Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have made a great deal of noise about wanting to make a spinoff series centering on Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) commanding the Starship Enterprise.Star Trek: Strange New Worldsis in the midst of season 3, with filming on season 4 recently wrapped, and production on the fifth and final season set to start later this year.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsis a direct prequel toStar Trek: The Original Seriesthat began about six years before Captain Kirk takes over the USS Enterprise from Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount).From its inception, Strange New Worldshas been seedingTOS,introducing numerous characters like Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding),Scotty (Martin Quinn), and Kirk himself.
Even asStar Trek: Strange New Worldsprepares for its final chapter, which Goldsman and Myers have hinted wouldtake the prequel to"kissing distance"ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesand possibly end with Kirk’s first day asCaptain of the Enterprise,Strange New Worlds' co-showrunners are campaigning to tell new stories about Kirk’s voyages, which they have dubbed ‘Star Trek: Year One.’
Strange New Worlds’ Executive Producers Want To Make A Star Trek TOS Prequel About Captain Kirk’s Enterprise
They’re Calling It Star Trek: Year One
At San Diego Comic-Con’s Star Trek Universe Hall H presentation, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers made their most public pitch yet for their Captain Kirk spinoff idea. Goldsman and Myers toldEWthata Kirk spinoff is"100 percent"their dream planafterStrange New Worldsends. Myers explained:
“Nothing would make us happier than to be able to continue telling the stories of how Pike’s crew transitions to Kirk’s crew and how Kirk’s crew sets off… Obviously, when we come intoTOS,it’s not the first day of the job…. Fundamentally, there are relationships that already exist. How did they happen? And, obviously, we have the opportunity for Sulu, and we have the opportunity for McCoy in a longer life, and opportunity for Chekov. So it would be awesome to be able to continue.”
Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers toldScreenRantthat, “We are very interested intelling stories of Kirk’s Enterprise that we might not yet know about yet.“This confirms thatStar Trek: Year Onewould not recreate existing episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Series(the wayStrange New Worlds' season 1 finaletold an alternate version of “Balance of Terror”), but would instead reveal untold stories about Kirk’s Enterprise voyages.
Star Trek: Year Onewould also center on Captain Kirk’s first steps commanding the Starship Enterprise,taking place before the events ofStar Trek: The Original Series' second pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” So,Star Trek: Year Onewould still be a prequel to TOS, and be about Paul Wesley’s Captain Kirk and Ethan Peck’s Mr. Spock developing their friendship as they lead the USS Enterprise.
Why A Star Trek Prequel Show About Captain Kirk’s Enterprise Just Might Work
It’s A Way For Strange New Worlds' Style Of Star Trek To Continue
Numerous elements that makeStar Trek: Strange New Worldssuccessful could simply continue inStar Trek: Year One, from the USS Enterprise’s set, to the already-established rapport between actors like Paul Wesley, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding, and Martin Quinn. No doubt,Strange New Worlds' producers would also break genre barriers inStar Trek: Year Onethe way they already do.
Akvia Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers' desire to makeStar Trek: Year Onealso speaks to their confidence inPaul Wesley as Captain Kirk.Star Trek: Year Onewould switch leading men, trading Anson Mount’s Captain Pike for Wesley’s Kirk. Meanwhile, several popularStrange New Worlds’characters like Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and Lt. La’an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) aren’t part of Kirk crew inTOScanon. According to Myers:
“[We] have fates in store for those folks who don’t seem to appear in canon post-our show… but doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
Strange New Worldsis the highest-rated and most popular live-action Star Trek on Paramount+ seriessince the franchise was reborn withStar Trek: Discoveryin 2017. Paramount+ ending theirStrange New Worldsgolden goose with season 5doesn’t seem logical, yet this is the plan.
Understandably,Goldsman and Myers are"dreaming loudly"and asking the fans to voice their desire forStar Trek: Year Oneto Paramount+.
Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Kirk Enterprise Spinoff Happen?
Star Trek Could Change When Skydance Owns Paramount
As publicly as Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers are campaigning forStar Trek: Year One, it’s important to note thatthis is merely a ‘pie in the sky’ idea.Myers even reiterated toEWthat"All our dreams of post–Strange New Worlds iterations, [pay]checks notwithstanding, we gotta stick the landing.“Meaning, any new Goldsman and Myers-led version ofStar Trekalso depends on whether fans will still want more afterStrange New Worldsends.
Star Trek’s next two years consist of the final two seasons ofStrange New Worldsand two seasons ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academyon Paramount+. After 2027, however,Star Trekis expected to undergo changes after Skydance Media’s purchase of Paramount Global. The new corporate entity may overhaul theStar TrekIP, although Skydance CEO David Ellison is a fan who executive-producedStar Trek Into DarknessandStar Trek Beyond.
Meanwhile,Star Trekfans have a different desire that they prioritize overStar Trek: Year One: Star Trek: Legacy, which continues the sagaStar Trek: Picardseason 3 left off. There has been no movement onStar Trek: Legacyat Paramount+, but perhaps that could change after Skydance’s merger with Paramount is completed.
There is plenty of time for fans to further warm up to Paul Wesley’s Kirk and decide how much they want to see him continue as Captain of the Enterprise.
Perhapsthe best gauge forStar Trek: Year Onewill be how the remainder ofStar Trek: Strange New Worldsshakes out. Between the rest of season 3, and seasons 4 and 5, there is plenty of time for fans to further warm up to Paul Wesley’s Kirk and decide how much they want to see him continue as Captain of the Enterprise.
If the call does come forStar Trek: Year One, however, it sounds like Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers are ready and willing to launch Kirk’s Enterprise afterStar Trek: Strange New Worldsends.
