Since launching CBS All Access – now called Paramount+ – in 2017, Paramount has released a huge wave of new Star Trek shows. It started with Star Trek: Discovery, followed by Star Trek: Short Treks, the Next Generation retrospective Star Trek: Picard, the two animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy, and the Enterprise-set Discovery spin-off Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. There was also a collection of animated shorts called Very Short Treks.
At the time of this writing, only new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks are in the pipeline. In addition, there is a TV movie called Star Trek: Section 31, set to hit theaters in 2025, and a series called Starfleet Academy, currently in development.
The new wave of Trek shows has caused a lot of controversy among fans. Trekkies argue that some of them are the “good guys” and some are the “bad guys.” I myself have been harshly critical of Discovery and Picard, but have been very open in my praise of Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds. In fact, it might be generally agreed that Strange New Worlds is one of the “good guys”; it is certainly one of the highest-rated shows. Many reacted dramatically to the show’s episodic format, friendly tone, and inclusion of fan-favorite Star Trek characters like Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and Spock (Ethan Peck).
One well-known celebrity in the Star Trek world who also likes Strange New Worlds is Ronald D. Moore, a regular writer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, writer/producer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and a brief participant on Star Trek: Voyager. Moore recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the current state of Star Trek and revealed that he is excited about Strange New Worlds.
Moore wants to return to the Star Trek universe
First, Moore dropped the bombshell that he would be interested in returning to Star Trek at some point, which would be a godsend for Trekkies. Moore was one of the few showrunners and writers to directly oversee the 1990s Star Trek renaissance that defined the franchise in the decades since. He was invited to Star Trek: Voyager late (he was finishing the parallel Deep Space Nine) and eventually clashed with prolific writer Brannon Braga. Moore also wanted to make Voyager a longer, ongoing series, but his ideas were all rejected; the show’s producers were more concerned with making the series readable in syndication.
Moore left the Star Trek franchise to work on his popular reboot of Battlestar Galactica. He later developed the series Outlander and co-created the acclaimed science fiction series For All Mankind. The fact that he would return to Star Trek in some capacity should excite Trekkies everywhere. As Moore put it:
“That’s always one of those things that’s in the back of my mind. It would be fun to go back and do something again before my career is over. It’s in such good hands, you know, they’ve done a great job with it. So they don’t need me, but it would be fun to go there at some point and do something.”
And yes, the “great work” refers specifically to Strange New Worlds. Ironically, the element of Worlds that most attracted Moore was the episodic format. Discovery and Picard were serialized, which was Moore’s original vision for Voyager. But he appreciated that great stories could be told in the one-and-done structure, too. Trekkies will happily debate which approach is more effective for the franchise.
Serial vs. Episodic: Star Trek
Moore was aware that he wanted to make his shows more serial, but that a good episodic series is still a good show. Strange New Worlds has very elegantly allowed its characters to evolve and change and be re-established over and over again as new stories are told each week. In fact, Strange New Worlds is practically a comedy series due to its frequent light tone, animated crossover episodes and musical episodes.
Moore recognized this balance and said:
“I think as far as serialization goes, yes, I was a big proponent of serialization. But now you know, ‘Strange New Worlds’ is surprisingly more or less episodic in that sense. I’m very much in love with that show and that formula and it feels more like it’s true to what the original started with. They’re able to find that balance that we talked about back then, where you can have an episodic structure and still continue the characters’ storylines.”
The CinemaBlend interviewer asked Moore what kind of show he would propose if he had the opportunity to do a sequel series to “Deep Space Nine.” Moore hadn’t thought that far ahead, other than to say that such an endeavor would be “fun.” Several characters from “Deep Space Nine” returned for an episode of “Lower Decks,” presenting the first appearance of the remarkable space station since its own series was canceled in 1999.
However, the current state of Star Trek seems to be on the decline, with more series ending than starting. If Moore were to re-enter the fray, so to speak, it would be safe to assume he would join Strange New Worlds rather than start a brand new nostalgia series.
The premiere of the third season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is scheduled for 2025 on Paramount+.
