Despite a rocky start, with many fans complaining of overly convoluted plotlines and poor writing, in the end, Picard was able to deliver a fitting ending for our beloved Next Generation crew. But it was a finale that in many ways felt like a beginning. The final episode of Picard Season 3 didn’t just wrap up the Next Generation crew’s story neatly with a bow on top— it also opened the door to an entirely new story. Fans were introduced to a brand-new Enterprise (the Enterprise-G), a new but familiar captain in Seven of Nine, a new first officer in Raffi, and a potential new bridge crew just begging for new stories, perfect for a new generation of fans.
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It’s no surprise then that the concept for a follow-up series — Star Trek: Legacy — quickly started to take shape. Picard’s executive producer and showrunner Terry Matalas first began to discuss the idea in interviews and Q and A panels, Legacy would reportedly explore the stories of newly introduced characters (Jack Crusher, Raffi, the LaForge daughters, and more), exploring what the new “next generation” of Starfleet looks like in a post-Dominion War, post-Borg and changeling infiltration Federation. The fan response was overwhelmingly positive, leading to significant campaigns attempting to secure a future for the show. An online petition calling for the series to be made (which currently has over 65,000 signatures), was soon followed by the Letters 4 Legacy campaign, which encouraged fans to use good old-fashioned mail to try to draw the big bosses at Paramount’s attention to the cause by inundating them with physical fan letters clamouring for the series.
As proven by the success of similar campaigns saving The Original Series from cancellation, it’s certainly a tactic that’s hard to ignore. However, despite fans and cast members expressing interest and Star Trek continuing to expand with the success of Strange New Worlds, and upcoming series in the works such as Starfleet Academy, more than two years later… we’re still waiting…
Why Star Trek Needs Legacy
With the recent boom in success that the franchise seems to be experiencing, the absence of Legacy has become increasingly glaring. Not just because fans clearly want it — but because it arguably makes more sense than almost any other new series on the table, such as the proposed Star Trek: United or Star Trek: Year One. The vision for the show is arguably clearer – while Legacy has never been officially greenlit, Matalas reportedly wrote a 30-page partial pilot script on his own time, just in case the opportunity ever arose.
Focusing on the new crew of the USS Enterprise-G (formerly the USS Titan), as they embark on new missions led by newly minted Captain Seven of Nine and First Officer Raffi, the show would also leave the door open for the potential return of classic Deep Space Nine and Voyager characters. This blending of new cast members with iconic returning figures as mentors, while exploring the political, cultural, and galactic consequences of everything that has occurred in the Trek universe, sounds like a winning combination.
Legacy would give us a truly multi-generational Bridge. While Strange New Worlds, as a prequel, necessarily looks backward, and Starfleet Academy is more likely to focus on new characters and a new generation of cadets, Legacy has the potential to connect eras. It would allow older fans to continue following characters they love (for example, giving Seven of Nine the chance to finally strut her stuff in the captain’s chair) while building on newer characters for fresh audiences to identify with. Star Trek is undoubtedly at its strongest when it evolves, instead of just reflecting on the past. Legacy could do what The Next Generation did in 1987 — honor the past while moving the Trek universe forward.
Matalas envisioned a hybrid storytelling approach, combining longer, serialized arcs with “of the week” episodic adventures. The tone would reportedly be closer to Deep Space Nine and late-season TNG than the more comedic style of Strange New Worlds, which may pique the interest of long-time fans. Rather than looking backwards like SNW, Legacy would use the universe Trek has already built and tie up loose ends. The galaxy is still healing from massive trauma. With the Changelings and Borg infiltration revealed in Picard’s final episodes, the Federation has changed. The Klingon Empire has changed. The Romulans have changed. There are many explosive storylines still there to be mined that no other current Trek show is as well-positioned to address. In short, Legacy is the natural next chapter.
Interest Is High In Legacy, But Motion Is Limited
Although Legacy still hasn’t been officially approved, the idea has refused to die thanks to the dedication of fans! Cast members, including Todd Stashwick (who played Liam Shaw the cantankerous captain of the USS Titan in season 3 of Picard) and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) have expressed enthusiasm for the show and returning to their roles, and fan discussions have kept the dream of the show alive across social platforms.
Terry Matalas has continued to make clear his desire to make the show and enthusiasm for returning to Trek, and has even encouraged fans to carry on lobbying Paramount for the show. However, since he is currently working for Marvel as the showrunner of the upcoming Vision Quest series, it may be a while before we see him embark on another Trek project. Despite not being tied to any contract that would necessarily prevent him from returning to Trek and Vision Quest being in post-production, it doesn’t seem likely Disney and Marvel would let such talent go easily.
Even Paramount executives have publicly acknowledged the interest in Legacy, although the messaging thus far has tended to be some variation of: “We hear you — but now is not the right time.”
With the recent Skydance Paramount merger, the future of potential Trek series is unclear (though the organization has made clear that Star Trek is still a priority for them), Paramount may be taking a step back and considering the future of Trek shows as they weigh up cost and new audience growth, which makes sense in a changing streaming landscape.
The good news is Legacy isn’t a show that needs to be made immediately, and many fans will be hoping it’s simply in a holding pattern. Two years later, Trekkies are still asking for Legacy not because they want more nostalgia — but because they want the next chapter. The new era of Star Trek is thriving, and Legacy makes sense — narratively, culturally, and strategically for what direction to go in next.
For a franchise about “seeking out new life and new civilizations,” Legacy could be a perfect opportunity to move that mission forward into the future. Would you like Star Trek: Legacy to be greenlit? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are streaming now on Paramount+.
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