2025 was a mixed affair for Star Trek fans. On the plus side, the long-awaited LEGO Enterprise-D set and the excellent Khan audio drama arrived, which even outdid some of the franchise's live-action efforts.
However, there were also a few lows for Trek, which even one well-respected trade publication took notice of. In The Hollywood Reporter's Biggest Winners and Losers of 2025 list, Star Trek as a whole ended up on the “loser” side of the rankings. Their words were brutal, yet some fans might agree they are accurate. The critique reads as follows (per THR):
"The sci-fi franchise is approaching 60 years old and sure feels like it. Paramount+’s Section 31 movie tanked (a 16 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes). The third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was meh (dropping sharply from prior seasons to a 53 percent audience score)."
The review continued:
"The only person who sounds excited for the upcoming Gen Z-targeted Starfleet Academy is recurring guest star Paul Giamatti (one wag on YouTube wrote the show’s trailer looked like 'TikTok space prom'). Sure, a new Trek movie is in the works (from the writer-directors of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves), but c’mon, do you care?"
It’s a savage take, and yet it holds up. Section 31 was easily the worst Trek movie ever, wasting the talents of the Oscar-winning Michelle Yeoh and a fun concept, en route to becoming a complete debacle. Even the Strange New Worlds producers admitted season 3 was a letdown for various factors, even as they hope to rebound in seasons 4 and 5.
The view of Starfleet Academy does come off rough, but the trailers are promising and Giamatti seems game to spark it up. At the least, critics could wait for the show to premiere to judge it. Also, there is excitement about the new Trek film from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley that can hopefully rekindle the franchise.
Yes, 2025 was rough, but there were bright spots. The fanbase is still here and excited, plus it’s not like Star Trek hasn’t had a few down years before. Remember the mid-to-late 2000s? There were no movies or TV shows after Enterprise (2001-2005) until the J.J. Abrams 2009 reboot revived the franchise.
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