Picard Showrunner On How Star Trek: Legacy Would Change If Greenlit By Paramount+ Now: “It Wouldn’t Be Exactly The Same.”

Published Sep 30, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT

John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

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Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas' concept for Star Trek: Legacy would be different if Paramount+ greenlit it today, as Matalas would change it to reflect the needs of Star Trek going forward.

Terry Matalas earned raves from fans and critics for masterminding Star Trek: Picard season 3, which ended with a setup for a spinoff he dubbed Star Trek: Legacy. Despite three years of support from fans and Picard season 3's talent in front of and behind the camera, Paramount+ didn't move forward with the spinoff. Today, there is no new Star Trek in production as Paramount Skydance prepares to take the franchise in an unspecified new direction.

TrekMovie's Anthony Pascale spoke to Terry Matalas at the Los Angeles premiere of the new documentary, The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World. “I hope I get a chance to play in that sandbox again. I would love nothing more,” Matalas said about returning to Star Trek. Regarding Star Trek: Legacy, Terry believes "too much time has passed" since Picard season 3, and if that series were greenlit today, "It wouldn't be exactly the same" as his original plan. Read Matalas' quote below:

Terry Matalas: “It wouldn’t be exactly the same. I think too much time has passed. But I think there are elements of that idea that are right, which is a younger generation and an older generation coming together. But I don’t know that it would be exactly the same thing now. Again, it really comes down to Star Trek has to bring in new viewers, but it also has to honor the old and the fans that have been here from the beginning.”

Matalas wrote roughly 30 pages of Star Trek: Legacy's pilot, focusing on Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), and the USS Enterprise-G. Terry has also said Star Trek: Legacy would have centered on the Klingons and the father/son relationship between Worf (Michael Dorn) and his son, Alexander. Plus, Todd Stashwick returns as a holographic version of the late Liam Shaw.

Terry doesn't specify if he would make Star Trek: Legacy today if Paramount+ asked him to return to Star Trek. Rather, he discussed his broader ideas for the franchise's future, acknowledging the necessary balance that Star Trek "has to bring in new viewers" but also needs to "honor" the older fans. Matalas would tweak his original plan for Star Trek: Legacy and create a show about "a younger generation and an older generation coming together."

Whether any new Star Trek show Terry Matalas would theoretically create for Paramount+ would involve the casts of Star Trek: Picard season 3 or Star Trek: The Next Generation is pure speculation. Matalas is looking at the bigger picture of what Paramount Skydance seems to want to do with Star Trek, which is make it inviting to new audiences. However, Terry is right that the generations of existing Star Trek fans also have to be serviced.

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Terry Matalas' success with Star Trek: Picard season 3 led to Marvel Studios head (and Star Trek fan) Kevin Feige tapping him as showrunner of Marvel Studios' Vision Quest, which premieres October 14 on Disney+. However, with Alex Kurtzman's contract to oversee Star Trek up by the end of 2026, Paramount+ is looking for a new executive producer to run the franchise. Matalas would be open to the job if offered, telling TrekMovie:

Terry Matalas: “Yes, of course, of course! I mean, knowing Kevin, I know that it’s really hard to be a Kevin Feige. But for Star Trek? That’s a dream come true. I grew up wanting to do that, so of course I would.”

Star Trek: Legacy may never happen the way he originally envisioned, but Star Trek fans would champion Terry Matalas as the next head honcho for the franchise, as Star Trek: Picard season 3 proved he has the right vision for the final frontier. Matalas understands the challenges Star Trek faces in the future if it wants to continue for another 60 years.