In 1987, when Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted, the biggest question was simple: Could the idea of Star Trek exist without the characters and situations from the classic 1960s TV show and the very popular feature films? Today, of course, we think of the TNG era as a classic time for the Trek franchise, and, in some ways, nostalgia for that time period is stronger than that of The Original Series. Even the TOS prequel series Strange New Worlds borrows from the episode style of TNG, and in recent memory, the TNG-sequel series, Star Trek: Picard, proved, in 2023, to be one of the most critically acclaimed and fan-beloved Trek installments of the 21st century. But arguably, we haven’t seen a new Trek project started from scratch since 1987 and the debut of TNG/
Until now. At San Diego Comic-Con 2026, directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the people behind the next Star Trek feature film, have dropped two bombshells: The new film will feature all-new characters and take place further in the future than any Star Trek before.
