Star Trek has been around for nearly 60 years, and in that time, the franchise has been a pop culture staple across numerous mediums. There are multiple television series (both live-action and animated), several feature films, video games, comics, and much more. It feels like Star Trek has boldly gone everywhere it can go over the last six decades, but as the franchise gears up to celebrate its milestone anniversary, a new series has arrived on the scene that’s unlike anything in Star Trek history. And if it’s successful, it will go a long way in ensuring the kids of today become Trekkies as they get older.
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Now available to watch on YouTube is the animated short-form web series Star Trek: Scouts. It’s the first Star Trek program to be aimed at preschoolers (Star Trek: Prodigy had a young target audience, but not that young). Scouts chronicles the adventures of youngsters JR, Sprocket, and Roo as they train to become part of Starfleet. As of this writing, the first two episodes are online. Check out a trailer in the space below, posted by the Blaze and the Monster Machines YouTube channel:
Star Trek: Scouts Could Inspire the Next Generation of Star Trek Fans at an Important Time
Now that the Skydance/Paramount merger is complete, Star Trek has emerged as a crucial property for the studio. Reports have indicated the franchise is an “immediate priority” for Paramount as it figures out its film slate moving forward, and there are multiple Star Trek movies in various stages of development. No release dates have been set and it’s unknown when (or if) any of those projects will begin production, but it’s a sign that Paramount is taking the future of Star Trek on film very seriously.
Furthermore, Star Trek is reversing a 20-year-old trend by taking steps to ensure there is synergy between the television and film sides. After the Paramount/CBS split back in 2006, there was little cohesion between the two; the films took place in an alternate reality and had no connection to the plethora of streaming shows that have hit Paramount+. Now, studio executive Dana Goldberg wants there to be more unity. We’re not going to be siloed off so that there’s a conversation happening about television and another conversation [about film plans],” she said.
With all that in mind, it’s clear Paramount has big plans for Star Trek, envisioning it as a reliable tentpole for the studio. If Star Trek is to continue to endure in the zeitgeist, it’s important for the franchise to reach a new audience. Drawing kids in when they’re young could go a long way in making them fans for life. Star Trek: Scouts seems like an entertaining gateway for preschoolers to learn about the franchise, hopefully sparking an interest in other iterations as they get older. It’s also smart to see Star Trek utilize the web-based format, as it’ll be easy for Scouts to reach its target demographic as they play on tablets or watch videos.
Star Trek: Scouts seems to be keeping the spirit of the franchise alive. JR, Sprocket, and Roo are seen working together to solve problems and help others, so in addition to serving as an amusing introduction to Star Trek, Scouts can also teach its viewers some valuable life lessons to keep in mind as they grow up. It remains to be seen if Scouts will ever end up on a list of the best Star Trek shows, but if it makes today’s preschoolers die-hard fans, it will have done its job.
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