Star Trek is still going strong as a TV franchise on Paramount+ with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, but Paramount-Skydance’s new leadership could finally fix the biggest problem that has plagued the 60-year-old franchise created by Gene Roddenberry.
In early August, Skydance Media completed its purchase of Paramount Global, Star Trek’s parent company. Led by CEO David Ellison, who executive-produced Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, the new Paramount-Skydance discussed their plans for the future of Paramount Studios with members of the press. Encouragingly, Star Trek was hailed as a “priority” for Paramount’s new leadership.
Under executive producer Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout, Star Trek returned to TV after a 12-year absence with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. Discovery‘s success spawned a renaissance consisting of six Star Trek TV series and a made-for-streaming movie, Star Trek: Section 31. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard season 3 were particularly acclaimed.
However, Star Trek theatrical films have been dormant since 2016, which is when the Justin Lin-directed Star Trek Beyond, produced by J.J. Abrams, hit theaters. For years, fans have wondered why Star Trek movies have been stagnant, and why Star Trek‘s newer TV properties haven’t become movies. Paramount-Skydance looks to finally fix Star Trek‘s 20-year-old problem.
Paramount-Skydance Will Fix Star Trek’s Biggest Problem Of The Last 20 Years
Star Trek Is A Priority For Paramount’s New Leadership
As reported by Variety at Paramount-Skydance’s presentation to the media, Dana Goldberg, Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures and Chair of Paramount Television, spoke about their “new approach to managing Paramount’s valuable “Star Trek” franchise.”
“’Star Trek’ is absolutely a priority, and it’s a priority across the company,” Goldberg said. “We’re not going to be siloed off so that there’s a conversation happening about television and another conversation” about film plans.” Variety called this Paramount-Skydance’s “holistic” approach to Star Trek going forward.
Star Trek has not been a united franchise since 2006. The rights to Star Trek TV series, like Paramount+’s new output and the legacy shows from Star Trek: The Original Series to Star Trek: Enterprise, were owned by CBS Corporation, while the feature film license belonged to Paramount Pictures, including the right to make new Star Trek movies.
Paramount-Skydance reportedly aims to end this divide within Star Trek, at last. Marvel Studios and Star Wars, for example, don’t silo off their IP between film and television. Hence, TV characters like the Thunderbolts+ can headline feature films, and the Mandalorian can also star in his own Star Wars movie. But that hasn’t been the case with Star Trek for two decades.
Why Star Trek Was Split Between TV & Movies For The Last 20 Years
Star Trek Was Different In The 1980s & 1990s
In 2006, Viacom and CBS split into two separate companies. This altered the direction of the Star Trek franchise as Star Trek‘s ownership was divided between the two new entities. CBS Corporation kept Star Trek‘s television library, consumer products licensing, and overall Star Trek license, while the rights to make new Star Trek movies and the library of the first 10 Star Trek feature films went to Paramount Pictures.
This is, essentially, the reason why J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot created the alternate Kelvin timeline as its setting. Abrams’ new Star Trek movies did not have the rights to be set in the Prime Timeline, and had to exist in their own universe. Similarly, this is why Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds couldn’t be spun off into theatrical films.
Most fans were unaware of Star Trek‘s internal split, remembering how Star Trek was in the 1980s and 1990s before Viacom and CBS broke apart. Star Trek was still one franchise under Paramount when it was overseen by executive producer Rick Berman. This is why Star Trek: The Next Generation was able to jump to movies after Star Trek: The Original Series.
2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis was the last theatrical Star Trek movie made before Viacom and CBS split. Its critical and box office failure ended Star Trek movies until J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot, and initial hopes for Star Trek: Enterprise to jump to feature films were dashed by the prequel’s poor ratings and cancellation in 2005. A year later, CBS and Viacom split.
Star Trek’s Possible TV & Movie Future Explained
Star Trek’s Franchise Could Finally Be United
Paramount-Skydance’s stated intention for a more “holistic” approach to Star Trek could mean the forbidden door might open both ways, by possibly allowing Star Trek on Paramount+ properties to become feature films, and letting J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin timeline Star Trek characters cross over into Paramount+’s TV universe. This wasn’t possible before.
Righting the ship when it comes to Star Trek movies is a priority for Paramount-Skydance, as is producing new content to make the Paramount+ streaming service more competitive with Netflix and Prime Video. It’s unclear if this means greenlighting new Star Trek TV projects to further the franchise after Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, or possibly bringing back canceled series.
Made-for-streaming movies like Star Trek: Section 31 are “not a priority” for Paramount-Skydance.
Paramount has two Star Trek movies in development: a Star Trek Origin prequel movie directed by Toby Haynes that was announced in 2024, but has seen no forward progress, and Star Trek 4, the reunion of the USS Enterprise cast led by Chris Pine that has been in development hell for nearly a decade. It’s unclear if either movie will happen or if Paramount-Skydance will pursue other types of Star Trek movies.
Star Trek on Paramount+ has a couple of ready options that could be turned into feature films: Star Trek: Legacy is the most desired Star Trek project among fans and could be refashioned into a theatrical movie. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is led by Academy Award-level movie star actors Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, and could become a feature film if it proves popular on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is slated to end with season 5, and complicating matters is that the show is about the Starship Enterprise, as is the ever-rumored Chris Pine-led Star Trek 4. Conflicting USS Enterprise films could cause conflict among moviegoers – unless they unite in an epic Star Trek crossover movie on the big screen. Are you listening, Paramount-Skydance?
Source: Variety
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