Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a new Star Trek movie is on the way. I know, it’s been said time and time again, and while Paramount has tried everything from a fourth Kelvin movie to an entirely new story on the origins of Starfleet, we’re still no closer to Trek being back in theaters nearly a decade after Star Trek Beyond.
Now, new Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is determined to get the franchise back on the big screen, and he’s pulled the trigger on abandoning the idea of a new movie in the Kelvin timeline. He’s also gotten Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley working on a new, entirely original movie. We have no idea what to expect from this duo, but if I could make one humble request, please set it in The Next Generation era.
I Would Love The New Star Trek Movie To Be Set In The TNG Era
Star Trek has a lot of eras to choose from when it comes to the setting for the next movie, but for the most part, two have dominated the bulk of television and movie adventures. Of those two, I’d much prefer the new movie to cover the years Jean-Luc Picard was captain of the Enterprise, otherwise known as The Next Generation era.
Beyond the WTF moments of TNG, we also got some of the franchise’s wildest adventures in Voyager and an all-out war on Deep Space Nine. There’s a lot to love about this era, which was also touched on in Prodigy, Lower Decks and Picard, and guess what? Fans are still begging for more adventures and would love to see more stories set in this time period.
Would it be a challenge to navigate all we’ve already seen happen in this era? Sure, it may be tricky. At the same time, we’ve seen plenty of other shows thread that needle, and these writers are only focusing on a two to three-hour adventure. I think there’s still plenty of universe to keep a new Starfleet crew away from Picard, Janeway, Sisko and others. And if by some chance they managed to feature a cameo by one of those older actors, that’s all the better for setting up a sequel!
While Star Trek’s Kelvin Films Were Fun, We’ve Had So Much Of The TOS Era Lately
I know there’s going to be a crowd of Star Trek fans who call for more of the TOS era, but let me make a few points. First, the last three theatrical releases for Star Trek were set in that era, even if it took place in a different timeline. My second point is that we’re waiting on Season 4 of Strange New Worlds, and the final season is currently being filmed to close out its grand finale.
The point being, we have plenty of modern TOS stuff at the moment, and I would hate for what we have left to be overshadowed by an upcoming movie that is set in the same era. Strange New Worlds has been a bright point for Trekkies for years. It would be a real slap in the face to have its spotlight dimmed for an attempt to pull in the mainstream audience.
I know it feels hypocritical to talk about how the TOS era has gotten a big spotlight right after listing every Trek show with ties to the TNG era. With that said, none of those shows are currently airing, nor are there any official plans as of writing for Paramount to return to the TNG era. Setting a movie in this timeline would be an easy way to appease the most diehard fans, and there’s no reason it can’t be made to appeal to a wider audience as well.
There’s Still So Much Untapped Potential In The TNG Era For Creatives To Explore
For as much as we do know about The Next Generation era of Star Trek, there’s still so much we can explore. Hell, we see that much with how many comics get cranked out telling fresh stories, and all the creative ways a story can be told in this universe.
For example, I’ve always wanted to know more about the Q Continuum. While that may be a little too inside baseball for the casual viewer who doesn’t know a ton about Star Trek, it just goes to show there’s a lot of unexplored origins of species in Trek, even when it comes to ones that popped up a fair amount.
Also, it’s not like a Star Trek movie needs a galaxy-wide threat to provide massive stakes. The story could be as compelling as a stranded starship and its crew trying to prevent being assimilated by the Borg, and that would make for a damn good movie. Anything like that would be great and wouldn’t jeopardize the existing canon that’s been established thus far.
Bonus Request: Please Don’t Create Another Timeline
If I could be so bold to make one more request: please don’t create a movie that’s outside of both the Prime and Kelvin timelines. I get that we live in a world where the multiverse is very real in Hollywood, but there’s such thing as too much of a good thing.
Plus, the past decade of Star Trek creatives have gone to great lengths to create stories that connect the dots, bridge the gap and find ways to tie into events in unique ways. They still haven’t nailed down a way for someone to easily travel between the Kelvin and Prime timelines, but I’d argue that’s mainly because of the respect they’ve shown for everything that was built previously.
Ultimately, that’s my biggest fear about this upcoming Star Trek movie. I’m on board with new ideas, new characters and new species. What I’m not here for is a movie that completely ignores everything that has come before it, and tries to do a fresh take on a well-established franchise. Star Trek still has a significant fanbase worldwide if streaming revenue is to be believed, so I hope they collaborate with or consult some of the people who worked on the previous shows to get some input on how to proceed.
It won’t be long until a new year is here, and fingers crossed we get some concrete updates on a new Star Trek movie in 2026. I’m eager to see what’s ahead, and hopefully fans will be too when we finally learn what the plan is.