Back in the day, Star Trek movies were direct spinoffs of the TV shows, with the casts of both The Original Series and The Next Generation starring in numerous films each. For the past decade, though, the two halves of the franchise have gone in separate directions, but some corporate reshuffling means that they could tie into each other again. Given that, is it possible that we could see a Star Trek: Discovery movie at some point?
TrekCore asked this question to showrunner Alex Kurtzman, and he didn’t rule out the idea. That said, the EP – who will co-run the series with Michelle Paradise from season 3 onward – didn’t commit to anything either and stressed that it would have to come from the need to tell a story in that format.
“I think that question, for me, is more, ‘What’s the story that is specific to the big screen, and why would it be better told [as a movie]?’ And to me, that’s a story better told in two hours, or if you’re looking at the model of a lot of serialized movies these days, it maybe a few two-hour movies that tell a larger story… almost like you do with a season of television, but over the course of five years in the theaters. I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I also feel like we have to keep forging new ground, and Discovery is such a great place now that we would have to have a reason that inspires us to want us to take it to the big screen.”
In case you’re unaware, CBS and Viacom recently merged, bringing the rights to Star Trek on both the small and big screens under the same roof for the first time in 15 years. CBS CEO David Nevins has said that there are active plans afoot to build up the brand, with a particular view to appealing to a younger audience.
So, has Kurtzman had to change his plans for the future of Trek on TV? Apparently not, according to what he said to Trek Core.
“No, it’s very business-as-usual for us. It has not impacted our plans at all. We have a slate of shows that’s going to take us easily through the next five years. So that’s the plan looking forward, and if movies come into play then we’ll be ready.”
That slate of shows includes two animated series – one for adults, one for kids – a Section 31 spinoff, Short Treks and, of course, Picard. As for Star Trek: Discovery, that one returns to CBS All Access for its third season sometime in 2020.