With all the changes at Paramount in recent month – and those still on the horizon – fans need to rally, or they may not get Star Trek on theirr screens for a very long time!

A source with knowledge of senior executive deliberations recently reached out to me at The Tachyon Pulse channel with a warning about the future of the universe created by Gene Roddenberry 60 years ago. Essentially, if Paramount’s planned Star Trek feature film fails to perform to studio expectations, executives are content to let the franchise go cold. Paramount is aware of division, amplified on social media and YouTube, within the fanbase. The studio sees the movie as an essential Star Trek “reset.” Yet, our source emphasized, not a “reboot.” As the film is currently in the writing phase, the specifics around this project and its place in the larger canon of films and TV series remains uncertain.

The Future of Star Trek Depends on the New Movie’s Success

Since this conversation, the head of Originals Jane Wiseman mentioned a new “iteration” of Star Trek on the small screen, saying that they are talking to writers to try and find the new direction for Star trek on the small screen. That CBS are leading the charge and that they are in close conversation with Paramount to follow what is happening with the movie plans.

Her words were interesting for a couple of reasons. On one hand it’s positive that Paramount+ and CBS are working hard to try and find the new direction on the small screen, even if they don’t seem to have an actual plan right now. Talking to writers to find that big idea for the next phase of Star Trek is a huge part of that next step and exactly what the new source was saying to me.

Tellingly, Wiseman did not mention current Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout during her interview with Deadline. This suggests that Mr. Kurtzman’s future with Star Trek is uncertain. Whether this is because of ongoing negotiations or a decision to move forward without his oversight is unknown. Mr. Kurtzman’s departure is a prospect the most critical fans would relish. Although, among those Star Trek fans who feel passionately about new series like Strange New Worlds or the teen-focused Starfleet Academy, it would be an unwelcome change.

The source who spoke to me offered up a different view from Wiseman’s, saying there currently is no plan for the future of the television side. The only thing even remotely developed is Star Trek: United, an idea from Michael Sussman. He has all but confirmed that some level of official talks with Paramount about the series happened sometime over the past 12 months. Sussman also posts pictures of himself at the Paramount offices on Instagram. Like with the recent campaign for a Firefly animated series, Sussman apparently hopes to use fan demand on social media to encourage the studio to move forward with the project. Other sources with knowledge of the broad terms of Paramount’s deal with Secret Hideout tell me that no new TV show can be greenlit until it expires.

If the New Film Fails, Star Trek Could Go Away for a Decade or More

Because of financial concerns and this deal, Paramount has dismantled Star Trek’s recent expansion on streaming. To the new executive regime brought in since the finalization of the merger with SkyDance Media, the film from writers and directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley will make or break the future of Paramount’s oldest and, almost certainly most profitable, franchise. With knowledge of executives’ thinking, our source laid out the ‘nightmare’ scenario for Star Trek and its future.

If fans don’t get behind the new movie and whatever TV series that may follow, the studio may just abandon it altogether. A trend of “automatic hate” online and anger currently aimed at Kurtzman, may “tar the new project with the same brush.” Our source states that if the studio feels fans develop “automatic hate” for new stories before they even get released the future of Star Trek, at least in the short term, is bleak.

Before The Motion Picture, no canceled television series ever returned as a feature film (especially with the same cast and continuity). Before The Next Generation, no sequel television series ever outperformed its predecessor. The historic expansion of Star Trek, both during the eras overseen by Rick Berman and Alex Kurtzman, has no equivalent. This “third wave” of movies and television shows was unprecedented. If the new film fails, that could be it for Star Trek. In fact, and this is just speculation, but if Paramount acquires Warner Bros. and its many franchises, Star Trek could be sold off as the studio tries to manage the more than $75 billion in debt it will accrue.

Yet, what has saved Star Trek in the past can save it now. Fans watched and rewatched the shows and films they loved. They also campaigned for more stories in Roddenberry’s universe. So to keep Star Trek alive and expanding, fans need to get loud. Whether it’s Strange New Worlds or this forthcoming film, fans won’t exactly be supporting those individual projects. Rather, they will be supporting the next one, which could be something we didn’t know we wanted or a return to the classic kind of Star Trek storytelling generations have grown up loving.

The fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts new episodes on Paramount+, where it streams alongside the past series and films.