Looking back at the state of Star Trek in 2024
As the final credits roll on the year that was 2024, it’s clear this was one to remember for many Star Trek fans. From heartfelt farewells to pioneering series to the promise of exciting new adventures, the franchise once again proved why it remains a cultural cornerstone more than half a century after its debut. TrekNews.net was there to cover every warp jump, transporter malfunction, and starship encounter, celebrating the stories that captivated us on screen, in books, and beyond.
Let’s reflect together on what happened in 2024.
Reaching the Edge of Discovery
We said goodbye to the first Star Trek series of the Alex Kurtzman era this past year. Star Trek: Discovery was also the longest-running Star Trek show ever, as its first episode premiered on September 24, 2017, and its last episode was on May 30, 2024. Since its premiere, Discovery certainly had its moments of greatness; perhaps no other show embodied Star Trek’s ideals and Gene Roddenberry’s vision so well, especially in its series finale. Michael Burnham, played incredibly by Sonequa Martin-Green, cemented herself in our eyes as one of the best leading performers of the franchise, and the show’s high production values always offered bountiful eye candy.
What’s more, this series was successful in a way few others are in the streaming era: Discovery produced five seasons, a handful of Short Treks, a healthy array of novels and comics, and, importantly, three spin-off productions: the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the on-going Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the forthcoming Paramount+ movie Star Trek: Section 31. That legacy is impressive.
If you appreciated this show and want to own it at home, we found The Complete Series boxset a nice addition to your home media shelf, but we were disappointed CBS continues to release this show in 1080p only, not 4K like so many others. As we noted in our review of a behind-the-scenes book published this year, Discovery’s high production values deserve a 4K UHD release.
Youngsters Take Flight
After Discovery wrapped, fans in the world were finally treated to the 20-episode Star Trek: Prodigy season two, which premiered on certain international streaming platforms long before its Netflix debut in July. We found that, like its first season, season two was an absolute joy, truly a show that’s greater than the sum of its parts. If we never get a season three, the season two finale was a perfect ending for this show’s young band of adventurers.
Prodigy is an important series for Star Trek. Its beautiful animation style and charming characters serve as a memorable franchise introduction for younger fans. For Star Trek veterans, the way Prodigy incorporates aspects of Star Trek: Voyager is remarkable, and seeing more of the late 24th century is nostalgic. We loved Prodigy, and think it deserves far more than two seasons. At this point, we aren’t sure if this show is coming back for a third season.
“Lower Decks! Lower Decks!”
The other major event of 2024 was Star Trek: Lower Decks celebrating its final season after five years of outstanding parody and antics. We reviewed each episode of season five and didn’t find a bad one in the bunch – although the finale didn’t quite live up to the show’s typical storytelling quality. While Lower Decks’ style unabashedly leans more toward franchise veterans, there’s fun to be had no matter how much you know about Star Trek.
Some highlights from season five included “Starbase 80?!,” which proved to be a classic Lower Decks adventure; the multiverse-hopping penultimate episode, what with its smorgasbord of guest stars; and “Fully Dilated,” which played on a memorizing sci-fi trope and featured Lower Decks love letter to a couple classic Star Trek episodes. The show ended on an episode that didn’t quite live up to our expectations but was nevertheless a solid goodbye for this cast. Pour one out for Mike McMahan’s charming, hilarious, and touching comedy – and let’s hope it finds another home soon.
If you’re craving more Lower Decks in your life, early this year Titan Books released the U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Handbook, which we thought was a fun addition to the niche part of the Star Trek universe Lower Decks carved out for itself.
Preparing for 2025
While we’ll have to wait until next year to see it, 2024 saw production begin on the next new Star Trek television show, Starfleet Academy. This show, based on Discovery’s interpretation of the far-away future, will feature familiar faces as well as heavy-hitters joining the franchise, including WWE wrestler Becky Lynch. With high production values and muscle in its cast, Starfleet Academy, a show set in the 32nd century that will follow the adventures of a new class of Starfleet Academy cadets, is shaping up to be a tentpole series for Paramount+.
Before the year ended, a bit more light was shed on Star Trek: Section 31, the first Star Trek movie since 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond. However remember, Section 31 isn’t a theatrical release. It’s debuting exclusively on Paramount+ on January 24, so maybe we should call it a TV movie… but that denotes a perception of lower quality, which we don’t expect this production to have. The streaming age is weird, isn’t it?
Section 31 stars Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, who is reprising her role as Emperor Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery. The movie will see the former emperor join the titular shadowy organization first seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The official trailer for the movie showcases a familiar cinematographic style to what we saw in Discovery, but considering this movie is based in a far different time frame, and set to feature a cast of striking, mysterious characters, we aren’t sure what to expect. We’re excited to see how Star Trek’s first streaming movie is received, as there’s no doubt the powers-that-be are already thinking about other such direct-to-streaming movies.
We are also eagerly awaiting the third season of the versatile, entertaining, and powerful Strange New Worlds, which was filmed this year. The second season ended with somewhat of a whimper, but other entries in last year’s run of episodes were truly remarkable, such as the instant classic “Ad Astra Per Aspera”; we’re dying to see what season three has in store.
Beyond the Screen
Bibliophiles as we are, we keep an eye not just on Star Trek’s small-screen presence, but the gigantic novel landscape readers can enjoy. There’s always something new to read, even if it means digging into this franchise’s vast archive of storytelling from years past.
Our novel reviews in 2024 include:
Star Trek: Legacies – Captain to Captain (2016)
The Lost Era: Serpent Among the Ruins (2003)
Star Trek: Picard – Firewall (2024)
Star Trek: The Next Generation – Pliable Truths (2024)
Star Trek: New Earth – Wagon Train to the Stars (2000)
Star Trek: The Original Series – Lost to Eternity (2024)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture Novelization (1979)
Star Trek: Picard – No Man’s Land (2024)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Asylum (2024)
Star Trek: The Original Series – Living Memory (2021)
Hopefully, you’ll find some of these books valuable entries on your reading list.
All Good Things
Of course, there were some odds and ends that don’t qualify as “major” moments for the franchise, but are notable nonetheless.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention a surprise video dropped in November that was created by and for Star Trek fans. 765874 – Unification, a short film produced by OTOY, Inc., in association with William Shatner, the Nimoy Estate, and Paramount, was essentially shadow-dropped on the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Generations, and what a surprise it was. It’s a love letter to Captain Kirk and the passage of time, heartfully brought to life via advanced digital filmmaking. Check out our review.
Whether you have already seen them, you might want to revisit a few interviews we did this year. Back in April, we talked with Star Trek VFX extraordinaire Adam Howard, who shared fascinating stories about his many years working on “classic” Star Trek. If you enjoy learning about how Star Trek was made back in the 1990s, definitely give this interview a listen. Sometimes talking with the creative minds behind the camera is even more illuminating than talking with those in front of the camera.
One of the best manifestations of Star Trek fandom nowadays is The D-Con Chamber, a video podcast hosted by Star Trek: Enterprise stars Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer. Their conversational approach to interviewing Star Trek or Star Trek-adjacent folks makes for a great listen, and you’re apt to learn quite a bit about these people’s lives and how Star Trek impacted them. We talked with Dominic and Connor back in June, and the inseparable pair reflected on Enterprise, too, which is always great to hear.
Courtesy of the great Nana Visitor, who so memorably played Kira Nerys on Deep Space Nine, Star Trek fans were treated to a sobering, stimulating, and important book – nay, historical document – that chronicles the journey women have experienced in popular culture. This journey, taken through the lens of Star Trek’s 60-year history, is recorded in Open a Channel: A Woman’s Trek. We sat down with Visitor in September for a wide-ranging interview that covered far more than just her book, which features in-depth interviews with numerous Star Trek-related women performers.
Our praise for The D-Con Chamber and its contribution to fandom also applies to Gates McFadden’s podcast, InvestiGates, which launched its third season this year. On this audio-only show, Gates, who played the legendary Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard, has a naturally relaxed and inquisitive interviewing style, which makes her interviews always illuminating and easy to listen to. We spoke with Gates in November about her podcast and what she gets out of interviewing actors and actresses who appeared on Star Trek.
As 2024 ends, it’s clear Star Trek has never been more thrilling to follow. With the curtain falling on beloved series like Discovery and Lower Decks, the joyful continuation (hopefully not conclusion) of Prodigy, and the promise of new adventures in Starfleet Academy and Section 31, this franchise offers something for every kind of fan. Forty episodes aired this year from three different shows, so there’s likely something there for everyone. Whether you’re drawn to its cutting-edge storytelling, its nostalgic nods to classic eras, or its boundless potential for future exploration, Star Trek’s vast universe is alive and thriving. The sheer volume and quality of new productions ensure that the journey continues boldly—exactly as it should. Here’s to 2025 and beyond, where the final frontier remains as inspiring as ever.
Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Section 31, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, and more.