The Star Trek franchise looks set to go where no franchise has gone before. Well, except maybe one or two.
CBS and Viacom are in the process of a merger, bringing the once-separated rights of the Trek brand under the same roof for the first time in 13 years. And it seems the studio’s going to waste no time in expanding the universe in bold new ways across multiple mediums.
As reported by Deadline, ViacomCBS chief Bob Bakish promised big things for the Trek and Mission: Impossible franchises at today’s investor call, making clear that both have potential to leverage across “all the companies’ platforms.” Incoming CBS CEO Joe Ianniello added that an international angle is also key as “scale is becoming more and more important all the time.”
The last time the Trek universe was under one ownership was back in 2006, with Star Trek: Enterprise having wrapped up the previous year. In this age of shared universes in which we live, you can bet ViacomCBS has eyes on some of that MCU action, with Marvel Studios due to expand its franchise across both the silver screen and the Disney Plus streaming service in the next few years. The same goes for Star Wars, also owned by the Mouse House.
Of course, Trek has already had a huge TV renaissance of late, with Star Trek: Discovery ushering in a range of series on CBS All Access – Patrick Stewart’s much-anticipated return in Star Trek: Picard is probably the cream of the crop. Meanwhile, things have gone quiet on the movie side recently, ever since Star Trek 4 fell through. Quentin Tarantino is working on his own film, though, which does suggest that more original takes on Trek could come our way over time.
Tell us, does the idea of Star Trek taking a leaf out of Star Wars and Marvel’s book get you excited for the future of Starfleet? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
