Star Trek & Yellowstone: Solving Streaming & Network TV Challenges

2 hours ago 7

Published Apr 8, 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.

Taylor Sheridan's wildly successful Yellowstone franchise has the answer to a common complaint from fans about modern Star Trek. Paramount+ only has two Star Trek shows left, with both Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds preparing to air their final seasons in 2027. After that, the future of Star Trek's TV franchise is unclear.

While the 60-year-old Star Trek franchise remains an important cornerstone IP for Paramount Skydance, the undisputed king of Paramount+'s TV efforts is Taylor Sheridan. Yellowstone's flagship wrapped on Paramount Network in 2025, but Sheridan's many series dominate Paramount+, with Landman among the biggest shows on television.

Meanwhile, the Yellowstone franchise is mounting a resurgence through spinoffs from the original saga headlined by Kevin Costner. CBS's Marshals successfully brought Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) to the network's tried-and-true procedural format. In May, The Dutton Ranch, about Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), premieres on Paramount+, billed as, essentially, Yellowstone season 6.

Star Trek Can Solve A Big Problem By Following Yellowstone’s Spinoff Formula

This is not a suggestion that Star Trek be turned into a neo-Western, although Gene Roddenberry did lean into the Western, the most popular TV genre of his era, by pitching Star Trek as "wagon train to the stars." Rather, Star Trek can emulate Yellowstone's efforts to make different kinds of shows for both streaming and network TV.

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For years, Star Trek fans have griped about one particular aspect of Paramount+'s Star Trek series: there aren't enough episodes. Trekkies long for the 26-episode seasons of Star Trek from executive producer Rick Berman's era in the 1990s and early 2000s, which were a result of Star Trek airing in syndication and on UPN (United Paramount Network).

The common refrain of Paramount+'s Star Trek series not having enough episodes is also tied to further issues with how Star Trek is presented on streaming, with an emphasis on style over substance. Longtime Trekkies don't compare the new Star Trek series favorably to the more story-driven and cerebral past Star Trek series.

Yellowstone's current split between streaming and network TV could be the answer to Star Trek's woes. What if, when Star Trek returns from the probable dark age after 2027 that fans are bracing for, there could be two series: one Star Trek that streams on Paramount+, and another designed for linear network television?

Currently, Paramount Skydance is deciding the future direction of Star Trek, which may not include executive producer Alex Kurtzman and his shingle, Secret Hideout. After a decade of Star Trek under Kurtzman, Paramount Skydance may want someone new running Star Trek, and perhaps make an entirely new kind of Star Trek.

Paramount owns the IPs for Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone, Star Trek, and they own the CBS Network. Indeed, both Star Trek: Discovery and Yellowstone aired on CBS in the past. Just as Marshals is now on CBS, with season 1 running for 13 episodes, perhaps a new Star Trek could be made for the network with up to 22–26 episodes, while Star Trek also returns to streaming on Paramount+ with 10 episodes.

Why Star Trek On Streaming & Network Is The Best Of Both Worlds

A Star Trek series streaming on Paramount+ side-by-side with a Star Trek series airing on CBS — the way Yellowstone's Marshals procedural and Paramount+'s serialized The Dutton Ranch will complement each other — could be a boon to the overall Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek on CBS might be more traditional in the style of the classic series, with plenty of episodic adventures, exploration, and problem-solving. Meanwhile, a new Star Trek series streaming on Paramount+ can be where the envelope is pushed, with cinematic action, serialization, and experimental storytelling.

The various demands of 'what Star Trek should be' can be satisfied.

Both series would be Star Trek. Fans can choose one or the other, or they can watch both, and the various demands of 'what Star Trek should be' can be satisfied. And, just as Marshals and The Dutton Ranch reportedly will have no issues with their characters crossing over, the two Star Trek shows could also dip into each other's narratives and have crossovers.

A Star Trek series on CBS would also free the franchise from being trapped behind a paywall, as it has been since Star Trek: Discovery launched in 2017. Network Star Trek, in the traditional format, can be the catalyst for expanding the fanbase, where they can sample new voyages in the final frontier for free. Meanwhile, Paramount+ can continue to deliver 'prestige TV' Star Trek.

Alex Kurtzman's era of Star Trek diversified the franchise with serialization, comedy, animation, greater LGBTQIA+ representation, and a return to the classic episodic format. Yet Kurtzman's shows were bound by Paramount+'s streaming requirements of only 10 episodes.

By creating different kinds of Star Trek (that still share a universe) for both Paramount+ and CBS, Star Trek and fans can have the best of both worlds.