Star Trek: Picard was a bit of an up-and-down mess over its three-season run. A turnstile of showrunners, tonal shifts between seasons, and a blatant disregard for its own conceptual premise all led to the show being a mixed bag at best, or a failure at worst. The lone idea that came out of the series was one involving a potential spinoff, dubbed with love as 'Star Trek: Legacy'.
The show would follow Jean-Luc Picard's son, some of the new cast members from the third season of Picard and a few returning legacy characters, namely Seven of Nine. It was a solid idea when it was pitched, and even though the final Picard showrunner, Terry Matalas, really wanted to make the show, Paramount basically buried the project.
instead, they greenlit a different spinoff, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. It'll be interesting to see if that show lives up to the expectations, and if greenlighting that one over Legacy was the right call. We have no idea yet, as at the time of this article, Starfleet Academy hasn't even released a teaser yet, let alone its first episode.
The arrival of Starfleet Academy shouldn't mean that Legacy is dead, but it essentially does. Not by any true intentions, mind you, but Legacy is all but dead thanks to Starfleet Academy.
Why though? It's all about timing. Starfleet Academy is set to premiere, more than likely, in early 2026, barring any delays. With the budget being very tight at Paramount right now as the merger between them and Skydance continues to unfold, there's not a huge chance we get too many more Star Trek shows in the interim. We're probably a few more years away from getting another show announced.
Not only that but with the spectacular failing of Starr Trek: Section 31, the original plan of making more made-for-streaming films is likely going to be on pause for now. Maybe until they figure out what the next film should be if there is a next film. Expect some significant time to pass between Section 31 and the announcement of the film series' future.
We're also still waiting on the news of the next theatrical film, which could be one of two films depending on how things shake out.
We could be looking at 2027 or 2028 by the time production on the next show even starts due to how much money other projects are going to be demanding. Considering all things, it seems unlikely there'd be the same fan support for the show by then, nor does it seem likely that most of the cast will be up for doing the show by then.
Assuming their careers go well, it's possible that the main actors for the project are already signed on to new projects. After all, Picard's third season was shot in 2021. We're already four years removed from the production of the season, by the time we finally get time and money to do another film, it could be six or seven years later.
It seems almost impossible that a spinoff show of a lukewarm series is going to be made seven years later. It's just not happening.