After over a decade away, Star Trek has returned home to TV in a major way over the past couple of years. Discovery debuted in 2017, with a second season to follow next year, and this month saw the arrival of a new tie-in anthology series Star Trek: Short Treks. Next up is the big one, though: a new show starring Patrick Stewart as fan favorite Jean-Luc Picard.
But the plans don’t stop there. Behind the scenes, exec producer Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin are working on various other series as they continue to build an expansive TV universe. Trek Movie caught up with the duo at New York Comic Con recently and though they couldn’t reveal much, Kurtzman promised them that details are on the way. “You’ll be hearing a lot about it very soon,” the producer said.
While we wait for some concrete info on the new shows, then, Kadin went on to explain their approach to developing more Trek series. The main goal seems to be that they want each one to have a unique identity and, in Kadin’s terms, “occupy its own space.”
“I think the one thing we can say which is more general is that it’s been a real conscious effort that every project we do have its own voice and occupy its own space. I don’t mean its own space in canon, I mean its own tonal vision. Because you shouldn’t tune in to Discovery and wonder if you flipped the channel, that it was Picard. They should feel different, they should have different messages coming from different people.”
In particular, Kadin hopes to keep hiring talented creators who have their own distinct visions of what to do within the Trek universe. For instance, acclaimed novelist Michael Chabon is writing a Short Trek and is involved with the Picard series.
“I think that’s what we’re most excited about because the writers and the caliber of people who keep coming out of the woodwork – Michael Chabon wrote the next short that’s coming, that’s ridiculous! – who are coming and raising their hands saying ‘Can I please be a part of Star Trek?’ has been amazing.”
Once there are several Trek shows on the go, though, that doesn’t mean there’ll constantly be Star Trek on our screens. Kurtzman explained that there’ll be gaps in the schedule to allow for anticipation to build.
“You have a good meal and then decide to take a walk before you have your dessert. That’s how to look at it.”
Tell us, are you excited for the multiple new Star Trek TV shows that’ll be beaming our way soon? And what sort of series would you like to see? Have your say in the comments section down below.
