Seven more years of Star Trek TV shows boldly planned out through 2027, says Alex Kurtzman

The Star Trek universe is here to stay...at least on the small screen. According to Trekkie mastermind Alex Kurtzman, he and his creative collaborators know where the sci-fi franchise will boldy go for the next seven years. 

"Heather Kaden and Aaron Baiers, who work with me at [my production company] Secret Hideout, we literally just got off a call with the network, mapping us through 2027," Kurtzman said on The Hollywood Reporter TV's Top 5 podcast. "When I say that, it’s not like it’s set in stone. It’s just, ‘Ok, here’s a plan. Here’s what we’re looking at. Here’s how the different shows are going to drop.’ Consider the fact that it takes a year from inception — from start of production — to airing, so you have to plan way, way, way in advance to get these things done, and you have to stay on top of the zeitgeist and make sure that what you’re doing is relevant."

And since COVID-19 has thrown such a wrench into production schedules, he continued: "You have to plan so far in advance now in different kinds of ways to seem loose and improvisational, but there’s nothing loose and improvisational about it."

Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery premieres on CBS All Access this Thursday (Oct. 15), but the end is nowhere in sight.

"There are years and years left on Discovery," Kurtzman said. "Star Trek [shows] in general has had a long history of going for seven seasons minimum. And we just jumped into the future. It's not a brand-new show, but it's a whole new set of variables with a whole new set of ideas and stories. I don't think we limit ourselves to thinking, 'Oh, we're capped at this place.' I'll tell you when the show starts to feel stale to us, we will be rallying to stop it. But for now, it doesn't feel like we are running into a shortage of stories."

Second seasons of Picard and Lower Decks have already been green-lit, while two new series — Strange New Worlds and Prodigy — are currently in the works at CBS All Access and Nickelodeon respectively.

"Given how hopeful and beautiful the messages of Star Trek are, I don't think you can have too much because I think there's something for everybody," Kurtzman added. "But I think you've gotta be really curated and really thoughtful about what you're doing. I don't think you can just through things at the way."