Despite COVID-19 cutting swathes across the industry, the second half of 2020 (and beyond) looks to be a good one for all good things Star Trek…
The third season of Star Trek: Discovery is now officially confirmed to begin on 15th October. We left the second season with Michael Burnham and the Discovery travelling through a wormhole and ending up, we find out, in a rather desolate future in which the Federation is a distant memory. In many ways this may free up the show which sometimes felt hampered by being a hi-tech ship and crew in an era set before the more (now dated) tech of the original series and by that continuity. The announced Star Trek: Brave New Worlds series, featuring the Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) era of the Enterprise may be able to run with that aspect, leaving Star Trek: Discovery to boldly go further.
Star Trek will also be getting animated on two fronts. On 6th August we will see the debut of CBS All Access‘ Lower Decks, a comedic look at those who actually keep the starships running when the ‘bridge team’ are busy.
The series, penned by Rick & Morty writer Mike McMahan, follows four ensigns — Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi — aboard the USS Cerritos under the command of Captain Freeman… but their mission becomes more perilous for the ensigns as they venture deeper into unknown areas of the galaxy. The opening scene of the first episode of Lower Decks was screened as part of the SDCC@Home event and you can see it below:
It was also announced last year, though it’s largely been overlooked since, that there were plans for a CG/animated Trek series aimed at a younger audience on Nickleodeon. We now know that will be called Star Trek: Prodigy from the Emmy-awarding winning duo Kevin and Dan Hageman, (Trollhunters and Ninjago) and once again overseen by Alex Kurtzman as executive Producer with Roddenberry Entertainment. The show will follow a ‘group of lawless teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship, and use it to “search for adventure, meaning and salvation…‘ There’s no star/air-date for the show as yet, but could be later in 2021.
Presuming that restrictions caused by the coronavirus can be sorted, 2021 should also see the return of Star Trek: Picard for a second run, production beginning on Star Trek: Brave New Worlds and hopefully we’ll get some more details about the proposed Star Trek: Section 31, featuring the more shady ‘black ops’ part of Star Fleet’s intelligence operation and due to star Michelle Yeoh, but which has faded a little from view as other projects move forward.
