Since 2017, it's been full speed ahead at Warp 10 for the Star Trek franchise. Fans new and old have been blessed with a slew of content, and there are still upcoming Trek shows and projects on the way. Unfortunately, Paramount+ delivered some less positive news in recent months, from the cancellation of ST: Discovery to the cancellation and removal of the animated series Prodigy, and yet optimism remains high amongst dedicated viewers for a Picard follow-up and more from Strange New Worlds. But after the latest comments from the streaming service's top brass, I have a bad feeling Trek's future may come up short compared to such hopes.
Paramount Global's CEO Bob Bakish and CFO Naveen Chopra spoke during an earnings call about the "evolving content slate" and what that means for the company going forward. Chopra zeroed in on the streaming ramifications specifically, with comments that seemingly pertained to Star Trek, if not directly framed as such (via THR):
In streaming, we’re focused on optimizing spending and content and marketing, the two largest expense categories in our streaming P & L...We’re accomplishing that goal by leveraging content across platforms more and more by leaning into franchises and now that we’ve got more data, we’re increasingly able to use analytics to understand how to super-serve these key audience segments. And so we can get away from — call it a volume-focused game — and be more focused on making sure that we have the right content for the right audience at the right time.”
Furthermore, they stated a goal in giving audiences reasons to maintain Paramount+ subscriptions, but while also not over-delivering all at once. Let's not forget that at the peak of this revival, five Star Trek shows ran concurrently. Soon, we'll be down to three Paramount+ Trek shows, and it's possible that number will dwindle further to make room for other projects.
In terms of cutting content, the franchise has done some of that work already. Discovery will air its final season in 2024, Picard concluded earlier this year, and while Prodigy may continue, but it will be on another network or streamer that isn't Paramount+. This means that Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks will be the only shows for a while, though there's a live-action Starfleet Academy spinoff on the way and a one-off Section 31 movie that will bring back Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh.
If we're talking about shows that moved the needle in the franchise, both Strange New Worlds and Picard cracked the Top 10 a handful of times on Nielsen's streaming charts. If Paramount+ is looking to tighten the belt and serve only the shows pulling the most viewers, they'd prioritize Strange New Worlds in the short term and potentially work out a Picard follow-up that brings back showrunner Terry Matalas. Matalas noted that executives heard fans' cries for more adventures, which seemed like positive news at the time.
The reality, however, is that there's an ongoing WGA writers' strike and SAG-AFTRA strike that could potentially push a show like Strange New Worlds that paused production on Season 3 to 2025 before it airs. To assume a project like Star Trek: Legacy could be negotiated, green-lit, written, cast, filmed, and edited in that same time frame is unrealistic, even if it happened immediately after both strikes concluded. Who knows what the interest will be over two years from now or what position Paramount+ will be in to make it?
Ultimately, I have no idea what will happen with Star Trek content over the next year. These comments do make me feel as though the only show safe is Strange New Worlds, however, and the next era of this revival won't be quite as bountiful and flourishing with content as it once was. I'm desperately hoping I'm wrong because I love watching Trek on Paramount+, but I'd sooner watch new content than the same old repeats.
With the exception of Prodigy, every Star Trek show is currently streaming on Paramount+. Here's hoping that will continue to be the case for many future shows, and we're not a few years out from another long gap period with no new content.
