Robert Greenberger is the author of various novels, comic books, and short stories and the non-fiction book Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History.

When Star Trek debuted on September 8, 1966, it was a new series among many in an explosive year for popular culture.

While Batmania was burning out, other new shows were capturing attention, from the arrival of Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows to The Newlywed Game to the slick espionage of Mission: Impossible. Gene Roddenberry, a journeyman television writer and producer, saw the chance to tell morality plays and allegories through science fiction, taking what worked earlier for The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits and applying it to a consistent multinational crew and vehicle.

It caught on slowly, fuelled largely by teens and college students who latched onto the show’s message. It spoke to a disaffected generation worried about nuclear war, unpopular foreign conflicts, and rising domestic violence. Younger viewers liked the colourful uniforms and cool gadgets; older fans embraced the optimistic promise that humanity would not only survive those dark days but thrive beyond them.

Most readers know how the show survived through fan-run conventions, animated series, feature films, a vast range of merchandise, and seemingly endless spinoffs. Unlike some cultural favourites of that era, Star Trek has embedded itself in the world’s consciousness beyond anything Roddenberry could have imagined. Its influence on technology is evident, and phrases, alien cultures, and even languages have beamed their way into the everyday lexicon.

What matters now is that Star Trek reaches its 60th anniversary at a crossroads. Corporate machinations, beginning with Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Pictures and then turning toward acquiring Warner Bros Discovery, have interfered with Star Trek’s connection with its fiercely loyal fan base. Questions loom over what comes next, and what should be a grand, coordinated celebration has become a far more muted affair than the series deserves.

Star Trek has usually worked best when a clear creative authority gave it direction. Roddenberry, producers Gene L Coon and Robert Justman, and script editor DC Fontana helped the original series tackle the issues of the day while building a (mostly) consistent universe of new wonders and dangerous adversaries. Its multinational crew and Captain James T Kirk’s humanist approach to conflict were unlike anything else on American prime-time television.

Paramount, disappointed with Roddenberry’s handling of the first feature film, turned to Harve Bennett as the new architect, and he guided the next five films with more successes than misses. When Star Trek: The Next Generation also floundered under an ill Roddenberry, Paramount put Rick Berman in the centre seat.

Berman successfully managed TNG, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager in syndication and the fledgling UPN network. Later, the franchise shifted to JJ Abrams for a trio of films that briefly revived Star Trek as a theatrical property but did not provide a durable creative path forward. Alex Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout have been more successful on television, producing the more recent series seen on Paramount+.

While these series served some diehard fans, they failed to expand the audience at a time when the ever-evolving media landscape makes it hard for any series to capture viewers’ attention. Its attempts at a telefilm failed, and its youth-oriented shows at Nickelodeon didn't seem to move the needle.

Secret Hideout tried to create Star Trek stories that resonated with our moment in time and history. And to expand the idea of what a Star Trek story can contain, while still remaining true to its core values. So, while bringing in some new fans, it also shed older Trekkers who didn’t like the shows.

For more than a decade, one film project after another has been announced and never entered production, squandering a chance to keep the series relevant in today’s turbulent times, when its message is needed more than ever.

The takeaway here is that Star Trek needs a leader, someone with a vision of what Trek could be, reinventing it while retaining its core DNA. Currently, Paramount seems to lack that leader, but if its deal to acquire WBD goes through in 2027 (a March court hearing may decide that), WBD’s Michael DeLuca, no stranger to managing successful properties, may be the solution. Right now, no one is sitting in the centre seat, guiding the franchise in any direction.

Skydance’s takeover of Paramount is already evident in the cancellations of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, whose final seasons are expected to air in 2027, and in renewed talk of one, or perhaps three, features in active development. In the trade press, the current leadership has spoken of taking Paramount’s core properties, including M:I, Top Gun, and Trek, back to their 80s energy.

Leaning so heavily toward theatrical reboots ignores what made the concept work best. In the quest for box office, smaller topical issues and character-driven stories risk being shunted aside for spectacle. Nostalgia may appeal to long-time fans, but the central question is whether a retro-leaning formula can connect with today’s multi-generational audience without collapsing into generic fan service.

Traditional Star Trek can still be honoured through novels, comic books, and audio dramas, giving tried-and-true fans the characters and continuity they enjoy. But the movie being developed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley has one crucial advantage: a new captain, crew, and ship could give the current generation a mission of its own to embrace. Whatever that starship is, it needs a new path unburdened by legacy baggage. To thrive, the franchise must also put its stories where everyday viewers can actually find them, beyond Paramount+ alone.

At its core, Star Trek has had its greatest cultural resonance when it used speculative science fiction to hold a mirror to contemporary social issues through an optimistic, humanistic lens. If the franchise is to matter beyond anniversaries and nostalgia, it must reclaim that foundation and then have the courage to build something new from it.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are available to stream on Paramount+. Sign up to your seven-day Paramount+ free trial.

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