be the endgame)

Allen’s plan just sounds like more vulture capitalism.

I think if he can prove he can finance it, this will get done because he’s offered 50% above share price, and that’s too much to pass up.

I hope that wherever Star Trek lands, it ends up in the hands of someone that knows what it is and understands the audience it generally appeals to.

I’m hoping the upshot is, Allen can keep the linear assets but spins off content production, whether streaming or movies, to a party like Skydance, who then can do distribution deals as needed. Licensing Star Trek to Netflix just makes so much sense, especially if there are related theatrical movies that Netflix could help develop interest for.

This deal isn’t going anywhere.

Trek exists to make money. It’s not a charity.

“The New CW” 2.0 – I mean, isn’t that basically what this Academy show is going to be?

Since you have no clue what you’re talking about I’m going to say No.

I’m ok with only one or two Trek shows a year. That whole trek all year long thing was never going to last forever.

“ At this point it is probably safe to assume that Legacy, or whatever it might end up being titled, will depend on Paramount’s new owners. ”

No, the point is that it won’t be titled anything because it’s not something that was ever in the works. And if/when new owners come in, the last thing they’ll do would be to greenlight a show with exorbitant cast paychecks. Quite the opposite–they’d be looking to CUT costs.

Yeah, I was just being optimistic and going with the “what if” sentiment of the article. I don’t believe for a moment that anyone in charge is taking “Legacy” seriously. The very name suggests it would be too expensive to produce with all of the “Legacy” paychecks that would be involved, and no studio wants to just throw money at a vanity project without a sure return on the investment.

Who would be exorbitant in a Legacy ? Jeri Ryan is by far the most famous, and Bosch on Amazon and Dark Winds on AMC was able to afford her. She’s no Harrison Ford in Yellowstone . Any of the other actors, if they want too much, can be easily recast.

I think Ryan can ask a lot more for returning as Seven, than a guest spot on another show. Sure, she’s not the biggest star in the world, but returning actors to franchises they’ve played a memorable part in have bargaining power. And good for them. If familiarity has value to the studios and fans, the actors paychecks should reflect that.

She can probably also demand a premium if she is the lead of the show instead of (just) a series regular.

I think Allen would have all the “linear” assets while selling streaming series and movie production (to Skydance?) He would keep Paramount+ but without premium content, what’s the point? Might as well dump that and keep Pluto going. That’s the low-cost Paramount service.

Skydance would make Star Trek series and movies (hopefully more coherent, under single control) and license the series to Netflix. Why not take advantage of that 260M subscriber base? Nice way to drum up interest in the theatrical movies.

I think Amazon would be a good home for the franchise. CEO is a big Trek Fan and they would have the money to spend on talent.

They own Stargate and have done absolutely nothing with it, so I don’t know how much ‘they have money’ counts.

They could do some nifty product placement within the show. Starfleet could have a ship called The Amazon that delivers self-sealing stem bolts to other Federation ships. Same-day delivery if within a sector of the Galaxy.

We’d find out the Ferengi were behind it once they started raising their rates every time one turns his back on the business for two seconds.

Which is a shame since Stargate is my second favorite sci-fi franchise.

Bezos is a real Star Trek Fan. However, the less changes the better. I really hope these higher ops moves don’t affect continuity more than what we already have experienced.

Bezos is not the CEO, he’s on the board but he’s not running operations or making any of those kinds of decisions

I agree. All I am saying is that I hope there are no changes. Star Trek is moving forward nicely. However, if Amazon decides to take over, could be “ok.” 🤞

I am not an Amazon fan. However Bezos being a big fan, I just hope is a good home for the franchise, if that is the direction they decide to take.

I personally have no luck finding good/interesting shows or movies in their streaming service. Except one show, The Expanse, which by the way was not originally created by Amazon.

The last season created by them was OK. But cannot come compare with the first two seasons. Very unfortunate they haven’t approved new seasons. Same luck, like Stargate.

My hope is that Star Trek is way too big for anyone to shelve it. Almost 6 decades of loyalty by fans and producers.

Definitely not. They’ve done nothing with Stargate. I’m positive they’d do nothing with Trek either.

Stargate doesn’t have the same cultural impact though.

I know some of you guys are fans, but I’ve never really cared about it.

I’m getting the feeling Amazon is disgruntled with streaming in general and big franchises like Lord of the Rings in particular. They seem to be pivoting to ad-supported sports and content for the sports audience. Reacher, Road House etc. Star Trek wouldn’t be a good fit.

The better approach is: make Star Trek series and license them to Netflix, who can show them to 260M subscribers, and whip up excitement for the theatrical movies. This makes so much sense, I can’t imagine them not doing this.

Maybe if they had made a good Lord of the Rings show they might have had better numbers.

(said with slight sarcasm, it wasn’t THAT bad, given what they had (or rather didn’t have) to work with.

Someday I think Discovery will land on Netflix in America and it will be new to a lot of people. It will be like Suits where people start talking about an old show again like it’s new.

People use to hate TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT the they first came out. I don’t put much weight on what trek fans think.

Which is funny because I used to remind people of that every time fans claimed Discovery was getting special hatred. Noo, it was getting the same hatred as those got, so stop sounding triggered over it.

And guess what Picard got the same hatred to. And to a (small) extent LDS. The only shows that got complete love out of the gate was SNW and PRO IMO. And yes people don’t like those either but it was never divisive.

Yeah Paramount is just too broke, I think everyone got that message by now.

It doesn’t mean it can’t happen eventually unless they just stop making more Star Trek in the future. But Paramount right now probably don’t think Trek is viable enough to make more than 2-3 shows at the moment. It probably does OK for P+ but it’s not Taylor Sheridan shows either which probably brings in much bigger views. They already made 6 shows of his and I read there are another 3 more in the works. That’s 9 shows the guy will have for P+. If NuTrek was performing that well we would have that many shows too including Legacy.

But we have to face reality Trek is just not big enough to make more shows with or Paramount just doesn’t think it’s worth making more. Either way the outlook doesn’t look too great past SFA right now. 😥

Broke for corporations really mean not making gazillions. Impossible they are loosing money.

I don’t mean broke broke, I just mean they have to be more strategic on what they greenlight.

The Taylor Sheridan shows are a good example. They cost way more than the Star Trek shows but they all seem to be a sure bet of getting a bigger audience so they keep making more regardless of cost.

With Star Trek they have a guaranteed audience but probably a much smaller one. And since two shows got cancelled there is probably a thought not to make too many of them anymore or just cost too much for what they pull in.

If Star Trek had the audience like the Yellowstone shows then we would probably have the Legacy show, SNW, Discovery on for a few more seasons and the Academy show.

But that’s probably just too much money for what they pull in and probably keeping the stuff that will cost them less money to make.

It’s probably the same issue with another Trek movie. They have the money to make one but it’s not a sure bet anymore so they just keep delaying it or changing up ideas because they are too worried it will bomb.

I really think this show is moving forward. It has it all to be a hit.

It’s not.

It is not moving forward. We keep being told it is just an idea hyped by a few folks involved with Picard.

For a while Mulgrew was talking up a Janeway series. Doesn’t mean it was actually happening. Eventually we all kind of forgot about it.

Yet evidently they are moving forward with Starfleet Academy , a show which has generated modest excitement at best.

I’m guessing the Academy show will be far less cheaper with new and younger actors. There won’t be a Patrick Stewart or Jeri Ryan starring on that show.

They obviously can’t afford to do both of them either. If this was Disney+ or Netflix, both could get made.

Why would it have Patrick Stewart? It is called Legacy , not Picard, Season 4 . I can see Jonathan Frakes, but not Stewart. Besides, isn’t Stewart talking about making another movie?

It wouldn’t. Just throwing out an example. Academy will be all new actors although I guess Tilly may be in it.

While I’m sure Stewart hasn’t thrown away Kurtzman’s phone number, it looks like the news about a new Picard movie was misreported.

It’s hard to know when / if they would pop a new series in the slate, but if they bypass this idea in favor of another one, it show’s they are in fact, inept. As with SNW, it was product tested and fans are now asking for it. SNW has become the flagship show of the brand. The more they try to bring in a mass audience, they need to just realize that’s riskier, they should just go for the fanbase. Don’t buy into the idea that they Aren’t attracting new fans.. they are. It’s just not translating to a bigger demographic, and I don’t see how it ever will. To me, the idea of pushing Trek to a wider audience has been tested and hasn’t worked. Keep it the niche product it is, and just focus on keeping the fan base it has happy and at the table. Less shows, more quality.

Agree with all of this. Yes the shows get some new fans but not on a massive or a younger level and that’s probably why there is a down turn in the number of shows being made. It’s no longer the 90s and now Trek is behind a pay wall. It’s not going to attract a large number of new people when the brand has always been more ;niche’ overall. They ran into that very problem with the Kelvin movies.

I get they want the IP to grow and expand to, sorry, the next generation of Trek fans. I want that too. But it’s been six years and 5 shows since Discovery and there are still people out there that has never heard of them, especially under a certain age. I don’t know what it is, but Trek just seems to attract mostly older people no matter how much they try with things like the Kelvin movies, Lower Decks, Prodigy, etc.

And while I support SFA, I don’t think it’s going to really move the needle on that level. It’s probably just going to be mostly people from sites like this watching it. I hope to be proven wrong but I wasn’t with Prodigy.

Not everybody wants a legacy show…..

Not everyone wanted Discovery either and we still got that. 🙄

I was fine with Discovery until I watched a few episodes ;)

I was disgruntled with it even pre-airing, but then my gruntlitude hit new levels once I saw some shows.

This must be my month for new words. In addition to gruntiltude, I also came up with ‘aclench’ — which I think might be a poetic way of describing musculature in the nether regions.

And that’s ok.

Some people are in the mood for a show with new characters in a new setting. I bring this up for folks who keep saying no one asked for “fill in the blank”.

This is what I’ve been saying for months, each time people have complained about a lack of updates about LEGACY. You can’t have updates about a show that isn’t even on the table and never was.

Exactly. And it’s time to drop the topic now…it’s getting tiresome.

I don’t expect it to go away. Folks can chatter away about what they think people “really” want all day, but for the majority of fans, nothing really exists until they see a trailer for it.

Right now, it is not a priority for them. Yes, it is a good idea and lots of people want it, judging from the petition. But their priority is SNW and Lower Decks. The news shows that they will have their priority is the Academy series and the TV movie. I think that if The Section 31 movie proves to be a hit, then they will look into other TV movies. And I firmly believe that the “Legacy” idea will come to fruition as just that. A TV movie. They have cancelled Discovery and got rid of Prodigy, so they are definitely cutting huge costs. I do not think the SMW will go 7 seasons. I think they will wrap it at 5 like they did with Discovery. Short series and TV movies will probably the way they will go and having only 1 or 2 series in production at a time.

it’s not in development and it’s not in any way moving forward

Yep. My recommendation is that we all drop this now and move onto to tracking and getting excited about the Academy, S31 Movie, final DSC Season and upcoming SNW S3.

Too much time is being spent by fans and Trek web sites pontificating on a series that is obviously never going to happen.

The fact that those four Star Trek productions are coming makes me even wish more for a Legacy show.

That guy is so insufferable.🙄

MY recommendation is we keep fighting for the Legacy show as long as it takes. That’s what Star Trek fandom does over and over again.

Don’t listen to some guy who say to move on just because he doesn’t want it.

And I don’t really care about any of those except SNW. The rest is just a big shrug.

Not following?

Exactly. What is insufferable are the hangers on who keep dangling this Legacy series BS and everyone’s face when it’s obviously not going to happen.

Feel free. It will fall on deaf ears, though. This just isn’t in the cards and never was.

Do people not read my posts lol. I made it completely clear I don’t think it’s happening. I have said over and over, Paramount doesn’t have the money or probably doesn’t have the motivation to make more than 2 or 3 Trek shows a year because they don’t produce enough. I been saying this for months now. I spelled this out in my OP here. Read it please.

But that doesn’t mean it will never happen either lol. Those are two different things. There are people who still pining for more JJ verse movies and the last one happened 8 years ago lol.

I know, because Paramount keeps trolling and saying it will happen gives them hope. But they haven’t, right? And maybe it will or maybe it won’t. No one really knows until they make it, but there it is

Same for any future Trek show. So as long as they make more shows then fans should keep pressing for the ones want to see. Picard season 3 ended ten months ago, it doesn’t have to get picked up tomorrow. 😉

Exactly! What is insufferable is fans who keep dragging us on when it’s obviously dead.

Neither was SNW…until it was. This is such an odd argument on a Star Trek board out of all places.

Two words: Bjo Trimble.

Be sure and keep everyone posted on how charging the castle goes….good luck.

You mean posting and campaigning what Star Trek you want to see on the Internet? That’s only been happening since the invention of the Internet lol.

Fans have convinced TPTB of things constantly from making the Klingons look like Klingons again after the Orcs, making post Nemesis shows, to getting SNW. That’s kinda of what fans do.

I know how cynical you are with literally everything but not everyone is you.

They never looked like orcs, they looked like Klingons with shaved heads.

Lol, just awesome! :-))

Phil I love you man but this is ridiculous lol. First off, I think people only go to this board for Star Trek info, but the Legacy show is discussed everywhere daily. Go to Reddit, Facebook, Youtube, any social media it’s discussed constantly JUST like SNW was discussed constantly.

Again, I agree, I don’t think a show is happening anytime soon, but that’s not the same thing as never happening. So to try and say people shouldn’t be talking about it is ridiculous. A. It’s discussed all the time online and it’s not going away. TM is a tiny board. And B. I was the one saying I don’t think SNW would ever get the greenlight….until it did. Again, people can try and rewrite history but that show was never on the docket until fans pushed for it.

Maybe this won’t happen, but it’s a message board. That won’t change either. Until Paramount said they won’t or can’t make it, people will push for it. That’s how fandom for 50+ years now.

It’s hilarious man. It’s what, like 20 people on this site regularly on a good day and who sound like they are all over 50 and has never been on social media before. 😂

It’s talked about everywhere on Twitter, Facebook, etc. I’m part of a big Trek private group on Facebook, over 100 members and we talk about it at least a few times a month.And it doesn’t mean everyone wants it or think it will it happen either. But we still talk about it because we’re Star Trek fans and we like to discuss the possibilities either way. Yeah the nerve of Star Trek fans talking about things we like to see in Star Trek. What has gotten over us? 🙄

I was part of a Voyager season 8 speculation group for years and I’m pretty certain that’s not going to happen either. 😂😥

But certain ‘people’ here who just never wanted this show and now literally trying to censor others from just discussing it. It’s laughable and eye rolling. And gatekeeping as well. And they wonder why people don’t like them? It’s not hard to figure out why.

Maybe do THIS instead: If you don’t want to listen to people taking on about even the possibility of this show ..then those people should simply S-T-O-P clicking on any articles relating to it. They can instead discuss for the thousandth time about another movie that is really really going to happen this year instead. That’s been working wonders for eight years now. Talk about delusional lol.

And telling people to stop talking about something only does the opposite. It’s funny how people never get this online.

Also notice he didn’t ‘recommend’ anyone to be excited about Lower Decks or Prodigy? Gee I wonder why? Are those not Star Trek shows that also have new episodes coming out soon? Why leave those out?

Especially when both of those shows are easily twice as popular as Discovery is here! 😂

Maybe guy should STOP telling people what they should be ‘rooting’ for since it’s only the stuff he happens to like lol. Eye rolling beyond belief.

Maybe we can all just agree different fans like different things and be adults about it.

You would think. But here we are.

Some just aren’t willing to do that

Considering the situation over at Paramount right now, and the general tightening of belts, I suspect this lovely new modern age of Trek is rapidly coming to an end. I certainly hope not, but… eeh, it’s in the air.

It’s certainly not going to be the next Berman era. I t will probably go a few more years but I don’t think that long the way things are going.

Star Trek is a valuable enough IP. It will go somewhere. It survived UPN, it can survive whatever fate Paramount Plus has coming.

It’s always been a chaotic business.

There is no actual pause here. It’s a fan made up situation. This is going to to end up being like the Berman era on steroids

Picard Season 3 ended just as Paramount+ greenlit two new Star Trek projects and Season 3 of SNW, which was then followed by corporate upheaval and spending cuts. So I don’t think the opportunity was ever really there to green light yet another project, and there probably won’t be that opportunity for years. Keep in mind all of the “Legacy” creators and actors are based in LA and are expensive even WITH the special tax dispensation they were awarded for Picard. I could also see producers being skeptical with the setup or premise of Legacy, a show specifically geared toward fans rather than reaching a broader audience.

Nobody wants to hear someone making sense here like that… lol

Haven’t you heard — Paramount is broke and they can’t afford Legacy…lol

there are a lot of balls up in the air right now with the paramount sale….and i think future ST movies and tv shows not already in production are pending that deal to get done. when that sale is done and the future of paramount + is determined i would assume the new owner would want some layup wins in tv and movies w/ their existing IPs, ie ST. so STL could be an easy win under new ownership. i’d be happy with Terry Matalas as showrunner for any kind of ST show, whether it be STL, or something else. we never got to see the post ST6 pre TNG era, and that would be fun to explore. but i do not imagine they would do more then 2 live action shows at once. it always struck me odd the news of starfleet academy was during the big lovefest of PIC season 3. it was like they were trying to take the air out of the excitement over that show because it didn’t fit into their plans. i’m still holding out hope starfleet academy is canceled or at least retooled to not be in the DSC era.

After seeing S3 of Picard, I’m dubious that we need an extension of that. How about just keeping the best elements: Terry Matalas, who can handle a full serialized season (a unique talent in Star Trek now); Seven; and Worf.

Build something new around those elements. Let’s visit post-Dominion-War Cardassia.

To be fair, it’s a *very* nice idea.

Is it though? Are you that desperate to see the adventures of Sidney LaForge and co? Or is it just because you want that extra dose of nostalgia/legacy characters whilst adding absolutely nothing to the franchise?

Nobody is expecting Sidney to be the star of any proposed spin offs. And you know it. Stop trolling.

My point is why are people so excited about “Legacy”? Is it just because of Captain Seven and the promise of legacy of characters showing up? So basically just more nostalgia?

If a Captain Seven show with guest stars doesn’t appeal to you, fine. If that’s you’re point, then say that. But other people feel differently. Liking nostalgia isn’t a crime.

You’re so cartoonish its impossible to take you seriously. You’re beefing with a tv show that doesn’t even exist.

It’s not wrong to like nostalgia, that’s all Trek is these days. What is wrong is dismissing a show doing something NEW (Starfleet Academy) and demanding Trek be safe, predictable and narrow like Legacy instead.

I will say people who don’t like the idea of SFA probably has to do more about it being a Discovery spin off or just hate the idea of a teen focused show. And those are valid reasons not to like it.

I think people have no problem of wanting new characters, but it’s the premise itself that seems to put people off.

But FYI, DS9 literally had the same problem when it was announced and hated the space station idea (“But Star Trek is about boldly going!!!!!”). But people eventually came around because it was good. But that also took a loooong time for some too. If this show is good, people will get over it.

I’ve given up on Legacy. For me, S3 Picard was the coda for the STU. I’ll finish Prodigy and LDS, (Jack Quaid and Eugene Cordero are too hilarious to give up) but the rest is Star Trek in name only.

Agreed. I am also an old-ish scientist.

I am happy to cancel Paramount + for now. I own Picard Season 3 on Blu Ray, so I can just re-watch that and other Star Trek on Pluto. Also, Prodigy is on Netflix. I’m good.

I’m pretty much in the same boat. If it wasn’t for so much else I watch on P+ – the Sheridan productions, old Twilight Zones, a good film library, I would drop it too. I just watched TOS’ ‘Omega Glory’ on Pluto last night, that channel does Trek justice.

I feel the way you do although I really do like SNW too. But it’s nowhere near the level of what Picard season 3 was for me. I love the animated shows too, especially LDS, but it will never be as great as a post Nemesis live action show.

But for now both LDS and Prodigy are my go to shows and the most important to me.

I appreciate Dave’s truthfulness, but I am bummed about this news. I do not want a Section 31 movie, Starfleet Academy show, or Disco S5. I am looking forward to new Prodigy and Lower Decks. I am kind of “meh” about SNW S3.

I really just wanted that Legacy show with Captain 7 of 9 and Jack Crusher on the Enterprise-G.

BTW: I would have LOVED a practical engineering set similar to Voyager/First Contact! Dave Blass really teased that on us tech-heads! I have my Playmates Engineering set in my office and and really sad we won’t get to see a new one like this! The SNW engineering set looks awful.

I’ll gladly watch a Captain 7 of 9 show, but only if Wesley picks up his half-brother to go have adventures off camera. Sorry but he was just annoying in Picard S3.

The engine rooms in the shows have always been my favorite sets. TMP engine room was my favorite, followed by Voyager’s. It would be nice to see those sets return to the new shows.

I wouldn’t be surprised any future Trek series that takes place in the early 25th immediately following PIC S3 will be animated instead of live-action and probably a spinoff of Lower Decks and not PIC, with a crew on a Starfleet ship that isn’t on the Enterprise-G.

I, like some others here believe Secret Hideout hit its apex with PIC S3. DSC ceased to exist for me back in S2, I’m having trouble warming to LDS, and SNW, while decent,, threw canon (and the prime timeline) to the dogs and already or will recast the entire TOS crew, which to me is not necessary. PRO is very good Trek, imo, and I’ll keep following that on Netflix. Sec. 31 looks mildly interesting, Academy not at all, and it doesn’t look like a Legacy production is in the cards, at least for now. So, not too enthused about the future of our favorite franchise at the moment. Hoping that will change.

I feel you brother…I feel you!

Hopefully something will change but I think Paramount only has so much money for Star Trek these days. I think a Legacy show would be way more popular than the CW Academy show most fans don’t seem to be begging for but it’s probably Kurtzmans baby that he’s been trying to get going since 2018.

And it’s probably cheaper to make too. 😐

So Paramount is deep into production on things that fans have very loudly said that they have no interest in. Yet the concept that fans are clamoring for is ignored…

Just shows how tone deaf Hollywood is at times.

There was a time no one was asking for a French captain 100 years after the original series. Don’t read too much into gatekeeping online chatter.

Oh remember the TNG protest. 🪧

I’m old enough to remember TNG getting booed at conventions.

You guys don’t speak for the fans.

It’s remarkable how Paramount manages this franchise. They cannot get a new movie done since 2016. If they start working on one now, 2026 may be a realistic release date. They develop an academy show in the Discovery time line that nobody asked for. They had great buzz with the next Next Generation, but that remains an idea. Every streamer would take that show as long as the price tag stays reasonable. Paramount is leaving money on the table left and right. But gee… I wonder why it isn’t doing so well right now.

“ They develop an academy show in the Discovery time line that nobody asked for.”

“Who asked for Andor?”

No one specifically asked for TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise either.

That line is getting so old. Folks minds are too closed. I’m all for nostalgia based projects, but they have to create some new characters from time to time.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t do it. But it looks to me like they’re not exactly picking up on the opportunities they are given. It’s hard to create buzz and attention. For the movies and for Legacy they have buzz and attention. And they just sit on it. You think the Academy show has potential? Fine do it and make it awesome. But passing up on a timely movie or a show that is already asked for is a wasted opportunity. And for a company that has been struggling, I find this astonishing.

There’s also budget issues. I love legacy characters to pieces, but they carry a heavier price tag. There’s a reason Berman couldn’t get Nimoy back.

That’s ultimately part of the problem, the cost. Matalas said how thin the budget for season 3 was because they had to pay all the legacy actors to be there.

Another reason why Legacy wouldn’t have them all back. But it still would be a costly show. I really want Legacy but I’m realist too. If they just can’t afford to do it, they can’t do it. Yeah it sucks but nothing we can do. And Paramount is hurting.

That’s the thing. This hypothetical Legacy show can’t bring back all of the TNG cast again. It almost certainly can’t bring back Stewart, the biggest name in the cast. The selling point gets a bit muddy without the full set.

Or they just do a Seven/Raffi/Jack show…. and I’d watch but basically that’s Star Trek: Picard minus Picard.

Probably best to let it drop. It will only frustrate people more.

All I want is Seven! 😁

I wanted her own spin off show the second she showed in the Picard trailer. A lot of fans in fact.

Anyone else who shows up would just be a bonus.

And I think for Matalas the only people who are guaranteed to be in the show are the people who warped out on the Enterprise G with Seven and Raffi. So I’m not sure why people keep thinking it would be another TNG show?

Again Matalas stated multiple times the spin off would be about the next next generation. I don’t know how many times he said it. He made it clear the show isn’t about Picard and Data, but about the generation after them who we saw on the Titan. Seven is literally the only legacy character confirmed for the show (and a non-TNG character at that). That’s why she was Captain of the Enterpise and not Worf or Riker. I don’t think Geordi will be the Chief Engineer or Crusher the doctor on the ship lol. I’m pretty sure everyone who wants the show understands that.

Again, just frustrating to have these same discussions over and over again. And if people don’t like that idea either, that’s fine but at least understand the argument. It was never meant to bring back the TNG cast.

But, if you’re a fan of his, look how fast Taylor Sheridan’s productions are produced on P+. 1883, 1923, Tulsa King, Special Ops: Lioness, Bass Reeves, the Willie Nelson documentary, etc. All made by him, all put out by P+. THAT’S where the money is going. And rightfully so, imo. I’ve enjoyed almost all of the above more than Kurtzman and Co. have given us. Anyone who thinks Trek is the priority of P+ is dreaming, in my view.

You’re probably right as ST is sci-fi and sci-fi is a niche. That’s even true for the movies where so many other franchises outnumber ST. They probably face the challenge to produce a mass-appealing movie and not look cheap. That’s probably a tall order.

In regard to TV/Legacy, nobody is expecting all expensive stars to show up. Jeri Ryan is probably asking for a good chunk (as she should). Michelle Hurd can probably not ask for as much. Her character wouldn’t be that vital to the show. The rest should be happy to join the show for (almost) free.

This is a lot content that people watch, produced in a cost effective fashion. Sci-fi costs a ton, particularly so if it’s FX heavy. I generally enjoyed the Kelvin era movies, and acknowledge that they could have scrubbed a lot of the FX without it effecting the final product. If they had bought those productions in for 120MM instead of ticking 200MM, we’d of had more Trek movies by now.

If they made Beyond for $120 million and not the ridiculous $180 million we probably would’ve got another movie back in 2019 or 2020 the latest.

But they were trying to compete with Marvel, a franchise that most teenagers have no interest in and it bit them in the butt by the end.

Now since that bombed it stagnated the movies for 8 years now without a single movie since and still no telling when another will actually get made.

Now they are probably trying to make a much cheaper one with that prequel one or whatever but they don’t seem confident any ideas they had will make a profit or they would’ve made one by now.

Marvel has made 12 freaking movies since 2016 lol. That’s ridiculous on one level but that shows real confidence in their brand. Even if their movies are doing poorly now, every one thinks they can still make billion dollar movies if they are good. Everyone seems really excited about Deadpool 3.

Trek can’t even muster half that and why it’s a better idea to just stick to streaming movies for awhile instead of wasting serious money.l they don’t have.

Exactly my friend!

That’s what I said here too and for some reason it was completely ignored. 😂🙄

It’s not that Paramount don’t have the money to make more Trek shows they probably just don’t see them as valuable like the Sheridan shows and where the money is going now. You now have six Sheridan shows on that site and the first one just premiered a few years ago. And I read he already has three more shows in the works.

If Star Trek was performing like those shows then we would have the Legacy show and probably a few more in development besides SFA.

Right now the ONLY shows that are currently active are Lower Decks and SNW. That’s pretty low considering how many shows were around just two years ago. S 31 is now a movie but my guess because Paramount just didn’t want another show since it too was supposed to be one.

Trek is simply no longer the leading franchise on that site anymore and that’s the real issue among others.

Nobody wants Star Trek: the last of the summer wine. Aka legacy old folks home

Nobody wants Legacy characters. But also Nobody wants something new and unfamiliar like Star Trek Academy.

Apparently Mr Nobody just sits around wanting all day and speaking for everyone.

I asked for Academy. 5 years ago. I also asked for a S31 show back when they showed up on DS9.

I’m nobody

Everyone wants Legacy. No one wants Section 31 or Academy.

Sure kid. Next time come up with an original comment post.

Neither of those sentences is remotely true. You speak only for yourself. You are not the barometer of fandom.

Who “wanted” Star Wars Andor?

People ‘want’ legacy characters, nostalgia, fan service, easter eggs and references, and not much else, that’s why Picard S3 was so popular, because that’s all it offered.

Thankfully, there are still some writers and show-runners who like to actually push a franchise forward and give us NEW characters and NEW settings without relying on the easy crutch of nostalgia like Matalas did.

You just keep telling yourself that….

I’ll only speak for myself and I definitely want Legacy! 😎

Don’t care about S 31 or Academy but will stay open minded to both.

“But right now, it’s not remotely a thing. It’s not happening unless something massive happens. Paramount is deep into production on Section 31 and Starfleet Academy.””

This is more or less what I expected. With the budget cuts that were announced before the strike(s), they only have so much money they can spend. S31 was greenlit before Picard S3 started airing IIRC, and I THINK Academy was greenlit some time during PIC S3. The idea of Legacy didn’t become a thing until Last Generation premiered. Once S31 is done, then MAYBE we’ll hear something about Legacy.

Exactly. That’s the problem. So I get it. Don’t like it lol but it is what it is…for now. 😉

We won’t get Legacy because Starfleet Academy is going to flop hard. I detect little enthusiasm for it.

As for The Chronicles of Space Hitler, I can think of nothing less Star Trek than that. I expect this will fail too.

Make something about exploration, and include some actual science and believability.

But we don’t know how well Academy or the S 31 movie will do. Yes I do agree, both are divisive but that doesn’t mean even the people who don’t like the idea won’t watch them. ;)

I think the S 31 will get eyeballs because it’s a 2 hour streaming movie and if you already have Paramount+ to keep up with your TOS or Voyager rewatches you will probably turn it on just out of curiosity. With the Academy show, it will get eyeballs in the beginning at least. But if it does end up being a teen version of Discovery with antsy teens and lots of melodrama, it could drop off quickly. But we’ll have to see first.

But I remember people predicting Lower Decks was going to crash and burn quickly just based on its premise alone and it’s now entering its fifth season and as popular as ever. Just sayin!

You do realize that faster than light travel is pure fiction, and a quantum entanglement transporter is a murder machine. Right?

Seriously Phil….

Sorry my ignorance who is Space Hitler?

That’s just stupid. You put into production things that people don’t really care for and the ones they do want you are not even considering? Then you cancel them because of low viewership. If they want something that people will watch maybe they should listen to what people want.

Nothing that was stated surprised me in the least and yet I’m still 100% confident we will get the Legacy show! :)

Now, per usual I have to paraphrase this by saying that I don’t see it happening for at least several years given everything lol. But I have taken a very zen like approach to the whole thing at this point and feel that things need to find its rhythm with the future of Trek in general. And that means we have wait to see what happens with the other shows in the next year or two. For people who want this tomorrow, yeah that’s not going to happen obviously, but it would be ridiculous to say given Trek’s crazy history it won’t happen at all either.

Now, AGAIN, yes it may not ever happen , obviously. But this is my take, if fans don’t keep pounding the pavement, shouting to the roof tops (or just typing online about it lol) or making clear how much they really want this to happen, then it won’t happen. ;)

So just have to keep up the fight and see how things sort themselves out in the next year or so! Maybe it won’t happen with Matalas himself but we can keep his dream alive!

And I have to stress, per usual, I am looking forward to the Academy show too. It’s not an either/or situation with me. I’ll happily take both!

“Now, AGAIN, yes it may not ever happen, obviously. But this is my take, if fans don’t keep pounding the pavement, shouting to the roof tops (or just typing online about it lol) or making clear how much they really want this to happen, then it won’t happen.”

Wow, sound advice! 😎🖖

LOL, thanks!

Again I have to state that everyone could be right and a show will never happen. But with that attitude TOS wouldn’t have come back after nearly being cancelled the first season. And I alwasy said Kurtzman listens to the fans. Its why we have SNW today lol. Again people can try and rewrite history, but SNW was never in the cards until after Discovery season 2 aired and fans pleaded for it. So yeah . But this why message boards are frustrating at times and why I’m writing less on them these days including here.

But yes, Paramount is in a different place right now and scaling back on a lot of things, Star Trek included. So that has to be taken into account.

But it doesn’t mean it will stay that way in the future either. Everything is always up and down in this franchise.

Hurd is an actor – actors want to work and sometimes ask fans to help them get work [see: Captain Sulu, Captain Worf].

So, until she’s cast in something, I doubt she knows anything about future productions.

I’d trust the word of folks behind the scenes, who all say there is no Legacy.

Is there anybody here that wants Starfleet Academy? I know I don’t. Here, you have fans clamoring for Legacy. They already have a great concept and Terry Matsalas as showrunner and they’re going on with Academy? Why do that? Is this Kurtzmann’s idea and that’s why he wants it done, so he gets a bigger cut and doesn’t have to share the royalties or whatever?

I just think Legacy is a no-brainer. What’s the difference between that and Strange New Worlds?

I’ve got 0 interest in the Academy idea. I want Legacy.

Might be fun if they stay positive. No cliques, cabals or rogue students. I want idealists facing adversity, with lots of interpersonal stories and sex please. Not really interested in Section 31 either. I’ve more than enough dystopian Trek to last a lifetime, thank you.

“Is there anybody here that wants Starfleet Academy?”

Several of us keep saying yes, over and over again, but apparently folks have selective hearing.

Yeah I agree with this lol. I’m pretty sure I’ve said about 50 times I want the Academy show. I’m sure I seen other posts stating the same thing since it’s been announced. Or maybe I’m just dreaming those.

Man, we fans can sure get entitled (especially after a whole season of fan service). .

There is no Legacy. And nobody here has seen Starfleet Academy, so we don’t know whether it will be good.

As has been mentioned here by others, there have been all sorts of shows where, hearing the concept, I had zero interest — then when I finally watched them, I was hooked (ex Andor, Watchmen).

Indeed I’ll take Star Trek Legacy over any other new show

Picture Karnak holding the envelope up to his turban.”Deny, never gonna happen, would be nice but….Exciting news! Star Trek “Legacy” announced and it will be named Legacy.” Karnak opens the envelope… “What is getting really old?

Who is Karnak?

Carnac the magnificent. Old Johnny Carson bit.

Know the show but never seen it.

Star Trek is expensive to make. Once PIC S3 was successful? The actors’ representation (most likely) would try to capitalize on that. The BTS creatives would be recruited to work on other productions. IMO, PIC S3 worked because we knew it was most likely the final time we would see them all. After that? It would have been hard to maintain the momentum. You can only milk nostalgia for so long. Don’t get me wrong. I’d LOVE to see Legacy or a similar show produced as a series or a mini-series. While I’m thinking about it? I’d pay $25-$50 monthly for a Trek + streaming service, provided we got weekly new episodes or content. It’d never happen, though. We all would whine and nitpick about it while we spent more than $25.00 a month on Doritos and soda…

Just remember, The Internet told us at one point that Discovery was going to be shelved BEFORE it was supposed to air.

Yeah, just a cool idea that ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE WANTS!!!

Personally I’d much rather see LEGACY than either Section 31 OR Starfleet Academy and I think it would be a much smarter move especially if they’re tied to Discovery.

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Late '80s Star Trek spinoff series: Abbr. crossword clue

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Every Star Trek Show And Movie In Chronological Order

As a media phenomenon, "Star Trek" began on September 8, 1966 with the airing of "The Man Trap" (the sixth episode in production order, but the first aired). Originally, the show's writers, including creator Gene Roddenberry, used the concept of "stardates" to ensure the show's actual timeline was left vague; for several episodes, all audiences knew was that "Trek" was set in the future and that the future was a pretty keen place. It wouldn't be until the episode "The Naked Time" (seventh episode produced, fourth aired, first aired on September 29, 1966) that the Gregorian year would be mentioned out loud, and an actual timeline could begin to be constructed. 

Since then, "Star Trek" has extrapolated an extensive, centuries long timeline of events, often skipping merrily back and forth through the centuries, adding more and more to the franchises complex chronology. The chronology of "Star Trek" is so complicated that entire books have been published tracking the various shows' and films' events. Because of the constant production of new "Star Trek," these books became dated immediately. 

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " is set to debut on Paramount+ on May 5, and it is set immediately before the events of the original "Star Trek," making it the third "prequel" series to the original. To keep matters as clear as possible, here is a (very brief, by the standards of "Trek") rundown of "Star Trek" chronology from within its own canon. 

NOTE : This list will not necessarily include single episodes wherein characters go back in time, but give an overall timeframe for each individual film and TV show.

1986: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Although beginning and ending within the proper chronology of the "Star Trek" future, Leonard Nimoy's 1986 feature film " Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home " is set largely in the earliest point in the franchise's timeline (again, excluding single time travel episodes of any given TV series, wherein Mark Twain, the 1950s, and other eras are regularly visited). In the film, the crew of the Enterprise must go back in time to rescue a pair of humpback whales from extinction in order to appease an enormous, inscrutable space monolith that has been draining future Earth of its oceans, looking for its own kind. 

The bulk of "Voyage Home" takes place in 1986, and the film gained a lot of critical and audience attention for its fish-out-of-water humor and light tone; the previous three films had been comparatively dour, downbeat, or cerebral.

2024: Star Trek: Picard (Season 2)

As of this writing, the second season of "Star Trek: Picard" is still being released weekly on Paramount+, so the ultimate conclusion of the story is as yet unknown. 

What is known is that the trickster god Q (John De Lancie), a playful villain from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," visited an elderly Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to warn him of a parallel universe. In this parallel universe, Earth is a genocidal conqueror race that has wiped out most life in the galaxy. Picard must travel back in time, paralleling the story of "Voyage Home" in order to stop the fascist timeline from starting. Thanks to the limited information they have, they travel to the year 2024, and the bulk of the season's action takes place there. 

A bit of a continuity error already: In previously mentioned "Trek" canon, the Eugenics Wars — the conflagration that wrought Khan from "Star Trek II" — should have already happened by 2024 (I believe the original date for the Eugenics Wars was 1997), but, in "Picard," they had clearly been delayed. One of the subplots of the second season of "Picard,' however, involves a malevolent genetic engineer, so it looks like the Eugenics Wars may finally be nigh.

2063: Star Trek: First Contact

Although never directly filmed, there are constant references throughout "Star Trek" to World War III, an event that left the entire planet devastated. Despite destitution and technological ruin, an inventor named Zefram Cochran managed to invent an engine that allowed humanity to travel faster than light. This technology, when being tested for the first time in the solar system, attracted the attention of some Vulcans who just happened to be passing by. This was the First Contact mentioned in the title of the 1996 film " Star Trek: First Contact ." 

In that film, the characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" travel back in time to foil a plot by a malevolent species of cyborgs called The Borg, and find themselves in the year A.D. 2063 where they could witness First Contact themselves. This was the event that essentially kicked off creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of a peaceful future. In meeting intelligent space aliens, a hobbled humanity learned that war was churlish, and that unity as a species was preferable in the face of a suddenly occupied cosmos. 

"First Contact" is essentially the "Star Trek" origin story.

2151 - 2155: Star Trek: Enterprise

After first talking to Vulcans, humans were eager to take to the stars and join the galactic community. The conceit of the 2001 TV series " Star Trek: Enterpris e" (originally just called "Enterprise") was that the Vulcans, seeing how illogical and roughhewn humanity still was, encouraged them to stay on Earth for nearly a century before actually taking to the stars. In that century, humanity rebuilt, formed a Starfleet, and constructed its very first long-mission starship, the U.S.S. Enterprise NX-01. The show is about the adventures of the very first humans in space, circa A.D. 2151.

"Enterprise" took place before a lot of established "Trek" tech had been invented. There were transporters, but they weren't entirely safe for use on humans. There were no shields around the ship. There were no food replicators, and the Enterprise required a galley. Most notably, there wasn't a Prime Directive yet, so a lot of mistakes are bound to be made. It wouldn't be until 2161 — according to ancillary revelations — that the Federation would be formed. 

2254: The Cage

The unused "Star Trek" pilot has probably gained more canonical traction than any other unused footage from any other work of filmed fiction. "The Cage" didn't air in its complete form until 1986, 20 years after its making. Previously, footage from "The Cage" was incorporated into a two-part "Star Trek" episode called "The Menagerie" (November of 1966). 

In the pilot, we first meet Capt. Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and his ship the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. We were first introduced to Spock as well, although Spock would be the only character carried over into the second pilot that was eventually used. Majel Barrett played the Enterprise's first officer in "The Cage," and she would go on to play multiple other roles throughout "Star Trek," including Nurse Chapel, M'Ress, Lwaxana Troi, and the voice of the ship's computer. 

The events of "The Cage" would also be revisited in the second season of "Star Trek: Discovery."

2256 - 2258: Star Trek: Discovery (seasons 1 and 2)

Another cataclysm that had been mentioned multiple times throughout "Star Trek" was a war between the Klingons and the Federation. The first season of "Star Trek: Discovery," which debuted on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) in November of 2017, dramatized those events explicitly, as seen through the eyes of the U.S.S. Discovery. This new ship was a science vessel that had figured out a way to tap into a galaxy-wide network of near-undetectable, microscopic spores into order to teleport anywhere in the galaxy instantaneously. 

After surviving the Klingon war, the Discovery teamed up with the U.S.S. Enterprise while it was still being captained by Christopher Pike (now played by Anson Mount), putting the events of "Discovery" immediately after the original pilot. There were a lot — and I mean a LOT — of narrative excuses as to why the high-tech Discovery (realized with late-2010s special effects) didn't match the boxier, monochromatic world of "The Cage." 

The show's writers also needed to come up with an organic reason why a ship that can teleport — a technology that would have fundamentally changed the world of "Star Trek" — was never mentioned in any of the "Trek" shows made from 1966 until 2017. As such, at the end of the second season of "Discovery," the ship was thrown almost 1,000 years into the future in order to outrun an insidious computer intelligence that would spread throughout the galaxy if knowledge of it was passed around. As such, the Discovery more or less deleted itself from existence. As panicked, narrative ass-saving measures go, it's a 7.

2258: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The appearance of Capt. Pike on "Discovery" was so well-received that Paramount+ elected to go back to the Enterprise, bring back the characters from "The Cage," lump in a few familiar faces from the 1966 "Star Trek," and make " Strange New Worlds ," a series that takes place only eight years prior to the events of the original TV series. 

"Strange New Worlds" brings back Anson Mount as Pike, as well as a young Spock, a very young Uhura, a young Nurse Chapel, one of Khan's ancestors, and Dr. M'Benga, who showed up in a few episodes if the 1966 show. It also, notably, will not have season-long story arcs, but a single-hour episodic structure, standing in contrast with most of the other Paramount+-era "Star Treks," with "Lower Decks" being the proud exception.

2258 (KELVIN): Star Trek (2009)

Thanks to "Star Trek," the notion of parallel universes is quite well-known to the public. Incidentally, it's been quite odd watching the films and TV shows in the Marvel universe slow-walk the notion of a multiverse over the course of multiple installments when we've already seen Spock with a goatee. 

Thanks to complicated studio politics, there was a split in Paramount in the mid-2000s, and the Paramount side of the schism — when wanting to make a new "Star Trek" feature film — was legally required to make something distinguishable from the TV shows. Enter J.J. Abrams and his 2009 feature film " Star Trek " which takes place at the same time as "Strange New Worlds," but in a parallel universe where the characters from the 1966 show now look like a new cast, the Enterprise looks brighter and sleeker, and everything is more intense and action-packed. 

This new timeline would be created when a villain went back in time interfered with James T. Kirk right when he was born.

2259 (KELVIN): Star Trek Into Darkness

Although taking place far before the events of 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," J.J. Abrams' " Star Trek Into Darkness " (2013) drew a lot of story parallels to the Nicholas Meyer film. Taking place almost immediately after the 2009 film, "Into Darkness" involved the character of Khan who, in the timeline of the 1966 series, wouldn't be resurrected from cryogenic sleep for a few years hence. In "Into Darkness," he was awakened early, became involved in a plot to smuggle other cryogenically frozen compatriots. 

Originally, the Eugenics Wars were meant to have started in the 1990s, but — as "Star Trek" persisted, and the '90s came and went in the real world — that timeline had to be altered several times. The timeline of the Eugenics Wars in "Into Darkness" are a little unclear. As we saw above in "Star Trek: Picard," we know that they'll now take place sometime after 2024.

2263 (KELVIN): Star Trek Beyond

In Justin Lin's " Star Trek Beyond " (2016), Kirk (Chris Pine) laments that his adventures have already become episodic. It's unusual that the 2009 film and the 2013 sequel are essentially origin stories about the young Kirk coming into his own, and "Beyond" skips ahead to the point where he's already tired of being on "Star Trek." We missed the actual "five year mission" part!

Another interesting wrinkle in "Beyond" is that it alludes to a time somewhere after "Star Trek: Enterprise": The evil Kroll (Idris Elba) was, in fact, a human captain named Edison who led his own starship in the "Enterprise" era. Before the film, he was mutated into an evil alien. "Beyond," in explicitly mentioning the Xindi wars and other events from "Enterprise," anchors the Kelvin films a little more solidly into the "Trek" timeline.

2265 - 2269: Star Trek

After "The Cage" was abandoned by Paramount, the studio and Gene Roddenberry reworked the show into the 1966 program we all know and love. As mentioned, Spock was the only character carried over from the original pilot, and "Star Trek" now featured William Shatner as Captain Kirk and a host of new characters besides. "Star Trek" began as a horror show — there are many monsters and scare moments in the first season — eventually tackling ethical issues in a sci-fi fantasy context. 

"Star Trek" ran for three seasons, ending its initial run on June 3, 1969. Thanks to the gods of syndication, "Star Trek" would remain in reruns for the following decade, building up interest, spawning Trek conventions, and allowing the show to grow into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

2269 - 2270: Star Trek: The Animated Series

In the opening credits of " Star Trek ," Shatner brazenly informed the audiences that the U.S.S. Enterprise was on a five-year mission. Given that the show was canned after only three years, there was more mission left to witness. In 1973, Roddenberry teamed up with Filmation to make an animated "Star Trek" series that would, by dint of its two seasons, ostensibly complete the five-year mission. Chekov (Walter Koenig) was absent from this show, but other unusual aliens took his place, including a cat woman named M'Ress and Mr. Aryx, a being with three arms. The animated format allowed for wilder ideas, aliens, and ships to be employed, and there are stories featuring flying serpents, aliens made of plants, an undersea episode, and a story with a 50-foot Spock. 

This 1973 version of "Star Trek," in only running 30 minutes per episode, cut out a lot of extraneous character moments from the traditional "Trek" structure, and got straight to the story. It's a far more efficient show than the 1966 program, and it has a passionate following of fans. 

2273: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The decade of syndication, "Trek" conventions, and the financial success of George Lucas' sci-fi serial epic " Star Wars " in 1977 led Paramount to start thinking about restarting "Star Trek" on TV. A project was put into production that was to be called "Star Trek Phase II," and would have reunited several familiar "Trek" characters as well as introduce some new ones. For various reasons, "Phase II" was abandoned and elements of it were transformed into what would become the 1979 theatrical release " Star Trek: The Motion Picture ."

If all you had prior to "The Motion Picture" was a failed, low-budget TV show and a little-regarded animated series, this movie would feel grand in ways that you couldn't previously imagine. A lot of time was devoted to the size of the Enterprise, the importance of the characters, and mind-bending notions about the unending vastness of the cosmos. Here was a "Star Trek" film that is often compared to 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Good gracious was it enormous. 

"The Motion Picture" was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but not so successful that Roddenberry was welcomed back. Remember that detail when we get to "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

2285: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

2285 was a significant year. In the events of Nicholas Meyer's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982), a thawed out Khan — the version played by Ricardo Montalbán from the 1967 "Star Trek" episode "The Space Seed," not the version played by Benedict Cumberbatch in "Star Trek Into Darkness" — hijacked a starship called the U.S.S. Reliant and set out on a mission of revenge against Admiral Kirk. The good admiral, we find, had forgotten about a lot of irresponsible actions taken in his past and had to face them head on just as he was looking down the barrel of old age. "Star Trek II" didn't end well for Kirk or for Spock. In that film, Spock famously dies. 

Not wasting any time, however, Kirk and co. sprang back into action in Leonard Nimoy's " Star Trek III: The Search for Spock " (1984), which picks up immediately after "Khan" ended. Thanks to the fineries of Vulcan psychic powers, and a high tech radiation wave that can generate life out of nothing, Spock could potentially be resurrected, and Kirk hijacks the Enterprise in order to help a friend. In so doing, Kirk destroys the ship, rouses the ire of some Klingons, loses his son (killed by said Klingons), and possibly destroys his career in Starfleet. Oops. 

Perhaps one of the reasons "Star Trek IV" (which began in 2286) was so popular was that it was the first "Trek" film to end on a wholly positive note. 

2287: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Often cited as the worst of the "Trek" movies, William Shatner's "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989) starts with a promising concept, but was undone by a bad script hastily written during a strike, and a repeatedly cut FX budget. The film ultimately feels flimsy and ill-considered, not able to truly confront the interesting ideas it brings up. Shatner has apologized for the poor quality of his film, which was fraught with production troubles.

In "Frontier," a newly-built Enterprise is hijacked by Spock's half-brother Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), who is leading a cult of brainwashed followers, freed from pain by their leader's psychic powers. He seeks a mysterious planet at the center of the galaxy where he believes God physically lives. The final frontier of the title is not space, but the soul, religion, or spirituality. Many "Trek" purists will point out that seeking the center of the galaxy, and finding a deity there, is similar to an Animated Series episode called "The Magicks of Megas-Tu," wherein Kirk found the planet at the center of the galaxy is actually home to Satan. 

Note : "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" is far better than "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."

2293: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Made after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nicholas Meyer's " Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country " (1991) was very clearly a metaphor for the end of the Cold War. In it, the Klingon Empire is crippled by the accidental explosion of one of their moons, leaving the entire government requiring Federation help. "Country" is about how difficult it is to give up being enemies, especially when so much of one's identity is tied in with hate. There's an assassination, a investigation, a trial, a prison break ... It's one of the best "Trek" movies. 

One might glean from the title of the previous film in the series that the entire Kirk era was meant to end with "The Final Frontier." One might also glean that the poor reception and bad box office of "Final Frontier" led to one last go 'round. Fans may be relieved that the final feature film in the Kirk era was actually, y'know, a good one.

2364 - 2370: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Throughout the 1970s, Gene Roddenberry made tours on the convention circuit, talking about his vision for "Star Trek," and interacting with fans who were inspired by the peace, diplomacy, and calm that "Star Trek" has written into its DNA. Looking back over the 1966 show, notions of optimism and diplomacy are present, but they are mixed in with a lot of violence, sexism, and other now-backward ideas. After Roddenberry was essentially barred from involvement on the "Star Trek" feature films, he decided to make a purer, better version of his old show, set another 80 years in the future, and even more devoted to intelligence and diplomacy than ever before. Hence, 1987's " Star Trek: The Next Generation ." 

Taking place on a new ship, the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, and featuring an all new cast, the update of "Star Trek" started a little clumsily, but eventually found its stride to become the best "Star Trek" has offered to date. The tech was more convincing than it ever was, and it featured professional, adult characters who deal with crises with stiff upper lips. More so, it more frequently addressed questions about the meaning of life that humanity will always, it seems, wrestle with.

"Next Generation" last for seven full seasons, and its characters ended up occupying just as large a place in the pop consciousness as the characters from the 1966 TV series. 

Yes, "Next Generation" went back in time several times.

In terms of chronology, "Next Generation" overlapped with...

2369 - 2375: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

" Deep Space Nine " (1993 – 1999) was an unusual animal in many ways. It was the first time two "Star Trek" shows would run concurrently, and would take place over the same time frame (Picard from "Next Generation" appeared in the show's pilot). It was not about trekking at all, as it took place aboard a space station. It was also not set in the world of the Federation, often revolving alien species who were not offered protection from the organization. It was a show of healing and animosity. Of war and death. It started with an ensemble of seven or eight people, and eventually expanded to include about 30 main characters. "Deep Space Nine" is "Star Trek" via a Russian historical novel. 

When taken as a unit, "Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine," both excellent in their own rights, become a complementary mass that is greater than their sum. The strength of diplomacy vs. its breakdown. The avoidance of war vs. the involvement in it. The absence of fascism vs. its inevitable regrowth. 

Yes, "Deep Space Nine" went back in time several times. 

"Deep Space Nine's" chronology would overlap with "Star Trek: Voyager," as well as with...

2371: Star Trek: Generations

The 1994 feature film " Star Trek: Generations " was a strange excursion. Although "Next Generation" had already run for seven years, "Generations" was still insistent on "passing the torch" from Kirk to Picard, and it bent over backwards to create the means by which Kirk and Picard, separated by 87 years of history, could meet face-to-face. It was the fan crossover no Trekkie wanted. As such, "Generations" is a flimsy affair, speeding through a ridiculous plot about a mobile temporal nexus that serves as Heaven for the people it scoops up along its path. 

Trekkies were even-headed enough to realize that Kirk and Picard weren't meant to meet, and that "Next Generation" was its own entity. The decision to aggressively tie the two shows even more closely together was just baffling. 

Notable too: The Enterprise-D was destroyed in "Generations," and would be replaced by a big ol' ugly thing for three additional feature films.

2371 - 2378: Star Trek: Voyager

" Star Trek: Voyager " debuted in 1995 and ran concurrently with "Deep Space Nine" both on television and within the chronology of "Star Trek." To cleverly avoid any interference between the two shows, however — "Deep Space Nine" would eventually become embroiled in a galaxy-spanning war — "Voyager" was given a "Lost in Space"-style premise wherein the title ship was thrown all the way across the galaxy to a portion of space that has never been explored by Starfleet, and could otherwise only be reached by 70 years of space travel. 

While the premise would perhaps lead a viewer to believe that "Voyager" was going to be about resource allocation and survival, it quickly became more about the Borg, a character played by actress Jeri Ryan, and Captain Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) steady slide into autocracy. 

"Voyager" struggled with ratings for years, but still managed to last seven seasons like "Next Gen" and "Deep Space" before it. The final episode of "Voyager," a time travel story called " Endgame ," would air in March of 2001.

2375: Star Trek: Insurrection

While "Voyager" and "Deep Space Nine" were running concurrently on television, the "Next Generation" crew were yukking it up in the overwhelmingly mediocre 1998 Jonathan Frakes film " Star Trek: Insurrection ." Like "The Final Frontier," "Insurrection" can be seen straining against the limits of its budget, with bad CGI, bland costumes, and locations clearly found in the California mountains. The cheapness of "Star Trek" has often served as a boon for its story, forcing writers to insert interesting and challenging ideas into their plywood sets. "Insurrection" has no such ideas, asking the ethical question of forced relocation, but never feeling threatening, and offering a magical curative radiation that would require study and collection. 

Although one can admit this: "Insurrection" captures the tone of the "Next Generation" TV series far better than any of the other movies in this part of the series. It's a pity, though, that after the grand finale of "Next Generation," we find ourselves with suck lackluster films. 

Speaking of lackluster films ...

2379: Star Trek: Nemesis

Released in 2002, Stuart Baird's " Star Trek: Nemesis " was poised to be the final gasp for "Star Trek." "Enterprise" was already taking the franchise in a new direction, and the "NextGen" cast was clearly too tired to handle a continued barrage of poorly planned action movies, and thrillers that didn't resemble the show they were inspired by. "Nemesis" is dark and action-packed and violent and takes a lot of structural cues from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." 

In it, Tom Hardy plays a character named Shinzon who is, in fact, a clone of Captain Picard, grown in a Romulan lab, and eventually discarded into a Romulan mine. Shinzon escaped the mine, built an army, and is poised to take a giant death ship into Federation space to revenge all over people. "Nemesis" is also the film in which Data (Brent Spiner) dies, and Captain Picard drives a dune buggy. 

The sentiment of the time was reminiscent of T.S. Eliot's " The Hollow Men ." This is the way "Next Gen" ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Worry not. There will be further whimpers for the NextGen crew.

2380 - ?: Star Trek: Lower Decks

Named after a seventh season episode of "Next Generation," and taking place in line with the end of "Nemesis" and "Voyager," " Star Trek: Lower Decks " debuted on Paramount+ in 2020 as part of a slew of "Star Trek"-related indicia that the company was desperate to exploit. And while the all-your-eggs-in-one basket approach to TV production affected by Paramount led to stinkers like "Discovery" and "Picard," it did lead to this surprisingly good animated program. 

One of the more appealing aspects of "Star Trek" is that it's essentially a series of workplace shows. The characters are typically vocation-forward, and take their duty to their ship very seriously. Where a "Star Trek" character works speaks powerfully to who they are. "Lower Decks" follows the people who have the worst possible jobs on a Starfleet vessel, often tasked with cleaning holodecks, sanitizing floors, and arranging widgets for the senior staff. It's rough going for ensigns. They sleep in the hallway and are typically not deemed important enough to include on more exciting missions. What's more, the central ship on "Lower Decks" is a tiny, crappy ship with substandard tech. Surely such jobs would exist in "Star Trek." 

"Lower Decks" is eager to make "Trek" references, and is clearly made by people who understand "Trek's" ethos, but who still have a raunchy sense of humor. The future is here. And it's still crappy for those on the bottom. 

2383: Star Trek: Prodigy

Produced under the auspices of Nickelodeon, " Star Trek: Prodigy " (2021) was the first Trek series to be made explicitly with a younger audience in mind. The series follows a ragtag group of alien youths as they flee a prison mine and discover an abandoned Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Protostar. On board is an instructional hologram of Captain Janeway from "Voyager," and she teaches the kids how to behave like Starfleet officers, the importance of duty and compassion, and how their trauma does not define them. The design and the creatures are more reminiscent of "Star Wars" than "Star Trek" (the series features an evil emperor and his powerful masked servant, invoking the Emperor and Darth Vader), but it certainly functions as a generic space adventure. The "Star Trek" stuff is mere window dressing. 

It's almost disappointing to include "Prodigy" on this timeline, as one of the show's central mysteries — at least for the first part of its first season, the only part to have aired as of this writing — is when and where it takes place. It was possible that "Prodigy" took place centuries or even millennia beyond the known Trek universe. The last we saw, however, the real Captain Janeway is still alive, giving "Prodigy" a known place in Trek chronology. 

2399: Star Trek: Picard (Season 1)

After nearly 20 years of a world without Picard, Paramount+ convinced Patrick Stewart to reprise his role in a new show named for him. " Star Trek: Picard " debuted on Paramount+ in 2020, taking place further in the future than any other Trek show to date. In the timeline of "Picard," the Federation had become soured by xenophobia and openly discouraged the evacuation of Romulus, historically an enemy world, but now in dire straits after their sun went supernova (something something J.J. Abrams). Picard had left Starfleet in disgust, and had now retired to his winery. 

The story of the first season is too convoluted to get into here, needless to say it involved a Romulan secret society, a planet of androids, a reclaimed Borg cube, and a robot Cthulhu. I'm not kidding. 

It's a pity that "Picard" did not roll with its future setting more, establishing new tech or positive sea changes in the "Trek" universe. Instead, everything is devoted to a chewy, awful story about androids. Indeed, by the end, Picard himself would have his consciousness shunted into an android body. What a snore.

3188 - 3190: Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 3 and 4)

When last we saw the U.S.S. Discovery, it was being pulled through a time hole into the distant future. In the third and fourth seasons , Discovery's crew learns that they are stranded 930 years from home, and now must rediscover their function as Starfleet officers after the Federation went into hiding. A galaxy-wide disaster — The Burn — spontaneously destroyed millions of starships, and a fierce new criminal enterprise, The Emerald Syndicate, now rules the galaxy.

The 23rd-century ship now has to learn how to use 32nd-century technology. The Discovery was redesigned, and the new mission became to spread diplomacy in a galaxy unready for it. This is the premise, it seems, that Discovery should have started with two years prior. The writing is still rather weak, and the characters are callow and weepy, but "Discovery" does excel in one notable way: Queer representation. Seven of the main cast members are openly queer. After 55 years of a dodgy relationship with queerness, "Discovery" finally nailed it.

I just wish it were a better show.

Late '80s "Star Trek" spinoff series: Abbr. - Daily Themed Crossword

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Late '80s "Star Trek" spinoff series: Abbr.

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Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Discovery spin-off is now a Section 31 movie event

The Oscar winner is officially returning to Star Trek.

Michelle Yeoh is officially returning to Star Trek for her own spin-off, only it'll be slightly different than what fans were expecting.

In 2019, the olden days when Paramount+ was called CBS All Access, the Trek gate-keepers announced that Yeoh would be returning to the franchise for a Section 31 spin-off series focused on her Star Trek: Discovery character Philippa Georgiou. That project has been in development all this time, but it now stands as a movie event coming to Paramount+.

Philippa Georgiou led multiple lives on Star Trek: Discovery , mainly that of Starfleet captain of the Shenzhou. That version of Philippa was killed off the show, but an alternate universe version of her from the mirror dimension persisted: the emperor of the Terran Empire, who became an immediate fan favorite.

Star Trek: Section 31 will focus on Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou as she joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, while facing the sins of her past. Could a certain bald-headed golden statue have helped make this a reality?

"I'm beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I've loved for so long," the newly minted Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar winner says in a statement. " Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched."

"To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that's shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams," she continues. "We can't wait to share what's in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!"

Olatunde Osunsanmi, a co-executive producer and director on Star Trek: Discovery , will helm Star Trek: Section 31 , which was written by Craig Sweeny ( Medium ). The project is set to start filming later this year.

"All the way back in 2017, before the first season of Star Trek: Discovery had even aired, Michelle had the idea to do a spin-off for her character, Philippa Georgiou," executive producer Alex Kurtzman says. "She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek , and now, six years later, Star Trek: Section 31 finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win. Everyone on Team Trek couldn't be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou; long live Michelle Yeoh!"

Yeoh costarred with Sonequa Martin-Green on Star Trek: Discovery starting in season 1, which premiered in 2017. The show is now heading into its fifth and final season , set to debut in 2024. Star Trek: Picard , the Patrick Stewart-led offshoot, is also ending with its third season, concluding this week. However, Section 31 joins the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series in the next phase of Trek.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks were also renewed for more seasons.

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Captain Janeway’s Top 7 Star Trek: Voyager Enemies, Ranked

Star trek isn’t supposed to have money: what is latinum, after 57 years, star trek settles the truth about trelane's godlike species.

CBS has found unexpected success in the past couple of years by releasing Star Trek spin-offs on their All Access streaming service. Discovery was their first big success, while the more niche Short Treks has offered a kind of Love, Death & Robots format for Star Trek fans. So far, they’re developing a Picard series with Patrick Stewart , a Philippa Georgiou series with Michelle Yeoh, an adult animated series about the forgotten low-level crew members from a Rick and Morty writer, and a children’s animated series for Nickelodeon.

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The adventures of two alternative Kirks

As J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot showed us, it can be a lot of fun to include two alternative versions of the same character in the same narrative. We already know that Captain Kirk is the perfect lead protagonist, because he’s suave, charismatic, a commanding starship captain, and despite his arrogance, a hero at heart . So, to have two of him in the same show – not necessarily the versions played by William Shatner and Chris Pine – would be a delight. Their respective cockiness would lead to the butting of heads, with the older one being more cynical, yet wiser, and the younger one being brasher, yet stronger.

Starfleet Academy

A TV series set in the Starfleet Academy following a group of young cadets learning the skills that will equip them to boldly go where no one has gone before could succeed where Ender’s Game failed. A sci-fi version of the Harry Potter story – with students learning to beam people in and out of starships instead of casting spells while they make friends and fall in love – is a lucrative storytelling opportunity. The show could say as much about the adolescent experience, or the college experience, as something like Euphoria or Community , except it would be set in the Star Trek universe.

Sentient starships

There was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that insinuated that starships were sentient, and ever since then, fans have been wondering if this is true or not. It would be great to see a spin-off series in which some engineers repairing or building a starship begin to notice signs of independent thought and communication with other starships.

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Starfleet would surely launch a full investigation into this and cover up certain details, leading to a conspiracy thriller that could rival Captain America: The Winter Soldier . The character dynamic would be incredible, mixing low-level engineers and scientists who just want answers with top-level bureaucrats who can’t be trusted.

Deanna Troi

Star Trek boss Alex Kurtzman has compared his plans with the franchise to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “Every time you go to a Marvel movie, you kind of know what you’re going to get. But one could be Ragnarok , and one could be Black Panther , and one could be Iron Man . And all of those have a very, very different feel, but the premium is always on the storytelling .” In the MCU, characters from larger ensembles are given their own solo movies or TV shows if their story is good enough . The story of Deanna Troi, the half-human, half-Betazoid daughter of an Ambassador, certainly is good enough. Her connection to people’s feelings could give us the most emotional Star Trek series yet.

The galactic barrier

The galactic barrier, the field of negative energy that surrounds the Milky Way Galaxy and can’t be seen by recording devices or the human eye, hasn’t really been explored in the Star Trek universe since The Original Series . This is partly because it’s such a ridiculous idea. But a spin-off series exploring the origins of the galactic barrier and attempts by Starfleet to eradicate it could go some way towards making it less ridiculed in the Star Trek fan base and more of an integral part of the franchise’s mythology . The series could begin with Earth’s first encounter with the barrier in 2065.

What ever happened to God

The great thing about Star Trek is that it begs grand philosophical questions. Science fiction tends to avoid religion, since the two conflict with one another. It is thought that if there are aliens, then religion must be wrong. But Star Trek ’s creative team could see that it’s not as clear-cut as this, and decidedly to boldly combine sci-fi and religion in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier .

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In that movie, the Enterprise crew comes face-to-face with “God.” However, God’s fate was left ambiguous, so it would be interesting to see a Prometheus -style spin-off in which a space-faring crew actually sets out to find God, rather than conveniently bumping into him, to both tie up that narrative’s loose end and further explore the dichotomy of science and religion.

The origin of the Borg

Apart from the fact that they’ve been around for hundreds of thousands of years, the origins and backstory of the Borg have never been canonically explained . Star Trek universe head honcho Alex Kurtzman has said of his intentions with the current and future spin-offs: “What we’re planning on is, I want to make sure that each show is a different and unique proposition. I think that Deep Space Nine and Voyager got into a tricky spot where people were starting to feel like, ‘I can’t tell the difference between the shows,’ even though they were very different.” The origin story of the Borg would certainly fit in with this mission statement.

Wesley Crusher

Ever since Star Trek: The Next Generation suggested that Wesley Crusher had become some kind of new Q, fans have been dying to see where that character went following the series. When Wil Wheaton was asked about a potential spin-off, he said, “I’m so grateful for why you’re asking this question and that Wesley was so important to you...But I think the time for exploring that character has come and gone.” But fans want it, so thankfully, Wheaton didn’t rule it out entirely: “I still love Star Trek so much, though, that if they were to reach out to me for anything else, I’d absolutely be interested in exploring that.”

The story of the Klingon Empire

Michael Dorn, the actor who played Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation , believes that a TV series about the tale of the Klingon Empire could be an interesting serialized saga to reflect today’s geopolitical climate: “ This is, I think, perfectly timed and placed. You’re not stepping on anybody’s toes, and I always thought the Klingon Empire was a great empire to write about, because it’s Shakespearean. The Klingon Empire has had to evolve and change and they don’t like that and they’re fighting it every step of the way. They’ve had to introduce aliens into their society. Just like our world now is becoming a global world.”

Captain Pike and Spock

In season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery , a young Christopher Pike – now played by Anson Mount – was brought in to captain the titular starship, and now, fans are dying for him to get his own spin-off . There’s even a Change.org petition with over 28,000 signatures hoping to get CBS to make such a spin-off, pairing up Mount’s Pike with Ethan Peck’s Spock. In the year 2267, Pike is exposed to a delta ray radiation leak that leaves him paralyzed and unable to speak . His storylines in Discovery took place in 2257, so there are ten years’ worth of stories from this character’s life to tell.

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Showrunner on Possible Spinoff, How [SPOILER] Returned for the Finale and Getting That Final Shot

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

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SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in “The Last Generation,” the series finale of “ Star Trek: Picard ,” currently streaming on Paramount+.

The last time the cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” cast performed together on screen — in 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis” — it ended with a sour one-two punch: the sudden death of Data (Brent Spiner) and the financial failure of the film, which caused Paramount to stop making movies with the cast. Effectively, after a brilliantly successful seven-season run on TV, “The Next Generation” had been canceled from movie theaters.

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In doing so, Matalas sought to rectify some of the perceived sins of the “TNG” movies: He resurrected Data and endowed him with a consciousness that allowed the android to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming fully human. And he brought back the Enterprise-D, the starship that had been destroyed in the climax of the first “TNG” film, 1994’s “Star Trek: Generations.” 

“In the most fanboy sense, I wanted to place the action figure set neatly and safely back on the shelf,” Matalas says. “If it’s the last we see of them, we see them in a wonderful grand moment together around the poker table. Not mourning the loss of Data. The Enterprise-D not crashed, but in a museum. Knowing that there is a bright future for ‘Star Trek’ and for their families. For me, that felt important as a fan, to feel like that’s where we left ‘The Next Generation.’”

If that wasn’t enough, in the aftermath of the battle with the Borg, the U.S.S. Titan is rechristened the U.S.S. Enterprise-G, and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) — the “Star Trek: Voyager” character who has been on “Picard” from Season 1 — is promoted to be its captain. Jack, a new member of Starfleet, is stationed on the ship, along with Geordi’s daughter Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). Even Q (John de Lancie) — the omnipotent being who has been a “Trek” mainstay since the “Next Generation” series premiere “Encounter at Farpoint” — shows up in a post-credits sequence in which he tells Jack that his trials “have just begun.”

That certainly seems like the set up for a “Picard” spinoff series, but in his interview with Variety , Matalas says that wasn’t quite his intention. He also shares the scenes he wanted to shoot for the finale but couldn’t, and his unconventional approach to filming that poker scene.

How much of the finale did you have in your head when you were building out the season?

A very surprising amount, actually. I knew that the initial pitch to Patrick, that he would have to assimilate himself again, to face the big trauma of his life, to save his son. I knew that they would be in the Enterprise-D for the last two hours, reunited. I knew Seven of Nine would become captain of the Enterprise. That was a delightful thing to say to Jeri, who was my old friend from way back. I was like, “By the end the season, you’ll be captain of the Enterprise.” She was like, “Excuse me, what?! ” So there was quite a bit. Some of the how and why was why you need the brilliance of a talented writing room team to help you get there and figure that all out.

There was a moment in the finale where it seemed like Riker and Worf and Picard or some combination might actually die. Was that really on the table?

No, but I really wanted you to think that it might be for the drama. I don’t have it in me to kill my childhood heroes like that. I think some creators probably would. It felt like those characters would certainly feel like this is probably our last run. So I really wanted the surprise ending to be a happy ending.

Were there any other alternative endings that you considered?

There were things that we just simply didn’t have the time and money to shoot. In the very first iterations of script, we had discovered that Ro Laren had in fact survived, and had been beamed off of her shuttle and was still being used by the Changelings for information. It was already too ambitious of a schedule, so we weren’t able to be able to pull that off. We had a scene with [the Data-based android from Season 1] Soji and Data that we were also not able to shoot. We have wanted some more “Voyager” folks to come be part of Seven of Nine’s promotion to captain. It comes down to how many pennies you have left in the piggy bank after building a Borg cube and an Enterprise.

We had discussed it. We did toy with a different name, that it might be the Picard. But ultimately, it didn’t feel as genuine and as right for the legacy of “Star Trek” and Seven of Nine as the Enterprise. And certainly when you see the Titan with that name on its hull, you’re just like, yeah, it deserves that name. It just looks so right.

Did you always know you were bringing back Q after he supposedly died in Season 2 of “Picard”?

Yes. All the way from Season 2. John’s a dear friend of mine. On his last day [on Season 2], I said, “Look, I want to bring you back literally in the post-credit sequence for this final season. I will have no time and I will have no money, but I guarantee it will be one of the coolest Q scenes and it will be touching back to ‘Encounter at Farpoint.’” And he was like, “I’m in.” 

We only had 20 minutes to shoot that scene. Right after we shot the scene in which Picard tells Jack that he’s Borg, we ushered John in in that awesome new costume and we just banged out real quick.

You’ve mentioned on social media that you’d like to continue this story with a “Star Trek: Legacy” spinoff. Have you heard from Paramount or Alex Kurtzman about the possibility of doing that?

Alex and I talk all the time. If it’s something that’s going to be done, we want to make sure we don’t rush into it. We want to make sure we do it right. That’s where we’re at with it, I say coyly. At the moment, there’s nothing developed on it. But we talk all the time.

Part of why I’m asking is that I’ve rarely seen a finale set up a spinoff series more completely than you do with this one, with the scenes on the Enterprise-G. Am I right in thinking you wanted that to seed a future show?

Well, not specifically seeding for a spinoff, as lovely as that is to think about. I definitely wanted the feeling that it could go on, that it was a passing of the torch of the last generation to the next. That I really wanted. I think that’s the spirit of “Star Trek,” that they’re going to continue exploring strange new worlds. That’s a feeling of hope. So you want to get just a little taste of what that might be — for it to be a satisfying ending, it needed to be a satisfying beginning. Having said that, of course, I want to see Jack and Seven and Sidney and Raffi and everybody go on forever. But yeah, that was the creative impulse behind it.

Do you know what’s next for you?

I do not. Do you? 

I saw your tweet that you would love to work on the “Galaxy Quest” spinoff TV show .

Oh my god, “Galaxy Quest” is like my most favorite thing ever. I just literally was showing it to my kid the other day. It remains one of the most perfect movies of all time. And I just lived it! I actually just lived it in every way. So yeah, I said put me in coach. I know what that is.

Yes. To make this a little different than “All Good Things,” I wanted the audience to feel like they were really with this cast, to have a little wish fulfillment. So I actually ran the camera for 45 minutes and let them just play. Let them be themselves. I really wanted the audience to be immersed in what it’s like to hang out with Patrick, Jonathan, Marina, Gates, LeVar, Michael, Brent. So all those smiles and all those jokes are real. And so we hang on it much longer than you normally would, so that the smiles and the jokes are genuine. They were all playing a form of poker as best as they could, you know, because they like to monkey around. Maybe when the Blu-ray comes out, we’ll have a longer chunk of it so you could see more.

Do you remember who won the game?

They played so many rounds. But I think they always made sure Patrick won.

I’m laughing because I asked Patrick that question , and he said, “I think I won.”

Yeah, I think they rigged it a little bit so he would win.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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