Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Starfleet Academy Update on Filming, Release

In an interview with Collider, Star Trek head honcho Alex Kurtzman provided an update on Starfleet Academy. To sum, the show is halfway done writing the 10 episodes of the first season with filming planning to begin this summer. Due to Star Trek's visual effects needs, the season will need at least another 8 months of post production so will likely not air until 2026.
"It could end up not airing until 2026. We don’t know. But by starting [shooting in late summer], just building the sets alone is a massive endeavor, then six months of shooting, then six to eight months of post. If you recall, there was all this noise around Season 1 and Season 2 of Discovery because the streaming service, they were like, 'Oh, it’s like a turnaround on a cop show.' I’m like, 'No, you don’t understand. It’s eight months of visual effects turnaround, and we’re not gonna rush that.' So, it’ll come out, but it’ll come out when it’s done."

"There's a lot of different kids from a lot of different places. Some of them want to be there, some of them don’t want to be there. It’s gonna be a fundamental reinforcement of all the things we love about Starfleet, in general. You always want to ask yourself, 'Why this show now?' I think that one of the big things that certainly my 17-year-old son is facing, which is kind of a fundamental 'Star Trek' question, is, 'How did we get here? How has this generation inherited the mistakes from previous generations? And what are we gonna do to fix it, to build that optimistic future that is Roddenberry’s essential vision?' That is very much going to be at the heart of Starfleet Academy ."

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Star Trek: Discovery Final Season Trailer

Paramount+ has released the first full trailer for Star Trek: Discovery's final season. The series will start on April 4 with its first two episodes. New episodes will premiere each Thursday morning Eastern Time for total of 10 episodes. Synopsis:
The fifth and final season will find Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well… dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Star Trek: Discovery's Final Season Begins April 4

Paramount has announced that Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season will premiere on Paramount+ starting April 4. The first two episodes of the ten episode season will premiere on that date with each new episode coming out weekly each Thursday. The synopsis:

Star Trek: Legacy Series Unlikely

In an interview with Terry Matalas over at TrekMovie, the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 showrunner discussed various topics around the season along with possibility of a Star Trek: Legacy series that fans are clamoring for. Full interview is worth reading but here are relevant quotes about the future of a Legacy series.
There’s not [any movement]. They have ‘Star Trek’ that they are making and they only have so much money and streaming space. There’s currently not, but we’re looking forward to whatever the ‘Star Trek’ universe brings … and never say never. 

Look, anything is possible. We certainly wouldn’t be ‘Oh no, we aren’t going to do a [Legacy] movie.’ For me, I would just need this crew, I would need this cast, and as long as that was a possibility, we would figure something out, yeah. A series is obviously ideal because there are so many stories to tell. And the 25th century in general in ‘Star Trek’ is such a rich thing.
While he isn't closing the door on it, its pretty clear that Star Trek: Legacy is not happening anytime soon. I honestly doubt it is due to lack of interest or them ignoring the fans. I think it comes down to the usual killer of many Hollywood ideas - budget. 

Paramount is still attempting to get their budget under control and eliminate their date, something that has grown in urgency as there is talk of selling the company. We already saw the effects of the budget cuts last year with Star Trek: Discovery suddenly being cancelled and Star Trek: Prodigy being cancelled and shopped to Netflix. 

The budget probably allowed for a new show if it was going to be cheaper than current cost of Discovery and Starfleet Academy had already been chosen, with significant savings probably coming from re-use of existing everything (sets, props, some cast, crew, etc.) that can be used from Discovery. Likely that savings allowed them to budget the Section 31 movie since a series was no longer feasible for other reasons besides budget including Michelle Yeoh's increased demand after winning an Oscar.

This could change in a few years depending on the fortunes of streaming, how the future of Paramount shakes out and if Star Trek can continue its string of successes (however that is defined nowadays), all of which could loosen (or tighten) those purse strings.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Star Trek: Section 31 Production Has Begun

Paramount+ via StarTrek.com has announced that Star Trek: Section 31 movie has begun production. The initial intent was a series but between unknown delays, budget cuts and star Michelle Yeoh winning an Academy Award and becoming busier than ever, a series was no longer a possiblility.

Besides Yeoh, the cast of the movie will include Omari Hardwick (Powers), Kacey Rohl (Hannibal), Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso), Sven Ruygrok (One Piece), Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), Humberly Gonzalez (Ginny and Georgia), and James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry). Currently there are no details on the story or a release date for the movie on Paramount+. Considering how visual effects heavy Star Trek tends to be, a finished film is unlikely until at least early fall. You can read more about the cast here.

Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman enthusiastically states, "And we’re off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on Star Trek: Section 31. We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the Trek universe."