Right now, Star Trek is at a pivot point. It was just last summer when Skydance took over Paramount, and a few months later they shook up development of Star Trek on the big screen at Paramount Pictures. Most of the activity for the franchise in recent years has been on the small screen, but for the first time in a decade, no Star Trek TV is either in production or ordered for production. And things are only getting more complicated as Paramount just agreed to an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which will see the merger of streamers HBO Max with Paramount+, home of Trek TV. The new Paramount leadership has talked up how important Star Trek is, but there are still many questions, and TrekMovie just got an update from the man who has been in charge of Trek TV, Alex Kurztman.
“We’ve gotten nothing but support”
Making it even more of an inflection point for Star Trek, 2026 also happens to be when Alex Kurtzman’s contract with CBS Studios and Paramount is up, further complicating matters for Trek TV. Back in January, Kurtzman said he would begin discussions to talk about his future and the future of Trek TV once he finished directing the season 2 finale of Starfleet Academy. Today, TrekMovie had a chance to speak briefly with Kurtzman about all of this, and he confirmed that now that he has wrapped up work on that finale, “those conversations are happening.”
When asked what Skydance wants for Trek TV, Kurtzman noted things are very complicated right now:
“What I can tell you, honestly, is that it’s not just what does Skydance want with Star Trek TV. Skydance also just bought Warner Brothers. And so you have an unbelievable amount [laughs] — like, it’s almost inconceivable amount of organizational things to decide, right? They are in the middle of — it’s not just drinking from one firehose, there’s probably ten thousand hoses. And so everything is just happening slower as a result of this massive time of transition. And that is not exclusive to Star Trek. That’s across the board. And at the same time, they’re moving as quickly as they can and should, because they want to be thoughtful and methodical.”
Alex Kurtzman with the stars of Starfleet Academy: Paul Giamatti and Holly Hunter, fellow executive producers Noga Landau and Trevor Roth, Olatunde Osunsanmi, and Aaron Baiers, along with CBS and Paramount execs: George Cheeks, President and CEO, CBS and CCO of News and Sports, Paramount+, Chris Parnell, EVP, Paramount+ Originals, David Stapf, President, CBS Studios. Attending the world premiere of Starfleet Academy at American Museum of Natural History on January 06, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount+)
Even given the complexity of the current state of Paramount, Kurtzman was still able to confirm a sense of the nature of the talks:
“Yes, I’ve had conversations with them about the future of Star Trek. Yes, we’ve gotten nothing but support. Yes, there have been specific shows that have been discussed. And we’ll see. I’m truly at the beginning of the conversation with them now. And so I hesitate to say anything to you, because I don’t have anything to report yet. But I can report that the conversations are happening.”
When pressed what he meant by “specific shows” being discussed, he clarified it includes both “new shows” as well as “the shows we already have.” The most pressing current show would be Starfleet Academy. Kurtzman has said he has a four-year plan for the show, and his co-showrunner Noga Landau told TrekMovie the season 2 finale is something of a cliffhanger, so securing a third season would seem to be a priority. Kurtzman’s comments were echoed last weekend by Starfleet Academy executive producer/director Olatunde Osunsanmi, who told TrekMovie, “We’re always positive about the future,” and added “Skydance has been terrific.”
Starfleet Academy cast and producers at season one table read (Paramount+)
Strange New Worlds wrapped up production on its fifth and final season in December. The showrunners are hoping to do a spin-off show called Star Trek: Year One to tell the story of the first year of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Over the weekend, showrunner Henry Alonso Myers told TrekMovie that the Strange New Worlds sets have been preserved, and they are awaiting a decision on their Year One pitch.
As for “new shows,” Kurtzman recently hinted there are other Star Trek series he has been developing. The only one we know of specifically is the live-action workplace comedy starring Tawny Newsome, which she developed with Justin Simien. In January, Newsome told TrekMovie she and Simien wrapped up their work on scripts late last year and were awaiting word on if they will get a greenlight.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: (L-R) Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn speak onstage during “Star Trek” | San Diego Comic Con on July 27, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Paramount+)
So there you have it. The future of Star Trek is currently being discussed in the corridors of power at Paramount Skydance, which could potentially include the potential launch of new series — or a break while the existing shows play out and the company sorts out their plans. We will report any new developments we hear about.
More to come from Alex
TrekMovie also spoke to Kurtzman about the season 1 finale of Starfleet Academy, which he co-wrote. We will have that spoiler-filled discussion with him and co-showrunner Noga Landau after the episode drops on Paramount+ on Thursday.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.