I’m jealous that Star Wars movies will soon be back in theaters, unlike Star Trek. Star Wars Celebration Japan recently ended, and it was a galvanizing event for Star Wars fans. The centerpiece of several exciting Star Wars Celebration announcements was the official unveiling of the next two Star Wars movies: The Mandalorian & Grogu will hit theaters in May 2026, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter, which premieres in May 2027. Meanwhile, Star Trek movies are still in limbo.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu is directed by Jon Favreau and brings back Pedro Pascal as Djn Djarin alongside the beloved baby Yoda, Grogu, while the announcement of Sigourney Weaver joining the film as a starfighter pilot was a jaw-dropper. Director Shawn Levy also dazzled by bringing out his leading man, Ryan Gosling, and unveiling his movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, which takes place a few years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Six years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker simultaneously grossed $1 billion at the box office but pleased few fans, Lucasfilm and Disney seem to have overcome their movie development malaise. The Force is strong with Star Wars movies again, and fans are feeling a new sense of excitement and optimism. It would be great if the same could be said for the state of Star Trek movies to lift the spirits of the fans of Starfleet’s big-screen voyages.
Star Trek Movies Are Still In Development Hell
Theatrical & Streaming Star Trek Movies Are A Big Question Mark
While Star Wars is on its way back to movie theaters, Star Trek movies remain in dry dock. The last Star Trek theatrical release, Star Trek Beyond, directed by Justin Lin and produced by J.J. Abrams, was in 2016 – nine years ago. In the years since, filmmakers like Noah Hawley, S.J. Clarkson, Matt Shakman, and even Quentin Tarantino walked away from Star Trek movies over creative differences with Paramount Studios. There seems to be no end in sight to Star Trek movies’ development hell.
A bright spot was the advent of made-for-streaming Star Trek movies on Paramount+. If Trekkers can’t see a big screen theatrical Star Trek adventure, Star Trek streaming movies were, optimistically, the next best thing. However, audiences and critics alike did not care for Paramount+’s first release, Star Trek: Section 31. Not even Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh could make Section 31 a movie that Star Trek fans embraced. The future of Star Trek streaming movies is now questionable, as well.
It’s encouraging to know that two new Star Wars movies are en route.
Lucasfilm and Disney seem to have overcome a slew of missteps and smartly refocused theatrical movies as the bread and ʙuттer of Star Wars. Although recent Disney+ Star Wars shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew weren’t as beloved as The Mandalorian‘s first two seasons, Star Wars movies getting back on track is a sH๏τ in the arm to the galaxy far, far away. It’s encouraging to know that two new Star Wars movies are en route with major names and successful directors like Jon Favreau and Shawn Levy behind the camera.
Star Wars Will Celebrate Its 50th Anniversary With A Movie
Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary May Pᴀss Without A Movie
2027 is the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Star Wars: A New Hope, and Star Wars: Starfighter will celebrate the milestone with a new theatrical release. Even diversified across multimedia like streaming television, comics, novels, and video games, Star Wars is, at its core, a movie franchise first and foremost. The ‘specialness’ of Star Wars is directly related to its ability to deliver beloved cinematic blockbusters like The Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One. The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter back-to-back is a genuine cause for excitement.
Star Trek may not ring in its 60th anniversary in 2026 with a new movie.
Star Trek Beyond’s 2016 release marked Star Trek‘s 50th anniversary, but Star Trek may not ring in its 60th anniversary in 2026 with a new movie. Star Trek, which is primarily a TV franchise, does have Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 expected to release on Paramount+ in 2026, so Star Trek‘s 60th will be covered on the TV side. Unfortunately, a big-budget Star Trek movie that could woo general audiences the way J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot did in 2009 doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary.
Will Another Star Trek Movie Be Made?
It’s Been A Long Time Since There Was A Star Trek Movie Update
It’s been a year since there was a significant update to Star Trek movies. In April 2024, Paramount Studios officially announced an Unтιтled Star Trek Origin movie directed by Toby Haynes, who helmed episodes of Star Wars: Andor and Black Mirror’s Star Trek homages, “USS Callister” and “USS Callister Into Infinity.” However, Paramount made no mention of Haynes’ Star Trek prequel movie at CinemaCon 2025. There’s also been no further word of X-Men producer Simon Kinberg reportedly being hired to produce Star Trek movies.
Meanwhile, Star Trek 4 starring Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock remains a pie-in-the-sky idea that Paramount can’t seem to crack. Pine and his fellow actors have repeatedly publicly stated that they would love to return to the Starship Enterprise. Like the Star Trek Origin movie, the last update on Star Trek 4 was last year when Steve Yockey was reportedly hired to write a new screenplay, but there has been silence since then.
It’s disappointing that there’s no indication a new Star Trek movie is coming.
It’s possible that Toby Haynes’ Star Trek Origin prequel could ramp up production sometime in 2025 since it was reportedly further along than Star Trek 4 and close to a green light from Paramount. In that case, it’s feasible for Haynes to deliver a new Star Trek movie to theatergoers in time for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary in 2026. It would be a boon to fans of both franchises if there were a Star Wars and Star Trek movie in 2026 to flock to theaters for, but it’s disappointing that there’s no indication a new Star Trek movie is coming.
Why Movies Are Still Important To Star Trek
Star Trek Is More Than A TV Franchise
Star Trek‘s roots are in television, and the franchise is generally considered to be at its best on the small screen. Episodic and serialized television lets Star Trek explore its complex characters and myriad moral and ethical questions, which are hallmarks of Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic universe, as well as take ‘big swings’ like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ musical episode. However, there’s also something undeniably special about Star Trek movies.
From Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) fighting the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact, to Chris Pine’s young Captain Kirk saving Earth in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek movies have delivered many iconic moments that have become seminal aspects of the franchise. Star Trek movies, especially the J.J. Abrams trilogy, also welcome mainstream audiences that find Star Trek‘s 900+ hours of TV episodes daunting.
J.J. Abrams, who directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, rebooted Star Trek to be more like Star Wars, upgrading its visual effects to be more palatable to summer blockbuster movie audiences.
I’m excited to go back to movie theaters to enjoy The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter on the big screen in 2026 and 2027. But I’d love to also have a Star Trek movie (or two) to look forward to as well. I’m so envious of Star Wars that they’re on their way back to movie theaters, and I dearly wish the same for Star Trek.
