star-trek-poster-1.jpg

After a long dry spell Star Trek is finally making a major TV comeback – here's every new Star Trek series currently in development. Following the box-office failure of 2003’s Star Trek: Nemesis and the later cancelation of TV show Star Trek: Enterprise, it looked like the franchise was in bad shape. J.J. Abrams would turn the series around with his successful Star Trek movie reboot in 2009, but there seemed to be little interest in reviving the TV side of the franchise.

The show finally returned to television screens after 12 years off the air with Star Trek: Discovery. While the first season was met with mixed responses from fans and critics alike, Discovery proved there was still an audience for the show. The series also arrived at a time when the fortunes of the movie series was waning, with Star Trek: Beyond underperforming at the box-office and a planned Star Trek 4 eventually being canceled.

Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman is planning lots of new Star Trek TV series, so let’s break down the shows that have been announced so far.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY SEASON 3

Star-Trek-Discovery-Spock-Michael-Burnham-Talos-IV.jpg

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 has been another ratings winner for CBS All Access, especially with the introduction of original series characters like Spock (Ethan Peck) and Captain Pike (Anson Mount). Star Trek: Discovery season 3 was greenlit by CBS in February 2019, but considering season 2 is still airing, plot details are being withheld for now.

STAR TREK: SECTION 31

Michelle-Yeoh-as-Emperor-Georgiou-in-Star-Trek-Discovery.jpg

Michelle Yeoh’s Georgiou has been a big hit with fans – both versions of her – and it’s been confirmed she will star in a Discovery spinoff focusing on Section 31. This group is the sinister black-ops side of Starfleet, who employ questionable tactics in the name of keeping the peace. While the untitled show is moving ahead, Alex Kurtzman has stated it probably won’t happen until after Discovery season 3, indicating a late 2020 airdate at the earliest.

STAR TREK: PICARD

Patrick-Stewart-as-Jean-Luc-Picard-in-Star-Trek.jpg

Probably the most exciting series in development for fans will feature the return of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Captain Picard. Patrick Stewart himself made the emotional announcement he was returning to the role, with the show taking place 20 years after Star Trek: Nemesis. This new Star Trek series will find the retired Starfleet captain having to deal with the fallout of the destruction of Romulus, with Picard apparently being a darker character than the one fans are used to. If season 1 does well, there’s are another 2 years mapped out. The show is set to arrive in late 2019.

STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY

star-trek-star-fleet-academy.jpg

The Starfleet Academy spinoff will be set in the titular academy and will be aimed at a younger crowd of Star Trek fans. Plot details have yet to be revealed, but it will be headed by showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (Marvel’s Runaways) and will presumably deal with the pressures of being a teenager in Starfleet, which isn’t an angle that’s really been explored in the franchise before.

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS

66star-trek-the-animated-series-yesteryear-spocks-pet.jpg

Star Trek: Lower Decks will be an animated series with what appears to be shades of Red Dwarf. Mike McMahan (Rick And Morty) will act as Lower Deck’s showrunner, which will focus on the lower deck crew of one of Starfleet’s least important vessels. Given the premise and talent involved, it sounds like the show will explore a more comedic side of the series. No airdate has been set for the show.

MORE STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS

777Star-Trek-Discovery-season-2-Short-Treks.jpg

Short Treks are mini-episodes set in the Star Trek: Discovery universe that gives insight into specific characters. In some ways, these minisodes received better reviews than season 1 of Discovery and it’s been confirmed at least two animated Short Treks will arrive after season 2 finishes airing. Composer Michael Giacchino will direct one of them.

NICKELODEON STAR TREK KIDS SHOW

888StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries.jpg

It appears Kurtzman plan for new Star Trek series will truly have something for everyone, with Kevin and Dan Hageman (Trollhunters) developing an animated Nickelodeon Star Trek kids show. Kurtzman has said he wants to appeal to younger viewers so an animated series could be a good way to introduce fans to the franchise.

They're going to oversaturate the market again...