Star Trek marked its 60th anniversary this week, commemorating the original series debut on NBC in 1966 with Star Trek Day tributes, retrospectives and cast remembrances. NPR quoted Jeri Ryan praising the franchise's optimistic politics and noted original-series milestones such as including a Russian character, a Black female officer and a Japanese helmsman during the Cold War. Queerty highlighted queer cast members including George Takei and Wilson Cruz marking the milestone. In the streaming era Trek has produced seven series and a movie, including Discovery (2017) and Lower Decks (2020), and NPR reports the most recent TV entries Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds are planning to wrap up. Paramount+ executives told Deadline they want a new iteration, and a new writing team is reportedly working on a script for a Paramount Pictures Trek movie, but no definitive film or series has been announced. NPR warned that if no new projects are revealed soon, 2027 could be the first year in about a decade with no Star Trek TV series or movies in production, a challenge the franchise is confronting amid debates over creative direction and platform limitations.
