In the wake of the second season of “Star Trek: Discovery” in early 2019 a fan campaign quickly emerged asking for Anson Mount’s Captain Pike and his Enterprise crew to get their own show.
It took nearly a year, but the green light was given in May 2020 and, two years later after the pandemic had slowed things down a bit, the show’s first season premiered. It took three years to go from a season finale to a show premiere.
Now, with the finale of “Picard” having aired, there’s again a fan campaign emerging asking for “Star Trek: Legacy,” a spin-off show continuing the adventures of the younger crew whilst also incorporating at least some of the Next Generation cast.
How close is this to actual reality? Showrunner Terry Matalas tells Variety that he has spoken with “Star Trek” chief Alex Kurtzman about it. Sadly nothing is in development, and whatever they do they’re not rushing it:
“Alex and I talk all the time. If it’s something that’s going to be done, we want to make sure we don’t rush into it. We want to make sure we do it right. That’s where we’re at with it, I say coyly. At the moment, there’s nothing developed on it. But we talk all the time.
The finale certainly seems to set up a potential new series with Seven, Raffi, Jack and others running the Enterprise-G. Was that deliberate?
“Well, not specifically seeding for a spinoff, as lovely as that is to think about. I definitely wanted the feeling that it could go on, that it was a passing of the torch of the last generation to the next. That I really wanted. I think that’s the spirit of “Star Trek,” that they’re going to continue exploring strange new worlds. That’s a feeling of hope.
So you want to get just a little taste of what that might be – for it to be a satisfying ending, it needed to be a satisfying beginning. Having said that, of course, I want to see Jack and Seven and Sidney and Raffi and everybody go on forever. But yeah, that was the creative impulse behind it.”
If Trek wants him back, they better get him soon. Matalas confirms to the outlet he doesn’t know what’s next for him, and when asked if he’d like to work on the just announced “Galaxy Quest” series, he indicated he’s all for it:
“‘Galaxy Quest’ is like my most favorite thing ever… It remains one of the most perfect movies of all time. And I just lived it! I actually just lived it in every way. So yeah, I said put me in coach. I know what that is.”
Separately, actor Ed Speelers tells Collider he would certainly be back to play Jack Crusher, saying: “I would love, genuinely from the bottom of my heart, I would love to keep playing Jack Crusher… I cannot wax lyrical enough about my experience on this project and playing this role. And I want to do it for as long as I possibly can.”
