Star Trek has truly reinvented itself

Here’s a wild statistic: There are nearly as many currently running Star Trek television series as there are completed Star Trek television series. The first 40 years of the franchise’s history include five live-action series and one animated spinoff, totaling 725 episodes. Five new series were launched in the last five years (six, if you include animated spinoffs). Enjoy short treksIt aired an average of 130 episodes per year as its own entity, as well as a combined total of 124. Star Trek as a brand is busier than it’s been since the mid-1990s, when Deep Space Nine, VoyagerThe, Next GenerationAll TV series were running simultaneously and there was a huge amount of Star Trek merchandise in shops across the globe that featured Star Trek books, toys, and games.

Television is a completely different animal today than when Star Trek was cancelled. Enterprise2005. Like practically everything worth watching in the year 2022, Star Trek is now a product for paid subscribers, and it’s in the interests of intellectual property owner Paramount to have something new for Trekkies 12 months out of the year. Paramount Plus is able to keep its grip on Star Trek enthusiasts through the constant stream of new series. This year’s Star Trek episodes have been released by all five series. Their seasons often overlap for several weeks to prevent subscribers from losing interest. Only nine weeks have passed since August 2021 when there has been no new Star Trek.

This prismatic approach has enabled Alex Kurtzman, the franchise custodian, and his producers, to explore a range of formats and tones in order to find what Star Trek fans want. This past year — its fifth since the relaunch began in September 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery — has seen that experimentation pay off in the form of the franchise’s best-received new series in decades, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Star Trek’s modern Star Trek series now offers something for all tastes: DiscoveryFor those who love the drama and stakes of modern feature films Strange New WorldsFor those who like a more traditional format with a light touch Lower decks for die-hard, trivia-loving Trekkies, ProdigyFor young people who are looking to get an introduction into the universe. Picard for… someone, theoretically. It’s been a long road getting from there to here, but the Star Trek franchise seems healthier than it’s been in ages, with each stumble along the way offering guidance so that the next season, the next series can better capture the feeling of hope, wonder, and family that has enraptured fans since 1966. The first five years of modern Trek have been a crucible, a shakedown cruise that has proven that Kurtzman’s blueprint is, on the whole, spaceworthy and poised to accelerate into further frontiers.

Be boldly on the trail

Four members of the Discovery standing in a hallway holding up flashlights and gizmos, looking at bodies and sparks on the ground in front of them

It’s expected for any new Star Trek series to face heavy scrutiny from fans who are itching for a reason to disqualify it from the canon. Even the most sacred, every single TV series has been rejected at first by fans. Next Generation. Star Trek can’t exist without Spock or Kirk. Who’s this bald guy?) However, it’s fair to say that no new Trek series has endured as much loud and sustained vitriol as Discovery. One should immediately dismiss the outrage of anyone decrying that Star Trek has “gone woke,” as if progressive politics and racial and gender inclusion are not essential to the very essence of creator Gene Roddenberry’s stated objectives for the original series. (Even original star William Shatner refuses to see this.These are the complaints. Discovery, which stars Black actress Sonequa Martin-Green in the lead role, became the bedrock for a loud and loathsome new subsection of Trekkies whose YouTube channels insist that no one watches “NuTrek” and that all these shows are going to be canceled any day now. Of the five series new, there are only two. PicardProduction has been halted, likely due to the fact that its leader turned 82 this summer.

It can’t be ignored, however, that DiscoveryThis series is quite different from other Star Trek shows in many ways, which could be frustrating to seasoned Star Trek fans who are willing to engage with the show in good faith. Discovery imported the visual language and aesthetic of the J.J. Abrams-produced reboot film trilogy (also hated by some Trekkies) into the “prime” Star Trek universe. As the producers sought to introduce the familial-friendly franchise, the glossy look brought a fast pace, increased emotions and a TVMA rating. Game of Thrones era of prestige television. DiscoveryI plunged headfirst into serialized storytelling which was something that previous Treks were only able to do. Fans had to pay for the series, which was itself an issue and source of controversy. Star Trek is an incrementally evolving series. DiscoveryIt was different than its immediate siblings, and more so than its elder brothers.

United Earth President and President Rillak standing and facing each other with a line of Starfleet officers standing behind Rillak. Behind them you can see the starry sky of space

Spock standing with his arms behind his back on the bridge, while Pike, Kirk, and Uhura look at him from the side

It’s also the show that’s evolved the most since its launch, in many ways in a direction closer to its ancestors, becoming more optimistic and colorful and leaping ahead in time to avoid conflicts with established continuity. It has undergone dramatic restructuring over the years. Discovery Michelle Paradise took control of the series’ management in season 3 and it has since settled down under her co-showrunner. The series’ first season revolved around the shock and punishment that its protagonist could take, which was a challenge for both its viewers as well as its creators. DiscoverySince then, he has worked hard for the promotion of love and empathy. It has become Trek’s most earnest incarnation, as occupied with big feelings as it is with big ideas. Although it’s not the best television ever, it still feels a lot like Star Trek from the beginning.

Arguably, DiscoveryThey have acted as defense in every Star Trek episode. Without DiscoveryNot only is the award-winning Strange New WorldsAlthough it does not currently exist, it could have faced a host of critics. It had DiscoveryWere Star Trek not being relaunched as a serialized drama would we have been as content to watch? Strange New WorldsReturn as an old-school procedure? Return as an old-school procedural? Discovery hadn’t thrown out the visual style guide and introduced new, “anachronistic” uniforms and technology, wouldn’t Strange New WorldsWould it have been subject to more criticism for the design changes? As lovable as we may find Anson Mount, could Trek’s legacy as a diversity-forward institution have survived if the face of its long-awaited return to television had been yet another straight, square-jawed white man? Star Trek’s vanguard, DiscoveryThe franchise has survived almost all the consequences, taken most of the blame, and broken nearly all the ground.

Creating new legends

Picard flying a ship with a pop up interface in front o f him

Where Star Trek: DiscoveryWas originally a prequel Original SeriesThis film features a completely new cast of characters with only a slight connection to the original cast. Star Trek: PicardThis was the original Star Trek series that carried the continuity forward in the classic way with an eclectic mix of familiar and new faces. This was the first season. PicardThe story is told by Michael Chabon and features a behind-the-scenes interview with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), a former Admiral. After 20 years of failed attempts in both personal life as well as professional, Patrick Stewart finds a new purpose within a motley crew.

Picard follows the now-familiar path of the “legacy sequel,” in which the star of a long-dormant series returns to pass the torch to a new generation. But it never really passes the torch. Its first two seasons were filled with success. Picard fails its own characters time and again, unable to commit to a steady characterization or cogent story arc for anyone except for Alison Pill’s Dr. Agnes Jurati — who, like most of the new breed, has now been written off the show so that the entire Next GenerationSeason 3 will see cast members reunite. The tragedy of this isn’t just that a troupe of actors have just lost their jobs to an ensemble who’s been dragged out of retirement, but that these discarded characters It is not to be missed. No one will be too choked up that Elnor and Worf won’t be charging into a fight together, or that we’ll never see Cristóbal Rios at the poker table across from Will Riker, because the gang from La Sirena has never felt equal to Picard’s Enterprise family. The second season simply made it clear that passing the torch was not a priority, and that the show’s younger cast was merely the backup band for Patrick Stewart and perpetual Special Guest Star Brent Spiner.

Beckett blushing and glaring at Brad and Rutherford

Dal sitting with his hands folded and resting his chin on them while he thinks. Kate Mulgrew looks on at him with her arms folded in the background

Happily, the other franchises have achieved a better balance between nostalgia and innovation. It was a decision that would change the way we do business. Discovery’s Michael Burnham the adopted sister of Spock seemed a bizarre one at first, but their relationship has turned into a boon for both characters, adding texture without becoming a distraction. This animated sitcom Star Trek: Lower Decks is absolutely littered with callbacks, cameos, and references to Treks past, but its lead characters, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), have nevertheless emerged as true stars, and the series sports modern Trek’s most robust and memorable secondary cast. A kid-friendly animated adventure. Star Trek: Prodigy features a returning Kate Mulgrew as a holographic Janeway, but her role as a mentor rather than a lead has allowed the show’s new characters to thrive in a way that Picard’s never did. Even Strange New Worlds, which features multiple “legacy characters” (Pike, Spock, and Uhura) in its ensemble, shows the same amount of love and care to those that it’s broadly reinvented (Una, Chapel, and M’Benga) or created whole-cloth (La’an, Ortegas, and Hemmer).

Surficially it looks like Lower decks Strange New WorldsWhile it might seem like they are more nostalgia-driven and pandering, creatively, PicardThe far less cynical venture is. Of the five modern series, it’s the only one that seems uninterested in being anyone’s first Star Trek, and is now doubling down on the novelty of the current “reunion series” trend. This isn’t to say that a final farewell to the Next Generation cast couldn’t be entertaining, only that it’s the least interesting idea that the Kurtzman era of Trek has yet offered. This franchise expands in many directions to explore different times, media and eras. PicardThe only way to go is through the end. However, with a new showrunner and a new (old) cast on board for its final season, there remains hope that the franchise’s weakest modern entry may come to a satisfying conclusion.

The pursuit of infinite speed

Picard sitting in a chair in an empty, overgrown sunroom, with Q standing in front of him and holding his face in his hands

Uhura and Spock walking in the halls of the Enterprise; she is holding a tablet in front of her and looking at him, he is walking with his arms behind his back looking at her. There are other Enterprise personnel in the background

PicardWhile the franchise might be ending next year, Alex Kurtzman’s company has no plans to stop it. Kurtzman made public statements about two current live-action series and hinted that more are still in development. Kurtzman has spoken publicly about two live-action series that are currently in development and hinted at the possibility of more. Discovery spinoff starring Michelle Yeoh as the reformed interstellar tyrant Philippa Georgiou was intended to start production in 2020, but has been delayed by the pandemic and by Yeoh’s film career renaissance. Yeoh has recently described the series tentatively as “Tenderly Titled”. Star Trek: Section 31, as “Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy,” but there’s been no word on when she might have time to make it. There’s the long-gestating Starfleet AcademySeries, currently in development by AbsentiaGaia Viiolo is the co-creator of this version. Gossip Girl’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage failed to ossify. The long-rumored podcast narrative miniseries on the legendary villain Khan. Star Trek II Nicholas Meyer, the director of Paramount Plus, has been announced. Kurtzman and the company are clearly determined to keep Trek going year-round on Paramount Plus, until things stop working. However, if Trek continues at its current pace, it may be viable for an additional five years. (We’re looking forward to seeing Section 31Paradiscovery Prime premieres in 2026.

The potential hyperspanner in the works is Paramount’s plans to supplement this with further Star Trek feature films. The conglomerate has promised stockholders a fourth film starring Chris Pine and the rest of the crew from the reboot trilogy, committed to a 2023 release date despite scheduling conflicts with the cast and a currently vacant director’s chair. Brian Robbins, the new head of Paramount Pictures, expressed an interest in several new Star Trek movies, animated and live-action, as well as Paramount Plus’ non-stop stream of new shows. Paramount is attempting to make Star Trek a major franchise like Star Wars. This indicates that the stockholders are not asking. It’s miraculous that Star Trek has managed to expand in the directions that it has over the past five years, with five very distinct television shows appealing to different but overlapping audiences, but the thought of frequent theatrical films This is not all is, frankly, exhausting. There’s the ever-present danger of Trek’s value as a corporate property interfering with its capacity to tell interesting, even radical, stories. The more money there is in the Star Trek business, the closer scrutiny it’s sure to receive from on high and the less likely it is to challenge the status quo. Trek should be about learning first, and then lore last. Although the current leadership does seem to grasp this concept, it is important that leadership change fast during times like streaming.

It is a great time to be Star Trek fan. There’s a new episode on TV every week, a movie in the works, and a genuinely exciting new comics series on the way, as well as the first new console video game in half a decade. Between 2023 and 2024, the Trek universe will witness its first real crossover. Strange New Worlds And Lower decksIt’s a combination that is surprising to make sense, since both shows have warmly accepted the bizarre and silly aspects of their universe. Peak Star Trek is over, but it can’t be sustained forever, just like Peak Anything. Trekkies must remember the golden era in the mid-1990s. The quality of Star Trek will decline in the near future, as well as the quantity.

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