STAR TREK: YEAR ONE Pitch Officially Reaches Paramount Skydance as the Franchise Looks Toward Its Next Era
The future of Star Trek TV is in an interesting place right now. With the first season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy wrapped and more episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds already on the way, fans still have plenty of adventures to look forward to.
But when it comes to brand new series beyond those projects, the roadmap for the franchise hasn’t been clearly defined.
That might change if one particular idea moves forward. A proposed series titled Star Trek: Year One has officially been pitched to Paramount Skydance, and it would focus on Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk during his first year commanding the USS Enterprise.
The concept has been circulating for a while, but according to Strange New Worlds co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, the creative team has now done the work and handed the material over to the studio for review.
“We think it would be a great show. It feels like the natural next chapter for Star Trek and the story we have been telling. But the decision is out of our hands.”
Right now, the studio is evaluating the proposal. Myers confirmed that he and executive producer Akiva Goldsman have already shared extensive material outlining the concept.
“We’ve brought them a lot of material. We’ve done a lot of work and shared it with them. Now it’s in their hands. They’re looking it over and deciding what they want to do. There’s a lot of love for our show there, and of course a lot of love for Star Trek.”
The idea for Star Trek: Year One first came up publicly during San Diego Comic-Con last July. At the time, Goldsman explained the thought process behind the potential series and why it would be an exciting direction for the franchise.
“We started thinking about those lost years that exist in our head canon and in the extended canon but have rarely been shown on screen.
“Our goal was to build from Pike’s Enterprise, tell stories with the sensibilities we have today, and lead right up to Kirk’s first day in command.
“That’s the hope and the plan. If you like the idea, maybe write to Skydance and Paramount and remind them they still have the sets and should make Star Trek: Year One.”
If the series moves forward, it would act as a direct continuation of the timeline being established in Strange New Worlds. That show has slowly been weaving in characters and elements from Star Trek: The Original Series as the timeline inches closer to Kirk’s era.
Several iconic characters are already part of the story. The series features Ethan Peck as Spock, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, and Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, all younger versions of the characters fans know from The Original Series.
Kirk himself has appeared multiple times throughout the series, played by Wesley. Season 3 even gave fans a glimpse of him stepping into command when he temporarily captained the USS Farragut during a crisis.
The moment showed a version of Kirk who is still learning and growing, far from the seasoned captain fans remember. It also hinted at how the people around him help shape the leader he will eventually become.
That’s exactly the space Star Trek: Year One would explore. Instead of jumping straight to the confident Enterprise captain audiences know, the series would follow Kirk as he begins his tenure in command and finds his footing during those early days.
This is an interesting corner of Star Trek history that hasn’t really been explored on screen. There’s plenty of room for new stories, character growth, and the kind of classic space adventures the franchise thrives on.
Now it all comes down to whether Paramount Skydance decides to give the project the green light. If they do, Star Trek fans could soon get a front-row seat to the earliest days of Captain Kirk’s command.
Would you want to see a series centered on Kirk’s first year as captain of the USS Enterprise?