Star Trek: Discovery has caused a resurgence of the Star Trek franchise on television. The success of the show resulted in a renewed interest in one of the largest and most classic sci-fi franchises of all time. From Season one of Discovery to the most recently ended season three of Picard, the Star Trek franchise is going strong, at least on television.
So let’s take a look at what else the franchise has upcoming. For the most part, it’s a story that just keeps giving. Boy, there is quite a lot of Star Trek on the horizon.
Discovery Kickstarted The New Star Trek Franchise
Let’s begin with the show that started it all, Star Trek: Discovery, which will be returning for a fifth and final season. The show, which acted as a prequel to the in-canon Star Trek universe, will be ending its highly successful run. Discovery focused on the character of Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), who inadvertently kick-starts the war between the Federation and the Klingons.
While seasons one and two seemingly retconned some events from the known Star Trek continuity, the next seasons really took things to another level. Catapulting the Discovery crew into the 32nd Century, they discovered a Federation in ruins and a future that is dystopian, even for the Star Trek franchise, which is the epitome of science fiction. Season five will complete the story and hopefully set the stage for more Star Trek franchise stories set in that timeline.
Strange New Worlds Spun Off From Discovery
When Captain Pike (Anson Mount) temporarily took over Discovery, it brought into the show canon-adventures of the first ever Captain of the original Enterprise from The Original Series. Along with him came a new version of Spock (Ethan Peck), Michael’s adopted brother. While the adventures of Discovery explained why we never heard of Spock’s adopted human sister, it also paved the way for another prequel spin-off of the Star Trek franchise.
Strange New Worlds season one was about the adventures of the original series USS Enterprise before Captain Kirk took over. The new crew, their chemistry, and the show’s light-hearted and creative approach made it a huge hit. So much so that season two is set to premiere in the summer of 2023. The show has also cast a young James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), so fans are sure to get a new version of Kirk as well.
The Star Trek Franchise Gets Animated
On top of the new Star Trek live-action series in Discovery and Strange New Worlds, the franchise has also gone animated and aimed at a different audience. Star Trek: Prodigy is a Nickelodeon show that skews more toward a younger audience. It’s a great entry point into the Star Trek franchise for kids while still being a part of the larger universe.
Prodigy features a story about a crew of former slaves who stumble upon an experimental Starfleet ship and use it to escape their situation. During their adventures, they learn all about Starfleet and the Federation. And as they learn, so do audiences who may not be familiar with the Star Trek franchise. Along with that new and accessible story, Prodigy also features many appearances by Star Trek veterans, such as Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), who is a regular member of this crew, in a very innovative way. It’s a great little story that actually ends up connecting to the larger Star Trek story, as well as being for newcomers.
The Franchise’s First Comedy
Another new animated show from the Star Trek franchise is Star Trek: Lower Decks. Set in the post-The Next Generation era, Lower Decks is about a new ship but features characters who are not bridge members. Meaning it’s about all those crew members who have no authority or command over the inner workings of a starship but the hilarious situations they find themselves in.
Lower Decks is an out-and-out comedy that pulls from every aspect of the Star Trek franchise. It’s a deep-cut show with hilarious references to the otherwise dramatic stories that we’ve seen from the franchise thus far. It’s a welcome addition to the franchise that will be premiering with season 4 soon. And the next season is also meant to cross over with season two of Strange New Worlds. How the live-action and animated shows will come together is a fascinating mystery that fans are very excited about.
The New Entries For Star Trek
Along with the shows already coming out with future seasons is a brand new show, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. With very few details about the show, fans have no idea even in which era it will be set in. Meaning it’s unclear if the series will be set in the future Discovery timeline, the post-TNG era or a prequel in the Strange New Worlds setting.
The leading theory, however, is that the show will be a spin-off of Discovery, with Tilly (Mary Wiseman) heading the show as an instructor who oversees a new generation of Starfleet Cadets. Meaning the show will be in the future, where the Discovery crew is rebuilding a new Federation and Starfleet. It also makes sense since the character left the show by accepting a position at Starfleet Academy. Production for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will begin in 2024.
The Idea Of A New Star Trek Movie
Another live-action series that was in development but then seemingly shelved is back in the game. Section 31 was going to be a live-action series with Michelle Yeoh’s character from Discovery. After a lull of no information, the franchise finally announced that Section 31 is moving forward as a special presentation movie instead of a series.
The story will presumably continue the character’s adventures within Section 31, a covert agency within Starfleet and the Federation. As far as the other movies within the Star Trek franchise, it seems no other plans have materialized. J. J. Abrams made an announcement about a new movie, but the stars of the previous Star Trek live-action movies seemed caught off by it.
Recently, when asked about the status, Chris Pine, who played Kirk in the Abrams movies, mentioned his frustration with the lack of forward momentum with the movies. So it seems like no feature films are in active development or confirmed as of yet.
Star Trek: Prodigy