Star Trek writer Akiva Goldsman shares disappointing update on proposed spin-off

Star Trek legend Akiva Goldsman has offered up an update on his proposed series, Year One – and it's not exactly what fans will have been hoping for.

The writer has long spoken about his hopes to bring another Trek spin-off to screens, which would continue on from his show Strange New Worlds, and follow James T Kirk's first years in the captain's chair on board the USS Enterprise.

However, speaking exclusively to Radio Times around Star Trek's 60th anniversary, Goldsman revealed that it's not looking good.

"Nobody's called, the sets are gone," he said. "Everybody else has started to take other jobs. It's never been officially yes, and it's never been officially no. But I don't see it happening."

He added: "I don't know. It's above my pay grade. Maybe somebody calls and says, 'Hey, do a two-hour movie,' or, 'We want the show.' Great! But there was a moment where it would have been the most expeditious, creatively and economically, to just continue because we had a lot of assets which are now no longer.

"I think this is one of those, 'What does new Paramount want with Star Trek?' Chris Parnell [Executive Vice President and Head of Originals for Paramount+] is in charge of it.

"I've spent some time with him since he's been working and he's a real Star Trek fan. He is somebody who loves Star Trek. So I have faith that what he'll do will be real Star Trek. I don't think it's going to be Year One, although I'd be thrilled if it was."

Strange New Worlds has filmed its fifth and final season, which is expected to air next year, and now Goldsman feels his time at Star Trek has come to an end.

“I would have loved to have done Year One and kept on with this group because they're my cohort now,” he said. "I feel familial with them, and I understand the Star Trek that we made together. And should [Paramount] call tomorrow and say, ‘Let's do that,’ I'll come running.

“But I do think that, at least for me, my time with Star Trek is over now. I was really lucky – Strange New Worlds was everything I imagined when I couldn't even imagine it, as a little boy playing Star Trek. Now I got to be a bigger boy playing Star Trek with somebody else's toys.

“It’s a literal dream come true, but now somebody else needs to do it. Somebody else needs to know what Star Trek is to them. Somebody who fell in love with Star Trek watching Lower Decks, or somebody who has just never shaken The Animated Series.”

He added: “As much as I'd like to still keep playing, because it's fun, I also understand the value of renewal and whether it renews itself perfectly the first or the second or the third iteration of whatever the next – dare I say – generation of these shows are, it'll find its way. It always does.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is available to watch on Paramount+ now. You can sign up to Paramount+ for a seven-day free trial.

Add Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.