Why Star Trek legacy character spin-offs can be good for the franchise

With Star Trek: Picard coming to an end next year, there are talks of spin-offs with the legacy characters that are returning to his series. 

There has been much talk lately of Star Trek spin-offs and/or the return of legacy characters to their own series or even another movie that features the entire cast of an older series like Star Trek: The Next Generation. Most recently, Kate Mulgrew has spoken about how she wouldn’t mind bringing Admiral Janeway back into live-action.

Now, with the upcoming conclusion of Star Trek: Picard, fans are asking if any of The Next Generation characters could have their own spin-offs. Most are onboard for the idea even if some fans think this might not be a good thing. Those fans are concerned that the new series might be worse than the original series, that the characters we know and love will be changed in unrecognizable ways. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

The Star Trek franchise has more new productions coming in the near future.

It’s great to get to see new characters and new situations, but there’s nothing wrong with bringing in a taste of the old, either. Having a mixture of what fans fell in love with and what they are learning to love could be a good thing.

There’s something comforting about having a character and actor that has long been a part of the franchise on our screens again. Those fans who aren’t interested in brand new characters can stay with the tried and true while those fans who never really got into the older series can stick with the newer series for their Trek fix.

Just as there are fans who never liked Star Trek: Enterprise or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, there will always be fans that don’t like what is new. While many have been adamantly opposed to Picard, others have enjoyed the series. (I’m one of those!) And for those fans who think some actors might be too old to carry a series or to get involved in the action, there have been plenty of television shows to feature older characters that have been successful, in the past and new.

Here’s the thing about these potential Star Trek series. Why does there have to be one or the other? What’s wrong with having something for everyone? If a fan doesn’t like a series, they simply move on. Not everyone is going to like what’s being done with the franchise just as current fans may prefer the newer series. Star Trek itself is all about diversity. So why can it be that way for the series as well?