Jonathan Frakes and more to voice Star Trek: The Animated Series shorts

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted September 8, 1973, airing with the most of the cast with the exception of Walter Koenig. For two seasons that consisted of 22 episodes, the series brought the animated adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew back to television screens. Billed as the fourth season of Star Trek: The Original Series by series writers David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana, Star Trek: TAS won an Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Entertainment – Children’s Series.

Though the ratings were very high for the series, it didn’t attract young viewers which is what advertisers were hoping for.  So TAS was cancelled after only two seasons, but newer Star Trek fans are finding this gem of a series, and finally, it is being celebrated as it should.

In fact, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series, as reported by Trekmovie, CBS Studios is creating new promotional spots in the same animated style as TAS which will feature characters voiced by various Star Trek cast members, including Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker, Doug Jones as Saru, and Armin Shimerman as Quark.

The Star Trek: The Animated Series celebration will debut later this year

The news of the promotional spots came during the San Diego Comic Con, but more details won’t be available until Star Trek Day in September. We do know that five spots will air and that they come from the creative mind of Casper Kelly who is known for his work on Star Trek: Short Treks. Kelly announced the celebration alongside panelist Van Citters who is the Vice President of STar Trek Brand Development.

Though we know three of the characters who will appear in the spots, two remain a mystery. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are represented in the promos so it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone from Star Trek: Voyager. A big coup would be for William Shatner to reprise his role as Captain James T. Kirk, but that’s definitely a “wait and see” situation.