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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is over. Now Alex Kurtzman readies for ‘Starfleet Academy’ and ‘Section 31’

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In “Star Trek” terms, and in the real world of “Star Trek” television, Alex Kurtzman, who oversees the 21st century franchise, might be described as the Federation president, from whose offices various series depart on their individual missions. Indeed, to hear him speak of it, the whole enterprise — honestly, no pun intended — seems to run very much on the series’ ethos of individual initiative and group consensus.

The first series to be launched, “ Star Trek: Discovery, ” has come to an end as of Thursday after five seasons on Paramount+. Others in the fleet include the concluded “ Picard, ” which brought “The Next Generation” into a new generation; the ongoing “ Strange New Worlds, ” which precedes the action of what’s now called “The Original Series,” from which it takes its spirit and several characters; “Lower Decks,” a comedy set among Starfleet service workers; and “Prodigy,” in which a collection of teenage aliens go joyriding in a starship. On the horizon are “Starfleet Academy,” with Holly Hunter set to star, and a TV feature, “ Section 31, ” with Michelle Yeoh back as Philippa Georgiou.

I spoke with Kurtzman, whose “Trek” trek began as a writer on the quantum-canonical reboot movies “ Star Trek ” (2009) and “ Star Trek: Into Darkness ” (2013), at Secret Hideout, his appropriately unmarked Santa Monica headquarters. Metro trains glide by his front door unaware. We began the conversation, edited for length and clarity here, with a discussion of his “Trek” universe.

Alex Kurtzman: I liken them to different colors in the rainbow. It makes no sense to me to make one show that’s for everybody; it makes a lot of sense to make a lot of shows individually tailored to a sect of the “Star Trek” audience. It’s a misnomer that there’s a one-size-fits-all Trekkie. And rather than make one show that’s going to please everybody — and will almost certainly please nobody — let’s make an adult drama, an animated comedy, a kids’ comedy, an adventure show and on and on. There’s something quite beautiful about that; it allows each of the stories to bloom in its own unique way.

Do you get pushback from the fans?

Absolutely. In some ways that’s the point. One of the things I learned early on is that to be in love with “Star Trek” is to engage in healthy debate. There is no more vocal fan base. Some people tell you that their favorite is “The Original Series,” some say their favorite is “Voyager” and some say their favorite is “Discovery.” Yet they all come together and talk about what makes something singularly “Trek” — [creator] Gene Roddenberry‘s extraordinarily optimistic vision of the future when all that divides us [gets placed] in the rearview mirror and we get to move on and discover things. Like all great science fiction, you get to pick your allegory to the real world and come up with the science fiction equivalent. And everybody who watches understands what we’re talking about — racism or the Middle East or whatever.

What specific objections did you find to “Discovery”?

I think people felt it was too dark. We really listen to our fans in the writers’ room — everybody will have read a different article or review over the weekend, and we talk about what feels relevant and what feels less relevant. And then we engage in a healthy democratic debate about why and begin to apply that; it seeps into the decisions we make. Season 1 of “Discovery” was always intended to be a journey from darkness into light, and ultimately reinforce Roddenberry’s vision. I think people were just stunned by something that felt darker than any “Trek” had before. But doing a dark “Star Trek” really wasn’t our goal. The show is a mirror that holds itself up to the times, and we were in 2017 — we saw the nation fracture hugely right after the election, and it’s only gotten worse since then. We were interpreting that through science fiction. There were people who appreciated that and others for whom it was just not “Star Trek.” And the result, in Season 2, Capt. [Christopher] Pike showed up, Number One showed up, Spock showed up, and we began to bring in what felt to people more like the “Star Trek” they understood.

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You’re ending the series after five seasons. Was that always a plan?

You know, we were surprised we didn’t continue, and yet it feels now that it was right. One of the things that happened very quickly as streaming took off was that it radically changed watch patterns for viewers. Shows that used to go 10, 12 seasons, people would tap out after two — like, “I got what I want” — so for any show to go five seasons, it’s a miracle. In ways I don’t think we could have predicted, the season from the beginning feels like it’s the last; it just has a sense of finality. The studio was wonderful in that they recognized we needed to put a button on it, we needed a period on the end of the sentence, and so they allowed us to go back, which we did right before the strike, and [film] the coda that wraps up the series.

“Discovery” is a riot of love stories, among both heroes and villains.

There’s certainly a history of that in “Star Trek.” Whether or not characters were engaged in direct relationships, there was always a subtext of the love between them. I believe that’s why we love the bridge crew, because it’s really a love story, everyone’s in a love story, and they all care for each other and fight like family members. But ultimately they’re there to help each other and explore the universe together. If there’s some weird problem, and the answer’s not immediately apparent, each of them brings a different skill set and therefore a different perspective; they clash in their debate on how to proceed and then find some miraculous solution that none of them would have thought of at the outset.

One of the beautiful things about the shows is that you get to spend a long time with them, as opposed to a two-hour movie where you have to get in and out quickly and then wait a couple of years before the next one comes along. To be able to be on their weekly adventures, it affords the storytelling level of depth and complexity a two-hour movie just can’t achieve in that way.

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It’s astonishing how much matter you got into these things. Some storylines that only lasted an episode I remembered as seasonal arcs.

The sheer tonnage of story and character we were able to pack into “Discovery” every episode was kind of incredible. The thing to keep in mind is that “Discovery” was made as streaming was exploding, so what I think you’re also seeing there is a lot of writers who were trained in the network world with an A, B and C story applying it suddenly to a very different kind of storytelling in a much more cinematic medium. And when you have that kind of scope it starts to become really, really big. Sometimes that works really, really well and sometimes it was too much. And we were figuring it out; it was a bunch of people with flashlights in the dark, looking for how to interpret “Star Trek” now, since it had been 12 years since it had been on a television screen.

Are you able to course-correct within a season?

Sure. You get people you really trust in the room. Aaron Baiers, who runs Secret Hideout, is one of my most important early-warning systems; he isn’t necessarily in the room when we’re breaking stories, but he’s the first person who’ll read an outline and he’s the first person who’ll read a script. What I value so much about his perspective is that he’s coming in cold, he’s just like, “I’m the viewer, and I understand this or I don’t understand it, I feel this or I don’t feel it.” The studio executives are very similar. They love “Star Trek,” they’re all die-hard fans and have very strong feelings about what is appropriate. It then goes through a series of artists in every facet, from props to visual effects to production design, and they’re bringing their interpretations and opinions to the story.

Did “Strange New Worlds” come out of the fact that everybody loved seeing Christopher Pike in “Discovery?”

I really have to credit Akiva Goldsman with this. He knew that I was going to bring Pike into the premiere of the second season of “Discovery,” and said, “You know, there’s an incredible show about Capt. Pike and the Enterprise before Kirk takes over; there’s seven years of great storytelling there” — or five years, depending on when you come into the storyline. I said, “We have to cast a successful Pike first, so let’s see if that works. Let’s figure out who’s Number One, and who Spock is,” which are wildly tall orders. I hadn’t seen Anson Mount in other things before [he was cast as Pike], and when he sent in his taped audition it was that wonderful moment where you go, “That’s exactly the person we’re looking for.” Everybody loves Pike because he’s the kind of leader you want, definitive and clear but open to everyone’s perspective and humanistic in his response. And then we had the incredibly tall order of having Ethan [Peck] step into Leonard [Nimoy’s] and [Zachary Quinto’s] shoes.

He’s great.

He’s amazing, just a delight of a human being. And Rebecca Romijn‘s energy, what she brings to Number One is such a contemporary take on a character that was kind of a cipher in “The Original Series.” But she brings a kind of joy, a comedy, a bearing, a gravitas to the character that feels very modern. Thank God the fans responded the way they did and sent that petition [calling for a “Legacy” series], because everybody at CBS got the message very quickly. Jenny Lumet and Akiva and I wrote a pilot, and we were off to the races. Typically it takes fans a minute to adjust to what you’re doing, especially with beloved legacy characters, but the response to “Strange New World” from a critical perspective and fan perspective and just a viewership perspective was so immediate, it really did help us understand what was satisfying fans.

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What can you tell me about “Starfleet Academy?” Is it going to be Earth-based or space-based?

I’m going to say, without giving anything away, both. Right now we’re in the middle of answering the question what does San Francisco, where the academy is, look like in the 32nd century. Our primary set is the biggest we’ve ever built.

So you’re setting this —

In the “Discovery” era. There’s a specific reason for that. As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he’s inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it’s going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that, and that’s a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set “Starfleet Academy” in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it’s not going to speak to what kids are going through right now.

It’ll be a nice fantasy, but it’s not really going to be authentic. What’ll be authentic is to set it in the timeline where this is the first class back after over 100 years, and they are coming into a world that is only beginning to recover from a cataclysm — which was the Burn, as established on “Star Trek: Discovery,” where the Federation was greatly diminished. So they’re the first who’ll inherit, who’ll re-inherit, the task of exploration as a primary goal, because there just wasn’t room for that during the Burn — everybody was playing defense. It’s an incredibly optimistic show, an incredibly fun show; it’s a very funny show, and it’s a very emotional show. I think these kids, in different ways, are going to represent what a lot of kids are feeling now.

And I’m very, very , very excited that Holly Hunter is the lead of the show. Honestly, when we were working on the scripts, we wrote it for Holly thinking she’d never do it. And we sent them to her, and to our absolute delight and shock she loved them and signed on right away.

And then you’ve got the “Section 31” movie.

“Section 31” is Michelle Yeoh’s return as Georgiou. A very, very different feeling for “Star Trek.” I will always be so grateful to her, because on the heels of her nomination and then her Oscar win , she just doubled down on coming back to “Star Trek.” She could have easily walked away from it; she had a lot of other opportunities. But she remained steadfast and totally committed. We just wrapped that up and are starting to edit now.

Are you looking past “Starfleet” and “Section 31” to future projects?

There’s always notions and there are a couple of surprises coming up, but I really try to live in the shows that are in front of me in the moment because they’re so all-consuming. I’m directing the first two episodes of “Starfleet Academy,” so right now my brain is just wholly inside that world. But you can tell “Star Trek” stories forever; there’s always more. There’s something in the DNA of its construction that allows you to keep opening different doors. Some of that is science fiction, some of it has to do with the combination of science fiction and the organic embracing of all these other genres that lets you explore new territories. I don’t think it’s ever going to end. I think it’s going to go on for a long, long time. The real question for “Star Trek” is how do you keep innovating, how do you deliver both what people expect and something totally fresh at the same time. Because I think that is actually what people want from “Star Trek.” They want what’s familiar delivered in a way that doesn’t feel familiar.

With all our showrunners — Terry Matalas on “Picard,” the Hagemans on “Prodigy,” Mike McMahan on “Lower Decks,” Michelle Paradise, who has been singlehandedly running “Discovery” for the last two years, and then Akiva and Henry Alonso Myers on “Strange New Worlds” — my feeling is that the best way to protect and preserve “Star Trek” is not to impose my own vision on it but [find people] who meet the criteria of loving “Star Trek,” wanting to do new things with it, understanding how incredibly hard it is to do. And then I’m going to let you do your job. I’ll come in and tell you what I think every once in a while, and I’ll help get the boat off the dock, but once I hand the show over to a creative it has to be their show. And that means you’re going to get a different take every time, and as long as those takes all feel like they can marry into the same rainbow, to get back to the metaphor, that’s the way to keep “Star Trek” fresh.

I take great comfort because “Star Trek” really only belongs to Gene Roddenberry and the fans. We don’t own it. We carry it, we try to evolve it and then we hand it off to the next people. And hopefully they will love it as much as we do.

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Star Trek: Discovery

Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien.

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• Trivia The Starfleet vessels seen in the first season, including the Discovery, the Shenzou and the redesigned Enterprise, were all designed by production artist John Eaves. Eaves' work with Star Trek spans three decades. Probably his most notable contribution was the design of the Enterprise-E for Star Trek: First Contact (1996) .
• Goofs With Michael being the adoptive sister of Spock, the series has many flashbacks to their childhood and upbringing on Vulcan. Spock's Vulcan half-brother, Sybok, does not appear nor is mention during these scenes. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) , Spock says that he and Sybok grew up together. However, since it's never stated when Sybok joined Sarek's home - only that he did so following his mother's death - or when he was exiled from the family, it's not impossible Sybok moved in after Burnham, and left before she graduated (the two extremes of the flashbacks). Also, since Sybok was never mentioned before Star Trek V, it seems reasonable the family never spoke of him again after his estrangement.
• Alternate versions The serif-font legends and subtitles in the "broadcast" episodes are absent from the DVD versions, where they are replaced with the standard DVD subtitles.
• Connections Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Female Lead TV Shows You Should Be Watching in 2017 (2017)

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Alex Kurtzman

Alex Kurtzman ( born 7 September 1973 ; age 50) is a producer, screenwriter and director who currently serves as main executive producer and "overseer" on all three ongoing live-action and two animated Star Trek series.

Kurtzman co-wrote the script, with frequent collaborator Roberto Orci , for Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness (the latter also with Damon Lindelof ). He also served as executive producer on Star Trek and producer on Star Trek Into Darkness .

From 2016 to 2023, Kurtzman served as executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery , which he co-created with Bryan Fuller . He was made the lead showrunner (with co-showrunner Michelle Paradise ) halfway through the show's second season, replacing Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts . He remained in this capacity for the rest of the series. He also served as executive producer on the companion series Star Trek: Short Treks .

In 2018, Kurtzman was contracted by CBS All Access to oversee a five year Star Trek expanded universe deal with various series, both live action and animated. In 2021, the deal was expanded to 2026. In this capacity, Kurtzman has been serving as executive producer on Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Lower Decks , and Star Trek: Prodigy . He co-created Picard with Akiva Goldsman , Michael Chabon , and Kirsten Beyer , and Strange New Worlds with Akiva Goldsman and Jenny Lumet . He will also serve as executive producer on the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 film and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series.

Kurtzman also wrote several episodes of the aforementioned shows and directed the Discovery second season episode " Brother ".

In 2010, Kurtzman and Orci were nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Writing for Star Trek . [1]

Kurtzman and Orci also conceived the story for the Star Trek: Countdown comic miniseries which served as a prequel for the 2009 film. It was followed by the tie-in miniseries Star Trek: Nero , which they also received story credit for. Kurtzman also consulted on the Star Trek video game.

As Discovery showrunner, Kurtzman has been nominated twice for the fan-driven Dragon Award in 2018 and 2019, shared on both occasions with colleague Bryan Fuller , neither of which won.

• 1.1 With Roberto Orci
• 1.2 Solo work
• 2 Star Trek appearances
• 3 Directing credits
• 4 Writing credits
• 5 Producing credits
• 6 External links

With Roberto Orci

Kurtzman was born in Los Angeles and met his future writing partner, Roberto Orci in high school. Kurtzman and Orci started their Hollywood career as staff writers on the popular syndicated television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-99). During the show's fourth season, series star Kevin Sorbo suffered a stroke, and Kurtzman and Orci successfully wrote storylines to deal with his absence, which led to them being promoted to co-executive producers on both Hercules and its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess . They also worked on Jack Of All Trades with Bruce Campbell.

Kurtzman and Orci have been working with Star Trek producer and director J.J. Abrams for years, having written Paramount Pictures ' Mission: Impossible III (2006) and several episodes of Alias (featuring Rachel Nichols and Greg Grunberg ). They also wrote the screenplays for The Legend of Zorro (2005, featuring Mary Crosby , with editing by Stuart Baird and music by James Horner ), The Island (2005, which featured Ethan Phillips , Glenn Morshower , and Randy Oglesby ), Transformers (2007, featuring Andy Milder , Glenn Morshower, W. Morgan Sheppard , Michael Shamus Wiles , and the voice of Robert Foxworth ), and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009, featuring the voices of Tony Todd and Robert Foxworth).

They did the uncredited final re-write of the screenplay for Watchmen (2009, starred Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Stephen McHattie , and Matt Frewer ). [2] [3] They also developed and served as executive producers (along with Abrams and Bryan Burk ) on Fringe (2008-12), which starred John Noble and featured Kirk Acevedo , Leonard Nimoy , and Orla Brady is recurring roles.

Kurtzman and Orci also served as executive producers on Transformers: Prime , which featured the vocal talents of Tania Gunadi , James Horan , Jeffrey Combs , Frank Welker , Tony Todd , Clancy Brown , Nolan North , and Dwayne Johnson .

Kurtzman and Orci wrote the screenplay for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , featuring a cameo by Stan Lee , creator of the titular character. They co-created and executive produced Sleepy Hollow , featuring John Noble, Marti Matulis , Derek Mears , John Cho , Clancy Brown , and Bill Irwin in recurring roles and Hawaii Five-0 , which starred Daniel Dae Kim and featured guest appearances by William Sadler and Sidney Liufau among others.

In addition to writing, Orci and Kurtzman also produced films through their production company, Kurtzman/Orci ( aka K/O Paper Products , reflecting the partnership's origins as script writers). Some of the films being produced by K/O include Eagle Eye (2008) and The Proposal (2009). They also served as executive producers on Scorpion .

Virtually joined at the hip for over two decades and once considered one of Hollywood's most successful production duos, the Kurtzman/Orci partnership started to dissolve from 2014 onward for otherwise undisclosed reasons, though Kurtzman later went on record, stating, " We grew in different directions. The kinds of stories we wanted to tell changed. We have such deep love and respect for each other that neither of us wanted to pull in the wrong direction. " [4] On 22 April 2014, it was announced that the two men would no longer collaborate on feature film productions, [5] [6] whereas their collaboration on television productions was definitively terminated in 2016, though they finished up the three aformentioned series they started together. [7] The 2014 split had already forced Kurtzman to incorporate his own production company in August of the same year, Secret Hideout , under which he presently produces the Star Trek television properties.

In 2012, Kurtzman released his directorial debut, People Like Us , starring Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks. In the mid 2010s, he was tapped by Universal to oversee their proposed "Dark Universe" film saga, consisting of modernized remakes of their old monster films. In this capacity, Kurtzman produced and directed 2017's The Mummy , which starred Sofia Boutella and Annabelle Wallis and featured Javier Botet , his first major theatrical film project without Roberto Orci. However, The Mummy turned out to be both a critical and commercial flop, and plans for the "Dark Universe" were subsequently discarded.

After the failure of The Mummy , Kurtzman has withdrawn from K/O Paper Products, which was reorganized after the departure of Orci.

Alongside his Star Trek work, Kurtzman also worked as executive producer on a number of other television projects. He was an executive producer on Salvation (2017-18), starring Santiago Cabrera and featuring Mark Moses in a recurring role. Kurtzman and Star Trek collaborator Jenny Lumet co-created and executive produced Clarice (2021), with Grace Lynn Kung , and The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022, with Kate Mulgrew ). All three shows have been cancelled after one season.

Kurtzman currently lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife, Samantha Kurtzman-Counter, and their son, Jack. [8]

Star Trek appearances

• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Brother and New Eden "
• " The Impossible Box "

Directing credits

• DIS : " Brother "

Writing credits

• Star Trek (with Roberto Orci )
• Star Trek Into Darkness (with Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof )
• " The Vulcan Hello " (story with Bryan Fuller )
• " Such Sweet Sorrow " (with Michelle Paradise and Jenny Lumet )
• " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 " (with Michelle Paradise and Jenny Lumet)
• " That Hope Is You, Part 1 " (with Michelle Paradise and Jenny Lumet)
• " Far From Home " (with Michelle Paradise and Jenny Lumet)
• " Kobayashi Maru " (with Michelle Paradise and Jenny Lumet)
• ST : " Runaway " (with Jenny Lumet)
• PIC : " Remembrance " (story with Akiva Goldsman , Michael Chabon , Kirsten Beyer and James Duff )
• SNW : " Strange New Worlds " (story with Akiva Goldsman and Jenny Lumet)

Producing credits

• Star Trek – Executive Producer
• Star Trek Into Darkness – Producer
• Star Trek: Discovery (all episodes) – Executive Producer
• Star Trek: Short Treks (all episodes) – Executive Producer
• Star Trek: Picard (all episodes) – Executive Producer
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (all episodes) – Executive Producer
• Star Trek: Prodigy (all episodes) – Executive Producer
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (all episodes) – Executive Producer

External links

• Alex Kurtzman at Wikipedia
• Alex Kurtzman at the Internet Movie Database
• Orci and Kurtzman at New York Times
• 2 Bell Riots
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

Den of Geek

Alex Kurtzman Sheds Light on Star Trek Discovery’s Tough Road to Season 5

Exclusive: Star Trek: Discovery producer Alex Kurtzman reflects on the challenges of making five seasons of the groundbreaking series.

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Alex Kurtzman looks exactly how you’d expect someone to look at the end of a five-year-mission for Starfleet: relaxed, confident, and ready to bring the ship home. At least, that’s the impression he gives when he, showrunner Michelle Paradise, and stars Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala talk with Den of Geek about the upcoming fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery during SXSW 2024 . You almost can’t tell this show has faced many trials and tribulations across its seven years on the air.

“It’s been an incredible ride for us,” Kurtzman declares during our chat, but quickly adds, “It was an incredibly bumpy first year.” Only a calm man can use words like “incredibly bumpy” to describe Discovery ‘s inaugural season in 2017, the first new Star Trek television series since Enterprise went off the air in 2005. As a new entry in a franchise with such an important pedigree, Discovery carried a lot of weight.

Whatever fans expected, it was quite a shock for some to be treated with a premiere that featured radically redesigned Klingons having long conversations in their native tongue, followed by the protagonist Michael Burnham (Martin-Green) starting a battle that results in the death of her Captain Philippa Georgiou, played by international star Michelle Yeoh . Throw in a spore drive, the Mirror Universe, and Klingon sex, and you’ve got a very different type of Star Trek show. And that’s just season one.

Behind the scenes, Discovery lost multiple showrunners, including the iconoclastic co-creator Bryan Fuller , through its first two seasons before bringing on Paradise, who oversaw the series’ jump from the 23rd to the 32nd century in season three. That jump allowed Discovery to move from its rather restrictive original timeline, where it originally served as a prequel set about 10 years before The Original Series .

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But even as it explored the future, Discovery never left behind the rest of Trek . In fact, it made more Trek possible. “There would be no Star Trek Universe without Star Trek: Discovery ,” Kurtzman tells Den of Geek . “It was the first one in the door. It took all the knocks, but it also carved all this new ground.”

It did indeed take knocks. The show’s initial viewers didn’t know what to make of the new look, with blue uniforms and a sleek ship design, nor of Discovery ‘s storytelling style, the first Trek series to truly abandon episodic structure for a fully serialized season-long narrative.

However, the reaction to Discovery ‘s changes made way for the second Star Trek renaissance, with the most and best series in production since the 1990s. Without Discovery , there would not be the revival series Picard , the kids’ show Prodigy , the comedy of Lower Decks , or the unbridled imagination of Strange New Worlds . That last point is particularly true, as Strange New Worlds spins directly out of Discovery , as the latter introduced Ethan Peck’s Spock, Anson Mount’s Pike, and Rebecca Romijn’s Number One.

During our chat, Kurtzman explains that the beauty of the current Star Trek universe is that there’s something for every kind of fan, whether it’s Discovery or another series: “There are many subsets of the Trek fandom and many different things that different people like.” Kurtzman embraces the complexity of the franchise fan base as an opportunity for different forms of storytelling.

“The question that we always ask ourselves when we’re doing any Star Trek show is ‘Why are we putting it in that particular timeline?’ And the answer can’t ever just be ‘Because we haven’t done it before,” he says. “It has to be, ‘Well, there’s a very specific story that’s going to be suited to be told in that particular timeline.

“Our biggest thing has honestly been we don’t ever want our Star Trek shows to feel repetitive. We don’t want you to think that by watching Discovery , you shouldn’t watch any of the other shows because you’re getting everything from that one show. Each show is different,” Kurtzman continues. “So for us, it’s not about doing one show that pleases everybody because that’s the surefire way to please nobody. It’s more about doing a bunch of different shows that speak to specific sections of the demographic.”

The experience filming and releasing Star Trek: Discovery has been just as varied. Kurtzman reminds viewers that “ Discovery was at the start of the streaming era,” before most studios knew what the model could be. Initially, Discovery was used to launch CBS All Access, and then Paramount+, a weight not placed on any Trek series since Star Trek: Voyager debuted on UPN. In those early days of streaming, Discovery was really going where no one had gone before, which was its own sort of challenge. And then there are the other external factors that came up during production…

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“Season four was written and produced in a time of COVID, which lent a certain weight to the storylines and to our characters journeys” adds showrunner Paradise during our chat. But season five promises more optimism. “Coming out of that we were interested in how can we shift [the tone] while being grounded in the world of Discovery and in the emotional resonances of the characters, the relationships, and the arcs.”

Actor David Ajala, whose roguish Book ended the fourth season on the outs with the rest of the crew, hints at an episode in which “Michael Burnham has to do some soul searching and character unpacking,” but even he talks about the final season with a sense of excitement. “Our heroes do go on a quest,” teases Paradise. “There is quite a lot of action and adventure and unexpected discoveries, both in the worlds that they visit and in the quest that they’re on and then discoveries of their own about themselves and with other people.”

According to Kurtzman, it’s stories such as those that made Paradise “the perfect partner to help get things on balance” after season two. However, both Kurtzman and Paradise point to another person who held the series together across five seasons and many changes. “Sonequa anchored the show in a way that was so extraordinary,” Kurtzman says of his captain.

It’s because of that support and connection that Kurtzman has a sense of joy and peace with the end of the series. “Looking back at it now, it’s true, there’s so much gratitude.”

Star Trek: Discovery Season Five premieres on April 4, 2024 on Paramount+.

“ Discovery Was First in the Door.” The Most Divisive, and Important, Star Trek Show Comes to an End

The long and winding road of Star Trek: Discovery comes to an end.

Ten years ago, the state of Star Trek was very different. It was the year after the second J.J. Abrams-directed reboot film, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), hit theaters. But now, in 2024, one of the co-writers of that film, Alex Kurtzman, is the admiral in charge of all the television adventures in the Final Frontier. Since 2017, when Discovery debuted on CBS All-Access (now Paramount+), there have been four more new Star Trek TV series, with at least one more new show — Starfleet Academy — on the way.

“I feel like there wouldn’t be this new era of Trek without Discovery, ” Kurtzman tells Inverse . “ Discovery was first in the door, and it tried so many different things, and we had amazing successes, and I think that all the other shows, in different ways, kind of organized themselves around what Discovery did first.”

And now, the Trek show that brought the franchise back to TV is dropping its fifth and final season, starting April 4. Inverse caught up with Kurtzman, showrunner Michelle Paradise, and cast members Sonequa Martin-Green, Blu del Barrio, Mary Wiseman, and David Ajala, to get a sense of what the final voyage of Discovery will feel like. Light spoilers ahead.

The Discovery Family

One last ride for the Disco fam...

From its very first scene, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 hits the ground at warp speed. As seen in the trailers, a space-suited Capt. Burnham (Martin-Green) is riding atop a renegade starship, desperately trying to knock it off course by any means necessary. She’ll even use a hand phaser if she has to! But Burnham has limits. The chase isn’t worth interstellar reckless endangerment. The crew — the found family of the USS Discovery — comes first.

“I actually can’t imagine having to do this show if we didn’t feel like a family,” Wiseman tells Inverse during a press day at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024 . Although it seemed like Tilly was maybe stepping away from the show in Season 4, she’s very much back in Season 5. Wiseman also makes it clear that the cast is just as close behind the scenes as they are on screen. “It would be so weird to act these deep relationships when they weren’t completely backed up by the deep, intimate relationships we have in real life.”

Del Barrio, who joined the cast in 2020’s Season 3 as Adira , adds, saying with a smile: “Not to be mean to our own acting skills, but I do think it would be bad — like if we didn’t really like each other, it would just be bad.”

Discovery is known for wearing its heart on its Starfleet sleeve, which is part of why the found-family element is so strong on-screen and off. But, being emotive doesn’t mean the characters can’t be badasses, too. As Booker, the resident Indiana Jones-esque privateer, Ajala feels that his character represents a balance between action tropes and real humanism.

“Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise were very intentional to introduce a character that is as well-rounded as possible,” Ajala says. “And I think that’s a bit of a rare quality sometimes, especially in a character that may come across as physically looking strong.”

The Last Days of Disco

Phasers out! Discovery’s final season may be the most action-packed yet.

Although Season 5 wasn’t initially crafted as the finale for Discovery, it was eventually decided, after production, this would become the final season. As such, an extended ending was filmed for the final episode, which Martin-Green calls “graceful.” For showrunner Paradise — who came to Discovery midway through Season 2 — the ending of the show is bittersweet. But she feels that the uniqueness of Discovery will become its legacy.

“On any given episode, I’m proud that we’re able to finish the episode and make it awesome,” Paradise says. “Same with any given season. These shows are very, very challenging to make. So even just making them and making them awesome is an achievement.”

She adds, “As a whole, I’m so proud of the stories that we’ve told, the diversity we’ve shown on screen, the diversity of stories themselves, and I’m proud of how people respond to it. It’s something that has touched people on a very, very deep and personal level, and that is something I’m personally going to take with me.”

Martin-Green is reflective about the past, too. Because Discovery began as a prequel to the original Star Trek and, via time travel, has become a sequel to the entire canon, there’s a sense that the past seven years and five seasons have stretched over centuries. If Martin-Green could really time travel in the Red Angel suit from Season 2, what would she say to her younger self, the version of her who just started playing Michael Burnham back then?

“I would tell her to slow down because a wild ride is coming your way,” Martin-Green says. “Slow down and be in the moment.”

The Trek You Take

Sonequa Martin-Green with Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise at SXSW 2024.

Every Star Trek series has had a final episode, and the debates about which of those finales are the best will rage until Q himself decides to burn down the entire universe. But because the finale of Discovery is almost upon us, what will this ending feel like? To put it another way, if Discovery Season 5 is a rock album, what’s the vibe?

Kurtzman, reliably, has an answer.

“I would never compare us to The Beatles. The hubris would be too much,” he says with a laugh. “But what I will say is that I could actually never get my head around the fact that the Beatles, the last thing they ever said in Abbey Road was, in the end, the love you take is equal, the love you make. And then they walked out the door and that was it. Right? That’s the last thing they ever left us with, and I think in some ways that’s a fairly corollary message for us with Discovery .”

So, Discovery Season 5 is poised to end with love. But like a great rock album, the journey to that point will be anything but smooth.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 debuts with two episodes on Paramount+ on April 4.

• Science Fiction

Star Trek Captain Alex Kurtzman Extends TV Pact With CBS Studios to 2026

By Cynthia Littleton

Cynthia Littleton

Business Editor

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Alex Kurtzman , the prolific producer who pilots the Star Trek franchise for CBS Studios and Paramount Plus, has extended his exclusive overall TV deal with the ViacomCBS units through 2026.

Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout banner will expand under the new agreement to add an executive to help manage its growing slate of series. Longtime Kurtzman partner Heather Kadin remains the head of content for Secret Hideout, which is shepherding five Star Trek-branded series for CBS Studios and Paramount Plus, along with drama and limited series such as Showtime’s “The Comey Rule” and the upcoming “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” The company has become a reliable supplier of high-end shows for CBS, Showtime and Paramount Plus.

Kurtzman is known for his agility in balancing multiple roles as creator, writer, producer, director and showrunner. Secret Hideout has planted its flag at CBS Studios since 2016, although Kurtzman has worked with the studio for more than a decade on such series as “Hawaii Five-0,” “Scorpion” and “Salvation.”

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Keeping Kurtzman in the ViacomCBS family was important to the conglomerate at a moment of skyrocketing competition for top creative talent. Kurtzman is the creative steward who plots out the storylines and distribution strategies for Star Trek content for years to come. At present the Trek tote board encompasses Paramount Plus’ “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Picard,” “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and the upcoming animated series “Star Trek: Prodigy” for Nickelodeon aimed at introducing the “Star Trek” world to a new generation. And on tap for next year is another origins story series, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which will follow the early space-trotting adventures of Capt. Christopher Pike as well as Spock and Number One.

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“Alex’s vision and leadership of the Star Trek franchise and his ability to create artistic and commercial series across all platforms put him in a special class of creative talent,” said George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS. “His substantial accomplishments at CBS and the spirit of collaboration we enjoy with his team are greatly valued and we are excited to build on his already impressive slate far into the future.”

Kurtzman also guides all of the Star Trek universe’s digital content, social media, podcasts and games as well as merchandising and collectibles. Secret Hideout will recruit a franchise manager to help oversee the Star Trek frontier. Secret Hideout noted that it remains in development on another Trek series “Section 31,” with Michelle Yeoh (an alum of “Star Trek: Discovery”) attached to star. Also working with Kadin at Secret Hideout are Aaron Baiers, senior vice president, and Robyn Johnson, director of development.

“Alex’s vision and breadth of interest is unmatched as he and his team have re-ignited the Star Trek franchise with five (and counting) brilliantly unique series, while at the same time creating long-running hit series for both the (CBS) network and premium spaces,” said CBS Studios president David Stapf. “As an artist, Alex does it all. Not only is he a visionary who creates worlds, he has that rare skill of being able to write, direct, produce and inspire those who work with him to be the best version of themselves.”

Kurtzman has stayed busy outside of Star Trek content with a range of other shows and as a hands-on creator, showrunner and director. Upcoming projects include an adaptation of the cult-fave Walter Tevis novel “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” which Kurtzman is steering with executive producer Jenny Lumet. Lumet and Kurtzman are also teaming on a Lena Horne biopic series for Showtime (Horne is Lumet’s grandmother). Secret Hideout is also developing a project about FBI stalwart Eliot Ness’ long pursuit of mob boss Al Capone.

Other projects in the works at Secret Hideout include “New York Times at Special Bargain Rates,” based on a Stephen King short story, adapted by Jessica Mecklenberg, and it has a number of book options including “The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind” by Jackson Ford.

Kurtzman praised CBS Studios as having been a nurturing home for his TV efforts for mroe than 10 years.

“CBS Studios has been my home for over a decade because the incomparable David Stapf always finds a way to demonstrate his decency and creative passion, not just for the work we do, but for the many people who do it,” he said.

Kurtzman credited David Nevins, Showtime chief and Paramount Plus scripted chief, as being “a rare breed executive with auteur taste and the guts to take chances, who’s encouraged us to create premium streaming and cable that pushes boundaries.” And he credited Cheeks with helping to guide Secret Hideout and himself “with thoughtful care and strategic brilliance, as the rules of our business grow and change daily. As Secret Hideout expands its footprint across ViacomCBS, I can imagine no greater partners, and I’m so excited to tell more stories together for years to come.”

Kurtzman is repped by CAA and attorney Michael Gendler of Gendler & Kelly.

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'Star Trek: Discovery' is over. Now Alex Kurtzman readies for 'Starfleet Academy' and 'Section 31'

In "Star Trek" terms, and in the real world of "Star Trek" television, Alex Kurtzman, who oversees the 21st century franchise, might be described as the Federation president, from whose offices various series depart on their individual missions. Indeed, to hear him speak of it, the whole enterprise — honestly, no pun intended — seems to run very much on the series' ethos of individual initiative and group consensus.

The first series to be launched, " Star Trek: Discovery, " has come to an end as of Thursday after five seasons on Paramount+. Others in the fleet include the concluded " Picard, " which brought "The Next Generation" into a new generation; the ongoing " Strange New Worlds, " which precedes the action of what's now called "The Original Series," from which it takes its spirit and several characters; "Lower Decks," a comedy set among Starfleet service workers; and "Prodigy," in which a collection of teenage aliens go joyriding in a starship. On the horizon are "Starfleet Academy," with Holly Hunter set to star, and a TV feature, " Section 31, " with Michelle Yeoh back as Philippa Georgiou.

I spoke with Kurtzman, whose "Trek" trek began as a writer on the quantum-canonical reboot movies " Star Trek " (2009) and " Star Trek: Into Darkness " (2013), at Secret Hideout, his appropriately unmarked Santa Monica headquarters. Metro trains glide by his front door unaware. We began the conversation, edited for length and clarity here, with a discussion of his "Trek" universe.

Alex Kurtzman: I liken them to different colors in the rainbow. It makes no sense to me to make one show that's for everybody; it makes a lot of sense to make a lot of shows individually tailored to a sect of the "Star Trek" audience. It's a misnomer that there's a one-size-fits-all Trekkie. And rather than make one show that's going to please everybody — and will almost certainly please nobody — let's make an adult drama, an animated comedy, a kids' comedy, an adventure show and on and on. There's something quite beautiful about that; it allows each of the stories to bloom in its own unique way.

Do you get pushback from the fans?

Absolutely. In some ways that's the point. One of the things I learned early on is that to be in love with "Star Trek" is to engage in healthy debate. There is no more vocal fan base. Some people tell you that their favorite is "The Original Series," some say their favorite is "Voyager" and some say their favorite is "Discovery." Yet they all come together and talk about what makes something singularly "Trek" — [creator] Gene Roddenberry's extraordinarily optimistic vision of the future when all that divides us [gets placed] in the rearview mirror and we get to move on and discover things. Like all great science fiction, you get to pick your allegory to the real world and come up with the science fiction equivalent. And everybody who watches understands what we're talking about — racism or the Middle East or whatever.

What specific objections did you find to "Discovery"?

I think people felt it was too dark. We really listen to our fans in the writers' room — everybody will have read a different article or review over the weekend, and we talk about what feels relevant and what feels less relevant. And then we engage in a healthy democratic debate about why and begin to apply that; it seeps into the decisions we make. Season 1 of "Discovery" was always intended to be a journey from darkness into light, and ultimately reinforce Roddenberry's vision. I think people were just stunned by something that felt darker than any "Trek" had before. But doing a dark "Star Trek" really wasn't our goal. The show is a mirror that holds itself up to the times, and we were in 2017 — we saw the nation fracture hugely right after the election, and it's only gotten worse since then. We were interpreting that through science fiction. There were people who appreciated that and others for whom it was just not "Star Trek." And the result, in Season 2, Capt. [Christopher] Pike showed up, Number One showed up, Spock showed up, and we began to bring in what felt to people more like the "Star Trek" they understood.

Read more: 'Star Trek' is the greatest sci-fi franchise of all. Why it's stood the test of time

You're ending the series after five seasons. Was that always a plan?

You know, we were surprised we didn't continue, and yet it feels now that it was right. One of the things that happened very quickly as streaming took off was that it radically changed watch patterns for viewers. Shows that used to go 10, 12 seasons, people would tap out after two — like, "I got what I want" — so for any show to go five seasons, it's a miracle. In ways I don't think we could have predicted, the season from the beginning feels like it's the last; it just has a sense of finality. The studio was wonderful in that they recognized we needed to put a button on it, we needed a period on the end of the sentence, and so they allowed us to go back, which we did right before the strike, and [film] the coda that wraps up the series.

"Discovery" is a riot of love stories, among both heroes and villains.

There's certainly a history of that in "Star Trek." Whether or not characters were engaged in direct relationships, there was always a subtext of the love between them. I believe that's why we love the bridge crew, because it's really a love story, everyone's in a love story, and they all care for each other and fight like family members. But ultimately they're there to help each other and explore the universe together. If there's some weird problem, and the answer's not immediately apparent, each of them brings a different skill set and therefore a different perspective; they clash in their debate on how to proceed and then find some miraculous solution that none of them would have thought of at the outset.

One of the beautiful things about the shows is that you get to spend a long time with them, as opposed to a two-hour movie where you have to get in and out quickly and then wait a couple of years before the next one comes along. To be able to be on their weekly adventures, it affords the storytelling level of depth and complexity a two-hour movie just can't achieve in that way.

Read more: For Patrick Stewart, Jean-Luc Picard is 'the biggest thing that's ever happened to me'

It's astonishing how much matter you got into these things. Some storylines that only lasted an episode I remembered as seasonal arcs.

The sheer tonnage of story and character we were able to pack into "Discovery" every episode was kind of incredible. The thing to keep in mind is that "Discovery" was made as streaming was exploding, so what I think you're also seeing there is a lot of writers who were trained in the network world with an A, B and C story applying it suddenly to a very different kind of storytelling in a much more cinematic medium. And when you have that kind of scope it starts to become really, really big. Sometimes that works really, really well and sometimes it was too much. And we were figuring it out; it was a bunch of people with flashlights in the dark, looking for how to interpret "Star Trek" now, since it had been 12 years since it had been on a television screen.

Are you able to course-correct within a season?

Sure. You get people you really trust in the room. Aaron Baiers, who runs Secret Hideout, is one of my most important early-warning systems; he isn't necessarily in the room when we're breaking stories, but he's the first person who'll read an outline and he's the first person who'll read a script. What I value so much about his perspective is that he's coming in cold, he's just like, "I'm the viewer, and I understand this or I don't understand it, I feel this or I don't feel it." The studio executives are very similar. They love "Star Trek," they're all die-hard fans and have very strong feelings about what is appropriate. It then goes through a series of artists in every facet, from props to visual effects to production design, and they're bringing their interpretations and opinions to the story.

Did "Strange New Worlds" come out of the fact that everybody loved seeing Christopher Pike in "Discovery?"

I really have to credit Akiva Goldsman with this. He knew that I was going to bring Pike into the premiere of the second season of "Discovery," and said, "You know, there's an incredible show about Capt. Pike and the Enterprise before Kirk takes over; there's seven years of great storytelling there" — or five years, depending on when you come into the storyline. I said, "We have to cast a successful Pike first, so let's see if that works. Let's figure out who's Number One, and who Spock is," which are wildly tall orders. I hadn't seen Anson Mount in other things before [he was cast as Pike], and when he sent in his taped audition it was that wonderful moment where you go, "That's exactly the person we're looking for." Everybody loves Pike because he's the kind of leader you want, definitive and clear but open to everyone's perspective and humanistic in his response. And then we had the incredibly tall order of having Ethan [Peck] step into Leonard [Nimoy's] and [Zachary Quinto's] shoes.

He's great.

He's amazing, just a delight of a human being. And Rebecca Romijn's energy, what she brings to Number One is such a contemporary take on a character that was kind of a cipher in "The Original Series." But she brings a kind of joy, a comedy, a bearing, a gravitas to the character that feels very modern. Thank God the fans responded the way they did and sent that petition [calling for a "Legacy" series], because everybody at CBS got the message very quickly. Jenny Lumet and Akiva and I wrote a pilot, and we were off to the races. Typically it takes fans a minute to adjust to what you're doing, especially with beloved legacy characters, but the response to "Strange New World" from a critical perspective and fan perspective and just a viewership perspective was so immediate, it really did help us understand what was satisfying fans.

Read more: How the latest ‘Star Trek' spinoff resurrects the Buck Rogers brio of the original

What can you tell me about "Starfleet Academy?" Is it going to be Earth-based or space-based?

I'm going to say, without giving anything away, both. Right now we're in the middle of answering the question what does San Francisco, where the academy is, look like in the 32nd century. Our primary set is the biggest we've ever built.

So you're setting this —

In the "Discovery" era. There's a specific reason for that. As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he's inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it's going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that, and that's a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set "Starfleet Academy" in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it's not going to speak to what kids are going through right now.

It'll be a nice fantasy, but it's not really going to be authentic. What'll be authentic is to set it in the timeline where this is the first class back after over 100 years, and they are coming into a world that is only beginning to recover from a cataclysm — which was the Burn, as established on "Star Trek: Discovery," where the Federation was greatly diminished. So they're the first who'll inherit, who'll re-inherit, the task of exploration as a primary goal, because there just wasn't room for that during the Burn — everybody was playing defense. It's an incredibly optimistic show, an incredibly fun show; it's a very funny show, and it's a very emotional show. I think these kids, in different ways, are going to represent what a lot of kids are feeling now.

And I'm very, very , very excited that Holly Hunter is the lead of the show. Honestly, when we were working on the scripts, we wrote it for Holly thinking she'd never do it. And we sent them to her, and to our absolute delight and shock she loved them and signed on right away.

And then you've got the "Section 31" movie.

"Section 31" is Michelle Yeoh's return as Georgiou. A very, very different feeling for "Star Trek." I will always be so grateful to her, because on the heels of her nomination and then her Oscar win , she just doubled down on coming back to "Star Trek." She could have easily walked away from it; she had a lot of other opportunities. But she remained steadfast and totally committed. We just wrapped that up and are starting to edit now.

Are you looking past "Starfleet" and "Section 31" to future projects?

There's always notions and there are a couple of surprises coming up, but I really try to live in the shows that are in front of me in the moment because they're so all-consuming. I'm directing the first two episodes of "Starfleet Academy," so right now my brain is just wholly inside that world. But you can tell "Star Trek" stories forever; there's always more. There's something in the DNA of its construction that allows you to keep opening different doors. Some of that is science fiction, some of it has to do with the combination of science fiction and the organic embracing of all these other genres that lets you explore new territories. I don't think it's ever going to end. I think it's going to go on for a long, long time. The real question for "Star Trek" is how do you keep innovating, how do you deliver both what people expect and something totally fresh at the same time. Because I think that is actually what people want from "Star Trek." They want what's familiar delivered in a way that doesn't feel familiar.

With all our showrunners — Terry Matalas on "Picard," the Hagemans on "Prodigy," Mike McMahan on "Lower Decks," Michelle Paradise, who has been singlehandedly running "Discovery" for the last two years, and then Akiva and Henry Alonso Myers on "Strange New Worlds" — my feeling is that the best way to protect and preserve "Star Trek" is not to impose my own vision on it but [find people] who meet the criteria of loving "Star Trek," wanting to do new things with it, understanding how incredibly hard it is to do. And then I'm going to let you do your job. I'll come in and tell you what I think every once in a while, and I'll help get the boat off the dock, but once I hand the show over to a creative it has to be their show. And that means you're going to get a different take every time, and as long as those takes all feel like they can marry into the same rainbow, to get back to the metaphor, that's the way to keep "Star Trek" fresh.

I take great comfort because "Star Trek" really only belongs to Gene Roddenberry and the fans. We don't own it. We carry it, we try to evolve it and then we hand it off to the next people. And hopefully they will love it as much as we do.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .

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How ‘prodigy’ lays the foundation for the next generation of ‘star trek’.

In a joint interview, Brian Robbins and franchise captain Alex Kurtzman open up about how the Paramount+ kids- and family-focused animated series may pave the way for a new feature film chapter.

By Lesley Goldberg

Lesley Goldberg

Television Editor, West Coast

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Alex Kurtzman hasn’t written a Star Trek feature film since 2013, but his new animated kids- and family-focused series, Prodigy — his fifth show in the Paramount+ version of the beloved franchise — could be the ticket that gets him back to the box office.

The captain of the Star Trek franchise — who inked a new, nine-figure deal with IP owner CBS Studios in August — has for years wanted to boldly go where Star Wars has gone before: to reach younger kids. “I go back to my childhood and Luke Skywalker, the [ Star Wars ] farm boy who looks out at the twin suns of Tatooine and imagines his future.  Trek  never gave me that,” Kurtzman told The Hollywood Reporter in early 2019, when he first revealed plans for what would become Star Trek: Prodigy. The animated series was originally developed for Nickelodeon and targets kids ages 6 to 11. It features a CG animation so impressive that Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins — who bought the show as president of the aforementioned cable network — wishes it were launching in theaters.

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“I can’t lie, when I sat there at Comic-Con, I wished it was,” Robbins recalls of watching Prodigy debut during his secret trip to New York Comic-Con earlier this month. “I just can’t help be excited about how this franchise will now be introduced in such a great way. As a parent, that gets me excited. I really wanted to see it play in a room and it was super cool — and it does really play like a movie.”

Prodigy will instead bow on Paramount+ with an hourlong episode Oct. 28, followed by weekly installments of its first 10 episodes. A run on Nickelodeon is also in the cards for a later date as Robbins, like his peers, prioritizes streaming over linear. Robbins — who continues to serve as president of Nickelodeon and oversees kids and family content at Paramount+ — believes Prodigy is a perfect fit with the platform’s popular Nickelodeon content and Kurtzman’s other Star Trek fare.

While the pricey show is only launching today, both Robbins and Kurtzman are already developing other big ideas such as a kids- and family-focused version of Prodigy that includes a feature film designed to bow theatrically as well as other live-action features that could live alongside the Paramount Pictures’ J.J. Abrams-produced mystery Star Trek movie .

“We’re working on several fronts and obviously Alex is the key for the franchise [on Paramount+]. J.J. has been the keeper of the franchise on the film side. We hope that as a company that we do what’s right for the franchise altogether,” Robbins says.

Prodigy is the fifth show in the Kurtzman Star Trek universe and joins Picard, adult-focused animated entry Lower Decks , flagship Discovery and the upcoming Strange New Worlds at Paramount+, the exclusive home of the franchise. Brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman ( Hotel Transylvania, The Lego Movie ) created the series that features the return of Kate Mulgrew’s Voyager character and follows a group of lawless teens searching for adventure.

Below, Robbins and Kurtzman reveal more about their grand plans for Prodigy (expect merchandising, spinoffs), how they hope to create new Trek fans from an early age while still engaging diehard fans and the strategy of the franchise for the next decade.

Alex, the first time that we talked about what would become Prodigy was in early 2019 when you mentioned your desire to create a Star Trek show for a younger audience who could, in success, stay with the franchise through adulthood. Was turning Trek into a four-quadrant franchise how you pitched what became Prodigy at the time?

Kurtzman: Yes. [CBS Studios president] David Stapf and I from the beginning laid out a five-year plan for Trek . The missing piece — and perhaps the most significant piece — was the kid component. We needed someone that knew how to specifically do children’s television. I worked on Transformers as an animated show, but I needed a partner who could guide us through it. David and I went to see Brian Robbins and [Nickelodeon animation head] Ramsey Naito when the company was still bifurcated. It was an instant connection. We felt comfortable given their vast knowledge of the children’s landscape but also the infrastructure that they have in Nickelodeon was so specific and we knew we needed that. Our great hope was that there would be a merger down the line and it would make things easier for everybody. We told Brian and Ramsey that we felt that it was important to make it a cinematic experience to make it special for kids. There was no hesitation on their part about that. The lack of a merger didn’t stop Brian from saying yes in that moment.

Robbins: There was a step before you came over, where I called David Nevins and said, “We should really try to do something with the franchise and Nickelodeon,” knowing that it had not really been explored before. Ramsey, who was a giant Trek fan as a kid and still is, had the conversation and Nevins said, “It’s funny that you’re saying this because Alex was just in here saying we need to do this.” You guys came over quickly after that and toured the studio and we were just off to the races.

Kurtzman: We felt that the key was to invest both in children and their parents in these characters and to take the time at a deeper level to get to know them, get to love them. The creators, Dan and Kevin Hageman, had this brilliant concept from the start, which was the idea that these children don’t understand each other for the first part of it. It wasn’t until they’re around a universal translator that they suddenly realize that all their preconceived notions about who they were, were all wrong. That is a core message of Star Trek . I don’t think the impact of that revelation would have worked if we hadn’t been able to take the time to set those characters up that way.

The Prodigy pilot is 45 minutes and has a cinematic feel to it. What’s the target demo of Prodigy , since most kids programming tends to have shorter episodic run times. And had you done a co-viewing show like this before with this kind of sizable budget?

Robbins: We knew it was going to be for our core 6 to 11 audience and parents. We were going into it as a co-viewing show and we had to get everybody to make it work. We definitely spent on the show, for sure. We’ve done some things in the past that are co-viewing and have done more of that since I’ve been there because there’s more co-viewing going on now than any other time. I have older sons and a younger daughter. When my older sons were young, they had TVs in their room. My daughter doesn’t have a TV in her room. That screen in the living room is really the screen for the whole family now. There’s just more co-viewing going on because of that.

Is the plan still to have part one of Prodigy air on linear before part two returns on the streamer?

Robbins: We will sneak the show on Nick, but it will live on Paramount+ in the first run and then cycle through to linear, to Nickelodeon. What we’ve been able to see with our content that’s premiered on Paramount+ first is that it’s doing really well there. Then when it comes to linear, it gets a boost. That flywheel seems to be working. It’s like one plus one is really making three.

How much do you hope that the Prodigy viewer checks out the other Trek library titles, or part of the Kurtzman Universe, after they’re done viewing Prodigy ?

Kurtzman: We all believe more is more. We’ve built Star Trek to last and based on the premise that you need to feed a constant flow of material to viewers. For example, when the pandemic started, the numbers really spiked on Star Trek: Discovery because Picard had aired and people liked Picard and then it led them back to Discovery and vice versa. My hope is now that we will have five shows on the air, that once people get into the Star Trek universe and love it, it will lead them back and forth from show to show.

Robbins: That’s completely right. We’re seeing that same kind of consumption whether it’s Paw Patrol — the movie went on up on Paramount+ and the series on Paramount+ was up 40 percent or 50 percent since the movie landed there. People want more of what they love and they want it faster.

Brian, how do you still prioritize Nickelodeon when you’re going after the kids demo on Paramount+? Is the second window always going to be the plan for linear specifically when it comes to Star Trek ?

Robbins: Yes. We’ve seen it with Kamp Koral, which we windowed that way. For this particular franchise, it’s the best way to window it. And we know that we’re getting more reach for it by doing it this way. That plays into the other plan of the show: This is a big opportunity for us to expand the consumer products business of the franchise with that reach and introduce things that you couldn’t do before because it wasn’t for this audience.

Right, and consumer products for successful kids programming is easily a billion-dollar business.

Robbins: All that stuff — products and marketing that comes with it — that all expands the universe too and brings more awareness and bigger audiences into the funnel.

How much more do you want to grow the Prodigy universe and expand into other younger-skewing animated fare? I’d imagine a Baby Spock show would probably do pretty well with a younger demo …

Kurtzman: I won’t spoil them, but we’ve talked about a bunch. If Prodigy is a success and works for everybody, then hopefully there will be lots of conversations about how to build it out from there, because it’s just going to make sense for the company.

Brian, how will you be measuring if Prodigy is a success? Are you looking at completion rate for kids? What’s the metric?

Robbins: The data is pretty obvious. We’re going to be patient because we think the show is fantastic and creatively just exceeds all expectations. I have no doubt that we’ll be doing more. Alex and I have talked about what the theatrical film version of this show is and the likes of that. We’re really excited. Ramsey and our Nick team could not be more thrilled to explore more.

So a Prodigy animated kids movie?

Robbins: I wouldn’t say kids. My bet would be that that’s a four-quadrant family movie.

For an animated Star Trek film?

Kurtzman: Potentially, yes. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is still one of the best movies over the past decade, animated or not. It’s just an unbelievable piece of artistry. I went with my whole family and another family and we all sat there with our jaws on the floor. Ultimately, Star Trek is about family, it’s about these giant universal themes. Getting to tell a story like that, especially given the level of cinema we’ve already brought to the television show, is a wonderful opportunity. It would thrill me to do that.

Robbins: Me as well. I had a similar experience with Spider-Verse where my daughter, who was 6 or 7 at the time, my late-teen sons and my wife and I all saw that movie together. That was the first experience of any film where we were all in.

Brian, part of your plans for Paramount+ is building out a movie slate that’s exclusive for the streamer and now you’re also running the Paramount film studio. Would a hypothetical Star Trek animated film be a theatrical release or a Paramount+ debut?

Robbins: To be honest, we’ve talked about it as a theatrical movie. I can’t lie, when I sat there at Comic-Con, I wished it was.

Brian, now that you’re also running Paramount Pictures, how does the knowledge of what’s working on Paramount+ translate to Star Trek ? What are you looking at in terms of growth potential and where this franchise goes next?

Robbins: Where we go with the franchise next theatrically is crucial to the health of the overall franchise. There’s no doubt that big theatrical movies are the beacon that ignite franchises. We’re in it and I don’t really have anything to say because I’m waiting for the development to be delivered. I can’t wait to get going on it; we’re not there yet, but we need to get there soon.

Are you speaking specifically about the animated feature?

Robbins: I’m talking about what could be the next live-action movie.

Is that something that would involve Alex or is that a J.J. Abrams thing?

Robbins: We don’t know enough yet. We’re working on several fronts and obviously Alex is the key for the franchise [on Paramount+]. J.J. has been the keeper of the franchise on the film side. We hope that as a company that we do what’s right for the franchise altogether.

Are you getting scripts for a live-action feature from both camps?

Robbins: There’s a lot going on and I’m just going to leave it at that.

How does the data you have from Paramount+ impact what you want to do next with Trek?

Robbins: The idea is what do we do next for the franchise that’s going to work for the next five and 10 years, not just one movie at a time like Alex has talked about. That’s what we really have to figure out.

Kurtzman: That’s the ball game. It’s not just about the one thing that comes next. It’s about laying out a strategy for the next decade.

How far along are in planning are you?

Robbins: Well, I’ve been in a job for seven minutes, so not that far. ( Laughs. )

Brian, does your streaming-first mentality compare with your theatrical vision?

Robbins: They’re not mutually exclusive. From Paramount Pictures’ point of view, if you look at our slate for the next 18 months, it’s just big theatrical movie after big theatrical movie, after big theatrical movie. Whether that’s Top Gun or Transformers or Mission Impossible or the Quiet Place sequel or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that’s coming the following year. Those are movies that are meant for a big theatrical experience and I have no doubt that people are going to be lined up to see those movies. That said, there’s going to be other movies that we make for streaming directly. That’s OK because we all know that not every consumer is going to see every movie they want to see in the theater, nor is every consumer going to watch everything they want to see on streaming. At the end of the day, I think what the consumer really wants is choice and we’re going to listen to them and figure out what’s the best window for each piece of content.

As you look at that larger strategy, will you similarly experiment when it comes to theatrical windowing? Do you still want a movie like Mission Impossible 8 in theaters exclusively?

Robbins: Yes, 100 percent. It’s where you should have that experience, absolutely. Now, if you don’t go, eventually it’s going to come downstream and get to you on your couch, if that’s what you choose to do. Probably those windows are much quicker than they were several years ago.

Interview edited and condensed for clarity.

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While filming itself may start later this summer, Kurtzman was quick to remind  Collider that it’s not just on-set action that has to be considered:

“It could end up not airing until 2026. We don’t know… building the sets alone is a massive endeavor, then six months of shooting, then six to eight months of post…  it’ll come out when it’s done.”

Kurtzman also kept secretive about exactly when the  Academy series will take place along the  Star Trek timeline — most bets have been placed on the far-future  Discovery  era, though nothing’s been confirmed yet — but he did share some interesting information about the young characters around which the series will center.

“There’s a lot of different kids from a lot of different places. Some of them want to be there, some of them don’t want to be there. It’s gonna be a fundamental reinforcement of all the things we love about Starfleet, in general….   [A] fundamental ‘Star Trek’ question, is, ‘How did we get here? How has this generation inherited the mistakes from previous generations? And what are we gonna do to fix it, to build that optimistic future that is Roddenberry’s essential vision?’ That is very much going to be at the heart of Starfleet Academy.”

The show may also follow these ‘kids’ beyond their Academy days, or rotate new cast members in as some cadets graduate, Kurtzman teased:

“Without spoiling anything, what I’ll tell you is I think the structure and the construction of the show is going to allow for both of those things to happen.”

Finally, the producer also emphasized his goal to make sure  Academy (and the other Paramount+ series) includes the longtime fans of  Trek’s near-60-year adventure, he said:

“You have to make sure that you are also pleasing people who have been around and are die-hard ‘TOS’ fans, die-hard ‘ Next Gen’ fans, whatever iteration of ‘Trek’ is yours. You cannot alienate those people. You actually also have to invite them to the tent….   [You] need to make a show that you can drop into if you don’t know anything about ‘Star Trek,’ but also a show that you can get a tremendous amount out of if you have all of that canonical history.”

You can read the rest of Kurtzman’s comments in the full  Collider  article. We’ll be sure to bring you any and all news on the  Starfleet Academy series as it breaks — fall in, cadets!

• Alex Kurtzman
• Behind The Scenes
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

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Star trek: starfleet academy latest news, star trek: starfleet academy is confirmed, star trek: starfleet academy cast, star trek: starfleet academy story details.

• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Further News & Info

The Star Trek universe is continuing to expand with the announcement of a brand-new spinoff, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is already promising to be the most unique series in the franchise's decades-long history. Set in the distant 32nd century after the events of Star Trek: Discovery , Starfleet Academy will chronicle the return of the Earth's most important educational institution as it begins training its first class of new recruits in 100 years. Unlike the host of other Trek series in the past, Starfleet Academy will shake up the formula and take place exclusively on Earth.

The massive time jump in Star Trek: Discovery took viewers further ahead in the Star Trek timeline than ever before, and introduced a 32nd century that was not the utopian vision of Gene Roddenberry. Despite this departure from the ideals of Star Trek 's thesis statement in Discovery , Starfleet Academy has the opportunity to rebuild the future of the future in a more utopian image, while also delivering a Trek series that is less about space exploration, and more about Earth politics. Though Starfleet Academy isn't back in session yet, there are already a ton of exciting updates.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while setting up new streaming and theatrical movies.

New Cast Members Join The Ensemble

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the new series is the star-studded topline cast, but the latest news confirms several new actors have joined Star Trek: Starfleet Academy . Coming during the Star Trek presentation at 2024's San Diego Comic-Con, producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau surprised Zoë Steiner, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, and Karim Diané by announcing they had been cast . In the heartwarming video (seen below), Kurtzman called each actor and slyly revealed their casting. However, nothing is known about the roles they will be playing yet.

The Franchise Returns To The 32nd Century

The future of the Star Trek franchise was given a shot in the arm in March 2023 with the announcement of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy . The long-rumored project was finally confirmed with Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau overseeing as executive producers. Though few details were known at the time of the announcement in 2023, the series was pitched as a YA approach to the Star Trek universe, with a focus on younger viewers. Casting details have since been revealed, but a production timeline and release date remain elusive more than a year later.

Star Trek: Discovery aired its final episode on May 30, 2024.

Holly Hunter & Paul Giamatti Lead The Cast

The cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a mix of recognizable stars, returning Star Trek alums, and a host of up-and-comers. First announced was Oscar winner Holly Hunter ( Broadcast News) , playing the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy. Paul Giamatti ( The Holdovers ) will play a recurring villain , but details remain scarce. Young stars George Hawkins ( Gassed Up ), Bella Shepard ( Wolf Pack ), Gina Yashere ( Early Man ), Karim Diane ( One of Us Is Lying ), Zoë Steiner ( Significant Others ), Kerrice Brooks ( The Prom ), and Sandro Rosta ( Drained ) have all been tapped to play as-yet-unnamed roles, but will presumably be playing students.

In order to link Starfleet Academy to the larger Star Trek franchise, several returning characters have already been announced with their original actors reprising the roles. Oded Fehr will return as Admiral Charles Vance from Discovery , alongside fellow Discovery alums like Tig Notaro as Jett Reno, and Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly . In a surprising turn of events, veteran character actor Robert Picardo will reprise his role as The Doctor, a holographic medical program that was a central figure in Star Trek: Voyager .

The confirmed cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy :

Shaking Up The Classic Star Trek Formula

the youngsters will likely face moral challenges as they try to recapture the original utopian vision of Starfleet from centuries past.

For the first time in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy won't be about deep space exploration and will instead take place on Earth. The series is set in the 32nd century and will follow the first class of cadets to attend Starfleet Academy in 100 years . With that basic framework established, there is little else known about the show in terms of specifics, but the youngsters will likely face moral challenges as they try to recapture the original utopian vision of Starfleet from centuries past.

Paul Giamatti has been cast as an unnamed villain in the series , and it's unclear if he will be an actual evil character or if he will merely be a grumpy and unlikable professor. With the political situation of Star Trek 's 32nd century anything but stable, Starfleet Academy will likely become the battleground of several key issues, but only time will tell how Star Trek: Starfleet Academy tackles the franchise's signature dilemmas in the comedic tone that is promised.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

After being closed for over a hundred years, Starfleet Academy is reopening its doors to those who wish to pursue a career as Starfleet Officers. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a new group of cadets as they come of age, and build friendships, rivalries, and romantic relationships while being threatened by a new adversary that could destroy the Academy and the Federation itself.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Further News & Info

• Star Trek Casts Paul Giamatti As Starfleet Academy Villain In Next Series
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Casts Holly Hunter As Series Lead
• Star Trek Confirms Next TV Show Set In Discovery's 32nd Century, Starfleet Academy Details Reveal Biggest Set Ever
• New Star Trek TV Series Starfleet Academy Announced For Paramount Plus

• Upcoming Releases

Star Trek: Discovery Michael Burnham Role Led Sonequa Martin-Green Down "Quantum Mechanical Rabbit Holes"

• Playing Captain Burnham required examining scientific "rabbit holes" for Sonequa Martin-Green.
• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres April 4 on Paramount+ with new enemies and allies.
• Martin-Green praised the writers for making technical jargon easy to grasp in life or death situations.

Sonequa Martin-Green plays Captain Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery , and playing the super-intelligent Burnham required Martin-Green to go down a lot of scientific "rabbit holes." Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres Thursday, April 4, on Paramount+. In Discovery 's final season, Captain Burnham leads the USS Discovery on an intergalactic treasure hunt while encountering new enemies Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) as well as a new Starfleet ally, Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), who is no fan of Burnham.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5's world premiere was held at SXSW with cast members Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, David Ajala, Mary Wiseman, Blu del Barrio, and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise promoting the final season. At a panel following the premiere, Sonequa Martin-Green was asked by host Scott Mantz how she was able to memorize Captain Burnham's techno-babble. Read her response and watch the video of Star Trek: Discovery 's SXSW panel below:

Well, oh my goodness, there’s so many things I can say about that. Big ups to these two [Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise] and the rest of our writers… We affectionately call it techno babble, science speak, and space talk. These are the three names we’ve given them. And it’s always life or death circumstances and stakes. But what I love about the way it’s written is that you can grab ahold of it really easily… Because it’s all that story, all that richness, all that life is the subtext… And I think all of us [actors] sort of do this, but I have to know at least a little bit of what I’m saying… And that did take me down into a lot of quantum mechanical rabbit holes and astrophysical rabbit holes. And then, 45 minutes later, I’m like, ‘I gotta get outta here!’

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 - Everything We Know

Techno babble is a proud star trek tradition, sonequa martin-green and discovery are some of the best at star trek techno babble.

Techno babble is a staple of Star Trek , and the cast of Star Trek: Discovery excels at it. The USS Discovery was originally a science and research vessel staffed with a crew of geniuses at the tops of their respective fields. Michael Burnham is also a genius with a background as a xeno-anthropologist, but saving the galaxy repeatedly on Star Trek: Discovery required Burnham to exhibit a vast knowledge of quantum mechanics and astrophysics. Other Discovery characters who are brilliant at math and science are Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) , Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), and Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro).

Few Star Trek actors can deliver techno babble with the startling speed and clarity of Sonequa Martin-Green on Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek 's original master of techno babble was Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Star Trek: The Original Series . Nimoy's successors as Spock, Ethan Peck in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Zachary Quinto in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, live up to Nimoy's prowess. One of the best ever at techno babble is Brent Spiner as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation , with LeVar Burton's Geordi La Forge close behind. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' s Terry Farrell struggled with techno babble as the brilliant Trill Jadzia Dax. However, few Star Trek actors can deliver techno babble with the startling speed and clarity of Sonequa Martin-Green on Star Trek: Discovery .

Source: SXSW

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 streams April 4 on Paramount+

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

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Published Aug 14, 2024

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Recruits A New Cadet

Sandro Rosta joins the all-new Original Series!

StarTrek.com

Paramount+ today announced that Sandro Rosta will star in the original series  Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , joining the cast as a cadet. The upcoming series will follow the adventures of a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. Produced by CBS Studios, the highly anticipated new series will begin production later this month. 

Rosta joins the previously announced cast of cadets Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins , Karim Diané, and Zoë Steiner , as well as Holly Hunter, who plays the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy . Additional cast members include Tig Notaro and Robert Picardo, reprising their roles as Jett Reno and The Doctor, and guest stars Oded Fehr and Mary Wiseman, reprising their roles as Admiral Vance and Sylvia Tilly , as well as recurring guest stars Gina Yashere and Paul Giamatti .

Yellow Belly Photo

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves, and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners and executive produce the series alongside executive producers Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. The series' premiere episode is written by Gaia Violo.  Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. 

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  is the latest addition to the expanding  Star Trek  franchise on Paramount+, which includes the fifth and final season of  Star Trek: Discovery ,  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , the animated series  Star Trek: Lower Decks , and  Star Trek: Section 31 , an original movie event with Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. All seasons of the critically acclaimed original series Star Trek: Picard , starring Patrick Stewart reprising the iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard, are also available to stream.

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Alex Kurtzman Reconfirms Two New Star Trek Series Are In Development

| July 24, 2022 | By: Anthony Pascale 131 comments so far

Saturday’s Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con had some big reveals for three (out of five) of the current Star Trek series. While the event mostly focused on those three shows, the man in charge of the Star Trek Universe for Paramount+ dropped some hints about what’s next for the television franchise.

Expect two more shows, possibly with female leads

The Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 was comprised of three sub-panels for Picard , Lower Decks , and Strange New Worlds , with executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Rod Roddenberry remaining for each. During the show-specific discussions, Kurtzman mentioned other things in development a couple of different times, although each time it came in response during fan Q&A and questions about more representation in Star Trek.

A deaf fan (through an interpreter) mentioned how inspiring it was to have Bruce Horak (Hemmer) represent the blind community on Strange New Worlds , proposing Kurtzman do “the next thing” and bring in a cast member who is deaf. Kurtzman responded:

It’s a terrific idea and it’s definitely something that we’ll take into the next [pauses for dramatic effect] two Star Trek shows that we are currently developing.

The next hint about what might be coming came in response to another fan who mentioned how impressed she was with the “robust female characters in the last several shows,” and asked if there could be a spin-off with a female captain, possibly lead by Jeri Ryan or Gates McFadden. Kurtzman responded:

First of all, I’d say anything’s possible. And I’ll say–without revealing too much–you can certainly expect to see more Star Trek shows with female leads.

And for the record, McFadden’s response was “Sweet. I do know how to drive a ship, remember that,” before pivoting to talk about Picard season 3.

Rod Roddenberry and Alex Kurtzman at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 (Photo: TrekMovie)

What could they be… and when?

The last new Star Trek series to be announced by CBS Studios and Paramount+ was Strange New Worlds in the spring of 2020, but even before that, they had already announced development on a Discovery spinoff starring Michelle Yeoh focusing on Section 31. Since then, there has also been confirmation that a Starfleet Academy show is in the works. As for more spin-offs with female leads, Jeri Ryan has made it clear she would welcome the chance for a Picard spin-off featuring Seven and Raffi. And more recently Star Trek: Voyager ‘s (and Prodigy’s ) Kate Mulgrew has been dropping some hints about a return to live action.

Earlier this year executives from Paramount+ were suggesting the next show to get an official series order would be that long-gestating Yeoh/Section 31 project. An announcement was supposed to come this year, and with Picard wrapping up next year, Paramount would have to give a series order on on one of the projects in development fairly soon to keep up the current amount of new original Trek content (especially live-action content) into 2024 and beyond.

Is Georgiou next?

How much Trek does Paramount+ want?

Maintaining the current level of Star Trek content with five series delivering a total of around 50 episodes a year may not be a given. Wall Street pressure is forcing a reevaluation on some of the big spending seen in recent years as the major studios fought to establish a presence with their own streaming services. Paramount has already acknowledged some shift in strategy , changing their earlier promise of a new movie every week on Paramount+, to one every other week.

Kurtzman appears to be optimistic, telling TrekMovie in May : “I think Paramount+ is committed to having as many shows as make sense. I don’t think they put a number to it… They’ve just said, ‘Let’s do great shows.’ So as many as we can give them that they’re excited about, I think that’s what we’ll get away with.”

And based on his new comments at Comic-Con, it sounds like Kurtzman is still moving forward with creating more Star Trek content for Paramount+.

More to come from SDCC 2022

There is still more to come with our Comic-Con coverage, including more details from Saturday’s Star Trek Universe panel. So stay tuned to TrekMovie.com for more news from San Diego, and check out the rest of our San Diego Comic-Con 2022 coverage .

You should also keep track of  @TrekMovie on Twitter  for ongoing updates, panel highlights, and more from San Diego Comic-Con.

Keep up with all the Star Trek news out of San Diego Comic-Con here at TrekMovie .

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PICARD S3 would be a good jumping off point for a series set in that era, which would open up a world of cameos/regular cast options. It would be a shame to lose touch with that period after finally getting it back.

Terry Matalas made that point in an interview a few weeks ago they have over 30 legacy characters/actors they can use in this period and be crazy not to use them in future shows. I’m guessing many would be happy to come back and many fans want them back. It’s the entire reason Picard as a show exist now. So yeah I think it would be crazy not to follow up with another live action show in this period.

And they know that, hence why Picard has turned into TNG season 8 and you have people like Mulgrew hinting they will probably be back as Janeway in live action form. I think they are setting up for the future in a big big way.

I know I sound like a cracked record, but I’m gonna keep saying this every time the topic of legacy characters comes up; I still desire another appearance from Professor Moriarty (it does the character a disservice that he was never presented as a “Khan-level” threat as anyone with even only a cursory knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon knows he easily has the potential to be), and also a follow-up on what happened to Amanda Rogers, especially given the whole Q civil war thing & the fact that it seems like the original Q are finally starting to die from old age.

re: “ . It’s the entire reason Picard as a show exist now.” THAT is the ONE condition Patrick Stewart agreed to return.. as long as it WASN’T “TNG SEASON 8!” Sure, plans & stories evolve (the initial pitch to Stewart that made him change his mind from a firm NO wasn’t even used in the actual show) So yes, the show evolved somewhat, but it didn’t exist BECAUSE of that; it existed IN SPITE of that one demand from Stewart AND the producers. Good thing they came up with a storyline that brought everyone back and appeased the TNG fans for what they WANT to see beyond nostalgia. Just keeping the actual historical facts straight.

Patrick Stewart said from the beginning he wanted other TNG characters to be on the show, he simply didn’t want it to be a TNG reunion where everyone is on the Enterprise together. That’s what he was saying. He wanted Picard to be in a different place in his life, but if they could find stories where other TNG characters can fit in with that story organically, that was fine, which they obviously did in both seasons.

And he also stated the show would be open to ALL legacy characters since he didn’t look at the show as a sequel TNG, but the TNG era as a whole, hence why Seven of Nine became part of the show.

So noting I said was wrong. The only real difference now is it HAS turned into a reunion show in season 3. ;)

Absolutely. It took us two decades getting it back and I don’t want this era to vanish again into oblivion. There is so much potential for legacy characters but especially for adventure and story-telling: the return of the Iconians, a potential return of the Parasites from Conspiracy, more on the T’Kon or the Preservers, the aftermath of the Borg and Dominion Wars, exploring the Alliance with the Klingons (AFS Khitomer!), the true reasons for the Romulan supernova (it may be what S3 of PIC is all about)…

They should do a Picard spin off and put it head to head with SNW just to make it abundantly clear how lousy it is watching adults play holodecks in flying hotels with unlimited energy yet last seconds in combat whenever they aren’t preaching to aliens how great they are. That would be a big win for promoting challenges, problem solving, accepting and working with the limitations of technology, acceptance of real diversity, etc. Also functional engineering classes, you show crew falling down the unnecessary stairs in front of a big door yelling at each other during combat trying to communicate vs Pike just spinning in his chair to talk to everyone while each inch of space is filled with useful information.

Yes! The TOS/SNW bridge is SO well designed. I visited the TOS set re-creation at Ticonderoga a few years ago, and it’s just so well done. Everything is close at hand, so Kirk can leap forward to press buttons on the helm or navigation stations if necessary, yet there’s enough space that no one gets in anyone else’s way. They did a great job the very first time around.

Actually I’m considering going to Ticonderoga to see the TOS sets too! :)

Now that we can really travel again I been thinking about doing it this year or next. I’m just waiting for them to complete the TNG/Enterprise D sets first so I can see them both. That was suppose to open Spring of this year but it sounds like it’s been delayed. But it will all probably open by this year at least and will try and go once it’s officially announced.

I’ve heard it said a number of designers have spoken of the the efficient design of the TOS bridge. And to think a lot of it was to make shooting it easier!

This sounds great to me but it’s weird it’s considered ‘news’ since they have said this multiple times now for years. Back in 2020 Kurtzman confirmed 3 shows were in development and confirmed Section 31 as one of them. We of course now know SNW was the other one. And the last time this was brought up last year they said it was Section 31 (yet again lol) and the Starfleet Academy show, which sounds like that was the other show they were talking about back in 2020.

I’m not trying to be dense here, but I am a little confused. Isn’t Section 31 and the Academy show suppose to be a given? Or is he suggesting there are two other shows BESIDES those that are being developed? Because none of this is news if it’s the former. The news would actually be they been green lighted since we been talking about both of them for years now. Maybe they are still not sure they want to go with those shows yet because why not just say those are coming next by this point?

Michelle Yeoh has had a major career resurgence in motion pictures the last two years, so that’s probably why we’re not going to see a section 31 series anytime soon. I think that’s the only reason we’re not getting that series And why it has been indefinitely shelved

Yeah maybe but I think they also saw the writing on the wall and fans just weren’t very responsive to it like SNW. It was always funny every time you clicked on a thread or article about the two shows. With SNW, it was always hyper enthusiasm wanting the show. Then you click on something about S31 and it was the complete opposite lol.

And then I think people really have a lot of problems with a character like MU Georgiou leading a Star Trek show. People have called the character Space Hitler and Adolf in multiple boards including here of course. Everyone seems to like Yeoh as an actress but Georgiou has been very very mixed and it’s hard to convince some a character like that should even BE on a Star Trek show, much less the lead in one.

For me, I been open about it, but it’s far far from my first pick as well.

Now a show still may happen but it’s very telling he’s not naming any of them that’s been in development so long, we now have a new U.S. President since they were originally announced.

I do wonder is the Academy show a given or are they still on the fence about that one too?

If they were going to do a Section 31 show then maybe it’s time to move away from Georgiou and instead use characters like Bashir and Garak. It would also be keeping it within the post-Picard era.

I would really love to see a deep space nine derived series. They talked about new shows with more female leads and I have no issue with Kira being a lead, And of course I would love to see Bashir and Garak.

That’s the thing, I think if it was the Section 31 presented how it was in DS9 and even Enterprise, more people would be behind it. I don’t think it’s Georgiou alone that’s the problem, people really didn’t like how it was presented in Discovery. I include myself in that.

And then of course there are people who just hate the entire idea of what Section 31 is. So you can imagine how many of those hated the idea of a full on show. And then Discovery and Georgiou in season 2 probably didn’t quash those issues and probably made them worse. But everyone was convinced a Pike show would work! So Discovery did something right that season. ;)

So I don’t think it’s any one factor. But the issues over this show has been clear from day one. As I said the show still might happen. I was only confused why he didn’t just say Section 31 was in development since they been saying it for 3 years now lol. To be this far along but not just name the show probably does mean it’s either on the back burner again or maybe cancelled. And I don’t think many will lose sleep over it if is.

That sounds boring

Honestly, I’d really rather the show just abandon the concept of Section 31 and just make the show about Federation Intelligence. Like the Federation equivalent of the CIA or MI-6. There could still be some “off the books” type of operations…

Well I just disagree with that “they’ve come to their senses that the fans don’t really want this show” narrative of yours that you always bring up on this. I think if Michelle Yeoh had been available we be getting season one of Section 31 this year if not earlier. But that’s the fun of these discussions — you and I are both just presenting conjecture on this, although I do think Kurtzman previously said her availability was an issue.

But I do think that they’re not going to wait around forever for her, so maybe the series never gets made because the timing didn’t work out and they went onto other new series starts… which of course means you and I will never know who was right on the reason it never got made…lol

Agree to disagree then.

Again I am not saying fan pressure alone is what is keeping the show from being developed. Yes I think it’s partly Michelle Yeoh’s schedule too. But Paramount has a game plan and if they really really wanted this show to happen they would make it happen. Either give her more money or replace her with someone else. I think it’s somewhere in the middle, they found better ideas that fans can gravitate to and since Yeoh is busy not really that bothered by it. But we know if a studio REALLY wants to make it, they will make it. Not wait 3-5 years for an actors schedule to clear when they are trying to build a brand on a new streaming service.

I see where what you are saying could be a contributing factor. However, I also think that the Section 31 Series they had in mind would be star vehicle for Yeoh, so I don’t think they would go forward with it with another actress if she’s not available.

But yeah, I agree that multiple factors are likely in play, but I think her availability is the chief one.

Which still goes to my point that the character herself is pretty divisive in the fanbase and probably another reason why there is a pause. If this is a star vehicle for a character a lot of the fans frankly loathed, I don’t think it’s a stretch to put it on the back burner when you can bring in bigger fan favorites like Pike or Seven for example. I look at this board and look how divided it is. Any thread that discusses Georgiou or Section 31 ends up the same way every time. And as Kurtzman himself made clear they read these boards and others. And frankly 3 years on the character still seems pretty divided. But this is just my opinion obviously.

Section 31 is the one thing I cannot forgive Deep Space Nine for foisting on Star Trek. It needs to go away, just like how the Mirror Universe should have always been a one-episode thing back in the TOS days.

Could you imagine if they announced the next series was about the Roman planet or the Nazi planet? Or they finally gave Tarantino what he wanted and made one about the Roaring 20s planet? I thoroughly enjoyed TOS as a kid but some ideas are best left in the 60s.

I definitely understand. I’ve always loved the idea of Section 31 but I know their presence is still very divisive in the fanbase for very valid reasons. And I think even when they developed S31 at the time, they probably never thought the idea would go beyond the few episodes in DS9 (and they did basically ‘kill’ off the organization in their last appearance on the show). But 20+ years later, they are still showing up lol.

And I’m so so so happy Tarantino never got anywhere near Star Trek after hearing his ideas on it.

I am with you. DS9 did some really fantastic things. But creating Section 31 and continued returning to the MU were not among them. I’m actually more annoyed with the MU. It was a fun one off. And perhaps each cast should get their one shot at it. But DS9 went there WAY too many times.

Wow, the self-satisfied disinformation based on whatever ridiculous thing comes to your head from you and your pals is just bottomless. Did you internet this Michelle Yeoh garbage? Do any of you actually know anything before endlessly posting on this site?

Michelle Yeoh hasn’t stopped working in films and mini-series of qualities and import for 40 years – and some of them have only been of qualities due to her presence.

How is it that this site has attracted such a league of toxic do-nothing, know-nothing hangers-on?

I doubt that either Section 31 or Academy are given. In case of Section 31 I hope it will never happen, at least not with Emperor Georgiou as the lead character. It was a bad idea to recruit her in the first place just as it was with Khan in the KT. Section 31 and former dictators is the worst trope in recent Trek.

Academy is something I want to see but it should be 25th Century-based, not Tilly-led in the 32nd century. I’d based it around 24th centiry series offsprings like Miral Paris, Yoshi O’Brien, Kestra Riker-Troi, Naomi Wildman etc…

Your post is my entire point lol. I think the character is more divisive than they thought when they announced it and after 3 seasons of Discovery I don’t think it’s any less divisive today.

I’m still open to the show but it’s not on the top of my list either. Same for an Academy show but I would probably prefer that idea. I would like it set in the 32nd century but I would be fine if it was in the 23rd or 24th century too.

A Tilly led show would be painful for me

I still can’t quite put my finger on why Tilly irritates me so much (season 1 Jurati and season 4 Adira also). I like a lot of neurotic female characters who are fast-talking and awkward, from Ally McBeal to Leslie Knope to many of the women in Mythic Quest. It might be that they just feel too forced because the shows were so serious and no one else was really allowed to be funny or awkward. I know with Adira I’m annoyed because she’s somehow less confident now than when she started, and has turned into Tilly 2.0.

You probably don’t like women.

I think an Academy show would be best suited to be in the Picard era. And weirdly, part of me is thinking Secret Hideout may have a better shot at that. It feels like it’s a lot more up their alley then the more traditional Sci-Fi or Trek like stuff.

Clearly there’s been difficulty finding a satisfactory through line for Section 31. Yes, there are mitigating circumstances like Yeoh’s schedule, the saturation of Trek shows, and COVID, but multiple writers have been recruited over the years to develop it and Yeoh has signed onto multiple films and TV series in the meantime. If there was a premise everyone loved, they could have locked her into a start date and had something waiting in the wings to replace Picard.

I really think the only thing that keeps S31 afloat is how much the producers and audiences like Michelle Yeoh, and then her own residual affection for the filming experience. Mirror Georgiou as a character is so divisive and her redemption arc was hastily cobbled together, fandom is probably not clamoring for this without a killer premise and supporting cast. And if Yeoh gets an Oscar nod this year I would be very surprised if she is ever available to do Star Trek on TV again.

Agreed! And I don’t get this weird argument Yeoh is apparently too busy to do a TV show even though she keeps signing up to do other TV shows lol. She has filmed not one but TWO other shows in the last year alone on top of making movies. But for some reason they still can’t work out a way to do a show she signed on to three years ago. It’s just ridiculous spin.

And the producers who created the show and was going to run it left Star Trek for Netflix over a year ago now.

Patrick Stewart isn’t hurting for work either but once they decided to make Picard, it was fast tracked like no one’s business. When they announced Section 31 there was no other shows around outside of Picard but they probably never found the right angle to do it. And because fans weren’t exactly crying for it like they were SNW that show just took precedent over S31. So Yeoh just left to do other things. Again, I don’t buy the idea it’s her schedule alone because it didn’t stop her from being on Discovery for 3 seasons straight and season 2 and 3 she was in most of the episodes until she departed.

It doesn’t mean anything, really, to say a show is “in development”. I just think a Section 31 series seems like a really dull idea, and would only appeal to hard-core fans. Most people have never heard of Section 31 anyway. SNW is popular because it’s a good show, but also because “the voyages of the starship Enterprise ” credo resonates in the popular culture to the point that even people who don’t watch any Trek know that phrase.

I have a feeling that a Section 31 show may actually appeal more to non-fans/casual fans than to hard-core Trek fans. You could sell a Section 31 show to a general audience billing it as a spy action adventure (that happens to take place in space). You could really use Michelle Yeoh as the selling point without the audience worrying about the backstory of her character. With hard-core fans, it seems that many cannot get over the character’s origin as Terran Emperor. Also, I may be wrong but it seems to me that many hard-core fans aren’t happy in general with how Section 31 has been portrayed in the new shows. So there seems to be a lot of baggage with hard-core fans when it comes to this show, whereas you could basically start with a clean slate with a general audience.

I think Section 31 would be much more appealing to a general audience than hardcore fans – I don’t even think the character’s backstory or Section 31 doing all the shady stuff would matter that much either. To hardcore fans, Section 31 and Georgiou shouldn’t exist in a utopian universe. But general audiences seem to like the bad guys, there’s a rising appeal of films/series that focus on villains – the Suicide Squad, Joker, The Boys, Disney villain reboot origin stories (which, in Maleficent’s case, I did read some criticisms of not being portrayed as the villain she was in the original animated film), Hannibal, etc… To be honest, I really do think that what a general audience enjoys and what hardcore fans like about Trek are very, very different.

Agreed. Hardcore fans know that Section 31 are literally villains, and presenting them as ‘good guy spies’ is normalizing a very dark and dystopian view of the franchise and human nature, especially when the series lead character is essentially a (barely) redeemed fascist ex-dictator, no matter who they’re played by.

I wouldn’t mind a series focused on Starfleet Intelligence telling stories about its spy war with Section 31, preventing S31 from infiltrating legitimate espionage organizations, heading off its efforts to ‘help’ the federation in ways that would undermine Federation diplomacy or start wars with its neighbors… but don’t go into a Trek series expecting me to root for the guys whose costume design was literally modeled on nazis to convey how evil they are. Some villains shouldn’t get redemption arcs. Some sins are unforgivable.

Agreed. A Starfleet Intelligence series would be fine, and could be a great show, but what Bad Robot and then later Secret Hideout Trek seems to ignore (or avoid) is that Section 31 is a completely detestable organization and supposed to be entirely unknown.

In the small doses we get from them in DS9, it’s great – you see a seedy underbelly to some of the Utopia the Federation is built on. They’re doing it for the “greater good” (or so they think) but how they’re doing it is evil. What they’re doing they do from the shadows.

They don’t have people show up on a ship in specialized uniforms and they don’t have no-so-secret bases in London or easily accessible within our solar system.

A Section 31 show as we’ve seen them use that organization the last decade would be like remaking Alias or La Femme Nikita and making those evil secret organizations the “good guys”. They aren’t and they shouldn’t be turned into one.

I don’t know, I think if you are going to play up the evil person from a backwards universe angle you need to bring newbies up to speed on something hard core fans already know. I thing your point would be better taken if the MU wasn’t a part of the story at all.

I don’t know if the Mirror Universe would be a (big) part of the story. I guess it depends how closely they would want to link the show to its origins on Discovery. They could just use Georgiou’s MU origin as a small background element to give her character an “edge”. Or they could really lean into it and dive into her redemption arc that we only saw little of on Discovery.

Don’t underestimate parent company interference. With all the turnover in the past 12 months, the model that led to the new ST Universe has changed. What Role does Trek play going forward? I’m not sure it’s the same as it was. They have stuff beyond Trek to drive the streaming service. I wonder if the series they put forward are going to change because of a new braintrust at the top? It’ll be interesting. As for SNW, that was the most obvious, and least risky step to take… that was true then, and would be true today if it hadn’t been greenlit yet.

Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt, the two supposed designated showrunners for Section 31 since January 2019, are now working as writers and “co-executive producers” on the Netflix show “Sweet Tooth”.

What a relief…

Probably means what you think, but bear in mind many writers and producers work on multiple projects at once.

They can do both shows. No relief for you!

I’d be all for a Seven captained series. Sign me up!

Crusher though as a captain of a starship, and leading a Star Trek series? Wow, the fan who asked that question must be smoking some great weed down there at comicon…lol

I would have been all for a Rios led show on his little private ship wandering around. He was probably the best character on Picard.

I am hoping though, one of them is a 25th century show and episodic the way SNW is. I think it’s been made clear serialized TV is not in these guys wheelhouse and a big reason for SNW success is telling weekly adventures again. I have a feeling though they are talking about a Picard spin off show, maybe starring Seven of Nine. Now that they have turned her into a Starfleet officer and will probably be a captain of a ship in season 3 more then likely it’s setting her up for bigger plans or why such a major change for a character in the final season of a show? And those chances are bigger since Kurtzman indicated the new shows will be women lead. To me a Seven spin off show is about as a no-brainer as a Pike or Picard show, so hope it happens.

Now it doesn’t have to be Seven (but I hope she is involved whatever it is), it could be a brand new character as a lead, I just don’t think it will be. It will probably be a TNG or VOY character leading the show like Prodigy and Picard is now. I just REALLY want another 25th century show and can push the franchise forward again.

I’d also like to see a sort of a hybrid approach on one of the series like DS nine had with some story arcs in the seasons but also with some standalone eps.

Fully agreed. One of the two shows should be a 25th century PIC follow-up. First I was hoping for a Rios Stargazer series, now it might be Seven, but whatever it is, it should be that setting.

BTW: If they decide to call it Star Trek Seven, it retroactively explains why they didn’t call GEN Star Trek VII back in the day :-)

Yeah I think we all wanted a Rios show lol. I even kept saying when people were predicting Rios would stay in the past like NO WAY, they gave the guy his own starship and made him a captain. Why would they keep him in the past for some girl he met for 3 and a half days when he can have his own ship taming the final frontier for 5 seasons???? Well, I had to eat my words.

So now Seven is our new hope. Hopefully season 3 doesn’t have her staying in the Mirror Universe or something equally stupid.

What I’m afraid of with a Section 31 series, is that, given their unethical way of working, as seen on DS9, would create yet another dark version of Star Trek, which wasn’t taken in gratitude by the fans, myself included. Gene’s optimistic view must be maintained, especialially now after virus- and poetin-threats (I don’t write his name with a capital, he doesn’t deserve it).

Winnie, Belgium

I loved reading Gates McFadden’s response when a reporter asked Alex Kurtzman if we’re possibly going to see Beverly Crusher in one of these Star Trek shows with female leads in them – “I do know how to drive a ship, remember that”. That’s classic 😄. I hope we do see Beverly again somewhere in one of these 25th century shows. Maybe they could do a show that focuses on what Beverly was doing right before Picard? That would be interesting, I think🤔.

I just want to see more of Dr.Crusher and Gates still looks so beautiful ❤️. I love the two-tone color of her hair right now too. She just looks absolutely wonderful. So I’d watch a show about Beverly Crusher and the same goes for Seven of Nine, if one of the shows involves her in it.

I’m not really interested in a Section 31 show. Not unless they could find a way to bring back Sloan and have him play mind games against Georgiou. And, yes, I know William Sadler is 72 years old but there’s ways to de-age actors now, thanks to certain advancements in special effects technology. But other than Sloan returning, a Section 31 show just doesn’t get me excited.

Now I’m not gonna say that I won’t completely watch it because it’s Star Trek and I am a Trekkie and whatever show comes on screen is considered canon so I need to keep up with the ever expanding canon. But I wouldn’t be excited about Section 31 like I am about SNW and Prodigy. I feel about Section 31 the way I feel about the long gestating Alpha Ceti V Khan project and that is that they just don’t get me excited.

Live long and prosper, Trekmovie 🖖

I’m convinced if we do get another 25th century show a few of the TNG actors will either be part of it or have them recurring in it like Crusher as an example. Unless they kill them off next season I highly doubt we won’t be seeing them again. I think the only reason why we didn’t see them more in Picard at the beginning because Stewart didn’t want a TNG reunion, which was fine at the time. But now that’s done away with since they are all back minus Data.

I have the same feelings about a Section 31 show. If they make it, I will definitely watch it, but it’s not my first pick either. Or my second. But as I told you in another thread, I think the Section 31 show is basically in the same position as the next Kelvin movie. People keep saying it’s happening but no one is bending over backwards to make it happen either. That’s probably for a reason and know neither are properties fans are waiting with baited breaths to make happen. With the Kelvin movies, it’s probably more a budget issue but same result.

I have a sneaking suspicion going on, Tiger2, about Brent Spiner. I’m beginning to seriously contemplate that Brent Spiner might be playing the villain this year on Picard. I really think he’s playing Lore. All the posters released of Picard season 3 are of the heroes, right?

But there isn’t one for Brent Spine. So if he was playing Data or B-4, then why is his picture not there? Now bear with me because I know you probably don’t know too much about the MCU but I need to use something that happened in the MCU in order to make the point that I am making. When they were filming WandaVision, the director had said that he just had an incredible day of shooting because he just got to work with an actor whom he’s never worked with before. Then it was revealed that it was just Paul Bettany playing two Visions at once.

So it was all misdirection and the point I’m trying to make is what if Terry Matalas has done the same thing with his Tweets about the villain of Picard season 3.? What if it really is just Brent Spiner playing Lore? We all know that Lore was “supposedly” destroyed but nobody saw his body. Maddox took it when he left the Daystrom Institute.

Perhaps Lore downloaded his program into something, like Data did with B-4? Then Lore could be hiding out somewhere until he reads all about the planet with synthetic lifeforms on it and A.I. Soong and then he heads there to get himself a new body. Once inside his new body, he would then become a human/cybernetic hybrid like Picard did. And then he could come after Jean-Luc Picard and his crew.

Perhaps because he wants his brother’s body back? Maybe that’s that “heist feeling” that Alex Kurtzman was talking about? Maybe they have to find Data in order to stop Lore? It’s just very, very strange that it’s nearly 5 months until Picard season 3 premieres and we still don’t know who the villain is or who Brent Spiner is playing.

Well, food for thought anyways, right?

Live long and prosper, Tiger2 🖖

No I actually agree with you, Spiner could in fact be playing Lore. When they said he was playing a new old character, that sounds to me someone we seen before obviously (or yes it could be another Soong…sigh). There is probably a reason he wasn’t shown and that could be it. Now they did also say the villain would be a woman but it doesn’t mean it has to only be ONE villain obviously. Lore could be helping her or maybe she reactivated him on to help her. So I think it’s at least a viable idea for now.

And I know exactly what you’re talking about with that quote from WandaVision (which I watched and mostly loved). It was Paul Bettany and I remember when he said it was quoted everywhere lol. I don’t think he realized at the time people would take it so seriously. Or maybe he did and just wanted to troll the fanbase. It was a good troll though. ;)

I absolutely love your idea, Tiger2. This mysterious woman could’ve found Lore somewhere and reactivated him and he could be stoking her dislike of the Federation into fires of hatred aimed at the Federation. That’s a great 👍 idea and it might be true. There is a reason why they haven’t unveiled what Brent Spiner looks like or who he’s playing and, like I said before, it’s probably because he would be instantly recognizable as Lore.

See we’re on the same page, you and I. Awesome 🙂! Also, about the MCU, I didn’t know if you watched it or not. That’s cool!

I liked WandaVision too. And it was a good troll because I thought Magneto, Sir Ian McKellen, was going to show up in it and I wound up getting all excited so, I’m not gonna lie, Paul Bettany got me 😄. But I have a different feeling this time. I really do think Lore’s coming. I always hoped for him to show back up again after I heard that Data was going to show up in the first season of Picard.

When we didn’t see Lore, I said to myself “Well, they’ve gotta address what happened to him sometime before the show ends”. We’ll see 🤞. They’ll probably unveil Brent Spiner’s character on Star Trek Day and the woman villain that we’re getting too. Man, Star Trek’s birthday 🎂🎉 can’t get here soon enough 🙂?

Or maybe 🤔 we’ll get an unveiling at Star Trek:Las Vegas?

Live long and prosper Tiger2 🖖

Yeah I think Lore would work! I remember people suggesting he would be in season one because of the Synth story line but I felt it would be too much with everything that was going on. And they can even make it a redemption arc and have the character turn good in the end but let’s see if he’s in it first lol.

But please be ANYONE other than another Soong. I guess the one he played in first season would be fine and I thought he would be the same Soong in season 2 but obviously not.

I just had a great idea, Tiger2. We’re getting more than one villain this season on Picard, right? So how about this then, what if we’re gonna see the return of the Crystalline Entity? Huh 🙂?

Yes, they did show the Entity blow up on TNG but maybe that wasn’t the only one? And perhaps Lore knows that and he’s trying to find another Crystalline Entity for this woman so they can unleash it against the Federation? Maybe that Crystalline Entity that blew up on TNG was, like, a baby and maybe it’s mother comes looking for him/her and Lore tells him/her what happened to him/her child? Or maybe that Entity on TNG was a male and it’s mate comes looking for him?

What do you think, Tiger2? You think it’s possible that we might see the Crystalline Entity again? I think that would be pretty cool, especially since the Enterprise had such a tough time with the other one when it appeared. Also, a reason for why it might’ve taken the Crystalline Entity so long to come back could be because maybe they exist outside of linear time?

That would also make it difficult to track them when they show back up? Let me know what you think, Tiger2 🙂?

Yes I always wanted more about the Crystalline Entity. They built it up for several episodes and then of course they destroyed it without really going deeper into it. So I would love to see another one and yeah it’s possible. I don’t know how possible but I also remember thinking we probably wouldn’t see the Borg in season 1 and save that for later and I was definitely proven wrong.

But if Spiner is coming back as Lore then I can see the Crystalline Entity as part of the story line for sure.

You just got me super fanboy excited, Tiger2! Now I can’t wait to find out more about Picard season 3 🙂🤞!

I wouldn’t be surprised. Data’s evil twin was one of the dumbest things Trek ever did. It makes sense that Secret Hideout would latch onto it.

One thing I wouldn’t count on is a premise which needs a lot of de-aging applied to actors. It’s still very pricey, Picard was pretty so-so when they did it and even ILM struggles to get out of the uncanny valley at times.

Yeah, I understand it can be expensive, Ian. I remember reading that, in order to de-age Brent Spiner in season 1 of Picard so that he looked like he did back in 2002, it was costing them $10 million a shot. So I definitely know it’s pricey. I was just saying that to try to generate some interest for a possible Section 31 show because I have none at all.

I will tell you real quickly though that ILM spends a lot because they make complete CGI versions of actors who’ve passed away, such as Carrie Fisher in Rogue One and Peter Cushing in Rogue One, on top of all the fantastic visual effects that are already in Star Wars. Doing stuff like that is not cheap by no means. I seriously doubt we’ll ever see something like that in Star Trek because,in Paramount’s eyes, it would just be cheaper and more feasible to do a recast.

Live long and prosper, Ian 🖖

I would rather have one great Trek series than a dozen mediocre shows, it’s about quality and not quantity.

Kurtzman is no Kevin Feige but he is who we have now. I miss Berman but I try to remain positive despite my feelings on Kurtzman.

I still enjoy Marvel films but the urgency is not there and I did not rush for Thor. I just want good Trek.

I know it’s different times regarding quantity but I am happy for more Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks, but I could care less about DSC.

I don’t know but people have been souring on Kevin Feige lately. Not as much as Kurtzman or Kathleen Kennedy but there are finally cracks in the armor since phase 4 hasn’t been a huge hit. But since he just announced 37 Marvel projects for the next 3 years and more Avengers movies with it, I guess all is forgiven. ;)

As for Kurtzman, I do like him but yes I miss Berman too at times. But for me shows like SNW and LDS feel like Berman shows and probably why I like them so much. OK, Lower Decks is a Berman show without the jokes and gross out humor. ;)

I don’t miss Berman at all. He was merely OK, but he didn’t want to take any chances at all. Also, he was the one who fired Ron Jones because he refused to compose the “conic wallpaper” scores that Berman insisted on. Frakes mentioned the had some pretty cool shots planned for First Contact, but Berman made him change them to make them more conventional. Apparently, Berman felt that ST, being science fiction, needed to be “flattened out” to make it more accessible. Or something.

Having said that, I do give him credit for keeping TNG on track during its tumultuous early years. That was quite a feat.

I see what you are saying about the MCU. I never rushed out to see all of those movies when they came out but after Endgame I feel like the MCU has pretty much fizzled out. I’m really not all that interested. I don’t care about their D+ shows and am not heading to the theaters to see their flicks any longer. I’m just burned out on the MCU. Even towards the end I was feeling their movies were super formulaic. And Endgame just felt like a true ending anyway.

I will say that Feige and Filoni have been far better for their franchises than Kurtzman has for his. Not everything they have done have been winners but they have had some good stuff out there. Kurtzman doesn’t even have that. I really think it is beyond time that Kurtzman goes. Trek needs a new GM. I honestly believe at this point that should Secret Hideout actually produced a decent Trek show it will be in spite of him. Not because of him.

My feeling is that there is a lot of scenario analysis going on at Paramount right now.

TV SHOWS Kurtzman has been saying for years that there would be a Star Fleet Academy show and a Section 31 show. SFA would draw youth and 20-35. S31 would draw 35+ and Trek fans. Most critical however, is drawing subscriber ROI and volume. Both would likely do… middling levels. And I think that is one reason why you have not seen either shows green lit.

Another reason, might well be that they have not nailed down the formula for either show yet.

But at this very moment, I think one reason we have not gotten those shows is PIC S3.

I really think that once they signed the TNG cast for PIC S3, people began thinking, “If S3 is really, really good, we could create a TNG spin-off show. S31 goes away. A new TNG spin off will excite the older fans, grow the P+ subscriber volume and subscriber revenues to a far greater degree than S31 ever could. And we could have Seven / Jeri Ryan lead that spin-off. And it would be the back door to quickly get Kate Mulgrew in live action again.”

So I really think the TV shows are going to be a TNG spin-off with Seven as lead, and SF Academy with Tilly as lead.

FILM There is a reason that Trek films keep getting talked about but never move forward. Costs vs ROI vs impact to P+ subs vs demographic draw . There is not a formula or script that has come forward that would positively deliver what is needed on 3 or more of those variables.

Sir Patrick Stewart said this weekend (while seated next to Kurtzman) that he could be interested in a final TNG film. Kurtzman said to the audience, “Look, if you guys love it…”

A TNG film would be cool, and it would put the Kelvin Film on the shelf because they would need to film it ASAP due to Sir Patrick’s age. But a TNG film would not deliver on 3 or more of those business drivers above. Neither will a Kelvin film. People have long said that Trek is content that is best on TV… and I am starting to finally think that is true. There is a reason you have space shoot-em-ups like Star Wars and GoTG and Avengers in theaters, while you have more thoughtful sci-fi like The Expanse on TV. TV gives you time and bandwidth to explore and contemplate deeper themes and arcs.

The only way they put Trek back in a movie theater AND find success is: -if there is a gimmick (the Quentin idea did not get traction)… NOPE

-if they do a bigger spectacle (the JJ efforts to turn Trek into Star Wars have not moved the needle the way they wanted, and SNW is showing them that thoughtful Trek is what many fans want more of)… NOPE

-OR if they go really creative and do something really unique with the goodwill that has been created with SNW, Lower Decks, and Prodigy. If Kurtzman put the SNW-PROD-LD writers in a room to break the story for a film that could draw key Demos, get the subscribers, hit a $500Million ROI Baseline, and cost $100M-120Million to make… they could achieve something. I really think that this SNW – Lower Decks cross over is testing the waters for an idea they have for film. If those episodes get huge fan love, any new Trek Film is going to come out of that level of creativity.

SFA would draw youth and 20-35. S31 would draw 35+ and Trek fans

This is amateurish market segmenting without an iota of evidence behind it. Shockingly, Star Trek managed to reach its 35th anniversary by creating a single quality, compelling show, and without this cafeteria style pastiche approach of pitching a pastiche of different shows to different age groups.

Even more shockingly, shows like SEX EDUCATION (which took place in a school) did the same thing.

I suppose Starfleet Academy could be the next Hogwarts, but that assumes that Kurtzman is JK Rowling. Snort.

Yes, of course there is no “evidence” behind this, because that information is proprietary and has not been shared, so one can only go upon conjecture. However, whether Tarnwood’s specific market segmentation is 100% accurate or not, he’s onto something. Paramount+ is a business, Star Trek is their main tentpole franchise, and they will leverage it to reach the broadest set of consumers possible that will subscribe to their platform on a consistent basis with as little churn (subscribe for a month, cancel, subscribe for another month, cancel) as possible.

Yes, the original series captivated a broad audience, and we wouldn’t be talking DIS, PIC, SNW, LWD and PRO without TOS. However, at the time TOS was on NBC, Nielsen didn’t have demographic breakouts of viewers–ratings were simply based on total household viewership. It wasn’t until a year or two after TOS was canceled that detailed ratings by demo were provided, and TOS proved to be #1 in the prized Male 18-49 demo. It was said that had NBC known this during the show’s run, it never would have been canceled.

Decades later, with comprehensive data tracking on digital platforms, target demographics rule everything, so the Paramount+ team is poring over this data and finding other age/gender brackets that they can target based upon how all five series have done so far. Since Prodigy has done so well, it’s no surprise that they would want to reach a slightly older demo (young adults) with a property that could appeal to them, as well as build on the goodwill of legacy programming based on the enthusiastic reaction to PIC S3, so Tarnwood is on target with those observations.

I might also add that Star Trek , like all network shows of that era, was meant to (try to) bring in a large audience of casual viewers. With some few exceptions, the episodes were pretty accessible to non-SF viewers. I watched Mudd’s Women the other day, and that could have, with a modest bit of rewriting, been an episode of Gunsmok e.

“There is a reason you have space shoot-em-ups like Star Wars and GoTG and Avengers in theaters, while you have more thoughtful sci-fi like The Expanse on TV.”

Nope. Interstellar, Arrival, Passengers, Annihilation, Dune, The Martian… all of them in theaters… :-)

True. I accept that one.

I DO NOT share your faith/assessment of the talent of the writers and producers of Star Trek. SNW has demonstrated, painfully, the writers room is just a series of blenders in which they toss old Star Trek scripts, the Aliens script, and various other science fiction classics to see what comes out – and then they produce and record it – poorly…

All of this is at ComicCoin is just more of the same… So disappointing, so sad…

One of the reasons some critics like SNW is because they’re repackaging old ST tropes in shiny new boxes.

I don’t share the faith in the talent of the Secret Hideout writers or producers either. I don’t know what else their resumes contain, but their work on Star Trek has been mediocre at best, downright awful at worst. They’ve made some 100 episodes across all their shows and there have been perhaps two, maybe three that have stood out. I’m sorry that’s just not a good ratio. Even TNG had a better record than that over their first 4 seasons.

This has been said over and over but it bears repeating again… While the quality issues would have still remained a great deal of grief would have been removed had they just said all this new Trek would be a big reboot.

Have Trelane punch Picard in nose.

I’d be up for a Section 31 show. I really liked “Space Hitler’s” redemption arc and wish we could have gotten more of it. Michelle Yeoh’s availability is going to be the sticking point. Although she has said in interviews that she feels an attachment to the character and that she has unfinished business with the role so hopefully something will work out.

I’m not really excited about a Starfleet Academy show but I’m not the target audience for that show either. I’d probably watch as long as it’s in the 32nd Century just because that time period desperately needs to be fleshed out more in canon. If it’s in the TNG era or before count me out. Let’s move forward and paint on a fresh canvas. That is my only gripe about SNW is that it feels like they have to contort themselves around established canon rather than doing something really compelling.

Georgiou’s redemption arc was good as an endgame, but I know so many of us couldnt see how they’d get there after so much time in seasons 3 and 4 that were wasted on her just being a snarky bully towards everyone but Michael. Then suddenly she saw the error of her ways and cried and hugged people. They didn’t do the necessary work for the character up to that point and man did it piss me off.

Agreed! I’d definitely be up for a Section 31 show and I’m not really into the idea of a Starfleet Academy show either – although I am probably part of the target audience for that show (I’m assuming college kids would be part of that target audience), but it just doesn’t sound very compelling.

Section 31: Dark Mirror, Seven & Raffi: Private Investigators, Professor Tilly & Her Silly Cadets … the only problem is all these shows sound so good, how to decide which ones to rock with? Dr. Crusher, Medicine Woman is probably a long shot.

I really like the titles you came up with, it really gives all of these shows their own distinctive tones!

I really, really hope we do get that Section 31 show. I actually really liked Georgiou (she’s actually one of my favorite characters on Discovery, along with Pike and Lorca), I think it would be really interesting to see where she ends up and how she fits into the Federation.

Please, no Section 31 show. The Terran Emperor character is irredeemable, with all the blood on her hands, and regardless of Michelle Yeoh’s talents, I couldn’t stand watching the Discovery crew accepting or even tolerating her. Star Trek shouldn’t be promoting the Stockholm syndrome. And also the depiction of Section 31 itself on Discovery was so bad. Previously at least they were shown as operating independently and in secret, with Starfleet personel being surprised and shocked when hearing about them. On Discovery they had their own fleet and officially reported to Starfleet, making Starfleet (and humanity) look bad. I like when sci-fi is edgy by creating justified conflict and difficult ethical situations that need to be handled by the characters, but I don’t like blurring the ethical lines for the sake of action and “fun” (yum yum).

The way I was reading the section 31 show was that the producers wanted to basically make a Trek Mission İmpossible show. I think this premise is not a bad idea and can be done without the full time involvement of Michelle Yeoh. They can get her as a recurring character but they can also get other characters like David Cronenbergs from Discovery or god forbid create new ones. As a 25th century show I was thinking of something like Star Trek Medical Corps, this can get Gates McFadden and the legacy actors involved and can be a bit of a different concept. In fact there was a short lived series based on a similar premise called “Mercy Point” about doctors in space and I think Trek could do a variation on it. I can imagine Robert Picardo being involved in this too.

For me, a 25th century show with a new crew and some cameo appearances every now and then from well known Trek stars would be wonderful, as well as a show set in the 22nd century, just after Enterprise, about the building of the Federation and the Romulan War in a West Wing kind of style.

I actually like the idea of a Post NX-01 show. But certainly not in a West Wing style. They would need to keep the interior politics of the UFP out of is as much as humanly possible.

“The Adventures of Captain Proton” please!

Done exactly as a 1940s movie serial — a dozen B/W segments running 15-20 minutes each, with low-tech sets and effects and a cliffhanger at the end of each installment. And Robert Duncan McNeill would have to shave his current beard! Plus, it would give “The Delta Flyers” a dozen extra podcast episodes when Robbie and Garrett get through with “Voyager”!

I’d go with a late 50s style serial as (another) prequel to TOS with designs like Forbidden Planet which clearly influenced TOS and especially the Cage. ;-) And as a lover of 70s style Sci Fi I would love to see Star Trek Phase II.

Expanding the IP so that different facets of the Star Trek universe can get their own spinoff is a great idea on paper, but at the end of the day, they all seem to drift back towards starship-set space action (Picard definitely, and even S31 in Disco got their own command ship, and Starfleet Academy could easily avoid this by having them sim a bunch on the holodeck, but it’s doubtful they’ll be able to keep them away from fate of the galaxy-level stuff before long). And they are also weighed down by having Star Trek COLON preceding their title, not because Star Trek is bad, but it’s going to be tough to expand the IP if general audiences will see that and think “Oh, just another Star Trek.”

I say be bold and do a show set in the post-atomic horror. The 100 meets Jericho meets Cormac McCarthy’s The Road but, like, kid Zefram Cochrane or kid Lily is a character.

Jericho… too bad the show was cancelled…

I don’t know if the suits really know what will sell or if they’re just risk adverse enough to not want to try but know pew-pew explosions / end-of-the-literal-universe stories will sell.

I remember multiple people making jokes around the time Picard was first announced that it should just be a small-scale show about Picard milling around his vineyard and solving some kind of smaller-scale mystery in retirement.

What we got was incredibly depressing. Way more depressing than the “All Good Things…”

I know it’s not how streaming works these days but why not do one good Star Trek show with a broad enough audience appeal and enough episodes per season to actually build out your universe. And then see if there’s even enough interest to spinn off a second one from the first.

Dilluting the IP with that many shows just takes away from how special a new new episode can be. They’re not interconnected, so you can watch just one of the shows (which I do with SNW) but in the long term that destrys the brand as people are no longer Star Trek Fans but Discovery, S31, SNW, etc. Fans.

I really liked the Mandalorian for example but with 10.000 new Star Wars Projects coming out now, I have completely lost intrest in continuing to watch that show. Same with the Marvel Projects. It’s just not a sustainable Businessmodel. An you’d think am man that has run as many fanchises in the ground as Kurzman would have learned that along the way …

Because that’s not how streaming works these days. You answered your own question.

A spin-off featuring Seven would be great! But kick Raffi to the curb. She is one of the worst characters I’ve seen in a Trek series. A Section 31 show better be on level with SNW.

The more female leads the better.

Why don’t they just try to make one good show at a time.

Why won’t he let go of this section 31 show? Really no one wants it. Watching a cast of people run around over acting in black leather is not on anyone’s wishlist. Section 31 was designed as a foil, not a focus.

It bothers the heck out of me that of all the wonderful characters, aliens, ideas and settings DS9 created, Section 31 and its depressing contribution to the idea of a utopian Federation society is what Enterprise, J.J. Abrams and Kurtzman Trek took and ran with.

Ugh. Can we just do better with the ones we have?

That would be great too. Shift resources over and give us 20 episodes per season of LDS and SNW.

Streaming viewership habits don’t support this model. And I think the hit/miss ratio is substantially worse the more episodes you make.

The hit/miss ratio is exactly the same no matter how many episodes there are in a season.

I don’t know if the hit/miss ratio would be better or worse. More episodes won’t necessarily mean diminishing returns in terms of quality. ML31 is probably right, the hit/miss ratio is exactly the same no matter how many episodes there are in a season.

When I was much younger I’d watch a lot of British imports where their series/seasons would run 6 episodes. It’s a lot “worse” when you have 1 bad (virtually unwatchable) episode in a 6 episode-run than if there were 3 equivalently bad episodes in an 18 episode run.

Strange New World being episodic instead of serialized works in it’s favor for a larger number of episodes, as many serialized shows can barely support 6 episodes, and would certainly fall apart if given 12 or 18 or 20.

In the previous decade a lot of cable shows would split their 18/20 episode seasons into two blocks and space the blocks out about 5-6 months apart from one another (airing over early summer and early winter) or (late summer and early spring).

Exactly. But I think the problem is built in and comes from the top. At this point I honestly think the best option is to just tear it down and start anew.

I just wanted to say thank you, Trek Movie, for all the coverage of the announcements at Comic Con. You guys have been doing a wonderful job.

I want a S31 show ever since they were introduced in DS9 and having them in Discovery S2 made that want even stronger especially if they still get Michelle Yeoh back for it.

Personally i want another Trek show set in the 32nd century as there is so much that can be done maybe a show with a crew on a journey to outside the milkway thanks to the Discovery crew being able to get through the galactic barrier without the aid of an alien force like previously seen.

Maybe this new crew could met up with the 10-C and learn more about them.

There is so much potentially for more Trek shows and i do hope they follow Discovery/Picard’s example and do more serialized storylines. Yes episodic story telling is great to but i really enjoy these serialized storylines that Discovery and Picard give us.

I’m waiting for the internet trolls to start screaming about how Trek is now *suddenly* woke. Cue the eyeroll emojis.

I hope one show is about the dark universe. Enterprise wanted to do an entire season but only got an episode, or maybe it was 2, my memory of that show isn’t the best as it’s the only one I don’t re-watch. DS9 had some great episodes. And Discovery had a few good ones too. But imagine a show based on what happened after ‘evil spock’ went back, the Terran empire fell, and what the aftermath was.

You know I just realised that Raffi and the new Seven would fit really well in a show about Section 31. Maybe if they can’t get Yeoh to front it because of her other commitments they could have one of those characters? Raffi or Seven or both get recruited and have to go undercover to take out some bad guys?

They’re both morally grey and damaged enough to fit into that world.

How about a Gary Seven spinoff?

I like that idea. Just not one produced by Secret Hideout.

Not surprising there are other shows gestating. Picard is going to end. So there is at least one slot available if they are sticking with 4 shows a year. But there is one comment that he made mentioned in the article that had me somewhat perplexed….

They’ve just said, ‘Let’s do great shows.’

If that has been the edict then why is he still running the entire franchise? If my work was that poor I would have been fired long ago.

Because the edict was not “Let’s do great shows according to ML31.”

True but the edict was to do great shows. At best people seem to like a couple of them but how many of them are deemed “great” by large swaths of people? Therefore, using the metric stated, he failed and the franchise needs to be put in better hands.

The metric is “great shows according to CBS executives.” And that translates as “shows that accomplish subscribers’ goals.” From the fact they keep going, we can infer executives are happy. Deal with it.

BTW, this is true since forever. TOS was cancelled not because it was not deemed great by many; instead, it was cancelled because executives wanted more from it than they were getting.

Two series in the works being Starfleet Academy and Section 31?

Those are the only ones that have been publicly mentioned as being in development.

I’m excited for new Trek series. I like all of the various ideas bandied about (even the Captain Crusher idea so long as it would be a short series of maybe 5-6 episodes) as well as the two already announced. However, to add to those, I definitely would like an animated Captain Sulu series starring George Takei, a Lost Era series, a miniseries about the Enterprise XCV-330, a spin-off or sequel of DS9, and a series set in the mid-late 25th century or in the 26th century. I would also love to see Lower Decks via the Conspiracy Guy confirm that Captain Kirk is indeed still alive and have William Shatner voice him in a few episodes first via log recordings and then in person . Some other things I would like is some more details about the Travellers as an organization now that it has been revealed they were behind Gary Seven, the whole connection between the the Eugenics Wars and the Eugenics War/Second American Civil War/World War 3, and the Romulan War.

Man these are all amazing ideas and I would definitely watch them all! But that’s what is so fun about Star Trek right now, no premise or time period is off limits anymore so the sky is indeed the limits!!

Lt. Commander La Forge, was the first blind character!

Trek needs a live action comedy.

Would love to see a young Picard Stargazer show with the new monster maroons from SNW.

I want Laris & Picard to be married and have a baby!

And Section 31 ROCKS!!!

look i just want to see quark and wesley crusher team up commanding a Klingon warbird that quark bought with profits from the bar doing retirement pirate stuff across the galaxy. add in the doctor program from voyager and nurse chapel and we got a win ! please and thank you..make it so

Based on news/information dropped at SDCC and Terry Matalas’ Twitter account … my guess is that S3 of PIC will serve as the jumping off point for the next live action Trek. He seems pretty eager to continue playing in the early 25th century sandbox.

Regarding S31, perhaps the idea will wind up in forever-development hell. Perhaps not … perhaps it just needs to be reworked. It would be pretty dumb if the Guardian of Forever sent Mirror Georgiou back to the original DSC/SNW time period. What if dropped her off in the early 25th century? A reworked version of the series wouldn’t necessarily have to focus on Yeoh all the time – that’s why ensembles exist. With the right casting, a reworked plot, and a couple of legacy characters they could continue on with MU Georgiou’s “redemption arc.” Also, no one has ever said a S31 series would have to be an on-going multi-season show. I realize most shows are planned out like that, but what if S31 was just a mini-series with five or six episodes, then it’s done?

Another option could be the Worf series Michael Dorn has been clamoring for. It would open the door for the rest of the TNG cast to make periodic appearances, as well as options for the DS9 and VOY casts. Whatever it turns out to be I’m betting Kurtzman is going to let Matalas take the lead.

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Lewis Hamilton's Vegan Fans Furious After F1 Star's Camel Trek in Morocco

Alex harrington | aug 15, 2024.

Lewis Hamilton , the 7-time Formula One world champion and known vegan, has sparked a debate among his followers with a recent Instagram post where he's seen riding a camel in Morocco. Hamilton, who publicly changed to a vegan lifestyle in 2017, is facing criticism for sitting on a camel in his recent post.

The post, which was uploaded during the summer break of the racing season, quickly attracted attention, not all of which was positive. Vocal vegan critics took to social media to express their disappointment, highlighting to the driver that vegan principles typically discourage the use of animals for entertainment or transport.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton)

Comments ranged from disapproval to dismay, with one user stating:

"Vegans don’t ride animals or support animal cruelty. What a shame, Lewis!" Another added: "Why are sitting on a camel's back? Vegans don't sit on animals. Very disappointed," reflecting a sentiment echoed by many others.

This public backlash comes at a critical time in Hamilton's career. Despite a challenging start to the season, he secured victories at the British Grand Prix and in Belgium , the latter following the disqualification of his teammate George Russell. Furthermore, amidst this competitive tension, Hamilton has announced a move that will see him leave Mercedes and head to Ferrari at the season's end.

The driver has recently admitted to feeling the pressure and draining of the sport in a recent interview:

"There are days I’m like, shoot, I don’t know how much longer I can go. There are days I’m like, shoot, I’d love a break, a proper break, because you don’t get a real big break in the season like other sports.

"You don’t finish until mid to late December, and then you’re back into training already in January, and that’s two times a day you’re training. There are another couple of hours of therapy that you’re doing during that time as well."

In the 2024 Formula 1 season, Hamilton has had a mixed performance. Starting with a series of mid-field finishes and a DNF in Australia, Hamilton gradually improved his standings, securing his first podium in Spain with a third-place finish. His momentum continued as he claimed two crucial victories at his home Grand Prix in Great Britain and in Belgium, significantly boosting his points tally. Despite some challenges, including several ninth-place finishes, development of the Mercedes W15 h as meant they're once again in contention to win.

ALEX HARRINGTON

Alex is the editor-in-chief of F1 editorial. He fell in love with F1 at the young age of 7 after hearing the scream of naturally aspirated V10s echo through his grandparents' lounge. That year he watched as Michael Schumacher took home his fifth championship win with Ferrari, and has been unable to look away since. 

Follow alexdoesf1

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Lennard Kämna joins Lidl-Trek on three year contract

German climbing star seeks to return to his best with the support of Lidl-Trek

Lidl-Trek is excited to announce the signing of German cyclist Lennard Kämna, who will officially join the team on January 1st. Widely regarded as one of the best German cyclists in the peloton, Kämna has made a name for himself by securing stage wins in each of the three Grand Tours – Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España. His ability to deliver exceptional performances on cycling’s biggest stages highlights his remarkable talent and tactical astuteness, qualities that Lidl-Trek is thrilled to bring into its ranks. This signing also marks a reunion for Kämna with former teammates Mads Pedersen and Alex Kirsch, with whom he raced during the 2016 season.

Earlier this year, Kämna faced a significant setback after a serious crash, and while he is still on the road to regaining his best form, his unwavering commitment to recovery underscores his strength of character. Lidl-Trek is confident that Kämna will not only return to his previous heights but will also reach new levels of success with the team.

(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images,)

Speaking of his move to Lidl-Trek, Lennard Kämna said: “With joining Lidl-Trek, I am now taking the next chapter in my career. The past few years have been quite important for me and now I’m excited about what’s to come. I definitely want to continue my individual development in the coming years and I certainly want to win races. Of course, I am also realistic about my accident and the injuries I got at the beginning of the year. I’m looking forward to being part of a great team, which certainly has further potential that I want to contribute to with my performance. And I’m looking forward to reuniting with team mates I’ve known for a long time from my first year as a pro – Mads Pedersen and Alex Kirsch. All in all, top pre-requisites for lots of fun on and off the bike and hopefully great achievements together.”

Lidl-Trek General Manager, Luca Guercilena , added: “Lennard is a great talent we’ve been closely watching for some time. When the opportunity arose to bring him on board, it was a clear and natural fit for our Team. His impressive track record in short stage races, combined with his proven ability to excel over the demanding Grand Tours, makes him a valuable addition. Furthermore, he is a strong time trialist, a quality which is very important when racing for general classification. Thanks to Trek’s team of expert aerodynamicists, this is something we can continue to work on with Lennard.

While he’s still recovering from a serious crash earlier this year, we’re confident that he will return to top form – if not surpass it – wearing the Lidl-Trek jersey. Signing Lennard represents a significant step forward as we continue to build and strengthen our Team.”

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