But then J.J. Abrams revitalized the franchise with the Chris Pine-led Star Trek film from 2009. Long-term fans hated him for it because the director wrapped the movie in that shiny, action-packed sheen people associate with Star Wars.
But new fans embraced it. Since then, the franchise has continued to expand. Today, we have multiple Star Trek projects running at the same time. And they all look expensive, which shows Paramount’s dedication to the franchise.
Unfortunately, Star Trek: Picard is officially off the table. The third season was also the last, which is good because the show ended on the highest possible note. Picard season three is basically Star Trek: The Next Generation season eight. The season’s final act reunites the original TNG crew and their ship. I won’t tell you how.
But I’ll say this: they made it work. These are not glorified cameos. Every character gets a meaty role and a decent arc. Was it a little sad? Yes, especially for a recent Star Trek convert like me. Three years ago (when I first watched TNG), Picard was a strapping young man filled with so much vigour.
Today, he is old and frail. Same for Beverly. Deanna was the most shocking of the bunch, at least for me. Suffice it to say, you won’t catch her wearing that ridiculously revealing outfit from the original show.
Surprisingly, Geordi and Riker aged incredibly well. Riker has a regal look and the same mischievous glint in his eye. Their final scene together was heartwarming because it felt like the end of an era, the final nail in the Old Trek coffin.
Now, we have no choice but to embrace New Trek. Although, it wouldn’t surprise me if remnants of Old Trek appear from time to time. Don’t forget that Sisqo is basically a type of Q now. So he could reappear in a different form.
Anyway, speaking of New Trek, what’s next? What can New Trek fans expect from the future? Star Trek: Discovery’s fifth and final season comes to our screens in early 2024. I’ll be frank. I don’t care.
Season four started strong but fell flat because none of the villains had real teeth. They were all anti-heroes waiting for redemption, which quickly became tedious.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns for its second season on June 15, following a successful first season. Again, Strange New Worlds fell flat for me. Did I hate it? No, but the whole ‘Monster of the Week’ approach does not appeal.
That said, the thought of watching season two does not bother me, especially now that Paul Wesley’s Captain Kirk (Yes, that Captain Kirk) is slated to join the cast.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season four will air in the middle of 2023. I watched the first few episodes of the animated show’s first season and could not stand them. But in this case, I think Lower Decks is aimed at a younger audience.
Star Trek: Prodigy, which stars Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager, is also animated. The second season comes out in a few months. I will give this one a shot.
Filming on the Starfleet Academy show has not even begun, so we can ignore it. The same goes for the Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou. Star Trek has a bright future if you like New Trek.
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