Where Scott Bakula’s New CBS Show Leaves His Star Trek Comeback Explained By EP

Published Oct 12, 2026, 6:30 AM EDT

John Orquiola is a 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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Scott Bakula is eyeing a return to CBS, and Star Trek: Enterprise writer-producer Michael Sussman explains how that affects his potential comeback as President Jonathan Archer.

Bakula will executive produce and star in an untitled "high concept detective procedural" series from Dean Devlin's Electric Entertainment, which is in development at CBS. Scott's new series is created by Sussman, who was a writer and producer on Star Trek: Enterprise, and his other credits include Star Trek: Voyager, Perception, 12 Monkeys, and The Last Ship. However, Sussman and Bakula have also pitched Star Trek: United, a political and family drama about Jonathan Archer as President of the United Federation of Planets.

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TrekMovie spoke to Michael Sussman about his new series with Scott Bakula, and what it means for Star Trek: United. Sussman says his focus is now on his new CBS project. Meanwhile, the possibility of Star Trek: United happening depends on what Skydance, the new owners of Paramount+, does with the Star Trek franchise. Read Mike's quote below:

Michael Sussman: “I’d love to make United someday, and with the recent change of command over there [Paramount+/Skydance], who knows? Right now, all my time and energy are going into this script for CBS, and there’s nobody I’d rather be working with than Scott. If United comes together too, that’s a high-class problem I wouldn’t mind having.”

In 2025, Sussman and Bakula shocked fans by revealing they developed Star Trek: United and even pitched it to Alex Kurtzman's Secret Hideout and Paramount+ years ago. Although it was received positively, at the time, United's concept was considered too close to the then-in development Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Since their initial pitch, Sussman has reworked Star Trek: United and continued its development and world-building. Mike has shared many details about Star Trek: United, including the names and background of President Archer's children, who would be major characters in the series. Sussman also confirmed that Todd Stashwick would return as Talok, the Romulan operative he portrayed on Enterprise.

Skydance reportedly plans to take Star Trek in a new direction after the final seasons of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds premiere on Paramount+ in 2027. A new Star Trek movie is Paramount's priority, with a new TV series to follow. However, Skydance also wants to entice new viewers by distancing Star Trek from its legacy characters and 60 years of canon.

Disinterest in legacy characters and Skydance's overall agenda for Star Trek makes Star Trek: United unlikely, yet things can also change. Scott Bakula has publicly expressed his interest in playing Jonathan Archer again, and Michael Sussman is also well-prepared to launch his follow up to Star Trek: Enterprise if called, even as he and Bakula work on their new CBS detective series.

Star Trek: Enterprise is streaming on Paramount+

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  Scott Bakula

  Jonathan Archer

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  Jolene Blalock

  T'Pol