Star Trek: Discovery premiered in September 2017 as the vanguard of a new era for the historic franchise, marking the first time a live-action series had graced the small screen since the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005. The series follows Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), a disgraced Starfleet officer whose journey from mutineer to captain of the USS Discovery provides the emotional anchor for five seasons of cosmic upheaval. Initially set a decade before the events of the original series, the production employed a visual aesthetic heavily influenced by the Kelvin Timeline films directed by J.J. Abrams, building a bridge between cinematic spectacle and serialized television storytelling. While the series eventually took a massive temporal leap into the 32nd century to escape the constraints of established canon, its early years remained deeply entwined with the legacy of the USS Enterprise and the formative history of the United Federation of Planets.
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Despite its commercial success on CBS All Access and Paramount+, Star Trek: Discovery proved to be a highly divisive entry within the fandom due to its radical redesign of the Klingons and the introduction of the Spore Drive. Critics also argued that the show’s dark tone and focus on a single protagonist departed too far from the ensemble-driven optimism of the Gene Roddenberry era. However, the controversy failed to diminish its impact on the industry, as the series successfully anchored Paramount+ and launched an entire ecosystem of connected narratives. This momentum resulted in a handful of direct spinoffs that expanded the mythology of the 23rd and 32nd centuries, with several additional projects still being rumored to come.
6) Star Trek: Short Treks
The first official spinoff of the modern era arrived in 2018 with the debut of Star Trek: Short Treks, an anthology series designed to bridge the gaps between the main seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. Each installment functioned as a self-contained vignette exploring the backstories of the crew or introducing new concepts that would later become essential to the larger narrative. While the initial episodes focused primarily on establishing the emotional depth of characters like Saru (Doug Jones) and Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), the project quickly expanded its scope to include experimental animation and comedic departures. The second season proved particularly influential, as it served as a successful testing ground for the returns of Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Spock (Ethan Peck). This format allowed the writers to take narrative risks that were impossible within the serialized constraints of a flagship show, demonstrating the versatility of the franchise’s setting.
5) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The most universally acclaimed entry of the Discovery era is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which emerged as a direct response to the massive fan enthusiasm for the Enterprise crew introduced in 2019. The series follows Captain Christopher Pike and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) as they lead the iconic starship on a mission of exploration several years before James T. Kirk took command. Unlike its parent series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returned to the episodic “planet of the week” structure that defined the franchise in the 1960s, a decision that successfully reconciled legacy fans with the modern production values of the streaming age. The show has maintained a high level of critical praise through the seasons by balancing nostalgia with character-driven innovation. Nowadays, it stands as the current crown jewel of the Star Trek library, effectively anchoring the brand’s presence on Paramount+.
4) Star Trek: Section 31
After years of development delays and a major shift in format, Star Trek: Section 31 finally reached audiences in 2025. Originally conceived as a standalone television series, the project eventually morphed into a high-octane feature film starring Michelle Yeoh, who reprised her role as the morally ambiguous Emperor Philippa Georgiou. The narrative explores the darker, clandestine operations of Starfleet as Georgiou is recruited by the shadowy intelligence organization to protect the Federation from an existential threat. While the production faced criticism for its departure from the standard Trek aesthetic, it remains a significant milestone as the first original movie made specifically for the Paramount+ platform. The film has also sparked ongoing discussions regarding future installments that could further investigate the ethical compromises required to maintain a galactic utopia.
3) Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
The newest addition to the live-action timeline, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, premiered in January 2026, marking a significant return to the 32nd-century setting established in the later years of Discovery. The series centers on a new class of cadets as they navigate the complexities of life and leadership at the newly reopened academy in San Francisco. Oscar winner Holly Hunter leads the cast as Chancellor Nahla Ake, while Paul Giamatti provides a formidable antagonist as the rogue hybrid Nus Braka. The show functions as a soft sequel to the Discovery finale, utilizing guest appearances from established characters like Sylvia Tilly and Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) to provide a sense of continuity for the younger cast. By blending a coming-of-age drama with the high-stakes peril of galactic exploration, the production aims to attract a younger demographic while maintaining the philosophical depth that characterizes the brand.
2) The Star Trek: Discovery Movie Finale
A persistent point of frustration for many dedicated viewers involves the Star Trek: Discovery movie finale that never materialized despite significant interest from the creative team. When Paramount+ announced the cancellation of the series during the production of its fifth season, showrunner Michelle Paradise and executive producer Alex Kurtzman reportedly campaigned for a feature-length film to provide a definitive wrap-up for Michael Burnham and her crew. Lead actress Martin-Green has since confirmed in interviews that original plans for a two-hour cinematic conclusion were ultimately rejected by the studio in favor of a shorter epilogue. This 16-minute coda was filmed after the main production had wrapped, attempting to tie up the narrative threads regarding the ship’s final destination and the ultimate fate of the crew. While the epilogue provided emotional closure, the unproduced movie remains a legendary “what if” within the community. Fans often speculate that a larger budget and longer runtime would have allowed for a more comprehensive resolution to the Progenitor mystery and the political future of the Federation.
1) Rumored James T. Kirk Project
The ongoing success of the current television lineup has fueled rumors regarding a potential spinoff focusing on a young James T. Kirk. This series would follow the legendary officer during his first year in command of the Enterprise, filling the temporal gap between Strange New Worlds and the start of the original series. Paul Wesley has expressed significant interest in leading his own show, noting that the evolution of his version of the character provides a unique opportunity to explore the human side of a cultural icon. While Paramount has not officially greenlit the project as of January 2026, the high audience demand for traditional heroic adventures makes this the most likely candidate for the next expansion of the franchise.
Which Star Trek: Discovery spinoff do you want for the future?
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