Jonathan Frakes suggests that the 2-hour format for Star Trek on Paramount+ is now “on the table”, but could this mean Star Trek: Picard’s proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, might become a 2-hour streaming movie? Star Trek: Picard season 3 was a huge success both critically and with audiences for reuniting and wrapping up the stories of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast while setting up an exciting future for the USS Enterprise-G led by Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), However, despite passionate fan demand, there is no greenlight for Star Trek: Legacy from Paramount+.
Star Trek is in another transition period following its 2022 apex of five Star Trek shows streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek: Picard ended with season 3 in 2023, and 2024 will mark the final seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek: Prodigy moved to Netflix after a groundswell of fan support saved the beloved CGI animated series. The good news is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds received an early season 4 renewal, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is scheduled to start filming in late 2024. In the midst of all of this is an X-factor: Star Trek: Section 31, the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+ that recently finished filming.
Jonathan Frakes appeared on TrekMovie‘s All Access Star Trek podcast to promote Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer’s fundraiser and walk at PanCAN PurpleStride on April 27th, along with Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, and Juan Carlos Coto. When talk turned to Star Trek: Lower Decks ending with season 5 and whether it could be revived the way Star Trek: Prodigy got a new lease on life on Netflix, Frakes suggested that the potential success of Star Trek: Section 31 could lead to more Star Trek projects with a 2-hour format. Read Frakes quote below:
Star Trek is no stranger to a 2-hour format after 13 theatrical Star Trek movies since 1979, and many 2-hour episodes of the various Star Trek series. Star Trek: Section 31, which is headlined by Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, already has talk of a sequel. Hopefully, Section 31 will be the first of a series of Star Trek movies or event mini-series made for streaming on Paramount+. Potentially, this means canceled Star Trek on Paramount+ series and characters can be explored further in 2-hour streaming movies, which can be relatively less expensive to produce than a full-blown 10-episode-per-season Star Trek series.
Variety‘s recent cover story about the future of the Star Trek franchise indicated that Star Trek: Legacy is being considered as a 2-hour streaming movie rather than a 10-episode series, and Jonathan Frakes agreed this was a possibility during TrekMovie‘s All Access Star Trek podcast. Frakes confirmed that “of course” Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas has spoken with him about Star Trek: Legacy, although Jonathan doesn’t think he would be asked to direct it if it happens. Frakes predicted Matalas would simply “hire himself,” as Terry wrote and directed Star Trek: Picard season 3’s acclaimed finale episodes “Vox” and “The Last Generation.”
Fans hope Star Trek: Legacy will still happen, although a 2-hour movie instead of a multi-season TV series would be a disappointment for many. A Star Trek: Legacy streaming movie would mean therewouldn’t be time to fully explore the vast potential of 25th-century Star Trek. However, with multiple factors such as the possible sale of Paramount+ and the reduction of Star Trek content creating uncertainty towards the future, a Star Trek: Legacy streaming movie is better than Star Trek: Picard’s spinoff not happening at all,
Source: TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek podcast
Star Trek TV shows and movies are streaming on Paramount+
Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming on Netflix.
The first 10 Star Trek movies are streaming on Max.