It may not immediately seem that way, but Star Trek actually had a great 2024. Between Paramount+ and Netflix, Star Trek spanned two streaming services in 2024, with three series delivering a total of 40 episodes. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was the franchise’s only live-action outing, offering 10 hour-long episodes and an extended series finale. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 dropped 20 half-hour episodes on Netflix, the most Star Trek ever in one day. Finally, Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 closed out the year with its final 10 half-hour episodes on Paramount+.
2024 isn’t regarded as prolific a year as 2022 and 2023 were for Star Trek. In 2022, all five Paramount+ Star Trek series dropped a new episode nearly every Thursday of the calendar year. 2023 kicked off with the blockbuster Star Trek: Picard season 3, galvanizing fans old and new by reuniting the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 made history with Star Trek‘s first-ever musical and a comedy crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, which later delivered a stellar season 4. 2024, however, was a series of highs for Star Trek.
Star Trek Had 3 Shows In 2024 & All Of Them Were Great
Star Trek: Discovery, Prodigy & Lower Decks All Delivered Excellent Seasons
Despite the dark cloud that Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks held their final seasons on Paramount+, and Netflix has made no noise about renewing Star Trek: Prodigy, all three series delivered the highest quality Star Trek, and some episodes were among the best Star Trek audiences have ever seen. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was an energetic romp through the 32nd-century galaxy, tying into Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Mirror Universe, and closing out with a powerful and emotional denouement for Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery.
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Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 was 20 half-hours of vaulting ambition, featuring several two-part episodes, and the return of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). Prodigy season 2 was a truly cosmic and epic journey that touched upon the breadth of Star Trek’s history and franchise, culminating in a powerful full-circle conclusion and literal relaunch for the heroic young crew of the USS Protostar. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 also made Star Trek: Voyager fans’ dreams come true by reuniting Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran).
Star Trek: Prodigy season 2’s ending set up a new direction for the young crew of the Protostar Class USS Prodigy.
Star Trek: Lower Decks knew going into season 5 that it would be the animated comedy’s final season on Paramount+, and they never considered resting on their laurels. Star Trek: Lower Decks also went big by throwing the USS Cerritos into Star Trek‘s multiverse of timelines, going places the series hadn’t before. Smashing all expectations, Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 warped into its finale with the biggest crossover of Star Trek legacy characters ever, and closed out with a satisfyingly poignant ending, setting up the Cerritos’ next chapter.
Star Trek’s Animated Series Proved Why They Should Continue
Animated Star Trek Leaned Into The Multiverse
Perhaps the biggest tragedy of Star Trek‘s 2024 is that it marks the current all-stop of Star Trek‘s animation renaissance. Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks have made animated Trek essential, taking full advantage of the few limits animation offers. Jaw-dropping Star Trek legacy guest stars like Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher, Robert Picardo’s The Doctor, Brent Spiner’s Data, Jolene Blalock’s T’Pol, and Alfre Woodard’s Lily Sloane returned in Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks. In Star Trek animation, the impossible became very possible.
Star Trek’s scope has never felt bigger or more joyous thanks to animated Star Trek.
Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks both leaned into the multiverse in 2024, with unbelievably rewarding results. Free of the real-world practicalities of live-action, the USS Protostar and USS Cerritos each went to places previously considered unthinkable, with Star Trek characters that seemed improbable. Star Trek‘s scope has never felt bigger or more joyous thanks to animated Star Trek. The prevailing question is what the future holds. Will Netflix renew Star Trek: Prodigy for season 3? Will Star Trek: Lower Decks find a new streaming home? Star Trek now seems like a starship missing both nacelles without Lower Decks and Prodigy.
Star Trek Gave Kirk & Spock The Ending Canon Denied Them
765874 – Unification Gives Kirk, Spock And Fans Closure
Produced by The Roddenberry Archive and OTOY, in association with Paramount, the Star Trek short film titled 765854 – Unification gave Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) the ending their respective destinies denied them. Working with OTOY, William Shatner helped ensure the technical and creative accuracy of Captain Kirk, with Sam Witwer performing the role of Kirk in costume and aided by physical and digital prosthetics. Witwer studied and mimicked Shatner’s exact movements as Kirk.
With Spock (Lawrence Selleck), Saavik (Robin Curtis), Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), Kirk’s friend-turned-enemy in Star Trek: The Original Series‘ second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” J.M. Colt (Mahe Thassia) from Star Trek‘s original pilot, “The Cage,” and Spock’s son Sorak (Mark Cinnery) also appearing, 765854 – Unification is an emotionally powerful and moving love letter to Star Trek and the eternal friendship between Kirk and Spock.
2024 Set Up Star Trek’s Exciting Next 2 Years
Star Trek Has A Plan For Its 60th Anniversary
Along with Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, the next two years of Star Trek excitingly began to take shape in 2024. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the next Star Trek series, announced a stunning cast led by Academy Award-caliber actors Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti. They are joined by Star Trek legacy actors like Robert Picardo and Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany. Already renewed for season 2 by Paramount+, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is targeting a premiere in 2026 to mark Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary.
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also received an early season 4 renewal, with filming to commence in early 2025. In all likelihood, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the Starship Enterprise will also help ring in Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary in 2026 with Strange New Worlds season 4. Meanwhile, Paramount Studios announced a Star Trek Origin prequel movie which may start filming in 2025 for a 2026 premiere. If it happens, it would mark the first Star Trek movie in theaters since Star Trek Beyond in 2016.
What Star Trek Will Look Like In 2025
Will Less Be More?
There are only two Star Trek on Paramount+ projects in 2025, but both are crucial for the franchise. On January 24th, Star Trek: Section 31 premieres as the first made-for-streaming Star Trek movie on Paramount+. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Section 31 is also the comeback for Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, who reprises her Star Trek: Discovery anti-heroine, Emperor Philippa Georgiou. Section 31 introduces a new team of outsider secret operatives to defend the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek‘s 24th-century “lost era.” Section 31‘s potential success could open the door for sequels and more streaming movies about other Star Trek characters.
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, delayed a year due to 2023’s SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, finally premieres sometime in 2025. As Star Trek on Paramount+’s new flagship series, the pressure’s on for Strange New Worlds to match or exceed the acclaim of season 2’s musical episode and Star Trek: Lower Decks crossover. Strange New Worlds season 3 is up to the challenge with more “big swings” like a Vulcan comedy episode and a Hollywood murder mystery episode directed by Jonathan Frakes. Star Trek‘s 2024 is comparatively more varied and plentiful compared to what’s on tap for the coming year, but 2025 will hopefully also be a very good year for Star Trek.
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- Release Date
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September 24, 2017
- Cast
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Sonequa Martin-Green
, Rekha Sharma
, Rainn Wilson
, Maulik Pancholy
, Doug Jones
, James Frain
, Anthony Rapp
, Michelle Yeoh
, Chris Obi
, Jason Isaacs
, Shazad Latif - Seasons
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4
- Writers
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Alex Kurtzman
, Bryan Fuller
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- Release Date
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October 28, 2021
- Seasons
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2
- Writers
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Dan Hageman
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- Release Date
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August 6, 2020
- Seasons
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4
- Writers
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Gene Roddenberry
