Star Trek: Picard has risen the Star Terk and Paramount+ brands significantly.
We know that Star Trek: Picard’s third season has been a hit for Paramount+ and the Star Trek brand. I don’t think the show will have a long-lasting impact on the franchise like a Next Generation or Voyager, as movies and films built around nostalgia usually don’t, but in the immediacy, it’s as how that did its job.
The fandom loved the reunion aspect of the show, and while it had some pretty stupid plot points (assimilating people 25 and under is super stupid), no one showed up for the plot. They all showed up to see the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D do one last adventure together.
With most of the cast in their 70s and 80s, it’s very likely this will be the last thing they ever work together on, and that was a huge driving point for why the show did so well. But how well did it do? Well, according to The Wrap, who cite Samba TV, Picard’s third season is the most successful Trek show that is currently streaming today.
The third season premiere of Picard topped the season four premiere of Discovery by a whopping 40%.
Not only that but according to the article, the biggest shock was that they drew in Gen Z viewers, most of whom weren’t even alive 20 years ago when Star Trek: Nemesis debuted.
Now the only question going from here is, what’s next?
What’s next for Star Trek: Picard, and the streaming service?
With the current writer’s strike well underway and the economic situation for streaming not being very good at the moment across the industry, but especially for Paramount+, it doesn’t seem like a spinoff show is likely, at least right now. Even if fans are hoping for just that, a Star Trek: Picard spinoff show.
The longer the service waits to bring about Star Trek: Legacy, Terry Matalas’ spinoff series he’s created a pitch for, the less likely it’ll be to happen. The funds may no longer be there, even if interest is. After all, they curbed the Section 31 series and turned it into a film because it’d be cheaper.
Could Legacy meet the same fate? Maybe.