AsStar Trek’s first made-for-streaming movie,Star Trek: Section 31, introduced a new format to the franchise that should continue on Paramount+, but with new ideas. Originally conceived as aStar Trek: Discoveryspinoff about Michelle Yeoh’sEmperor Philippa Georgiou,Star Trek: Section 31was retooled into a movie after the COVID-19 pandemic andYeoh’s Oscar win. AlthoughStar Trek: Section 31didn’t fare well with critics or fans,Section 31was still Paramount+’s second-most streamed movie in its first week of release, afterGladiator II. That proves audiences do like the idea of a streamingStar Trekmovie—just notSection 31.
Futuremade-for-streamingStar Trekmoviescould be easy wins for Paramount+. One bigproblem withStar Trek: Section 31is that its reduction in scope left only the outline of theStar Trekshow thatSection 31could have been. NewStar Trekmovies wouldn’t have that problem if they were conceived as standalone stories from the start. Movies would be a great way to continue the stories of canceledStar Trekshows, past and present; or to test-run newStar Trekprojects without a full series commitment. In other words,there’s already a wealth of ideas for great streamingStar Trekmovies.
6A Brand-New Star Trek Crew
A New Crew In A New Time Could Be Something Different, But Still Familiar
AStar Trekstreaming movie that could see unexpected success might be the story of a brand-new crew on a brand-new starship.Star Trekshows are at their best when they embrace familiarStar Trektropes—a Starfleet crew, moral quandaries, Federation ideals—while tossing that crew headfirst into the unknown. New settings, likeStar Trek: Voyager’s Delta Quadrant orStar Trek: Discoveryin the 32nd century, revitalize a familiar format while actually being removed from what the audience has come to expect, or already knows. A crew of brand-new characters wouldn’t have plot armor, making for higher stakes.
Star Trek: Section 31did try to do something new with its cast of new characters inStar Trek’s Lost Era, butSection 31was always supposed to be a vehicle for Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Georgiou, leaving little time to develop Alpha Team as fully-realizedStar Trekcharacters.
Between the 25th and 32nd centuries, there’s a huge swath of theStar Trektimelinethat’s still completely unexplored and set far enough in the future thatStar Trekcan innovate on new technology or meet new species without stepping on any established canon.Without any ties to pre-existing characters or canon, a brand-newStar Trekcrew would create an entry point for new fans, while managing the expectations of established fans. A streamingStar Trekmovie that exists truly independently of earlier canon that does well could even be the first in a new movie series just for Paramount+.
5Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Return
Paramount+ Needs To Make A Real-Time Return To Deep Space Nine
After theStar Trek: The Next Generationcast reunion inStar Trek: Picardseason 3, and mostStar Trek: Voyagercharacters returning in modernStar Trekshows,the next logical step is a newStar Trek: Deep Space Nineproject.While a fullDS9cast reunion is no longer possible, that shouldn’t stop Paramount+ from bringing backDS9’s remaining cast members for a new story. Only a fewDS9characters have gotten real updates sinceStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’sfinale26 years ago, and a Paramount+ streaming movie set in real-time, a laStar Trek: Picard,could rectify that.
Ideally, aStar Trek: Deep Space Ninestreaming movie would also find some way to bring back Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), if only to repair the frustrating circumstances of Farrell’s season 6 exit.
The plot for aStar Trek: Deep Space Ninereunion movie shouldreflectDS9’s overall darker tone by exploring the same hard-hitting themes that madeDeep Space Ninestand apart fromTNGandVoyager. This could be tied to theChangeling threat fromStar Trek: Picardseason 3, which implicated Federation scientists in inhumane research. It could be a grittier take on Section 31 or the Mirror Universe that corrects the tonal problems inStar Trek: Section 31. Or modernTrek’s changes to theStar Trektimeline might have affected the Bajoran Prophets somehow. The possibilities are endless.
4Star Trek: Archer
Star Trek: Enterprise Needs A Proper Send-off
Star Trek: Enterprisewould almost certainly benefit from a streaming movie reunion becauseEnterprisenever actually got the chance to tell the story that it always wanted to tell.Star Trek: Enterprisewas canceled after four seasons, leaving plans on the table for a 5th season aboutStar Trek’s Earth-Romulan Warreferenced inStar Trek: The Original Series.Star Trek: Enterprise’s series finale, “These Are The Voyages…” was a disappointing ending for an otherwise solid show, so continuing the stories of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise would put right what once went wrong.
Whether it’s live-action or animated,Star Trek: Enterprisedeserves a proper ending.
AStar Trek: Enterprisestreaming movie could take a few different forms. A live-action movie would almost certainly have to catch up with Archer’s crew after a few decades, while animation opens up a few more possibilities.A serious 3D animated movie—closer toStar Trek: ProdigythanLower Decks—could finally realize storylines thatEnterpriseoriginally promised, like the Romulan War, the United Federation of Planets' founding, the Temporal Cold War, and anything closer toStar Trek: Enterprise’s controversial ending. Whether it’s live-action or animated,Star Trek: Enterprisedeserves a proper ending, and a lot more from modernStar Trek.
3Star Trek: Cerritos
Star Trek: Lower Decks Could Continue In Live Action
The adventures ofStar Trek: Lower Decks’USS Cerritos could continue with a streaming movie that picks up from theending ofStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, with one twist: it’s live-action.It’s pretty clearLower Deckshad a lot more stories to tellabout Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D’Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz). As the Cerritos started its next mission with Captain Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell) taking over command,Lower Decks' Warp Core Five were more like “middle decks” officers.
It might be tricky to transform Gillian Vigman into the cantankerous Caitian CMO, Dr. T’Ana, but Vigman said she’d be up for the challenge in Paramount+‘sStar Trekafter show,The Ready Room.
A live-actionStar Trek: Lower Decksmovie would capitalize on the success ofLower Decks’ crossover inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 7, “Those Old Scientists”. Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid provedLower Decks' style of fast-paced, reference-heavy comedy still works in three dimensions when they played Mariner and Boimler in live action. Like Newsome and Quaid, plenty ofStar Trek: Lower Decks' cast members resemble their characters enough to pull off a believable transfer.Rutherford’s missing implant in the finale even led to speculation that a live-action adaptation might already be in the works.
2Star Trek: Starbase 80
Star Trek’s Huge Multiversal Crossover Event Could Include Anyone
In addition to teasing the USS Cerritos' continuing mission,Star Trek: Lower Decksplanted seeds for a huge, multiversal crossover event that Paramount+ absolutely has to make. At the end ofStar Trek: Lower Decksseason 5, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) takes command of Starbase 80, positioned at the opening of astable portal toStar Trek’s multiverse. Captain William Boimler’s (Jack Quaid) Anaximander crew is made up of multiversal refugees ready to explore strange new timelines. Together,Captains Freeman and Boimler are poised to take on the biggest threats toStar Trek’s Prime Universe.
Now I Really Want Star Trek To Do A Series Like Marvel’s What If…?
After Star Trek: Lower Decks' series finale, the Star Trek franchise should absolutely do an animated multiverse show like Marvel’s What If…?.
Hints about something amiss inStar Trek’s multiverse have cropped up throughout modernTrek. Besides theLower Decksseason 5 finale, theLoom inStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2actually eat timelines, andStar Trek: Strange New Worldsrevealed that theStar Trektimeline has been muddied in a way that matchesStar Trek: Picardseason 2’s visit to the 2020s.Star Trek: Section 31’s careless inconsistencies might have actually been clues about temporal shenanigans being afoot.A sprawling time anomaly could easily bring in any character fromStar Trek’s past or present, and that’s definitely worthy of a movie.
1Star Trek: Legacy
Fans Want To See Captain Seven Of Nine In Action On The USS Enterprise-G
Star Trek: Legacy, the proposedStar Trek: Picardspinoff starring Jeri Ryan’s Captain Seven of Nine, could find legs as aStar Trekstreaming movie.Star Trek: Picardseason 3 endedby setting up Captain Seven, Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), and Lieutenant Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) as the crew of the 25th-century USS Enterprise-G. John de Lancie’s Q teased “a new trial” for Ensign Crusher, shifting focus from Jack’s father, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The tease generated support from fans andPicardseason 3 showrunner Terry Matalas, who coined theLegacyname.
Star Trek: Legacy - Everything We Know
Star Trek: Picard may have come to an end, but the potential adventures of Starfleet in the 25th century could still continue in Star Trek: Legacy.
Without a greenlight or even acknowledgment from Paramount+ regardingLegacy, makingStar Trek: Legacya streaming movie could be an acceptable compromise between the studio and fans eager to see Seven of Nine as the nextStarship Enterprise captain. PlanningStar Trek: Legacyas a movie from the start would preventLegacyfrom committingStar Trek: Section 31’s sin of squeezing a series arc into 90 minutes. High streaming numbers for the story teased in theStar Trek: Picardfinale could proveStar Trek: Legacy’s viability as a series of movies, or even the newTrekshow everyone hoped for.
