If there’s one question that’s guaranteed to get the blood pumping for many a sci-fi fan, it’s the age-old conflict of Star Wars or Star Trek? Ask any sci-fi fan and you’re guaranteed an eye twitch or two and a ruthless debate between equally passionate fans. These two have been doing battle with each other since – well, since Star Wars first graced our screens, having been partially influenced by Star Trek and those that came before it (just saying…)
Videos by ComicBook.com
Originally, Star Trek dominated in the TV stakes, and movies were predominantly Star Wars’ domain. Despite the relative success of the Trek films of the ’80s, Star Trek, being a kind of space-based ‘workplace drama’, has seemed more suited to the episodic format, while Star Wars brought us swashbuckling space battles in epic proportions on the big screen. But then the 21st century hit, and everything started to change.
The controversial Star Trek Kelvin Timeline films and heavily debated Star Wars sequels did their part in updating the franchises for a modern audience and ushering in a new generation of fans, but they were, let’s face it, not exactly the best these IPs had to offer. In an age of dwindling attention spans and a decline in cinema goers, films began to feel like a less effective medium to tell these classic yet timeless stories. For the last few years, both Star Trek and Star Wars have been defined more by their TV output than movies.
It’s a shift that made sense for a while. Streaming platforms wanted a recognizable IP to keep subscribers, and both franchises were able to find new life by introducing new series focusing on character-driven stories and longer arcs. Despite their ups and downs, shows like The Mandalorian and Andor brought a new chapter for Star Wars, while Star Trek: Discovery was the start of a new era for the Federation.
But as we know, the media landscape is nothing if not fickle, and both franchises are now seemingly staring down the barrel at a familiar problem, only this time, in reverse: now, the TV boom is slowing down, and both IPs are beginning to feel the limitations of a purely small screen strategy.
The Streaming Boom Is Ending — And Both Franchises Are Feeling It
The golden age of streaming hit harder and faster than anyone could have expected. At one point, Star Trek had nearly five live-action shows in development at once, plus animations. The launch of Paramount+ has allowed the company to go full force with new series drawing on the franchise’s legacy, from celebrating The Next Generation with Picard to expanding their animated output with shows like Star Trek: Prodigy, catering to a younger generation of fans and Lower Decks leaning into the funny side of Trek.
Meanwhile, Lucasfilm and Disney+ leaned in heavily on the Star Wars IP — sometimes too heavily. 2019- 2023 onwards saw an explosion in Star Wars series (some of them better than others), and not all the various threads came together neatly. Still, TV usually draws in viewers and makes money.
But 2023 and 2024 marked something of a turning point. As viewing habits have shifted, with audiences having more choice and less staying power, streaming budgets have tightened. Company mergers have also meant shifted priorities as studios reassess and look to the future. Several Star Trek series have ended or been quietly paused. Discovery wrapped with Season 5, Picard completed its legacy send-off with Season 3, and Prodigy was cancelled, leaving something of a gap in TV output for Trek.
Where Does Star Trek Go Next?
There are several series suggestions flying round in the ether (namely Star Trek: Legacy – a kind of sequel to Picard; Star Trek: Year One focusing on the early days of Kirk and Spock’s 5 year mission and Star Trek: United centered around Captain Archer in his later years and the formation of the Federation)- but only Starfleet Academy along with seasons 4 and 5 of Stange New Worlds has actually been greenlit and produced.
In short, there simply aren’t many Star Trek shows confirmed for the future anymore. In many ways, Star Trek feels like it’s travelling at impulse speed, waiting to chart its next course. Which is incredibly frustrating for fans, given there’s an obvious way out of this nebula!
TV storytelling is great when it comes to say, character arcs, but it rarely offers the event status that new blockbusters for big existing franchises like Star Wars or Marvel does. Films aren’t just about telling the story — they’re cultural landmarks, references that define a generation, providing shared viewing moments, and great marketing ploys that keep a franchise visible and more accessible beyond fandom circles. Rejuvenating the franchise’s movie output would be another string to Paramount’s bow and an obvious way to tell certain stories that may not have enough content or backing to become a full series. But so far, little seems to be forthcoming in the way of movies either.
And that’s where comparison to an old rival becomes unavoidable. Unlike Trek, Star Wars seems to have paid more attention to the dangers of becoming overly reliant on TV and particularly the dangers of relying on the nostalgia of fans for a classic IP and churning out series that may or may not hit the mark. The franchise is finally starting to correct course by pivoting back to what it has always done best – movies.
Star Wars Has a Movie Roadmap — Star Trek Still Doesn’t
To be clear, Star Wars isn’t by any means done with TV. Series like Ahsoka Season 2 are still incoming, and new animated series remain part of the plan. But Lucasfilm has also shifted towards theatrical releases. The Mandalorian & Grogu is set for release on May 22, 2026, while Star Wars: Starfighter. A new standalone film directed by Shawn Levy, (Deadpool and Wolverine) is slated for May 28, 2027, with Ryan Gosling in the lead.
Multiple films are also reportedly moving forward and at various stages in either the writing process or production, though with as yet unconfirmed release dates, including:
- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey sequel film with screenplay by George Nolfi
- Dave Filoni’s Mandalorian-era crossover movie, which will pull together all the Disney+ shows thus far (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett) into a “cinematic event.”
- James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” epic, which will reportedly be set thousands of years in the past, focuses on the first Jedi.
- Simon Kinberg’s reported new trilogy, which will become the official episodes 10-12.
- Taika Waititi’s upcoming Star Wars movie, co-written with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, was originally set to be released in 2023 but is reportedly still being written.
- Lando, featuring Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian set at an unknown point on the timeline.
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, the on-again off off-again project since 2020 that’s now as of 2024 reportedly still happening.
Whether or not fans end up loving these new editions when they drop, there is at least a direction – multiple directions even, when it comes to movies, that the franchise is planning to go in.
By contrast, Star Trek‘s film side has seemingly been in a holding pattern for nearly a decade now. Section 31 only shifted into a streaming movie special after plans for a full series fell through. The long-talked-about but never-realized follow-up to Star Trek Beyond has stalled multiple times. Various creators like Noah Hawley, Matt Shakman, and Quentin Tarantino were all in talks or linked to pitches at various points, but nothing concrete ever materialized.
The most recent update came when Paramount confirmed Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the team behind Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, would be directing a new Star Trek film, which is no longer going to be a continuation of Abrams’ Kelvin timeline films and might not even include any legacy characters at all. Production details remain vague, and there’s no confirmed cast or release window.
Why This All Matters For Star Trek
If Star Trek doesn’t find a film pathway soon, it risks losing its momentum at a time when the brand has its strongest resurgence in years, largely thanks to the success of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the emotional gut punch that was Picard Season 3.
Ironically, Star Trek already has a movie-ready premise sitting right in front of it: the proposed Star Trek: Legacy spinoff fans have been asking for since 2023, starring Seven of Nine as captain of the newly christened USS Enterprise-G- G and picking up from where Picard left off. Fan response to the idea has been consistently positive — but so far, Paramount hasn’t acted on it. And that’s the root of the issue:
Star Trek currently has momentum — but no clear path forward to capitalize on it.
Star Wars is cautiously making its way back into theatres. Star Trek needs to decide quickly if it will follow. Whether through a new Kelvin-universe entry, a Legacy continuation, or something new entirely, Trek must successfully return to the big screen — or risk letting this period of revival pass it by.
Where do you think Star Trek should head next – Let us know in the comments and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Star Trek series, including Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard, are available to stream now on Paramount+.
Most Viewed
-
Warner Bros. Animation / Cartoon Network Studios -
Image courtesy of The CW. -
Image Courtesy of Shueisha
