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Several New Star Trek TV Shows Are in the Works
The Star Trek television universe is set for a big expansion, with several new series reportedly in the works under the supervision of Alex Kurtzman. It wasn't long ago that the venerable Star Trek universe, once a staple of syndicated TV, looked to be dead as a small screen property. But that all changed with the arrival of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, the first new Trek series since the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005.
Produced for CBS's streaming service, CBS All Access, Discovery revived Star Trek in a big way. With its cinematic production values, twisty storytelling and complex characters, Discovery updated Trek for the new Peak TV landscape. Season 2 of Discovery is of course already in the pipeline, with executive producer Alex Kurtzman taking the reins from season 1 showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who were ousted amid reports of a hostile work environment and budget issues. Season 2 will see the arrival of several familiar TOS characters, including a younger version of Mr. Spock himself.
Now, CBS plans to take their Trek enterprise to Warp factor 5, and they've designed Kurtzman as their official captain. Variety reports that Kurtzman has inked a new five-year deal with CBS and will oversee multiple new Trek-related series for the network. And we already have details about what some of these new series might be. The list of potential new Trek shows includes:
- A series set at Starfleet Academy from Gossip Girl creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz.
- A limited series whose plot details are currently under lock and key.
- A limited series based around the “Wrath of Khan” story.
- An animated series whose plot details are also being kept under wraps.
According to a separate report, one potential new Trek series could be a TNG sequel with Patrick Stewart returning to reprise the role of Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart in fact recently teased the possibility of his return to the Trek TV universe.
As for the other potential series, the Starfleet Academy show from Savage and Schwartz sounds like it could have more youth appeal, perhaps targeting a more CW-type audience. The limited series based on the Wrath of Khan story, meanwhile, could be any number of things. One possibility might be a prequel exploring the origins of Khan, the genetically engineered super-being originally played by Ricardo Montalban on the TOS episode "Space Seed" and in the feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Alternatively, the show could explore what happened to Khan and his followers during their exile on doomed planet Ceti Alpha V in the years between "Space Seed" and Wrath of Khan. It seems unlikely the show would be tied to the Star Trek: Into Darkness version of Khan played by Benedict Cumberbatch, as fans did not particularly enjoy that incarnation.
It won't all be Trek for Kurtzman, though, as his five-year deal with CBS reportedly also includes some potential non-Trek series. Kurtzman already produces Hawaii Five-0, Salvation and Instinct for the network through his Secret Hideout banner. Clearly, CBS has a ton of confidence in Kurtzman being the man to lead the way as they attempt to build on the success of Discovery and launch multiple new missions to boldly go where no one has gone before. It remains to be seen, of course, how many of the proposed new series even make it all the way to the screen. Among hard-core Star Trek fans, the TNG sequel with Stewart seems it would be the most exciting possibility, with a full series devoted to Khan perhaps running a close second.
