Getty The cast of the "Star Trek" Kelvin Timeline films.
The history of “Star Trek” is filled with shows and films that were rumored but never came to be and now word of a new proposal has made its way online.
On August 23, Giant Freaking Robot published an “exclusive” claiming that a new television show is being planned that would feature the cast of the so-called Kelvin Timeline, which has so far existed only in the films created by J.J. Abrams.
Starting with “Star Trek” in 2009 and followed by “Star Trek Into Darkness” in 2013 and “Star Trek Beyond” in 2016, the Kelvin Timeline features familiar characters like Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Scotty played by new actors. Chris Pine has led the cast with support from the likes of Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg. A fourth film has long been discussed, but ongoing contract negotiations have kept it from becoming a reality.
Giant Freaking Robot’s report says Paramount executives are now interested in moving away from the big screen and bringing the Kelvin Timeline to television via the Paramount+ streaming service, which is home to the other five Trek shows currently in production.
Other Shows in Development
A Kelvin Timeline show would bring the number of Trek shows in development to three. A show focusing on cadets at Starfleet Academy and another starring Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou as a member of the secretive Section 31 are both reportedly in the works as well.
These two shows would be spinoffs of “Discovery,” which saw its fourth season broadcast this year. The Georgiou character has been recurring since season 1, when her prime universe self was replaced by the decidedly more cruel mirror universe version.
Season 4 of “Discovery” also laid some of the groundwork for a Starfleet Academy show by having the character Sylvia Tilly (played by Mary Wiseman) leave her duties on the starship Discovery to take on an assignment training cadets.
Rumors That Never Came to Be
As tantalizing as a Kelvin Timeline show might be to some fans, they would do well to remember the many Trek shows and films that never made it past the discussion stage. Going all the way back to the original series, a planned sequel show called “Phase II” gave fans hope. The series never materialized, but ideas from it were used for the animated Trek series of the early 1970s and for “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”
Famous Trek fans Seth McFarlane and Quintin Tarantino were also long-rumored to be attached to “Star Trek” projects. McFarlane’s idea for a show never took hold with Paramount but eventually found a home at Fox and later Hulu in the form of “The Orville.” Tarantino still speaks about his vision for a Trek film, but no serious action toward making it a reality has happened.
More Trek Is Coming
Even if a Kelvin Timeline show never gets off the ground, Trek fans will have a lot of content to view. Season 3 of “Lower Decks” is set to begin streaming new episodes on August 25 and season 2 of “Strange New Worlds” wrapped filming in July.