With Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds Ending, What’s Next for the Star Trek Franchise?

Paramount+ announced earlier this week that Starfleet Academy will not continue beyond its upcoming second season, and we already knew that Strange New Worlds would be coming to an end with its fifth season (the fourth year of that one has its premiere this summer). Filming on both of those has wrapped up, and the two shows are in the stages of post-production as they prepare to wind down their runs. And with both of those boldly voyaging off to television retirement, there are no Star Trek shows actively in production, nor even a movie.

So at this point, it is worth asking: what is next for the franchise?

Alex Kurtzman has been one of the main people in charge of Trek since its return to television in 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery after a twelve-year absence (following the cancellation of Enterprise in 2005), but he may be moving on as well. In fact, the ending of all the shows that were under his stewardship seems to signify that, and rumors have been running rampant. He is currently in the process of renegotiating his deal with CBS Studios, and while it appears that they want him to stick around, he could be shifting to other projects, as there are indications that Paramount/CBS will be bringing in new talent to take over the franchise (note, though, that this is all based on hearsay at this point).

Cast your vote on what direction the Star Trek franchise should take at this link.

Nobody has been set up yet as a definite replacement for Kurtzman, assuming he is on the way out. But several new shows have been pitched, and those could determine the direction of the franchise going forward. Here are four of the potential new Trek entries that have been suggested, along with my thoughts on whether they could go forward.

Star Trek: Year One

This series would carry on from Strange New Worlds, making it yet another prequel/sequel after SNW gave us a prequel/sequel to the prequel Star Trek: Discovery (did you follow all that?). It would cover the first year of Captain James T. Kirk’s tenure in command of the Enterprise after he assumes the conn from Captain Christopher Pike. Paul Wesley would continue in his role as Kirk, and the other original crew members from SNW would carry over as well, such as Spock and Uhura, while introducing characters that have not appeared yet like McCoy, Sulu, and Chekov. The showrunners of SNW are the ones who have pitched it, and presumably, they would stay onboard if the new series happens.

While this might seem like the next logical step, seeing as Strange New Worlds has been mostly well-received (when it is not busy jumping the shark), this may be exactly where CBS and Paramount do not want to go with the franchise. With all of the current shows coming to an end, it seems like the network bosses might want to take Trek in a completely new direction. This one basically carries on from the Discovery timeline (before that one jumped into the 32nd century) and may seem like too much of a retread.

And personally, this is the one I least want to see go forward. There is really no reason to go back to the early years of Kirk as captain, because there is only so much you can do with that. Sure, we’ll see how the crew came together, and we’ll see the new versions of McCoy and Sulu and Chekov, but what will they really do with that? Strange New Worlds has already stepped on canon much more than I would like, and I am guessing this show would continue that trend. And how many seasons can they get before they run up against where the original series began? A Year One movie or two might be okay, but I believe a series would stretch the concept too thin, and I am thinking CBS/Paramount is looking instead for a new start instead.

Star Trek: Legacy

This series would continue on from Season 3 of Picard, and it is one that many fans want. It would follow Seven of Nine as she takes command of the Enterprise-G, and joining her would be Jack Crusher, Raffi Musiker, Sidney and Alandra La Forge, and possibly more crewmembers who were introduced in the TNG spin-off (and perhaps they would bring back Elnor and actually give him something to do). The show would follow the voyages of the crew of the Enterprise-G, and Q would apparently be making occasional stops to check on Jack Crusher, whom he had a notable interest in.

Described as “The Next, Next Generation”, this one was pitched to Paramount+, and Terry Matalas (showrunner for Picard Season 3) championed it and even wrote early material for a pilot. Fans also lobbied for this show with an online petition that garnered over 65K signatures as well as a letter-writing campaign (“Letters 4 Legacy”). But apparently, network execs were not interested, seeing as nothing has happened in the three years since Picard ended.

This series definitely has potential, and I would certainly like to see it move forward. Picard was rather uneven during its three-year run, but its third season was its best, and this potential series could carry on the best elements of that. It would also continue on with the TNG timeline, which is what many fans want. And while Paramount+ did not give it the greenlight the first time around, it doesn’t mean this one is definitely done. Seeing as CBS/Paramount has not made a definitive decision on how they want to move forward with the franchise, and talks are currently underway on what to do next, the fans should make another push. They lobbied for Strange New Worlds several years back, and that eventually went forward. So perhaps Legacy could still happen.

Star Trek: United

This proposed series would focus on Jonathan Archer’s tenure as one of the earliest presidents of the Federation of Planets—something hinted at in Star Trek: Enterprise and later made canon. According to Trek veteran Michael Sussman, it will be a sci-fi version of shows like The West Wing, Homeland, and The Diplomat. “It’s a political thriller and a family drama set in those chaotic, formative years of the Federation.” Scott Bakula is onboard with the plan, and while Paramount passed on the initial pitch several years ago, it is apparently back on the table.

Sussman returned to talk with CBS/Paramount execs just recently, and that was right at the point of the rumors that Kurtzman Trek would be coming to an end. Star Trek: United draws from a previous entry in the franchise while also offering a new direction that is different from the Nu Trek entries of the past decade. In addition, if its focus is more on politics, it could potentially be more cost-effective to produce, as there will be less sfx-heavy space travel (of course, that all depends on what direction they take the storylines).

This is also one that I would like to see move forward, and for me, it is a toss-up between this and Legacy as to which one I prefer. I was a fan of Enterprise (though I do admit it was rather uneven), and I always liked Scott Bakula as Captain Archer, as well as the rest of the crew from this show. It would also be interesting to dive into the politics of Starfleet as well as the origins of the Federation, as long as they respect canon. This might also give them a better way to offer some resolution for Enterprise and take the bad taste of that series finale out of the mouths of fans. And there is some fan support around this one, so it definitely has potential.

Captain Worf

To my knowledge, this series idea is not being actively considered, but it has been floating around for a while, and Michael Dorn has championed it. It would follow Captain Worf in charge of his own starship, potentially the U.S.S. Titan-A which he was linked to in Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Dorn wrote a pilot for the series years ago, and had regularly pushed for it to move forward in some form. In an interview from 2023, he had the following to say about his original idea and where it would go following the events of Picard:

What I envisioned was quite different than what we have seen [on Picard]. And so I would have to go back and really rework that whole pilot that I pitched. But I think the smart money would be to take what they’ve done so far with the character, and expand on that. It’s funny, the only thing that I think would be their beginning point or their jumping-off point, is that Worf has gray hair. You start there, and then you go from there… But there is a Worf show out there. And if they have the will to do it, I think they would be totally shocked at how popular the character is. Jesus, I have done almost 300 Worfs. I think the character is pretty popular.

I have not heard that Dorn is pitching anything to Paramount at this point, but fans are supportive of the idea and I do believe this is a good option for the franchise. Like Legacy, it could carry on the TNG timeline and potentially bring in other characters from that show.

How Will the Voyages Continue?

At this point, it is uncertain what will be next for the Star Trek franchise. Along with the shows mentioned above, there have also been talks with Kate Mulgrew about returning to the role of Janeway, so that offers yet another possibility. They could also take the franchise in a completely new direction, not tied to any of the existing shows. Or perhaps Trek on TV could also go on hiatus for a while as they focus instead on movies (word is that a big-screen entry in the franchise is back in the works). But whatever direction CBS/Paramount/Skydance/Warner Bros.—or whatever that mega-conglomerate is—decides to take, they should definitely learn a lesson from and pay attention to what the fans are asking for. Yes, you can’t appeal to everybody all the time, but they should learn their lessons from Nu Trek. Lower Decks, Prodigy, parts of Picard, and parts of Strange New Worlds were popular, while Discovery and Starfleet Academy seemed to go off the rails more often than not. They need to look long and hard at that and let it guide them going forward (and I am willing to offer my services as a consultant, having watched Trek all the way back from the late ’60s to the most recent entries, anybody at CBS/Paramount listening?).

And this is also the opportunity for fans to make their voices heard and let the people at CBS et al. know what they want. Those hoping for a Legacy series should ramp back up their efforts to support that spin-off. Those who like the idea of Star Trek: United should get behind that one. Heck, even those who want Lower Decks and/or Prodigy to return should start making some noise. Trek might be at a lull at this point, but it will continue, considering the billions of dollars it has brought in over the years. And seeing as this one has always had close ties to its fandom, the decision-makers behind the franchise would be wise to keep them closely involved if they want future shows to be successful. You can cast your vote on what direction the franchise should take from this point at this link, and I will be sharing those numbers with Paramount if we get enough responses.

What direction do you think the Star Trek franchise should take at this point? Do you like the ideas currently being considered, or are there all-new voyages it should venture to? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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