Star Trek In Danger Thanks To Warner Bros. Discovery?

The most recent example of this trend suggests that Star Trek may soon become a victim of Warner Bros Discovery, one of the greatest perpetrators of this great injustice.

Warner Bros Discovery are currently in the early stages of a possible merger with Paramount, which would almost certainly mean the dissolution of Paramount+ upon completion.

Warner Bros previously partnered with Discovery in 2022, leading to the restructuring of HBO Max to simply ‘Max’ which now serves as a home for all content owned by the massive conglomerate.

That is, all content the corporation hosts, such as many movies, shows, and specials previously available to stream on HBO Max, have disappeared from streaming entirely, offering fans no safe and legal access to their favorite projects.

If Star Trek is eaten by the encroaching maw of Warner Bros Discovery in the upcoming merger, this could put some of the best sci-fi shows in decades on the chopping block.

Paramount has owned Star Trek since 1968, when the media company purchased the rights from television pioneer Lucille Ball.

In the decades since the purchase, the franchise has remained fairly consistent with new films, television projects, and special events, making it a TV staple rivaling that of Doctor Who or The Simpsons.

If Warner Bros Discovery manage to take the reins on the IP, that could all come to a screeching halt.

Executives at Warner Bros Discovery have proven to the public time and time again that they are not interested in serving their audience, with the conglomerate serving as a major holdout among the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of the past year.

Leadership at the media company has also chosen to shelve fully completed and highly anticipated films such as Batgirl and Coyote Vs. Acme as tax write-offs, with no regard for the viewer.

Fans will surely shudder to think what could happen to shows such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds or Lower Decks with Warner Bros Discovery behind the wheel.

Another example of this trend lays in Disney’s corporate takeover of Star Wars in 2012.

Despite producing dozens of Star Wars projects for Disney+, the media company used the merger as an opportunity to wipe the canonical slate clean, snapping tons of books, games, and other extended universe media out of existence.

If Warner Bros Discovery takes over the Star Trek IP, the corporation could easily eliminate any outing from streaming, causing massive holes in fan collections.

Of course, if you’re intrigued by the possibility of mixing your Star Trek chocolate with your Superman peanut butter, the idea of a Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery merger may sound appealing.

While there are certainly upsides to a merger, like the consolidation of streaming services, the monopolization of media in Hollywood almost always leads to negative consequences for fans and filmmakers alike.

For now, only time will tell how the corporate ladder shakes out.