Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is in full swing streaming week to week on the 2025 TV schedule, and for the first time in months, it feels like the franchise is back in a place where I was used to seeing it. Perhaps that's why I had my guard down at San Diego Comic-Con, ready to learn about what new things were on the way, and hopefully get a glimpse at what the future holds.
We, of course, did learn some things about what's going to be available for the Star Trek franchise with our Paramount+ subscription in the future, but it wasn't until recently that it hit me there was another takeaway I completely ignored at the time. This year feels different from previous years, and it's because we don't have a ton to look forward to on the Trek front. For reasons readers might guess, I have some concerns about that.
Star Trek Ended San Diego Comic-Con Without Any Announcements About New Shows Or Updates On Its Movies
I only just got around to reflecting on my time at San Diego Comic-Con, specifically Star Trek's Hall H panel. For those who might've missed the major headlines from that, we learned that there will be a "puppet episode" in Strange New Worlds Season 4, we heard a trailer for the Khan podcast series, and the official trailer for Starfleet Academy dropped.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled about the upcoming Star Trek shows, but it's more appropriate to say "show." Strange New Worlds officially has an ending date, so really, we're just waiting on the premiere of Starfleet Academy. For the first time in many years, there aren't multiple Trek shows in the works, or at least that we know of.
Star Trek Las Vegas Featured Stories From Stars About Pitched Shows That Never Came To Be
Star Trek Las Vegas isn't typically known for earth-shattering reveals about shows on the way, but this year did yield a few surprises. Picard showrunner Terry Matalas revealed he wrote a manuscript for what his follow-up series would be, and Scott Bakula revealed he even pitched an Enterprise follow-up to Paramount. Tawny Newsome also said she's finished writing her live-action comedy series, which we've heard a bit about in recent years, and that she's waiting to hear from Paramount about it.
The common thread among all of these is that they are not currently in development and are still just pitches awaiting Paramount's interest. I think it's safe to say the days of pitching to streamers and getting a series order almost immediately are long gone. But it's also hard not to notice we're not seeing as much activity in the franchise, and it doesn't feel like a coincidence given one major event on the horizon.
Why 2026 Could Signal A Changing Of The Guard For The Franchise
There's some definite caution to how Paramount is proceeding with Star Trek, and there are likely a few reasons for that across the board. We are all aware of the merger with Skydance, which was held up for quite a while due to an ongoing lawsuit with President Donald Trump. The merger prevented money from flowing, so it just made sense that new shows weren't being announced.
Then, as the merger was nearing completion, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled. There was an allegation that the cancellation was made as a way of making amends to the President of the United States, as Colbert has frequently poked fun at him and his policies in his programming. It's all speculative, of course, and one might argue that South Park being continually antagonistic toward the President, all whilst being under the Paramount umbrella, could buck that narrative.
Still, it's hard to wonder what this could mean for Star Trek. This franchise is rooted in IDIC (Infinite Diversity Infinite Combinations). When Skydance announced it would cease all DEI initiatives in place at Paramount, one can't help but worry about how important promoting diversity will be to those in charge in the future. Franchise veteran Robert Picardo has said he's not worried about the franchise changing its roots under new ownership, but can he make that call?
Then there's the elephant in the room that Alex Kurtzman's contract with CBS Studios is set to expire in 2026. His contract was extended back in 2021, but there are only a few months left in 2025, and we haven't heard whether he'll still be the person overseeing Star Trek.
The fact that we've heard nothing about new projects and nothing about Kurtzman's contract being renewed has me wondering if Star Trek will soon be guided under new leadership. This has happened before, but as a fan who has seen more activity in the franchise the past ten years than we've seen in quite a while, I can't help but be nervous about the change. Why would Paramount and Skydance want to move away from a person who has helped the franchise flourish with fresh new shows?
Skydance's CEO Has A History With Star Trek
It is worth noting that Skydance CEO David Ellison has a history with Star Trek. The internet promotes him as a fan of the franchise, and Skydance was a producer on the Kelvin movies Into Darkness and Beyond. Simon Pegg recently said that Ellison is a fan of that franchise, and it sounds as though he's invested in helping the fourth installment finally happen (via TrekMovie.com).
That's great for the Kelvin films, and I would love it if Ellison could make happen what Paramount has been unable to do for nearly a decade in getting a fourth movie off the ground. It doesn't speak to his plans for television, however, and I would argue that as entertaining as the Kelvin movies are, they skew more toward prioritizing action and adventure than any moral message or scientific discovery.
We don't know what it means to hear that Ellison is a Star Trek fan, nor what that means for the franchise at large. The optimist in me wants to believe that this means Star Trek will proceed as it has for the past decade, and we'll get a lot more shows to enjoy and talk about for years to come. Do I know that's going to happen? Certainly not, and that's what has me so worried about the significant changes that could be coming to my favorite franchise.
Here's hoping for some answers on Star Trek in the coming months. Until then, we have new episodes of Strange New Worlds on Paramount+ airing Thursdays, so be sure to tune in and enjoy what has been a great season thus far.
