The Masked Singer, of all things, will celebrate the landmark 60th anniversary of Star Trek during the popular singing competition’s upcoming 14th season.
FOX made the announcement on Thursday, Dec. 4, revealing that the new season — which will kick off on Jan. 7, 2026 — will tip its cap to decades of pop-culture history with nights devoted to Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the movie Clueless, the Spice Girls, Ozzy Osbourne, Fear Factor, the Care Bears, and The Twilight Saga (per Parade). As usual, the episodes will be hosted by Nick Cannon and feature Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, and Rita Ora as judges.
It remains to be seen whether The Masked Singer will invite any Star Trek actors to join the festivities during the franchise-themed episode, but at least one figure has already boldly taken to the competition’s stage: William Shatner. Star Trek’s legendary Captain Kirk, who has been part of the Trek phenomenon since the second pilot in 1966, was unmasked as The Knight — who rides a golden goose — during Season 8 in 2022. Shatner, who performed “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” was actually the first celebrity to get the boot that season. He was 91 years old at the time.
Meanwhile, it’s intriguing that The Masked Singer will be the production celebrating Star Trek’s 60th anniversary. Star Trek originally aired on NBC, long before FOX ever launched, and its current home has mostly been Paramount+ (previously CBS All Access). I thought for sure that CBS would be the first to run a tribute of some kind, whether a tie-in with an existing show or a special devoted specifically to the franchise, as was done for previous anniversaries.
But, hey, Star Trek on The Masked Singer certainly ranks as thinking outside the box. I, for one, want to see dancing Klingons, Romulans, and Ferengi, and the judges drinking Risan mai-tais.
And since Jenny McCarthy's husband, Donnie Wahlberg, co-stars with former Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green on the just-renewed CBS series Boston Blue, maybe Martin-Green will beam in to join the party.
Season 14 of The Masked Singer debuts Jan. 7, 2026, on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/PT. For more Star Trek content, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.