Summary
Though talk about the possibility of aStar Trek: Legacyshow has died down of late,Star Trekactor LeVar Burton wants to bring the conversation back to the forefront. In a recent interview, he said that he believesStar Trek: Legacyshould happen and explained why.
SinceStar Trek: Picardbrought back several legacy characters, including Seven of Nine and the entire bridge crew of TNG,fans have been calling for a showbased on the lives and careers of their favorite classicStar Trekcharacters. Demand for such a show only increased when the series finale ofPicard, which aired in 2023, perfectly set up a spin-off featuring Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), both of whom were central characters throughoutPicard’sthree seasons, as well as Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher.PicardshowrunnerTerry Matalas seemed on board, suggesting the titleStar Trek: Legacy, and for a while, it seemed like the show would head into production. However, Paramount+ never confirmed the show, and instead turned its focus to the upcomingStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Interest in the series among fans andStar Trekactors hasn’t waned, though, as Burton made clear in an interview withTVLineearlier this week. The topic came up when the interviewer asked Burton to respond to comments his colleague and friend Patrick Stewart had made at ComicCon a few years earlier, hinting that fans hadn’t seen the last of the TNG characters. Burton responded, saying that both he and his TNG costars would be happy to return to the Paramount+Star Trekuniverse, and that he believesStar Trek: Legacyis the logical next step for the franchise.
Burton Holds Out Hope for ‘Legacy’
Burton explained his perspective, saying, “then AND now, at least for us, the cast – and the audience, two years on, seem to be just as interested in the idea of Legacy as when Picard was just airing.”
He went on to say that he doesn’t have much of a say in what happens in the currentStar Trekuniverse, adding that it’s clear Paramount+ is really focused onStarfleet Academyright now. However, Burton emphasized that he still has hope forStar Trek: Legacy.
“I would think that given the opportunity and the resources, that they would want to do this. It makes so much sense… It makes so much sense.”
Will Fans Ever Get a ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ Show?
Though it’s common for proposed projects like this to fade into obscurity as time goes on, especially when the franchise is focused on other projects, Burton’s comments indicate that the idea ofStar Trek: Legacyis still fresh in the minds of both the actors and the fans. And in an interview on the podcast TheD-Con Chamberearlier this year, Matalas indicated that the project is still on his mind as well.
He revealed that the creative team behind the modernStar Trekuniverse had talked a lot aboutLegacy,even developing storylines and writing scenes. Matalas added that he believes fans will always be interested in the premise ofLegacyand the characters it would include, so he’s not too worried that the show isn’t happening right now. Like Burton, he holds out hope that it will be greenlit in the future.
While these recent comments aboutStar Trek: Legacyare encouraging, fans shouldn’t expect anything to come of them in the near future. Paramount+ has been very intentional with their plans for theStar Trekuniverse. Though fans did get that one, wonderful year of newStar Trekepisodes literally every week, that was when Paramount+ was just launching their modernStar Trekuniverse.
Several years later, now that the modernStar Trekuniverse is well-established, Paramount+ is thinning the roster, ensuring that each individual show they launch has enough of the fanbase’s attention to succeed. With resources firmly allocated toStar Trek: Strange New Worlds,Starfleet Academy, and the comedy series Tawny Newsome has in development, Paramount+ is unlikely to move forward with a newStar Trekshow anytime soon, especially since they’ll have two dramatic series within the same franchise on the air at the same time.
That being said, Trek insiders keep saying “never say never” aboutStar Trek:Legacy, so patient fans may still get their wish onceStarfleet Academyis well-established.
