As 2023 comes to a close, I thought it would be good to hit the highlights of Star Trek news. Here are some dates you’ll want to mark on your calendar, and other Star Trek news of note to close out the year in Trek.
Star Trek: Prodigy Premieres on Netflix
Thanks to the efforts the persistent fan campaign #SaveStarTrekProdigy, Netflix saw the value in picking up Star Trek: Prodigy. The first season will premiere on Netflix on December 25, 2023. This is a wonderful Christmas gift for Trek fans. Star Trek: Prodigy season two hasn’t been given an exact release date yet, but it will definitely be released in 2024. I’m so excited about Star Trek: Prodigy hitting Netflix because of its wider accessibility to Trek fans old and young alike. I want my niece and nephew to grow up in a world with the values of the Federation, but we’re never going to get there if we don’t show the younger generation how that might look. I can’t wait to share Star Trek: Prodigy with them.
As for season two, we know that we’ve got to figure out a way to find Chakotay, and we’ve got Robert Picardo reprising his role as The Doctor. Will Janeway and Chakotay shippers finally get what we’ve been asking for for the past 22 years? I can’t wait to see what happens with our young crew!
Star Trek: Discovery Gets a Release Date
Here is some bittersweet Star Trek news. Paramount+ has been pretty tight-lipped about the release of the final season of Star Trek: Discovery, likely due to issues related to the strike. Star Trek: Discovery will begin its final season in April 2024. Star Trek: Discovery is my favorite series of modern Trek. I’m deeply saddened that this is the end for it, especially since I know that wasn’t the original plan for the series. However, I know our cast will give their all with whatever they are given. I just hope it’s an ending worthy of such a wonderful cast. Could we get more adventures with the Disco crew in comics, novels, or another spin-off series, please? Speaking of which, let’s talk about Starfleet Academy.
Starfleet Academy is Underway
As soon as the WGA strike ended, the writing staff at Starfleet Academy got back together to cook up this Star Trek: Discovery spin-off series. There are a few things that have me particularly hype for this series. First, since it’s set in the Star Trek: Discovery era, does this mean we’ll get to see more of the Discovery crew? Good grief I hope so.
Second, since it’s at Starfleet Academy, does this mean I’ll get to see more of my gal Tilly in her professor role? Tilly is a wonderful mentor. I would absolutely love to see her in her element, raising up the next generation of Starfleet cadets. Finally, Tawny Frickin’ Newsome, the voice of Beckett Mariner on Star Trek: Lower Decks is writing for Starfleet Academy. Tawny is known for going into the writer’s room at Lower Decks and making corrections, so it was really only a matter of time before she got offered a writing job on a Trek show. Tawny has an encyclopedic knowledge of Trek and said in a recent interview that Starfleet Academy should even satisfy the Canon Cops in Trek fandom. I can’t wait for this series. I’ll be sure to share any updates we get on Starfleet Academy here on Fangirlish.
Strange New Worlds Season Three is Filming
I was delighted to see that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season three started filming last week. After that cliffhanger ending for season two and anxiety over the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, it is a relief to know that season three filming is underway. The one thing I want more than anything out of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season three is #MORETEGAS.
According to Strange New Worlds writer Bill Wolkoff in a recent episode of the Open Pike Night podcast, when asked if he could give a one word tease for season three, he replied, “#MORETEGAS.” Reader, when I tell you I screamed, I did indeed scream. Actress Melissa Navia asked to have a reduced role in season two due to the sudden passing of her partner Brian Bannon. Even with this in mind, I feel there are more hints they could have given about her character within season two while also adhering to Melissa’s wishes. I’m so eager to see what they’ve cooked up for her in season three.
The other thing that gets me hype for Strange New Worlds season three is that we’ve got Jordan Canning back in the director’s chair for episode 3×02. Jordan shared an image on her Instagram announcing this last week. Canning directed my favorite episode of Strange New Worlds in season 2, episode 2×05 “Charades.” That episode made me feel seen as a woman, especially as a woman who loves sci-fi. I need more of that in my life. Let her direct more of those for me, please! Tell me what you want to see from season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in the comments.
Possible Paramount Global Merger with Warner Brothers Discovery
In some Star Trek news that left me a bit concerned, Paramount Global is considering a merger with Warner Brothers Discovery. As a fan of Star Trek and art in general, this is a positively horrifying idea. Head of Warner Brothers Discovery David Zaslav kicked off this ridiculous practice of shelving completed films for tax write-offs. We’ve already had this kind of scare with Star Trek: Prodigy. If this merger were to go through, what would stop him from shelving any Star Trek projects that he’d rather cut as a loss? It doesn’t make me feel good about the possibilities. Nothing is official yet, so I’m going to remain positive, but wary. I’ll slowly be acquiring physical copies of all the Star Trek series. At least I can stop these studios from coming into my living room and pulling them off my DVD shelf.
Trek Talks 3 is Coming!
Star Trek fans may have to wait before we get any new Trek, but there’s still plenty of Trek goodness in the interim. You may remember last year that I recommended that you check out Trek Talks 2. It was a blast, and I’m so excited that it’s returning this year. Trek Talks 3 is an 8-hour Star Trek telethon in support of The Hollywood Food Coalition. The Hollywood Food Coalition is an organization that works to end food insecurity in southern California. It will be an amazing day of panels and discussions with Star Trek actors, crew, and other Trek-adjacent folks. Trek Talks 3 will take place on January 13, 2024 on YouTube.
Hosted by John Billingsley aka Dr. Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise and Bonnie Gordon, the voice of the ship’s computer on Star Trek: Prodigy, it’s an event you won’t want to miss. It’s basically like attending a Star Trek convention in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home. What’s not to like about that? Plus, it’s in support of an amazing cause.
Learn More
If you want to learn more about Trek Talks 3, visit TrekTalks.net. You can also tune into an upcoming episode of my Star Trek podcast, We Are Starfleet. My co-host Ian Buckley and I had the pleasure of interviewing John Billingsley about Trek Talks 3. What better way to bring the ideals of the Federation into our own world than by creating some of that equity right now?
Don’t miss Trek Talks 3, starting at 12:45 pm ET/9:45 am PT on January 13, 2024, on YouTube.
What are you most looking forward to in Star Trek? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
Nearly every Star Trek series and film is currently streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek: Prodigy season one will stream on Netflix on December, 25, 2023.
