Star Trek has had a challenging history with contemporary audiences. Because it has not been able to reach the heights of popularity that it once held due to those early seasons. The new wave of Star Trek movies went a long way in taking the franchise into the mainstream, and for a time, it looked as if the series was going to go down this rebranded route for the long-term.
As fans know, that didn't end up coming to fruition, and although there are always discussions about returning to the Star Trek film universe for future outings, right now, those projects have been put on pause. It ultimately didn't matter because Star Trek fans were satisfied with a new structure of programming that seemed to finally promise that the franchise was here to stay. Shockingly, for the first time in nearly a decade, that status now looks uncertain.
Star Trek Made A Triumphant Comeback To TV
Back in 2017, a major moment in Star Trek history occurred. Star Trek: Discovery was commissioned, a series that promised to take its viewers to new worlds alongside a debuting crew of diverse characters. It was a show that paid homage to the golden age of Star Trek lore but boldly went where the series hadn't gone in quite a while: to new territory.
Star Trek: Discovery was designed to be a franchise-builder, away from the recent movie run and in line with a whole host of concept ideas on how to further add to this universe. Star Trek: Discovery's early success was enough to move forward with some of those spinoffs, and thus, a new era of Star Trek mythology was born.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is directly tied to its predecessor, but it was much bolder with its narrative design. The showrunners took bigger risks, resulting in increased ratings and a more positive critical consensus. The franchise also began to recast early characters like Spock, who had already made such an impact. It was time to refresh the franchise, and…