Despite what clickbaiters and YouTubers profiteering from misinformation would say, Star Trek as a brand is flourishing. Since the launch of Discovery ion 2017 the universe has expanded significantly in partnership with Secret Hideout and now more than ever we’re being taken to as many strange new worlds as they can give us.
In days gone by it was exciting to have two shows to catch up on in a year with Deep Space Nine running consecutively with The Next Generation and Voyager at differing points, while a new series was always cause for celebration. Now that excitement of anew launch seems to be coming thick and fast with Star Trek these days and as 2022 warms up, it’s shaping up to be one of the biggest years for our favourite sci fi franchise to date with multiple shows running through the year and much more in development!
DISCOVERY: SEASON 4 | RESUMES FEBRUARY
The year kicked off with Discovery’s fourth season carrying over from 2021, with some caveats and eternal frustration for fans across Europe.
For the flagship show in the Star Trek brand, Discovery has had a bit of a weird few months. At first advertised to be launching as usual on Netflix the day after it’s US release, days before the expected launch it was announced CBS had bought out their contract with Netflix and Europe (as well as other territories) would have to wait until this year for Season 4. That, rightly so, did not go down well and they did have to come up with a Plan B; Launch the show on the free to view Pluto app on at 9pm on weekends or buy out the series for £20 on Amazon.
Understandably those options weren’t suitable for everyone, and after the decision some opted for “alternative viewing methods”. Many more are awaiting the “proper” launch alongside Paramount Plus in the UK.
Recently renewed for a fifth season, the fourth continues the crews adventures in the 32nd century with Michael Burnham firmly in the Captains Chair as she leads a mission to investigate and stop a mysterious anomaly that can appear any time, anywhere and threatens to end life as we know it.
Taking a mid-season break, Discovery’s fourth season is set to resume in the US on February 10th and continue on Pluto and through the Amazon buyout before airing in full on Paramount Plus’ international launch later this year.
PICARD: SEASON 2 | MARCH
Another return for the year comes with the return of Picard. Far removed from the first seasons story of Romulan regrets and Android liberation, the second season promises to offer a new chapter for the former Captain as he and the La Sirena crew discover alternate lives that could have been as they try and repair a broken timeline to return to their lives.
Featuring the return of John de Lancie as a more sombre version of Q, the second season comes with not only a new direction, but a new showrunner in Twelve Monkeys series creator Terry Matalas. Having already started filming season three despite suffering production delays due to COVID-19 regulations, Picard is the only show not to have a renewal announcement.
Picard’s second season returns on March 3rd in the US and unlike Discovery, won’t be pulled last minute from it’s international distributor. We can see Picard here in the UK and Europe as normal on Amazon Prime Video from March 4th.
PRODIGY | UNKNOWN / SOON
Designed as an introduction to the Star Trek Universe for younger audiences, Prodigy focuses on a group of teenage aliens held captive on a mining colony run by The Diviner. Led by Dal, the team come together after discovering a mysterious abandoned starship buried within the world and under supervision of it’s training hologram, based on Kathryn Janeway, depart for a new life and ne beginnings while learning the Starfleet way.
Prodigy is currently streaming in the US on Paramount+ and hasn’t made an official debut of yet internationally. Due to the launch in the US a lot is known about the adventures of the makeshift Protostar crew and the ships mysterious presence in the Delta Quadrant. Though for those holding out for an official UK launch, we’ll see the series appear on Nickelodeon internationally soon after it’s run has finished in the US.
Our latest issue of Comms looks ahead to Prodigy’s official international launch and what’s coming for the animated series! Comms is available to all members of SFCQ2 as part of their free membership.
STRANGE NEW WORLDS | MAY
And of course, one of the most anticipated series to come from the current generation of the Star Trek Franchise. Having made his debut in Season 2 of Discovery, Anson Mount returns as the original Captain of the Enterprise to tell the untold stories of Captain Christopher Pike, first portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter in 194’s original Star Trek pilot.
Pike has been a popular character despite his few appearances in the Star Trek Universe and seeing him at the helm of the Enterprise was already a fun moment in Discovery. Reunited Ethan Peck’s younger Lieutenant Spock and Rebecca Romjin’s Number One, the crew are set to rekindle a story of the week style to contrast other live action trek shows in production and will revive some more original series characters including Dr M’Benga, Christine Chapel and rookie Cadet Uhura on a five year mission alongside new characters filling the upper decks during Pike’s reign of the Enterprise.
The third live action series to be produced by Secret Hideout Productions, Strange New Worlds was placed ahead of the planned Section 31 series to tell the story of the Enteprise and it’s mission before the legendary Captain Kirk took command. Strange New Worlds has already been confirmed to have been renewed for a second season while the first is set to launch worldwide on May 5th as part of Paramount Plus’ international expansion.
Paramount Plus will be available with Sky Q packages as well as a sandalone app ahead of the series launch here in the UK. Our latest issue of Comms delves into what to expect from the new series and introduces the new cast ready to take over the USS Enterprise.
LOWER DECKS SEASON 3 | SUMMER
Alongside all other shows being renewed, it looks like Lower Decks is also set to live long and prosper as a fourth season was announced ahead of the third season launch.
Focused on the least important crewmembers of the USS Cerritos, the animated comedy series has proven a hit with fans thanks to it’s fast humour and easter egg filled action. The second season ended on a cliffhanger with the ships captain Freeman being detained after being framed in a conspiracy against the Pakled and is set to continue in classic season cliffhanger fashion when the show returns in the Summer.
Much like Picard, Lower Decks is still set to continue on Amazon Prime Video though no solid date has been confirmed.
EVER EXPANDING…
Looking ahead at the year, the Star Trek calendar looks as packed as other expanding franchises. Following in the footsteps of Marvel and Star Wars, Star Trek is ready to poke it’s head into any and all corners of the Star Trek Universe and ind new oppertunities – a stark contrast from the traditional formula and an oppertunity for things to grow well beyond even our current diverse range.
Further planned projects have been rumoured and even announced. A Michelle Yeoh led Section 31 series has been on the table for some time, even giving her Emperor Georgiou a send off in Discovery’s third season to set up the premise with Erika Lippoldt and Bo Yeon Kim heading up the production. Section 31 was planned to begin filming directly after Discovery’s third season, but COVID issues and the decision to make Strange New Worlds held the production from starting as Kurtzman had noted in interviews they wanted one show to end before starting another.
The long rumoured Academy series could still potentially be on the table thanks to an episode of Discovery’s fourth season released last year (no spoilers!) and there are plans for several movies in the works.
2022 looks to be the single most packed year for Star Trek in it’s long and storied history. Telling stories of adventure, personal redemption and discovery, each series is dedicated to bringing something new and different to the table, whether it be a very introspective drama like Picard, or a colourful adventure for the younger audience in Prodigy. With so many places yet to explore, and contracts extended with Secret Hideout to tell those stories, the future looks brighter than ever.
About the author
[Ships of the Line] The Excelsior II
When it comes to exploring the final frontier, Starfleet has been widely experimental in it's design philosophy and thanks to a galaxy rich with resources – and possibly, yeah, overcoming capitalist ideals – is never shy on supplies to try out new ideas or unload a whole new line of ships for specific mission types or general experimentation. Still, while designs and ideas rotate on a regular basis to bring the specialist ships such as the Protostar or Defiant Classes, the core fleet is always held together with standard builds that can last for decades. In approaching a rebuild of the fleet to incorporate new ideas, new technologies, and new lessons learned from an ever increasing range of new and more powerful enemies to Federation ideals, Starfleet's engineers sometimes go back to the well and lean on old classics that […]
A Fistful of SNW Episodes to Rewatch Before Season 3.
In just a matter of weeks we'll be off to venture more Strange New Worlds as Captain Pike and the Enterprise crew return for their third season. Last we left them, the crew were in the middle of a Gorn crisis as a personal mission that could risk all out war resulted in the crew being split in two with half safe and sound on the Enterprise with the others in enemy hands with Pike left to decide what happens next as all odds are against them. It's been a long wait since seeing Pikee staring into space trying to decide on the next move. Especially with writers strikes pushing back filming. But now we're almost there, we've picked out some key episodes to rewatch ahead of the launch! Hegemony (S2E10) May be an obvious one, but with Season 3 […]
What If…. there was no Next Generation?
On the announcement of a new Star Trek show there was a lot of pushback. Most were excited at the idea of a new era, but some felt a new rehash of the concept was a mistake. It'll never work. The dynamics weren't right. They'd missed the point of what Star Trek was. It wasn't in the spirit of what came before. The casting was wrong, none of the new cast seemed likable It was doomed before it even began. And no, this wasn't Discovery. Nor the series of films introducing an alternate reality that played on the idea of Kirk and Spock fulfilling their destiny despite their radically changed origins. This was 1987 before the Star Trek Universe even existed. As of now (June 2025), Star Trek as an overall franchise consists of 818 episodes of live action over […]
The Final Frontier for Strange New Worlds & A Legend Revived! Across the Universe June 2025!
As we wait impatiently for the launch of Strange New Worlds third season, and the resolution to the dramatic cliff-hanger that saw the Enterprise crew separated in a battle against the Gorn, Paramount has given the bittersweet news that the series end is in sight by announcing earlier this month that it's fifth season would be it's last. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqPH7UhKYI In a joint statement, the executive producers – Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers – focused on the adventures to come whilst being thankful for the journey so far. “ “We’re deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey.” Some time and a couple of Hollywood strikes ago, SNW's third and fourth […]
[Retro Review] Timeless. Voyager S5E06
Voyagers mission was to find a way home. And Harry Kim found one. Using found slipstream technology as well as time sensitive components to make it work, Kim proposes a risky plan to build the drive and race the crew home. When his space bestie Tom points out it's a stupid plan due to variables they haven't been able to counter, Captain Janeway give sit the rubber stamp anyway on the condition Chakotay fly ahead in the Delta Flyer with Kim so they can feed back course corrections so Voyager doesn't explode. Thankfully, it doesn't explode. Yet fifteen years later, Chakotay and Kim are the sole survivors of the mission; the Flyer being small enough to navigate the slipstream variances while Voyager was thrown out of the stream and crash landed on an ice planet, killing the entire crew. Now […]
Meet The Fleet Support: Final Positions Confirmed.
For anyone who'd missed it in previous Fleet Alerts or announcements; one of our main goals in 2025 was to build a new support team for Q2. Since our mass fleet redevelopment ten years ago, we've seen things changes, people come and go and the entire landscape of humanity shift twice while the franchise that brought us all here to begin with grew and evolved multiple times. Enter Fleet Support. At it's heart, SFCQ2’s Fleet Support division has been designed to aid and supplement membership opportunities and solidify a helpful, informative and supportive structure. Each role acts as a secondment to allow members to continue to be an active part of their unit while representing and supporting the fleet at an ‘HQ’ level. While we figured out two of the five positions fairly quickly, the two roles we've been most […]
Related
The Final Frontier for Strange New Worlds & A Legend Revived! Across the Universe June 2025!
As we wait impatiently for the launch of Strange New Worlds third season, and the resolution to the dramatic cliff-hanger that saw the Enterprise crew separated in a battle against the Gorn, Paramount has given the bittersweet news that the series end is in sight by announcing earlier this month that it's fifth season would be it's last. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqPH7UhKYI In a joint statement, the executive producers – Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers – focused on the adventures to come whilst being thankful for the journey so far. “ “We’re deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey.” Some time and a couple of Hollywood strikes ago, SNW's third and fourth […]
Across The Universe: Strange New World Premiere!
As we look over the months news and updates for the Star Trek Universe, there's only one topic that's on everyone's minds as the Star Trek Universe gets itself rteady for a return to the Enterprise and it's adventures to Strange New Worlds... Between writers strikes and production closures, the wait for Strange New Worlds' third season has felt as long as the five year mission itself. But the Enterprise is soon returning and we have a small idea of when Captain Pike and the crew will be back on Paramount Plus! The Tribeca Film Festival, running from June 4-15th, has announced that Strange New Worlds will become part of the line up with the premiere of season 3 being held at the festival in New York. Alongside a panel featuring Anson Mount, Celia Rose Gooding and more including producer […]
Across The Universe: Khan’t Get Enough New Trek News in February 2025
Another month, another round up of Star Trek news as two very different productions wrap up with their cast to prepare for launch, and we get more new toys to play with! KHAN'T GET ENOUGH With little said about the project since it's announcement tin 2022, the Khan audio drama has made some noise as they announced production had wrapped! Originally pitched as a miniseries by Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer during the early days of Discovery's Trek revival, the Ceti Alpha Five script was shelved as part of Meyer's quiiet departure and revived not too long ago. Keeping things relatively quiet since casting calls were announced a year later, it seems we'll see (or hear!) the story finally come to all major streaming platforms later this year. Joined by writers Kirsten Beyer and David Mack, Meyers story focuses […]
Kelvin Timeline Producer Robert Orci Passes Away Ages 51
A follower of the Enterprise and it's adventures from a young age, Roberto Orci was introduced to Star Trek by his uncle and would grow up to introduce a short lived, but highly memorable, Captain Robau in thanks and tribute to the uncle that started the journey into sci fi and fantasy. A graduate of Crossroads School for Arts and the University of Texas, Orci would gain his first experience as a television writer in the Xena and Hercules worlds and would begin creative partnerships with Alex Kurtzman and JJ Abrahms through collaborations on Alias, in co creating the popular sci fi show Fringe and many more. Entering the Star Trek world in the 2000's, Orci brought his long time fandom to JJ Abrahms production group following their success with two of Paramounts other franchises, Mission Impossible and Transformers. Tasked […]
Across The Universe! Black Ops Missions & Lifetime Achievements!
The year begins with a New Trek bringing us to even strange new worlds while franchise - both old and new - celebrate upcoming awards ceremonies. Section 31 Released... After a long, long wait the potentially least anticipated project in the Star Trek Universe was released on January 25th as Section 31, starring Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as reformed (kinda) Emperor Georgiou displaced in time and recruited to rejoin Section 31 for a dangerous mission to protect the Federation in the most non Federation way possible. Initially developed as a full series exploring the nature of the organisation's questionable origins and motives, the project was placed in the hands of new writers to transform the concept into a made for streaming movie as a condensed action piece that limited the original intention and replaced it with something a little […]
[Universe] Section 31 Release Date, New Additions to Trek & More
As Star Trek shifts to a new era as several shows have came to a close, October has offered a glance at whats to come in it's future with new cast joining two upcoming shows and a final launch date for the Section 31 offshoot announced.
