Star Trek will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year with a flurry of fan-centered celebrations of the storied franchise, which include special events and partnerships, a Rose Parade float and the premieres of upcoming series like Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, as well as Star Trek: Scouts, a new animated YouTube series, and scripted podcast Star Trek: Khan, the latter two of which launched today.
The announcement of the Paramount IP’s celebrations come in honor of Star Trek Day (tied to the September 8, 1966 pilot premiere of Star Trek: The Original Series).
Kicking off the yearlong fetes will be the customized float at the Rose Parade, the annual New Year’s Day tradition held in Pasadena, Calif. The float design will reflect values of “hope, inclusivity, exploration and unity” explored in the sci-fi’s projects, and will additionally spotlight the upcoming Starfleet Academy series, which has yet to receive an official release date. Starring Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, the series introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who navigate friendships, rivalries, first loves and a new enemy who threatens both the Academy and the Federation.
Meanwhile, Star Trek: Scouts marks the franchise’s first foray into preschool programming. Developed and produced by Nickelodeon Digital Studio in association with CBS Studios, it follows three 8-year-old friends, JR, Sprocket and Roo, as they train to become future Starfleet Explorers by going on out-of-this-world missions.
Star Trek: Khan expands the universe, by tracing the untold events on Ceti Alpha V, chronicling Khan’s descent from a superhuman visionary into the vengeful villain seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Naveen Andrews voices the titular character, with additional cast including Wrenn Schmidt and Sonya Cassidy, and Star Trek veterans Tim Russ and George Takei also featuring. New episodes will be available weekly on Mondays through Nov. 3, streaming on major podcast platforms and YouTube.
Partnerships include a DoSomething “Boldly Go Green” campaign promoting environmentalism and a first-ever collaboration to bring the Star Trek world to Legos. You can see the Lego teaser below with a promise of more details to come.
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On the digital side, the franchise will also enter the comic space with WEBTOONand debut an official anniversary website – StarTrek60.com – that will provide a hub and calendar of activities.
For diehard fans, Star Trek: The Cruise will set sail Feb. 20-27 of next year, with legacy actors William Shatner, Walter Koenig and 20 additional performers from across the Star Trek universe in attendance.
The currently airing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 wraps this week, and viewers can expect fourth and fifth seasons to come.
From Deadline.com