Star Trek’s first theatrical film in 8 years will be another prequel that attempts to pull the same franchise trick for the 4th time. 2016’sStar Trek Beyondrelease was the lastStar Trekfilm to be seen on the big screen, and its lack of mega-hit status is one factor that miredStar Trek 4in development hell. Since 2017,Star TrekTV shows– and soon, its very first streaming movie – have been released on streaming platforms like Paramount+ and Netflix.Star Trek’s untitled origin movie is expected in 2026 and will markthe franchise’s 4th attempt to do the same thing.
J.J. Abrams rebooted theStar Trekmovie franchise in 2009, which marked the second timeStar Trekattempted a prequel. The first was the Scott Bakula-ledStar Trek: Enterprise, which depicted the first of severalversions of the Starship Enterprisea century beforeStar Trek: The Original Series. AfterStar Trek Beyond, another prequel TV series,Star Trek: Discovery, was set a decade beforeStar Trek: The Original Series. WhileStar Trek: Discoveryeventually sent the show into the 32nd century, its spin-off seriesStar Trek: Strange New Worldsbecame yet another prequel to theStar Trek: The Original Seriesera.
Star Trek’s New Prequel Is Its Fourth Attempt At Telling An Origin Story
The new film will be set primarily on Earth and may depict humanity’s early contact with aliens
The appeal of an origin story is a strong one, especially considering how vast and diverse theStar Trektimelineis. With so many beloved characters and iconic stories, the desire to see the origins of some of sci-fi’s greatest narratives comes as no surprise.However, after 4 versions of the prequel premise, it might be time forStar Trekto look to the futureinstead of focusing on its canon timeline’s past. But withStar Trek’s unnamed origin movie supposedly in production with an expected – but not confirmed – 2026 release date, the franchise still seems to be going backward.
4 seasons, 98 episodes
2001–2005
3 movies (so far)
2009–2016
5 seasons, 65 episodes
2017–2024
2 seasons, 20 episodes (so far)
2022–?
The problem isn’t with the concept of prequels, which have been mostly successful in the past, but rather with the repeated attempts at getting them right.Althoughwhat’s next forStar Trekmight not be a reach into the future,there are a few upcoming projects that might end up counterbalancing the overuse of prequels.Star Trek: Starfleet Academyis set in the 32nd century after Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) reopens the Academy.Star Trek’s first streaming movie,Star Trek: Section 31, will feature flashbacks of Emperor Philippa Georgiou’s (Michelle Yeoh) younger years in the Mirror Universe, but it isn’t necessarily a prequel.
Star Trek Should Focus On The Future, Not The Past
Looking to the future is the best way to move the franchise forward
IfStar Trekcontinues to look for stories in the established canon’s past, then the timeline can’t move forward, and the universe can’t expand.This dilemma might even slow the creation of newStar Trekprojects, which have been heavily reliant on the current canon.The exciting part aboutStar Trekis boldly going where no one has gone before, so revisiting the same places won’t end well if it continues to be the only plan for new content. New, exciting, fresh stories set in the future – or somewhere the franchise hasn’t been – would be exactly whatStar Trekdesperately needs.
Captain Janeway Explained Why Star Trek Loves Prequels 28 Years Ago
Star Trek has had multiple prequel shows and movies since Star Trek: Voyager, but Captain Janeway once explained this nostalgia to Harry Kim.
Star Trek’s optimistic next showis a step in the right direction for a franchise that’s long since been too focused on its own past. Even still, there are more prequel projects than anything else, and the balance needs to be brought back.Star Trek’s untitled prequel is expected to depict humanity’s early contact with aliens, but since that narrative has been covered before, the 4th attempt at an origin story will have to find a new way to tell the story. With so much focus on explaining the past,Star Trekruns the risk of getting stuck there.
