Star Trek’s Future Now Has the Same Problem As Its Oldest Sci-Fi Rival

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The debate over whether Star Wars or Star Trek is better is a classic among science fiction fans. Bring it up and you’re almost certain to get a strong reaction – and a heated discussion! These two franchises have been rivals ever since Star Wars first appeared, and it’s worth noting that Star Wars actually drew some inspiration from Star Trek and earlier sci-fi stories.

For a long time, Star Trek was the more popular TV show, and Star Wars films were the big draw at the movie theater. While the Star Trek movies in the 1980s did okay, the show’s focus on the daily lives of a spaceship crew felt better suited for television episodes. Star Wars, on the other hand, delivered large-scale, action-packed space battles that were perfect for the big screen. However, things began to shift when the 21st century arrived.

The newer Star Trek and Star Wars films tried to refresh these beloved franchises for today’s audiences and attract new fans, but many agree they weren’t the strongest entries in the series. Recently, with people watching less movies and having shorter attention spans, TV has become a more effective way to tell these enduring stories. In fact, for the past few years, both Star Trek and Star Wars have been better known for their television shows than their films.

For a time, moving towards streaming made perfect sense. Streaming services were looking for well-known brands to attract and keep viewers, and both Star Wars and Star Trek benefited from this. They were able to create new shows with deeper stories and longer-running plots. Despite some challenges, series like The Mandalorian and Andor revitalized Star Wars, and Star Trek: Discovery launched a new phase for the Star Trek universe.

The media world is known for changing quickly, and both of these franchises are now facing a common challenge, but in a new way. While they previously benefited from the surge in TV production, that boom is now slowing, and they’re starting to realize the drawbacks of relying only on streaming and television.

The Streaming Boom Is Ending — And Both Franchises Are Feeling It

Streaming services exploded in popularity, and the impact was surprisingly quick. Star Trek, for example, found itself with almost five live-action series and several animated shows in the works simultaneously. The launch of Paramount+ gave the franchise the green light to fully explore new series, building on its history. This included honoring The Next Generation with the show Picard, creating animated shows like Star Trek: Prodigy for younger viewers, and embracing comedy with Lower Decks.

Lucasfilm and Disney+ heavily invested in the Star Wars franchise, perhaps to a fault. From 2019 onward, there was a surge of Star Wars series—with varying degrees of success—and the storylines didn’t always connect seamlessly. However, television generally attracts an audience and generates revenue.

However, 2023 and 2024 brought a change in the landscape. With more viewing options available and audiences becoming less loyal to single shows, streaming services started reducing their spending. Studio mergers also caused companies to re-evaluate their plans and focus on the future. As a result, several Star Trek series have concluded or been put on hold. Discovery finished with its fifth season, Picard concluded its story after three seasons, and Prodigy was cancelled, leaving a noticeable decrease in Star Trek content on television.

Where Does Star Trek Go Next?

Lots of new Star Trek series have been proposed – including continuations of Picard (Star Trek: Legacy), a show about Kirk and Spock’s first adventures (Star Trek: Year One), and a series focusing on Captain Archer later in life and the founding of the Federation (Star Trek: United). However, only Starfleet Academy and seasons four and five of Strange New Worlds are currently confirmed to be in production.

Currently, there aren’t many future Star Trek shows officially planned. It feels like the franchise is pausing, waiting to decide what direction to take next. This is really disappointing for fans, especially since there’s a clear path forward!

While TV excels at developing characters over time, it often lacks the cultural impact of major film releases from franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. These films become defining moments for a generation, creating shared experiences and generating buzz that extends beyond dedicated fans. Reviving the movie side of a franchise would be a significant benefit for Paramount, allowing them to tell stories that might not have enough substance for a full TV series. Unfortunately, there haven’t been many announcements about new films lately.

It’s hard not to compare this to the Star Wars saga’s past. While Star Trek ventured heavily into television, Star Wars appears to have learned from the risks of depending too much on TV shows and, especially, on fan nostalgia. They seemed to realize that constantly releasing new series doesn’t always work. Now, the franchise is refocusing on what made it successful in the first place: big-screen movies.

Star Wars Has a Movie Roadmap — Star Trek Still Doesn’t

While Star Wars isn’t finished with television – with shows like Ahsoka Season 2 still on the way and more animated series planned – Lucasfilm is also focusing on releasing films in theaters. The Mandalorian & Grogu will be released on May 22, 2026, and Star Wars: Starfighter, a new film directed by Shawn Levy (known for Deadpool and Wolverine) starring Ryan Gosling, is scheduled for May 28, 2027.

Several movies are also in development, with some being written and others already in production. However, official release dates haven’t been announced for any of them yet, including:

  • Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey sequel film with screenplay by George Nolfi
  • Dave Filoni’s Mandalorian-era crossover movie, which will pull together all the Disney+ shows thus far (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett) into a “cinematic event.”
  • James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” epic, which will reportedly be set thousands of years in the past, focuses on the first Jedi.
  • Simon Kinberg’s reported new trilogy, which will become the official episodes 10-12.
  • Taika Waititi’s upcoming Star Wars movie, co-written with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, was originally set to be released in 2023 but is reportedly still being written.
  • Lando, featuring Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian set at an unknown point on the timeline.
  • Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, the on-again off off-again project since 2020 that’s now as of 2024 reportedly still happening.

Even if fans don’t immediately embrace the upcoming releases, it’s clear the franchise has several different paths it’s planning to explore with its movies.

Unlike its television counterpart, the Star Trek movie franchise has been largely inactive for almost ten years. The Section 31 project ended up as a single streaming movie instead of the planned series. Despite much discussion, a sequel to Star Trek Beyond has repeatedly faced delays. Several directors and writers, including Noah Hawley, Matt Shakman, and Quentin Tarantino, explored potential ideas, but none of them ever moved forward.

The latest news is that Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, known for directing Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, will be directing a new Star Trek movie. This film won’t continue the story from the previous Star Trek films directed by J.J. Abrams, and it might not feature any of the original characters. Details about the movie are still unclear, and no cast or release date has been announced yet.

Why This All Matters For Star Trek

The future of Star Trek movies is uncertain, and if a new film isn’t made soon, the franchise could lose the positive momentum it’s recently gained. This resurgence is largely due to the popularity of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the impactful final season of Picard.

It’s a bit strange that Star Trek already has a great idea for a new movie or series, but hasn’t pursued it. Fans have been requesting a spinoff called Star Trek: Legacy since 2023, featuring Seven of Nine as captain of a new Enterprise – the Enterprise-G – and continuing the story after Picard. The idea has consistently gotten a positive reaction, but Paramount hasn’t moved forward with it. This is the core problem: Star Trek is currently doing well, but lacks a clear plan to build on that success.

The latest Star Wars film is being released in theaters with care, and now Star Trek needs to decide if it will do the same. Star Trek could continue the story in the Kelvin timeline, follow up on the Legacy characters, or start something completely fresh. Whatever path it takes, Star Trek needs to return to cinemas soon – or it might miss out on this current wave of renewed interest in big-screen sci-fi.

You can now watch various Star Trek shows, including Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard, on Paramount+.

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2025-11-21 03:42