Star Trek Turns 60 With Unexpected Alex Kurtzman-Era Stories That Expand the Canon

Star Trek may be easing off the warp drive at 60, but across the franchise the engines are still roaring, with fresh corners of the saga keeping the universe buzzing.

Star Trek is gearing up for its 60th anniversary in 2026, and you’d think that’d be all confetti and transporter beams. But if you’re a fan, the mood’s been far from celebratory. Instead of a year-long party, we’re looking at mass cancellations, finished contracts, and, for the first time in ages, not a single new Star Trek show currently in production. Not quite the diamond jubilee fans were hoping for.

The Bleak State of Star Trek TV

Let’s start with the bad news: Starfleet Academy will end with season 2. That’s the full stop for that lot. There’s also the absence of any fresh TV projects being commissioned, making this the first year in a decade where Star Trek fans have nothing new coming down the pike – unless you count Strange New Worlds. That show’s getting a fourth series this year, but word is the fifth will be the last and it all wraps up in 2027.

On top of that, Alex Kurtzman – who’s been the main creative driver behind Trek since 2016 – looks like he won’t be sticking around much longer. His contract’s running out at the end of the year, and as things stand, Paramount doesn’t seem fussed about extending it. His guiding hand split opinion, but let’s be honest: even the most sceptical fans have to admit, some of the best new Trek happened on his watch. Love him or loathe him, he’s kept the warp core humming.

But Wait – The Comics Are Stepping Up

Now, while Paramount’s dropping the party hat, comic book publisher IDW is picking up the slack. This September, they’re releasing a jumbo-sized anniversary comic that actually sounds like a proper celebration. The 'Star Trek: 60th Anniversary Special' is set to hit shelves on 2 September 2026, running a meaty 68 pages and aiming to pull in stories spanning the franchise’s entire timeline.

What makes this special a bit of a treat is its approach:

• Classic Trek: Nods to The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, and even Enterprise.
• Kurtzman Era: New stories from the modern era, meaning characters and settings introduced since Discovery first dropped in 2017.
• Lower Decks: Mike McMahan, who made Lower Decks brilliant, has written a story for this issue – brilliant if you loved its blend of Star Trek nerdiness and perfectly-pitched gags.
• Starfleet Academy: Yep, there’s a story there too, somehow celebrating a show that’s barely had time to get started.

Even if you’re one of those fans who’ve dragged the Kurtzman era nonstop, you’d be hard-pressed not to be intrigued. Lower Decks nailed the balance between loving homage and poking fun, while Picard (especially season 3, let’s not pretend otherwise) was easily the best the franchise had been in years. Having McMahan back for more animated chaos is a win, if you ask me – even if it’s only happening on the page.

Teasing 'Star Trek: Legacy' in Comic Form?

Here’s where things get interesting, and just a bit bittersweet if you were hoping for the next big Star Trek series. After Picard wrapped, showrunner Terry Matalas pitched a spin-off called 'Star Trek: Legacy'. It was meant to pick up with Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine as captain, and drive the story further into the 25th century. Sounds like an obvious home run, right? But Paramount took one look and… said 'no thanks'.

While that idea might be stuck in dry dock when it comes to TV, IDW’s comic special is sounding like the next best thing. Christopher Cantwell, one of the writers behind the new anniversary comic, has dropped some tantalising hints. Here’s how he puts it:

'The prelude story I wrote in the oversized Star Trek 60th anniversary issue in a way sets up the most important question facing Star Trek right now: What’s next? We have six decades of incredible, deep legacy behind us, but where do we boldly go with it? ... This story is a hand-off from Picard to something that is so new it’s nearly from whole cloth – soaring into the future – which is what Trek is when at its best.'

If that isn’t signposting a comic book run for Captain Seven, I don’t know what is. Comics have long been Trek’s wild west – doing stories, crossovers, and character arcs that live-action has never dared try – so I wouldn’t be surprised if Seven and her crew finally get their much-deserved moment, just not on telly.

With Star Trek’s 60th turning out to be a bit of a whimper on the screen, it’s frankly refreshing to see at least someone in the wider Trek ecosystem trying to mark the milestone with some ambition. If all else fails, you’ll still be able to pick up a genuinely decent celebration of what makes Star Trek great come September 2026 – and maybe, just maybe, see the start of something new for the next generation of fans (and yes, that pun was fully intended).