Exclusive: JJ Abrams’s Star Trek Getting Spinoff Shows
Could we be heading back to the world J.J. Abrams established for Star Trek. Our latest exclusive scoop is that a spin-off is in the works
This article is more than 2 years old
Much like the space the franchise sets out to explore, the number of Star Trek projects coming down the pike feels nearly limitless at this point. For a brand that had been a part of the television and movie fabric for decades, the stories are only gearing up in the short term. And there’s no end in sight either with now the possibility of a return to the Star Trek world that J.J. Abrams established for his movies back in 2009.
Our trusted and proven source has some great news when it comes to hopping back into the J.J. Abrams Star Trek universe. Apparently, Paramount is planning a number of shows that are set in this timeline around the characters and stories from those movies. Whether we see some of the main players from those films would remain to be seen, but it would likely establish the Abrams’ world as starting points for future stories in the universe. A very cool development indeed that Giant Freakin Robot had the scoop on about a month ago.
Just because Paramount is planning a set of series around the J.J. Abrams timeline doesn’t mean we are going to hop back into the Enterprise and start exploring the cosmos with that group. But with the continued overlapping of big and small-screen productions, there’s decreasing stigma around landing on a television series with a character. It’s likely an alternate timeline play, but getting those characters back in the mix isn’t outside the realm of possibilities either.
J.J. Abrams gave his own spin on the Star Trek franchise back in 2009 with the titular movie hitting the big screen to much acclaim. A prequel to the original show’s cast and timeline had Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, among others. It offered an imagined glimpse of what Starfleet life was like prior to the William Shatner/ Leonard Nimoy world that popularized the franchise.
Two more movies, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond followed, but things stalled at the fourth movie and never picked back up. The timelines for the stories involved a splintering from the original “reality” established in the show. This is likely what a new series would explore this new timeline in a way that didn’t overlap the current Paramount productions and movies.
If a new set of J.J. Abrams-themed Star Trek shows did hit Paramount, it would raise some interesting questions about how Paramount is handling series in this franchise. There had been talk that any new series wouldn’t be released until the current lineup had a show, or two, run its course. Those include Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, as well the animated Prodigy, and Lower Decks. Would Paramount be willing to expand the lineup if someone like Abrams was on board? It stands to reason they would.
Star Trek has become a major part of the Paramount streaming plan and they are still building out new stories in this world. While space is infinite, offering all manners of possibilities for new ideas, returning to an established world within a set timeline has its own benefits. And this is likely where the J.J. Abrams news stems, wanting a return to a timeline that’s part of the canon that fans and new folks alike can quickly understand and have enjoyed in the past. Time will tell what they plan to make with these new series.
