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What lies ahead for Starfleet? This video explores the uncertain future of Star Trek, delving into 10 key predictions about upcoming movies, television shows, and the overall direction of the beloved sci-fi universe over the next ten years.
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There's no denying the fact that Star Trek is in a strange place at the moment. The recent merger
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between Paramount and Skydance leading to the formation of Paramount, a Skydance corporation
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has left many Trek fans both confused and a little concerned. While CEO David Ellison is apparently
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a big fan of the franchise, the actions by the company seem to skew far from the final frontier
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Mass layoffs, increased concentration on theatrical releases and cost-saving methods have have left the future of Trek up in the air. As of the recording of this, seasons 4 and 5 of
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Strange New Worlds are en route, as are two seasons of Starfleet Academy. In the same breath
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the dream of a return to the Kelvin timeline now seems dead. More than a year has passed since the
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mention of Justin Simeon and Tawny Newsome's live-action comedy series, teased at San Diego
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Comic-Con 2024. Shows have ended, some are still to begin, one film series seems to be in the rear
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Mirror, while a Star Trek Origins film to be directed by Toby Haynes still seems to be slated
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to enter production, as has a new film. With so much uncertainty, we've put our heads together to
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list what we may actually see in the time between Star Trek's 60th and 70th birthdays, and what those
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things might mean for the universe overall. I'm Sean Ferrick for Trek Culture, and here are 10
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bold predictions for Star Trek in the next decade. Number 10. Star Trek 4 or 14 will happen
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On November the 4th 2025 Variety published an ysis of David Ellison's first 100 days as the
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CEO of Paramount. It was a stark account of the massive changes that he has been making since his
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arrival with many far-reaching appointments and decisions. While the streaming movie era seems to
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retired, at least for the moment, theatrical releases have been championed with a goal of
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releasing upwards of 15 films per year by 2027. One film that will not be released is Star Trek
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4, a return to the Kelvin timeline featuring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto or Zoe Saldana. The company
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has apparently moved on from this universe, though remains committed to Star Trek overall. That leaves
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the other film project that has been touted, a Star Trek Origins film directed by Toby Haynes
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of Andor fame, more on that later. Returning to the big screen with a new prequel, or even a new
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take on the overall universe, might seem like a smart move for the company. While another alternate
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timeline may end up leaving long-term Trek fans cold, it would open the door for new fans to
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discover Star Trek. If the Kelvin universe is truly dead, it seems equally unlikely that Paramount
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will commit to a big screen version of one of the 90s era Star Trek series. Jonathan Goldstein and
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John Francis Daly have been announced as heading a new Trek film project, with Deadline surmising
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it will focus on entirely new characters. As of the recording of this, there are few more details
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than this, save that it is said not to be connected to any existing Trek film or series. Does this
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mean that all previous films have been scrapped, or should we advise Zachary Quinto to hold on to
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the uniform for just a little while longer. Stranger things have happened, and characters
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have popped into different settings many times before. A film is coming, that much we know for
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sure. Number 9. Otoy having direct involvement with Star Trek. Jules Erbach, CEO of Otoy
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has already made waves within the Star Trek community. While the 765874 series has
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seriously impressed across its lifespan, the Unification short blew audiences away when it
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was released at the end of 2024. Working in partnership with the Roddenberry Archive
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Otoy created an additional short film expanding on the ending of Star Trek Generations
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tying it into the Kelvin timeline. With such tools to hand, and Ellison's focus on expanding
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Paramount's slate of content, Otoy offers both a cost-effective and expansive opportunity for
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the company. Nostalgia, to be blunt, can garner interest faster than many other marketing techniques
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As of recording, Unification is sitting at 38 million views on YouTube as an unlisted video
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This means it's not being recommended by normal algorithms, so this is a word of mouth campaign
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These are numbers that are hard to ignore, particularly for a company that is keen to
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build its audience base. Otoy seemed to take the pulse of Star Trek's audience with this project
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in particular, so much so that they were invited to speak at Trek to Vegas 2025, the largest Star
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Trek convention of the year. In addition to the extant content, Otoy has teased big future plans
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Several Trek alumni are involved between Otoy and the Roddenberry Archive, which also offers
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an olive branch to those audience members who have been left cold in recent years
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Number 8. It's legacy, Jim, but not as we know it. It's fair to say that we here at Trek Culture have
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championed the idea of Star Trek Legacy since the end of Picard's third season. A series exploring
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Captain Seven of Nine and the crew of the Enterprise G set in the 25th century seemed to be a slam dunk
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of an idea Audiences were vocal the actors and showmakers were all on board and then nothing Now almost three years later the idea for a Captain Seven series seems as likely as a fourth Kelvin film While the will was there
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even the cast have conceded that the likelihood has passed. With showrunner Terry Metallus busy
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over at Disney the moment may truly have passed us by. However while legacy may not be on the
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horizon in the form we have suggested, that does not mean it's never coming. In fact, if the
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previous reports of Ellison's interest in older Star Trek are to be believed, then a show exploring
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the 25th century may yet see the light of day. While we feel that a film in that era is less
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likely, a series may seem to be more of a gamble, though with a potentially bigger payoff. Legacy
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could mean many things. The Next Generation, while embracing the original series, didn't lay
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with working the cast into its main narrative. Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise all largely
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followed suit. If Legacy is the format rather than the straight sequel we had originally hoped for
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this would still serve to invite those fans who returned and left afterwards for Picard's third
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season, as well as those who have struggled with Discovery, Strange New Worlds and Section 31
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7. The Return of Ronald D. Moore Ronald D. Moore was an early beneficiary of Michael Piller's open submission policy for writers on Star Trek
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During Piller's tenure on The Next Generation, aspiring writers could present a script regardless of their publication status
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Moore submitted the bonding, which led to his hiring and eventual impact on Deep Space Nine
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He was briefly involved in Voyager before moving on. Moore has since been the showrunner for Battlestar Galactica and For All Mankind
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In sci-fi television, he's a big deal. When he appeared on The Sackhoff Show in 2025, hosted by Katie Sackhoff, whom he hired to play Starbuck in his reimagined Galactica series
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she asked him if he would return to Star Trek. He spoke about his need for time away when he stepped away from Voyager, which was not the same satisfactory experience he had found on Deep Space Nine
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He then explained that, over the years, he had considered what a return to Star Trek would look like, and whether or not he had any real interest in revisiting something from an earlier part of his career
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Then, he countered, he also found himself imagining scenes on the bridge of the Enterprise, from which story ideas would spring
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In the end he declared the idea of returning fun. With directors like Jonathan Frakes
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Moore would seem to be an ideal candidate for steering Trek in a direction that would both
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invite legacy fans as well as new fans to the franchise. With successes like For All Mankind
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under his belt, which has been renewed for a fifth and potential sixth season, Moore is hot property
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at the moment. Something very appealing to a company focusing on expanding its audience
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Number 6. That crossover event. This one may come a little sooner than some other predictions on
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this list. Star Trek's 60th year is upon us and, as of recording, there are already many plans in
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place to celebrate. StarTrek.com has set up a hub to collate all of the year's news, so the fire is
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clearly there to celebrate what has come before. It's time. The last crossover event in Star Trek
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Those Old Scientists, was extremely well received. While the novelty of depicting Mariner and Boimler
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in live action was engaging enough, having two ongoing series share the screen offered fans of
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both a chance to shake things up. Star Trek Generations managed something similar in 1994
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before. When Kirk and Picard meet in the Nexus, a torch was handed over, while audiences merged
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in theatres. Since then, there hasn't truly been an event in terms of captains meeting
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While Janeway spoke to Picard in Nemesis, and Riker spoke to Freeman in No Small Parts
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there is yet to be an overall meeting of the minds. We have been teased with returning actors in recent years. William Shatner was involved
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with Otoys' unification, while Patrick Stewart and Kate Mulgrew both returned to Trek. Scott
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Bakula has been linked to a potential Star Trek United spin-off, though fans have largely been
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left wanting for Avery Brooks, who has only appeared in silhouette in the Starfleet Academy
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trailer. To be frank, time is running out to have all of the captains share a room together
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and leaving something like this on the long finger will surely lead to one or more of those
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performers being unable to join regardless of the project. For the sheer event of it all
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it seems likely that sooner rather than later, the crossover will happen
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Number five, Lower Decks goes theatrical or live action. When Star Trek Lower Decks ended in 2024
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it came as quite a surprise to the audience, though the producers were warned as they were
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constructing the fifth season. The show had seemingly gone from strength to strength
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only to come to a premature end Thankfully the final season both ended the show nicely while leaving the door open for further adventures Those old scientists depicted Jack Quaid Brad Boimler and Tony Newsome Beckett Mariner in
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live action, easily serving as a proof of concept for a live action version of these characters
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The episode also pulled Double Duty, depicting the Strange New Worlds cast in cartoon form
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Lower Decks was a gift to Star Trek fans, walking the line between fan service and engaging
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stories that could be enjoyed without prior Trek knowledge. Mike McMahon assembled a team that
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understood the assignment, resulting in a show that engaged audiences from the jump while also
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offering a template for how to bring various Trek iterations together. For example, it remains the
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only project to bring Jolene Blaylock back as T'Pol since Enterprise went off the air in 2005
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Perhaps this is a project that might suit the aforementioned crossover event well
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Eugene Cordero and Noel Wells drew the short straws in the crossover episode
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They have yet to play their characters in live action, which simply needs to be fixed
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A live action Lower Decks movie may sound like a gamble, but it appeals to existing fans and
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with its nature as a comedy, serves as an inviting entry point for new fans of all ages as well
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Number four, The Doctor visits Starfleet. There have been several attempts through the years to
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bring these two franchises together, though in almost all examples they've been firmly tongue-in-cheek
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A conversation between Russell T. Davis and Paramount took place during Enterprise's run
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though that came to naught. Davis and Alex Kurtzman hosted a friendship panel at San Diego
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Comic Con 2024, with both opining that they would love to bring Doctor Who and Star Trek together
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That was seemingly further teased as Shuti Gatwa's Doctor said he should go visit them
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with them being the crew of the Enterprise in Space Babies. He may have been true to his word
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as the TARDIS appeared on screen in the Salat Who Ate It's Tale. Exciting as both of these examples
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are, they were low risk and easily missed. And yes, I'm still embarrassed I missed the TARDIS
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during the ups and downs, all right? I still am. But a true complete crossover, that is something
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that is increasingly likely as Paramount has reportedly spoken to the BBC about a potential
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deal on Doctor Who. Please note that I am, however, treating that firmly as rumour until official
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sources comment okay so rumor in the context of the who trek journey it seems far more likely that
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something may happen though we predict it is almost certainly going to take the form of a parody or
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charity special star trek and spongebob squarepants shared the same universe in an advert for paramount
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plus so clearly stranger things have happened number three alex kurtzman takes a bow rarely
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has there been a name so divisive as Alex Kurtzman, who has been the overall boss of Star Trek since
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Discovery began airing in 2017. Under his tenure, Discovery, Picard, Prodigy and Lower Decks have
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come and gone. The Short Treks exist in limbo, Section 31 is streaming as a standalone feature
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length story, Star Trek Can has been broadcast as an audio drama, Scouts releases on YouTube and the
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very short Treks celebrated the 50th anniversary of the animated series. All of this and Strange
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New Worlds and Starfleet Academy are still in production, to be blunt. That's a lot of Star
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Trek. For comparison, under Rick Berman, there were four series and five films. Neither body of
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work is to be sniffed at. When one includes Star Trek 09, Kurtzman has been with the franchise for
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almost 17 years, which is roughly the same amount of time that his predecessor was. With contracts
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up for renewal at the end of 2026, a new administration and outlook on the horizon
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and the existing body of series winding down, it seems likely that Secret Hideout may be coming to
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the end of its run. Unlike several outlets who might cheer that on, I take no pleasure in that
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prediction. While this body of work has been a mixed bag, Star Trek has been continuously
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producing new output since 2017 under Secret Hideout with some enormous successes along the
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way. If and when Kurtzman stands down the franchise will enter another uncertain period
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We can only hope that the search for a replacement is already underway if there truly is but a year
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left at the time of recording. Number two Star Trek Andor. Tony Gilroy has pretty much changed
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sci-fi television with Andor which we all know is going to result in people following that template
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The Next Generation, The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer all did similar things in the 90s
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leading to periods of imitators in the early 2000s. What then does this mean for Star Trek
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While the franchise has already done the darker version of the Final Frontier in both Discovery
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and Picard, Andor was released at a time when the world was spiralling into one of its darkest
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historical periods, which to be very clear it is still in as of the recording of this video
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While the recent developments at Paramount might seem at odds with a series depicting the fight against fascism and right media in show business finances will out Andor is frequently described as one of if not the strongest Star Wars series
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to air on Disney+, and that imbued with a clear anti-dictator and pro-democratic message
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Star Trek has come under scrutiny, particularly in Strange New Worlds' third season
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for a somewhat centrist message of late. Paramount's pledge to end DEI initiatives
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screams a message entirely at odds with what Star Trek is. There may, perhaps, be cynicism here
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but creating a show that preaches inclusion, equity, and diversity is the very marketing tool
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to quell worries about the overall franchise. That might sound cold, but it is logical
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Number one, Star Trek is going to take a break. In all of the predictions that we've gone through
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above, there is also one likely hurdle that Star Trek is going to face, though perhaps that will
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come after the 60th anniversary. Star Trek may well take a break. While Strange New Worlds and
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Starfleet Academy are in production, both shows look set to air until at least 2027. All going
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Well, a third season of Academy will air in 2028. As it stands, nothing is confirmed
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That leaves Trek in a position to take its time, particularly when it comes to choosing the next project
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I'm old enough to remember that fallow period between 2005 and 2008
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when Star Trek 2009 finally went into production. While A Perfect World would see new episodes of Star Trek airing weekly
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there is a risk of rushing production on the wrong show or at the wrong time
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The best series have seen issues when released at the wrong time, but Enterprise is a good example of this
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The new Goldstein Daily film project is far from entering production, let alone being released
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This leaves us with another thing to consider. Star Trek fans need to show up for any future projects to be greenlit
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As the movie industry relies on financial turnover to decide the next direction
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a perceived failure at the box office would almost certainly spell the end of theatrical Star Trek
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At a time when big films crossed the billion dollar mark, where would Trek stack up against
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Mission Impossible, Top Gun, Transformers, and other huge paramount properties? As of recording, Ellison's company are courting Warner Brothers in a bid to purchase their
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competitor, which in turn could lead to a mega corporation owning the Trek IP
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With such enormous scale, smaller franchises and details could easily be overlooked or
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even shelved entirely. With so much change in the air, plus Paramount's focus on theatrical releases
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despite their assurance that Star Trek is a focus, it seems likely that there will be a quieter future
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at least in the immediate future, for Star Trek. And that's not necessarily a bad thing
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As I've said above, taking the time to craft something properly is a net positive for the fanbase
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Two decades separate the original series and the next generation, and while we never wish that gap on anyone now
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the result was one of the best pieces of science fiction in television history
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Star Trek may well be slowing down, but does it need to be rushed for the sake of content
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With a slate as busy as Paramount's seems to be, uncertainty over who exactly will be running the franchise
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and increasing cost of productions in general, a break seems more than likely in Trek's future
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As we have before, we will wait. We'll keep the ghost candle alight
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and as fans, we'll ignite the midnight petroleum as we share our love for the universe past, present and future
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Star Trek is not going anywhere. And neither are we. Hi, I'm Duncan Relic, no relation, and I collect relics from before the burn
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Thanks to a temporal wormhole, I now have an unlimited supply of Trek culture t-shirts, and I'm selling them to you
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You could be wearing this stylish down and up t-shirt! Or, how about this fish-watching design
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Bright yellow on black, the colours I'd use in thumbnails, I tell you that for nothing
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I plan to take these designs and transfer them via quantum duplication onto hats, mugs and posters
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So look out for those. Back! Treat this unlimited supply as a limited time deal
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Get your t-shirt quick. Who's your daddy? thanks very much folks for watching along let us know what your big predictions are for the next
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decade let us know in the comments below and let us know on social media you can follow us at trek culture in the various pieces and trek culture yt on instagram follow myself at sean
21:07
ferrick on those socials as well until i see you again make sure that you live long and prosper
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keep those minds firmly open and keep those hearts full of hope you are awesome you are wonderful so
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much love to you all to our friends in areas like the sudan congo palestine and ukraine
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we wish only for peace we wish only for safety look after everyone I will see you soon