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Go Back in Time With These Rare Star Trek: The Motion Picture BTS Pictures

Celebrate the arrival of the classic star trek movies on 4k blu-ray with these behind-the-scenes pictures..

The Star Trek movies changed the franchise forever, not just catapulting the series onto the big screen and giving a second life to its original heroes, but helping shape its future on the small screen as we gave way to The Next Generation . To celebrate these beloved movies getting a lavish new remastering , let’s take you back behind-the-scenes on the movie that started it all.

To celebrate the launch of the new 4K UHD Star Trek six-movie collection, io9 has a glimpse behind the making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in three rare shots from the making of the first Trek movie. The images see star William Shatner, alongside much of his bridge crew, and also a brief glimpse of director Robert Wise discussing a scene with Shatner.

Wise passed away in 2005, just four years after he revisited his work on The Motion Picture to create The Director’s Edition— which had so far only been released in Standard Definition until earlier this year, when Paramount+ streamed a brand new meticulous remaster of the cut to celebrate First Contact Day. Now, for the first time, The Director’s Edition will be available in a physical release, both standalone as part of the new six-movie collection (each of which are also seeing standalone 4K/Blu-ray combo releases).

The collection includes standard B lu-ray and 4K discs of the first six Star Trek movies starring the cast of the original TV show, including both the theatrical cuts and director’s cuts of The Motion Picture , The Wrath of Khan , and The Undiscovered Country . It’s the first time the last two films in the original collection, alongside the releases of the director’s cuts included, have received new 4K remasters, after 4K remasters of the theatrical editions of The Motion Picture , The Wrath of Khan , The Search for Spock , and The Voyage Home were released in a collection last year.

Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture 6-Movie Collection is available now.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power .

To Boldly Go Behind the Scenes: 35 Rare Photos from the Original Star Trek Series

Embark on a nostalgic journey back to where no fan has gone before with our collection of 35 behind-the-scenes photos from the original "Star Trek" series. These rare images offer a transporter room glimpse into the making of the groundbreaking show that launched a thousand starships in our collective imagination. From candid moments of our favorite crew members to the ingenious practical effects that brought deep space to life, each photo is a piece of history from television's pioneering sci-fi adventure .

As we explore this treasure trove of memories, we'll see the camaraderie of the USS Enterprise's cast and crew, the early days of on-set special effects, and the magic that made "Star Trek" a cultural icon. These behind-the-scenes shots not only capture the spirit of the show but also the frontier spirit of the era, a time when the future was bright with possibility and the stars were just a warp jump away .

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10 Funny and Moving Behind-the-Scenes Secrets About the Original TV ‘Star Trek’

From Shatner's jealousy of Nimoy to the role of Martin Luther King Jr. played in cast retention, it's all here!

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Whether you’re a Trekkie, Trekker, casual viewer or just confused about it all, it’s undeniable that Star Trek has repeatedly proven itself to be nothing short of phenomenal. And that it elevated the Star Trek cast — William Shatner and the late Leonard Nimoy among them — to superstar status as well as spawned no less than 10 spin-off series and 13 feature films and countless Star Trek behind-the-scenes books. Not bad for a show that limped its way through three seasons from 1966 to 1969 and only took off years later in reruns.

The appeal (once the show caught on) was simple: StarTrek and the voyages of the starship Enterprise represented an optimistic future in a tumultuous time, and proved that we could put our differences behind us and bond with each other for a better tomorrow. Just look at the starship’s main crew, which included a Japanese Helmsman (Sulu, George Takei ), black communications officer (Uhura, Nichelle Nichols ), Russian navigator (Chekov, Walter Koenig ), Scottish chief engineer (Scotty, James Doohan ) and an actual alien as first officer (Spock, Leonard Nimoy). A virtual UN in space!

One could argue that off-camera goings on were just as interesting, in some cases a lot funnier, in others far more serious — and for more than one cast member, the show saved and ruined their careers simultaneously. Join us as we take a different look at Star Trek behind-the-scenes secrets, reverse ranked, and life in the Final Frontier when the cameras weren’t rolling.

10. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have albums

One of the big merchandise moves when you had a popular television series was to get your lead actors to record an album or at least a single. Well, we would be remiss if we didn’t present the…uh, performances of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in their real personas. First up is Shatner, taking on Elton John’s “Rocket Man” in his own unique style.

And for Nimoy — and he definitely seems to be having a good time — there’s “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,” star of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit .

9. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s influence on Star Trek

As Lt. Uhura, Nichelle Nichols was one of the first black actors to be featured in a prominent role on a television series, but behind-the-scenes she dreamed of performing on Broadway and was ready to quit Star Trek following its first season.

She informed series creator Gene Roddenberry of her decision and he asked her to take the weekend to think about what he was trying to accomplish with the show in terms of creating the image of a bonded humanity (remember, this was the tumultuous 1960s).

She agreed, but that weekend she attended a NAACP fundraiser, where she was approached by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was smiling and said that he was her greatest fan. In their conversation she mentioned her plans to leave the show.

In response, King told her, “You cannot do that. Don’t you understand what this man [Roddenberry] has achieved? For the first time, we are being seen the world over as we should be seen. Do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch?” Needless to say, Lt. Uhura remained a part of Star Trek .

8. Following Star Trek , William Shatner was broke

You would think coming off of a three-year run of a TV show — and one that was quickly shattering records in reruns — an actor would be pretty well off. Not so in the case of Captain James T. Kirk himself, William Shatner. Follow-up work was hard to come by due to typecasting, and he had just come out of a divorce that left him in a precarious financial position.

His response? Take virtually any job that came along, whether it were TV commercials for the likes of Promise margarine or Loblaws supermarkets, or starring in low budget exploitation fare like Angie Dickinson’s Big Bad Mama .

“There was a time, before Star Trek , when I wouldn’t accept a role that I didn’t think worthwhile enough to play,” Shatner explained in the pages of the Star Trek oral history book, The Fifty-Year Mission by Mark A. Altman . “After Star Trek , I had the opportunity to play a few of those things that I thought should be coming my way, but I was in a financial bind and had to accept a lot of things that I wouldn’t have done in an earlier day. Then, because things are so cyclical in show business, I needed to take these roles.”

Things slowly started to change throughout the 1970s, but the real upswing behind-the-scenes began with the making and release of 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture . He hasn’t really looked back since.

7. Star Trek ruined and then saved James Doohan’s career

As it was for everyone cast on the show, typecasting was a real problem and nearly destroyed James Doohan’s career. “I did a movie called Man in the Wilderness in Spain with Richard Harris in 1971,” Doohan told sci-fi-online.com. “When I came back, I would go to producers’ offices to read for parts and the secretaries would say, ‘Oh, hi, Scotty’ and everything else. Then the producers would say ‘I’m sorry, but we don’t have a part for a Scotsman.’ I only did a Scottish accent once before Star Trek , and that included 450 live television shows and 4,000 radio shows. But by 1971 I had been typecast and was flat broke .”

Fortunately, Doohan was able to make a living out of personal appearances. “[But] I guess my happiest memory was my realization that they were going to to start shooting Star Trek movies,” he recalled. “Finally it was going to be possible to make a living out of Star Trek .”

6. All of the great William Shatner impersonations start here

Impersonating William Shatner’s particular way of speaking, especially the way he did so during the original Star Trek , has become a way of life for many people, but the man who first mastered the Shat is comedian Kevin Pollack, who you may recognize these days as Moishe Maisel on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel .

5. Star Trek owes its existence to Lucille Ball

In the aftermath of her divorce from Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball acquired their Desilu Studios, and she is the one who gave Gene Roddenberry’s seemingly crazy idea for Star Trek the greenlight for production.

“By the time Lucy ends up running the studio,” says Marc Cushman , author of the multi-volume Trek book series These Are the Voyages , “they’re not producing many shows. Lucy says, ‘We need to get more shows on the air,’ and Star Trek was one she took on, because she thought it was different.”

Cushman says Lucy would ask herself “what Desi would do,” and she realized he would get more shows on the air that they owned, and not just that they were producing for other companies. “So that was her reasoning to do Star Trek — she felt this show could, if it caught on, rerun like I love Lucy ,” Cushman continues. “And guess what? Those two shows — I Love Lucy and Star Trek — are two shows that have been rerunning ever since they originally aired. The problem was, her pockets weren’t deep enough.”

Eventually she sold Desilu to Paramount Studios, after which is when Star Trek , which was part of the deal, took off and became the phenomenon it remains to this day.

4. Chekov was added because of The Monkees

One behind-the-scenes story that Gene Roddenberry liked to tell was that the former Soviet Union’s newspaper Pravda took Star Trek to task for not including a Russian crewmember, so in response he created Anton Chekov, to be played by Walter Koenig.

The reality was something quite different, as revealed by a 1966 memo in which Roddenberry states that they were quite clearly trying to reach a younger audience that had embraced Davy Jones in The Monkees .

“All that stuff about Pravda , that’s all nonsense,” dismisses Koenig. “That was all just publicity. But it was a very practical decision — they wanted somebody who would appeal to eight-to-fourteen-year-olds and the decision was to make him Russian.”

3. Leonard Nimoy held Star Trek “hostage” when it came to The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released to theatres in 1979, 10 years after the original series ended its run, and the entire cast had been rehired … with the exception of Leonard Nimoy. He simply refused to do it, based on the fact that Paramount was using his likeness on merchandise and advertising (including billboards) without any sort of compensation. The film’s director, Robert Wise , was told by his daughter, “With no Spock, there can be no Star Trek .”

Said Nimoy of the situation, “We’ve had a long and complicated relationship, Paramount and myself. We had a lot of details to work out.” Needless to say, Mr. Nimoy portrayed Spock in The Motion Picture and five sequels.

2. Jesus could have fought Captain Kirk

In 1975 while he was trying to get a Star Trek movie off the ground, Roddenberry wrote a treatment for a project titled The God Thing . It didn’t go forward, but years after Roddenberry’s death in 1991, author Michael Jan Friedman was given the treatment to expand and turn into a novelization.

“Gene was, and still is, one of my heroes,” says Friedman in The Fifty-Year Mission . “As he had already left the land of the living, this was a unique opportunity to collaborate with him. But when I read the material, I was dismayed . I hadn’t seen other samples of Gene’s unvarnished writing, but what I saw this time could not possibly have been his best work. But in the climactic scene, Kirk had a fistfight with an alien who had assumed the image of Jesus Christ. So, Kirk was slugging it out on the bridge. With Jesus.”

1. William Shatner was jealous of Spock’s popularity

 It wasn’t long after Star Trek ’s debut that the character of Mr. Spock began attracting the attention of fans watching the show and the media at large, and the man playing Captain Kirk wasn’t having any of it.

David Gerrold , who wrote the show’s popular “The Trouble with Tribbles” episode, points out, “The problems with Shatner and Nimoy really began in the first season when Saturday Review did this article about Trek which stated that Spock was much more interesting than Kirk, and that Spock should be captain. Well, nobody was near Shatner for days. He was furious .”

“You’ve got to look at it from his point of view,” Gerrold continues. “He had been hired to be the star or the show. It was ‘starring William Shatner, with DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy.’ All of a sudden, all the writers are writing all this great stuff for Spock, and Spock, who’s supposed to be a subordinate character, suddenly starts becoming the equal of Kirk.”

The show that started out about Kirk is now about Kirk and Spock, which caused tensions behind-the-scenes on the Star Trek set. “Bill [Shatner] definitely feels that he was lessened by that,” Gerrold adds. “On the other hand, Leonard was a very shrewd businessman, a very smart actor and recognized that this Spock business was a way to be more important than an also-ran, and he pushed.”

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Behind the Scenes of Star Trek’s Stellar Visuals

I n the world of “Star Trek Beyond,” the audience is transported to the remote and rugged terrain of the planet Altamid, where most of the story unfolds. Following the enthralling plot of the USS Enterprise being ambushed and brought down, the crew finds themselves battling the malevolent Krall with the alliance of the strong-willed Jaylah. The opening scenes of the 2016 movie find the Enterprise caught in a snare, leading to its crash on Altamid, setting the scene for the ensuing drama and adventure.

As viewers marvel at the extraterrestrial landscapes in the film, like those in its predecessor “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the magic is often conjured up through the wizardry of special effects. A sneak peek offered by Rodeo FX shows actress Sofia Boutella, donning the guise of Jaylah, preparing to dispatch adversaries with her sniper weapon of choice. Although the set includes the tangible remnants of the USS Franklin, it’s the digital artistry that brings to life the breathtaking and craggy horizon, seamlessly merged through a technologically advanced green screen technique. Echoing the cinematographic approach taken in 2009’s “Star Trek,” the decision to film these sequences outdoors was deliberate, intended to harness the authenticity of natural light and bolster the overall visual spectacle.

FAQ about Star Trek’s Visual Effects

Q: Is the planet Altamid from “Star Trek Beyond” a real place?

A: No, Altamid is a fictional planet created entirely through special effects technology.

Q: Was the wreckage of the USS Franklin a practical set or CGI?

A: The wreckage was a physical set piece used during filming, while the landscape and additional details were added through CGI.

Q: What role do green screens play in the making of “Star Trek Beyond”?

A: Green screens were used to digitally create the environment of Altamid around the actors and practical sets.

Q: Were any outdoor locations used at all in the filming of “Star Trek Beyond”?

A: Yes, the producers chose to film some scenes outdoors to utilize natural lighting, which helps blend the CGI with the live-action footage more convincingly.

The transportive and immersive worlds depicted in the Star Trek franchise are a testament to the artistry and innovation of film special effects. In “Star Trek Beyond,” filmmakers masterfully combine physical sets, location shoots, and advanced CGI to engender a believable and visually arresting cinematic experience. From vivid characters like Jaylah to the startlingly realistic planetary environs, the before-and-after of special effects in movies like “Star Trek” offers a fascinating glimpse into the meticulous process of modern filmmaking—a process that continues to propel audiences to boldly go where no one has gone before.

'Star Trek's Nana Visitor Has Written a Book About the Women of the Franchise

The book consists of interviews and stories from writers, producers, actresses, and more from across the franchise's storied history.

The Big Picture

• Nana Visitor's new book Star Trek: Open a Channel features interviews with women of the franchise.
• The book highlights the impact of Star Trek 's female characters on society.
• Visitor delves into the pioneering stories behind the scenes and challenges faced by women in Trek.

Star Trek 's Nana Visitor is opening a channel to all who have been influenced by the women of Star Trek in her new book Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek . The book consists of interviews with cast, writers, producers and celebrity fans all touching on the highs and lows of women behind the scenes and in front of the camera across the franchise's more than 60 years.

Visitor played Major Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which ran from 1993-1999. She's since reprised her role in animated form in Star Trek: Lower Decks . When talking about the making of this book in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Visitor says, "this book was supposed to be 200 pages when it was proposed, grew to 300, and could easily been 1,000." She goes on to say her hopes for the book do exactly as the title says, "opens a channel between all of us."

According to the publisher Simon & Schuster, the book features interviews with Kate Mulgrew , Terry Farrell , Denise Crosby , Mary Wiseman , and Rebecca Romijn to name a few. The publisher says the book is just as much Visitor's story as it is about the women in Trek and the impact they've made on society.

Visitor is not the first Trek actor to pen a book speaking about their experiences with the franchise. Leonard Nimoy , who played Lt. Commander Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series , wrote an autobiography titled I am Spock . His co-star William Shatner , who played Captain James T. Kirk, wrote a memoir called Star Trek Memories . More recently, Wil Wheaton who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation , wrote an annotated and updated edition of his 2004 memoir Just a Geek titled Still Just a Geek.

Opening a Channel and Breaking a Glass Ceiling

Open A Channel details not only the women of Trek and their stories but how those stories impacted the women of the real world. S&S says Visitor interviewed astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti for the book while she was in orbit on the International Space Station.

The book also chronicles the pioneering stories behind the scenes of the franchise, including the groundbreaking casting of Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura as well as the first female captain to lead a show, with Star Trek: Voyager ' s Captain Kathryn Janeway played by Kate Mulgrew. According to the publisher, "Visitor sets out to discover both how Star Trek led the way for women, and how it was trapped in its own era."

Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek comes out October 1, 2024. It is currently available for pre-order with major book retailers.

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'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine': Behind the Scenes

As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine airs its pilot episode, Paramount airs this 50 minute documentary as a way to spark excitement about the new show. It includes interviews from the cast and cont... Read all As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine airs its pilot episode, Paramount airs this 50 minute documentary as a way to spark excitement about the new show. It includes interviews from the cast and contains sneak peaks into the show's first season. As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine airs its pilot episode, Paramount airs this 50 minute documentary as a way to spark excitement about the new show. It includes interviews from the cast and contains sneak peaks into the show's first season.

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Michelle yeoh's first scene in section 31 movie is "incredible", says star trek director.

Star Trek: Section 31's director, Olatunde Osunsanmi reveals what directing Michelle Yeoh in the first scene of Star Trek's next movie was like.

• Directing Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in Section 31 was described as "incredible" by Osunsanmi.
• The first Star Trek movie made for streaming, Section 31, features Yeoh back as the anti-heroine Georgiou.
• Osunsanmi praised Yeoh's performance, saying it felt like they never stopped filming with her.

Star Trek: Section 31 director Olatunde Osunsanmi says directing Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh's return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou was "incredible." The first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+, Section 31 brings Yeoh back as Georgiou , the anti-heroine originally introduced in Star Trek: Discovery. Osunsanmi is a producer and director of Star Trek: Discovery who helmed 14 episodes of the show, including the upcoming series finale, "Life, Itself," before directing Star Trek: Section 31.

At WonderCon, Star Trek: Discovery season 5's premiere episode was screened, followed by a panel with showrunner Michelle Paradise and director Olatunde Osunsanmi moderated by Scott Mantz. When Mantz asked Olatunde about Star Trek: Section 31 and working with Michelle Yeoh again, Osunsanmi described directing Yeoh in the next Star Trek movie's first scene , which is glimpsed in the first image released from Section 31 . Check out Olatunde's quote below:

Michelle came in, [and in] that very first scene that we shot, it was like she never left. It was incredible. Actually, that was literally what I told her: It feels like we just stopped filming with you yesterday. And so, what happens in that very first scene is… Oh wait, I can’t give that away.

Again, all these Treks are a little bit different. This one is definitely different, but it’s still Trek. And we just finished shooting just a week and a half ago. And it is awesome.

10 Section 31 Things To Know Before Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek Movie

What we know about star trek: section 31, georgiou visits star trek's 'lost era'.

Variety 's cover story about the future of the Star Trek franchise dropped some big bombshells about Star Trek: Section 31 . The most significant is Emperor Georgiou meeting a young Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) in a nightclub. Star Trek: The Next Generation fans know Rachel Garrett was the first female Captain of the Enterprise . A tragic Star Trek legacy character, Captain Garrett commanded the doomed USS Enterprise-C in the TNG season 3 classic, "Yesterday's Enterprise."

A statue of Captain Rachel Garrett was the 'Red Lady' that was destroyed on M'Talas Prime in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Star Trek: Section 31 incorporates time travel if Emperor Georgiou meets the young Rachel Garrett and possibly recruits her into Section 31. This also means Section 31 is set at least partly in Star Trek 's "lost era" between the end of the 23rd century in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the mid-24th century start of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Star Trek: Section 31 is shrouded in mystery, but each dramatic hint only builds anticipation for director Olatunde Osunsanmi's Star Trek movie to premiere on Paramount+.

Source: WonderCon

Star Trek: Behind The Scenes Of The Original Series

What Culture speaks to Tom Redlaw, a collector who has amassed over 2000 behind-the-scenes images that otherwise would be lost.

€˜€™I have not been to a fan event since the Las Vegas Hilton Star Trek experience gift shop, and have not been to a convention since the 1970s. These conventions were really a fringe thing in the early days. You talked with Harlan Ellison, Gene Roddenberry, and so on. The starts (Shatner. Nimoy) were special and not as accessible but the other folks were just there, easy to interact with. And in those days sci fi geeks were not in the mainstream€in particular the folks working the dealer rooms were not dissimilar to comic book guy in the Simpsons. Experts in their trade but not always socially adept.€™€™

Child of the 80's. Brought up on Star Trek, Video Games and Schwarzenegger, my tastes evolved to encompass all things geeky.

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Avatar: The Last Airbender Changes Showrunners Again Ahead of Final Two Seasons on Netflix

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Netflix ‘s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is undergoing yet another behind-the-scenes change. Albert Kim , who served as showrunner for Season 1, is stepping down ahead of Season 2 , passing his responsibilities to Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani.

Those who have been following Avatar: The Last Airbender ‘s development over the years know that this isn’t the first time a major shift has occurred behind the scenes. Kim previously stepped in to replace original Avatar creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko back in August 2020.

“Who knows? Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar has the potential to be good,” DiMartino wrote in a statement upon their departure. “It might turn out to be a show many of you end up enjoying. But what I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make.”

Avatar: The Last Airbender dropped its eight-episode first season in February 2024. Netflix issued a double renewal one month later, adding that Season 3 will also be the show’s last.

Your thoughts on Avatar ‘s latest behind-the-scenes shake-up? Drop ’em all in a comment below.

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I thought this had the potential to be a good show. But I have been disappointed both by the storytelling and, unfortunately, the casting. I’m sorry to say that the boy who plays Aang is just not up to the challenge. Also, part of the fun of this franchise is that the Avatar has the ability to master bending all four elements, and I don’t think that ever happened. The show looks amazing and has some exciting action sequences, but it’s lacking on the character development front, especially in the character of Aang.

One of the challenges of live action over animation is that the child characters actually have to be played by children. The story has some very complicated and adult material, which is a lot to demand of a young and unseasoned actor. – For comparison, you can go back and watch the Harry Potter movies, and see those kids really maturing and learning to act over the years.

It bears mentioning that the two people taking over are currently EP and Co-EP, so it’s not like control is just being handed over to outsiders new to the franchise.

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Behind-the-Scenes of The Next Generation Movies

Go behind-the-scenes from the production of all four films for First Contact Day!

All four big-screen adventures featuring fan-favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation characters Picard, Riker, Data, La Forge, Worf, Troi, and Dr. Crusher arrive for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD™ with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 ! Own it now!

The journey begins with original cast members Kirk, Scott, and Chekov in a story that spans space and time in Star Trek Generations , continuing with a terrifying face off against the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact , a dangerous plot against a peaceful planet in Star Trek: Insurrection , and a familiar old foe returning in Star Trek Nemesis .

In celebration of First Contact Day , we've have this gallery of behind-the-scenes photos from the production of all four films!

‘Star Trek 4’ Beams Up New Screenwriter: ‘The Flight Attendant’ Creator Steve Yockey (EXCLUSIVE)

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

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Steve Yockey , creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” is joining Starfleet as the new screenwriter for “ Star Trek 4.”

Story details remain under a powerful cloaking device, but Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot still intend the project to be the final chapter for the cast that rebooted the franchise in movie theaters with 2009’s “Star Trek,” including Chris Pine (as Capt. James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (as Cmdr. Spock), Zoe Saldaña (as Lt. Nyota Uhura), Karl Urban (as Dr. Leonard McCoy), John Cho (as Lt. Hikaru Sulu) and Simon Pegg (as chief engineer Montgomery Scott). ( Variety first reported the news in its cover story on the future of the “Star Trek” franchise.)

Yockey’s involvement is the most promising sign of forward momentum the project has had since. The playwright started his TV writing career on the MTV series “Awkward” and “Scream,” before joining the writing staff of “Supernatural” for four seasons. His latest series, the Sandman universe adaptation “Dead Boy Detectives,” will premiere on Netflix in April.

Paramount is also developing a separate “Star Trek” project, with writer Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and director by Toby Haynes (“Black Mirror: USS Callister”), that would feature a new cast in a story meant as a kind of origin story for the franchise. A project with screenwriter Kalinda Vazquez (“Fear the Walking Dead”) first announced in 2021 also remains in development.

Yockey is represented by CAA and Slate PR.

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