Star Trek's Upcoming Prequel Movie Is Pulling The Same Trick For The 4th Time

Star Trek's first theatrical film in 8 years will be another prequel that attempts to pull the same franchise trick for the 4th time. 2016's Star Trek Beyond release was the last Star Trek film to be seen on the big screen, and its lack of mega-hit status is one factor that mired Star Trek 4 in development hell. Since 2017, Star Trek TV shows – and soon, its very first streaming movie – have been released on streaming platforms like Paramount+ and Netflix. Star Trek's untitled origin movie is expected in 2026 and will mark the franchise's 4th attempt to do the same thing.

J.J. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek movie franchise in 2009, which marked the second time Star Trek attempted a prequel. The first was the Scott Bakula-led Star Trek: Enterprise, which depicted the first of several versions of the Starship Enterprise a century before Star Trek: The Original Series. After Star Trek Beyond, another prequel TV series, Star Trek: Discovery, was set a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series. While Star Trek: Discovery eventually sent the show into the 32nd century, its spin-off series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds became yet another prequel to the Star Trek: The Original Series era.

Star Trek's New Prequel Is Its Fourth Attempt At Telling An Origin Story

The new film will be set primarily on Earth and may depict humanity's early contact with aliens

The appeal of an origin story is a strong one, especially considering how vast and diverse the Star Trek timeline is. With so many beloved characters and iconic stories, the desire to see the origins of some of sci-fi's greatest narratives comes as no surprise. However, after 4 versions of the prequel premise, it might be time for Star Trek to look to the future instead of focusing on its canon timeline's past. But with Star Trek's unnamed origin movie supposedly in production with an expected – but not confirmed – 2026 release date, the franchise still seems to be going backward.

The problem isn't with the concept of prequels, which have been mostly successful in the past, but rather with the repeated attempts at getting them right. Although what's next for Star Trek might not be a reach into the future, there are a few upcoming projects that might end up counterbalancing the overuse of prequels. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century after Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) reopens the Academy. Star Trek's first streaming movie, Star Trek: Section 31, will feature flashbacks of Emperor Philippa Georgiou's (Michelle Yeoh) younger years in the Mirror Universe, but it isn't necessarily a prequel.

Star Trek Should Focus On The Future, Not The Past

Looking to the future is the best way to move the franchise forward

If Star Trek continues to look for stories in the established canon's past, then the timeline can't move forward, and the universe can't expand. This dilemma might even slow the creation of new Star Trek projects, which have been heavily reliant on the current canon. The exciting part about Star Trek is boldly going where no one has gone before, so revisiting the same places won't end well if it continues to be the only plan for new content. New, exciting, fresh stories set in the future – or somewhere the franchise hasn't been – would be exactly what Star Trek desperately needs.

Star Trek's optimistic next show is a step in the right direction for a franchise that's long since been too focused on its own past. Even still, there are more prequel projects than anything else, and the balance needs to be brought back. Star Trek's untitled prequel is expected to depict humanity's early contact with aliens, but since that narrative has been covered before, the 4th attempt at an origin story will have to find a new way to tell the story. With so much focus on explaining the past, Star Trek runs the risk of getting stuck there.