Star Trek Is Boldly Conquering Streaming
The beloved TV series Star Trek debuted on NBC on September 8, 1966, and almost didn’t make it beyond its first season. A total of 79 episodes were filmed, with the last episode concluding its filming on January 9, 1969. A three-year span of episodes was enough to syndicate the series, which continued airing on local TV stations across the country and maintained its status as a cultural icon. The show and all of its iterations remain a popular force with Star Trek streaming occurring on countless platforms, with Star Trek: Prodigy currently ranking on the Netflix top 10 chart in the UK, and Discovery climbing the Nielsen Ratings after its series finale.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy is proving to be a streaming success on Netflix. Like the original series in 1966, Prodigy almost didn’t last beyond Season 1. The animated series debuted in 2021 on Paramount+ and is made for a younger audience. Paramount+, though, didn’t order a second season. Netflix picked up the ball and carried it to Season 2’s recent successful debut on the streaming service.
Prodigy is currently ranked among the top 10 for kids shows in the U.K. and many other nations.
Decades On The Big Screen And Small Screen
The beloved sci-fi show eventually succeeded in transitioning from the small screen to the big screen in 1979 with the hit Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The timing for the debut Star Trek film was ideal given the recent success of Star Wars in 1977. Ten years of syndicated television airings ensured the potential audience was large and very familiar with each of the sci-fi show’s main characters.
Its sequel, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, has become a cinematic classic that spurred additional films, including a near-disaster in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which fared so poorly that it nearly killed off the franchise.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen, and the film franchise rebounded with several new films, including one that introduced the world to a young Captain, James Tiberius Kirk, played by Chris Pine, and a young Spock, played by Zachary Quinto in a Star Trek prequel.
The Franchise Is Constantly Expanding
Today, Star Trek streaming options are virtually endless with three new series in production and new films continually being considered or made. Current productions give us Strange New Worlds, the animated Lower Decks, and Prodigy. Star Trek: Picard streamed its third and final season in 2023. There have been 12 Star Trek television series made over the years, including the Next Generation, Discovery, and Deep Space Nine.
A Legendary Cinematic Run
So far, 13 Star Trek films have been made, and Paramount intends to add three more for the Paramount+ streaming service. The new films include the in-production Star Trek: Section 31, starring Michelle Yeoh. Chris Pine also hinted he might play Captain Kirk once again in a new film, and an origin film might be made to give full disclosure on how Starfleet came into being.
Discovery’s Delayed Viewing Success
With literally dozens of TV series and films already made and several more in the works, Star Trek dominates streaming for sci-fi films and programs. You’d be hard-pressed to find a streaming service that doesn’t offer one or more of the many films and series available, which ensures Star Trek will continue to live long and prosper.
