The news went out recently that Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas will join Paul Bettany in a WandaVision sequel series, and some Trekkies online reacted like the air was sucked out of the room. Matalas was, in the eyes of many, supposed to be the showrunner of the Picard follow-up series many fans wanted -- what is referred to as the upcoming Star Trek series Legacy. Some think now that he's moved on and the show is dead in the water. Listen, I'm not one of those people.
If anything, I think that Terry Matalas joining Marvel is the best path forward for him, and may end up ensuring his hopes for a Picard spinoff come to fruition. Here are some of the reasons I think it's great he's helping out with another franchise, and why I'm optimistic for a follow-up.
There's No Immediate Plans For A Star Trek: Legacy Series Anyway
Despite teases from Alex Kurtzman that more Star Trek surprises are on the way, it does not appear any plans for any Picard spinoff are in those plans. In fairness, projects like the Section 31 movie and Starfleet Academy were known about and in the works ahead of Picard Season 3 ending, so it never seemed likely they'd be abandoned because of fan response.
With shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Lower Decks ending, there are gaps opening up for a Legacy series to happen. With the Wandavision sequel set for 2026, there's a chance that Terry Matalas' schedule could clear down the road to return to the franchise if an offer is thrown his way. I would assume the franchise would want him at the helm of this, given that he was largely responsible for the success of Picard's final season. Time may be on his side here.
It is worth noting, however, that Paramount is up for sale and that means Star Trek could be under new ownership within the next couple of years, leading to questions about what will be available with a Paramount Plus subscription Paramount+ subscription.
At that point, it's anyone's guess what plans will be prioritized for the franchise and what new Trek shows we'd see at that point. Perhaps even a new owner would find the idea of the follow-up series more appealing. Until then, though, I wouldn't get stressed about Matalas' schedule being tied up. A show could still happen.
Working With Marvel Will Likely Only Boost Terry Matalas' Profile
While losing Terry Matalas to Marvel for the WandaVision sequel series could mean we lose him to the franchise for a while, it only further boosts his star power in Hollywood further. While he was known for 12 Monkeys before joining Star Trek: Picard as a co-showrunner, I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear it was the House of Mouse enjoying his work in Season 3 that secured him a job as the person to tell Vision's story.
Let's think about how quickly Star Trek brought back Michelle Yeoh after her Oscar win to make Star Trek: Section 31, and now Oscar winner Holly Hunter is in Starfleet Academy. While you can't win an Oscar for making a Marvel series for Disney+, it can come with a certain amount of attention that may make Star Trek more eager to bring him back into the fold down the line.
Sure, the downside of Matalas joining Marvel is that he may crush the gig and stick around, and perhaps that would mean a longterm exit from Star Trek.
Does that mean he should've not taken the job and held out for fans? Of course not, and no one should blame him for taking a job he knows he has rather than one he may never get.
Fan Support To See A Picard Follow-Up Remains Strong
Despite the fact that Terry Matalas told CinemaBlend very early on that Paramount didn't have a Picard follow-up in their plans, people are still very eager to see the sequel series happen. Fans are passionate enough that it's convinced stars like Ed Speleers that we'll one day see that spinoff. Of course, as the daring Jack Crusher serving as counsel to Captain Seven of Nine, he has every reason to champion the series happening.
Let's remember the fan voice can be strong. There were tons of voices speaking out to save Star Trek: Prodigy, and eventually, the series was saved by Netflix. We knew at the time it was cancelled the show was being shopped to other streamers, but if there was no one pushing to see the show, what incentive would the streamer have had to pick it up?
If people continue to ask for Star Trek: Legacy, whoever owns the franchise in the years to come will continue to listen. If the fan interest is truly there, someone wil try and make it happen in some way. Another way to seemingly help a show in this era is stream it, because at the end of the day, the numbers don't lie when it comes to actual interest in a show.
There Are Other Ways For A Legacy Spinoff To Happen
Terry Matalas might be with Marvel, but let's just make one thing clear right now, there can still be a Star Trek: Legacy series should the franchise opt to do so. It doesn't necessarily need to happen in a series either, as there are plenty of opportunity to tell the adventures of the Enterprise-G in novels as well as comics. We have great people working on these adventures, so if you're a fan, support that content as well.
Beyond that, I've been of the mind that there are quiet efforts to make a Picard follow-up as we speak. Patrick Stewart revealed that someone was writing a script for a movie for Jean-Luc Picard, and given his advanced age, I would only assume it's not going to take place before the events of the series he recently concluded. By definition, that would be a movie that is a Picard follow-up. If it isn't, there's something seriously wrong happening in the prime timeline!
It's even possible that, yes, someone else besides Terry Matalas could get a Star Trek: Legacy series rolling. Akiva Goldsman was the co-showrunner of Picard, after all, and could always leave Henry Alonso Myers to run Strange New Worlds and take the reigns on the next adventures of this cast. It would still have Matalas' prints on it, assuming the series picked up on where he left it at the end of Picard.
At the end of it all, the point I'm trying to make here is that people need to relax and not assume there's no chance of seeing a follow-up to Star Trek: Picard just because of this news. Enjoy revisiting the series in the meantime on Paramount+, and of course stick with CinemaBlend for any potential details on whether or not this dream series will happen.
