3 names we want to see take over Star Trek's immediate future
By Chad Porto
It's time for some new leadership. Star Trek has had the same two men governing the franchise for nearly 20 years. First with J.J. Abrams starting shortly after the end of Star Trek: Enterprise, then Alex Kurtzman with the creation of Star Trek: Discovery. Since then the tone, design, and overall writing of the shows (and films) have moved beyond what Trek fans have expected.
It's gotten so bad that the newest film, a prequel to Star Trek: Enterprise and a loose sequel to Star Trek: First Contact is in the works by the same many who made the X-Men films. The films that X-Men fans almost universally hated save for a few. The man who's taking over the Star Trek film project, Simon Kinberg, is known for having a huge role in the worst films of the franchise.
Now he's taking over Star Trek at the beginning of the franchise. A move that may unmake the one thing Star Trek has going for it; a cared-for continuity. Sure, some things do change, but for the most part, the franchise doesn't purposefully screw around with what came before. They try to add to it, sure, but this time we may be looking at a full reboot. If that happens, the franchise will fall around itself. That's why it's time to turn the franchise over to someone else. Firstly, however, let's look at one name we don't want to see take the franchise over.
Jonathan Frakes
We love Jonathan Frakes and his love of Star Trek is prolific. Yet, we'd be lying to you if we didn't think that Frakes was the right man for the job. He certainly was in the early 2000s, but now over 70, and pushing retirement, Frakes is no longer that guy. Age comes for all of us and it has come for Frakes. At 71, he's far from a spring chicken. Who knows how long he'll want to direct, let alone how long he'll be able to.
The franchise needs to go younger. We're not talking Billie Eilish levels of young, just someone who can give 10 to 20 years to the franchise. You need someone who can give you that long because you need to restructure everything and add levels of continuity that have been forgotten about. So someone like Frakes just doesn't work anymore as the head of the brand.