The Best Star Trek Showrunner Moving On From Franchise
Terry Matalas, who worked as the sole showrunner on Star Trek: Picard Season 3, is moving on from the franchise. “I’m working on some things I can’t talk about yet, and I’m meeting on some things I can’t talk about, but they’re cool… not Star Trek: Legacy, guys, there’s no secret here. That’s not a thing… I can tell you that I am not working on anything Star Trek at the moment,” Matalas explained in late February.
Terry Matalas Leaving Star Trek
While Terry Matalas is “enthusiastically looking forward to” what comes next for Star Trek without him, he is ready to return to the final frontier.
He assured fans that he would be willing to contribute in any capacity. “If they need somebody to paint the walls, I’ll be there, whatever,” he added. “They know where to find me. If they ever wanted me, I would happily be a part of it.”
Would Return For Star Trek: Legacy?
Terry Matalas also admitted that he would love to return for Legacy if the project ever gets off the ground. While he failed to mention specific details, Matalas said he would love to revisit the 25th century with Next Generation and new characters. He also mentioned that his proposed storylines would involve Klingons and Worf.
The Star Trek showrunner discussed a potential structure for Legacy, explaining that he would like to find a balance between serialization and episodic storytelling.
Terry Matalas’ hybrid approach would combine longer story arcs with standalone “of the week” adventures. He cited The Shield as a perfect example of how serialized threads could interweave seamlessly with episodic formats.
Star Trek: Picard Spinoff?
Star Trek: Legacy was initially conceived as a spinoff from Star Trek: Picard, which laid the groundwork for new stories in its Season 3 finale. The discussion about a new show began in early 2022, with series creator Akiva Goldsman suggesting new stories. Executive producer Terry Matalas expressed interest in the idea, and by May 2022, fans were also advocating for a spinoff.
Terry Matalas actively championed the Star Trek: Legacy concept, gaining support from various creatives involved in the franchise. But as more time passed, several Star Trek actors cast doubts, citing disruptions caused by Hollywood strikes and financial constraints as hurdles for the project.
Also Worked On 12 Monkeys
While best known for his work on Start Trek, Terry Matalas has worked on a slew of successful projects. The most notable is 12 Monkeys, which aired from 2015 to 2018. He served as the co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the series, a sci-fi adaptation of the 1995 film of the same name.
Wrote And Produced On Nikita
The story follows a time traveler attempting to prevent the release of a deadly virus that leads to the near-destruction of humanity. Before 12 Monkeys, Terry Matalas worked as a writer and producer on the popular series Nikita. The show was developed by Craig Silverstein and is based on the 1990 French film of the same name and the 1997 television series La Femme Nikita.
The series stars Maggie Q as the titular Nikita Mears, a former assassin who goes rogue to bring down the secret government agency that trained her. Known as Division, the agency recruits young people and turns them into highly skilled operatives using questionable methods. Nikita wants to dismantle Division and protect innocent lives from the organization’s dangerous activities.
Major Sci-Fi Contributions
Terry Matalas’ contributions to the sci-fi genre and his storytelling abilities have gained him recognition in television. He won the 2024 Astra Award for Best Writing in a Streaming Drama Series for his work on the Star Trek: Picard episode “The Last Generation.
Source: Trek Movie
