Despite an obvious appetite for it, Star Trek: Legacy, Terry Matalas' proposed spinoff from the hugely popular Star Trek: Picard is yet to be greenlit by Paramount, and there are several reasons for this. The ending of Picard's final season left the door wide open for a new Star Trek show that would follow the adventures of the USS Enterprise-G, commanded by Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas has teased that such a show, Star Trek: Legacy, would feature characters from the franchise's past, present, and future as it told the story of Starfleet in the early 25th century.

A petition to make Star Trek: Legacy has reached over 60 thousand signatures, almost double the amount of a similar petition that got Star Trek: Strange New Worlds commissioned. While Star Trek: Legacy seems like an obvious choice for Paramount's next addition to the franchise, no announcement has been forthcoming. Instead, long-gestating projects like Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Section 31 have been confirmed, with no sign of a green light for Legacy. Fans shouldn't lose hope, however, as Star Trek's creative director Alex Kurtzman has acknowledged the fervent appetite for Star Trek: Legacy. It's just unfortunate that there are some major obstacles currently standing in the way of the Star Trek: Picard spinoff becoming a reality.

Why Paramount Plus Hasn’t Greenlit Star Trek: Legacy

The harsh reality facing Star Trek: Legacy is that Paramount is making less, rather than more, Star Trek shows to streamline budgets. It was recently announced that Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 wouldn't be appearing on Paramount+, while Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was canceled, with its fifth and final season due to start streaming in early 2024. With Discovery and Prodigy being wound down, and Star Trek: Picard having already finished for good, it only leaves two ongoing Trek shows still in production, although they've both been impacted by separate real-world issues.

While Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks have been confirmed for seasons 3 and 5 respectively, production on both shows has been halted by industrial action. Delays to Strange New Worlds season 3 and Lower Decks season 5 are the result of ongoing strikes by both the Writers and Screen Actors Guilds of America. These strikes have also delayed production starting on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek: Section 31. Until a better deal for writers and actors is offered to by the studios and accepted by the unions, there will be no discussions about the future of Terry Matalas' proposed Star Trek: Legacy project.

Why Paramount Plus Needs To Make Star Trek: Legacy Happen

Star Trek: Picard season 3 was a huge success for Paramount+, regularly appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 and receiving critical acclaim and awards recognition. If Paramount+ canceled Star Trek: Prodigy based on "numbers" then it should surely look at the impressive numbers achieved by Picard. In doing so, they would recognize that tapping into fan desire for Star Trek: Legacy could expand the franchise with lucrative results for Paramount+.

On top of the fact that commissioning Star Trek: Picard's spinoff makes good business sense, Terry Matalas and his writing team have proved that there are plenty more stories to tell. The shock return of Q (John de Lancie), and the post-Borg future faced by Starfleet provide a fascinating backdrop for new 25th-century adventures that can reflect life in the 21st. The desire for Star Trek: Legacy is undeniable, and it's hoped that, once the ongoing strikes reach a satisfactory conclusion, Paramount will call Terry Matalas into a meeting to outline the next steps for the franchise.