2023 promises to be an even more massive year for Star Trek than 2022. 2023 will mark the 57th anniversary of Star Trek since the venerable sci-fi franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and premiered on NBC in September 1966. After achieving an apex in the mid-1990s, Star Trek entered a new golden age with five series streaming on Paramount+. 2023 could potentially become Star Trek's biggest year ever.

In 2022, a new episode of Star Trek streamed almost every Thursday on Paramount+. The year began with Star Trek: Discovery wrapping up season 4 while Star Trek: Prodigy concluded the first half of its 20-episode run. In March, Star Trek: Picard season 2 brought back Q (John de Lancie) and Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered to widespread acclaim in May. In late summer, Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 set new standards for its animated comedy before passing the baton back to Prodigy, which closed out 2022 and its first season in spectacular fashion. Yet Star Trek in 2023 looks like it will even top the highs of 2022.

Related: Picard Season 3 Is The Biggest Star Trek Event In 28 Years

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 (Premieres February 16, 2023)

Star trek picard season 3 picard riker

Star Trek: Picard is the only show with an announced 2023 release date as of now, but season 3 of the Patrick Stewart-led series will be the biggest Star Trek event since the 1990s. Picard season 3 will reunite the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation for a 10-episode run billed as the true finale for the iconic characters. Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd are also back as Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker to link up the previous Picard seasons with the TNG legends. In addition, Amanda Plummer plays Captain Vadic, a mysterious new villain, Brent Spiner reprises the evil android Lore, and Daniel Davis returns as Professor James Moriarty.

Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, and Brent Spiner joining Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard season 3 is a dream come true for TNG fans who waited 21 years since they were last together onscreen in Star Trek: Nemesis. Star Trek: Picard season 3 likely has many surprises under wraps, but the marquee draw is the TNG reunion, which is Star Trek's biggest pop culture event since Picard met Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek Generations. Whether it's the last time TNG's icons will all be together is anyone's guess, but their new adventure together in Star Trek: Picard season 3 is a must-see for generations of Trekkers.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2

Paul Wesley and Anson Mount as Kirk and Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 was produced while season 1 was drawing raves on Paramount+ in spring 2022, and the next 10 episodes have been kept under wraps for nearly a year. Strange New Worlds season 2 will pick up from the cliffhanger of Number One (Rebecca Romijn) being arrested by Starfleet while Paul Wesley joins the cast as Lt. James T. Kirk after appearing as an alternate timeline Captain Kirk in the season 1 finale. In addition, Carol Kane joins the cast as the Starship Enterprise's new Chief Engineer, Lt. Pelia. Strange New Worlds season 2 promises to take "bold swings" and will test Starfleet's 23rd-century idealism while traveling to new planets as well as Rigel VII, one of the first worlds introduced in Star Trek.

Strange New Worlds & Star Trek: Lower Decks Crossover Episode

Mariner and Boimler of Lower Decks on the bridge of the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds with Captain Pike seated

One of the most highly-anticipated Star Trek events in 2023 is the crossover between Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks, which will be an episode of Strange New Worlds season 2. Announced during San Diego Comic-Con 2022, the ingenious Star Trek crossover will see Lower Decks' Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid board the Starship Enterprise in live-action as Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler. The crossover will also have an animated component as well. Lowers Decks meeting Strange New Worlds will be directed by Jonathan Frakes, who promises comedy the likes of which Star Trek has never seen before.

Related: Star Trek's Post-Nemesis Timeline Is Now Crucial To The Franchise

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4

T'Lyn Lower Decks Season 3 finale

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 may have been the funniest and most groundbreaking yet, as Mike McMahan's animated comedy continues to push the boundaries, including a long-awaited visit to Deep Space Nine. Lower Decks season 3's slam-bang conclusion reaffirmed Ensign Beckett Mariner's (Tawny Newsome) commitment to Starfleet. But while season 3 finished many ongoing storylines, some intriguing seeds were planted for season 4, such as the Vulcan T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) joining the USS Cerritos as the newest Lower Decker. The writing of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 was completed in the fall of 2022, and the new episodes should follow up on the unholy alliance between evil A.I.s Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue) and AGIMUS (Jeffrey Combs) that formed in season 3.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

Star trek discovery season 5 burnham

Filming of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 wrapped in December 2022, but the next phase of the 32nd-century voyages of the USS Discovery-A may not premiere until later in 2023. Discovery season 5 heralds a change in tone to more adventure and big-picture problem-solving as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew chase "the greatest treasure in the known galaxy." Joining the returning Discovery cast will be new characters, including Callum Keith as Starfleet Captain Rayner, and Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis as Moll and L'ak, couriers previously acquainted with Burnham and her lover, Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). The romance between Captain Saru (Doug Jones) and President T'Rina (Tara Rosling) will also continue in Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2

Janeway and Prodigy kids finale

Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 ended 2022 with an emotional and powerful finale that wrapped up the main story of the season while laying the groundwork for what's next. Prodigy season 2 promises to follow Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) as she leads the former crew of the USS Protostar into an alternate future timeline to rescue Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). Meanwhile, Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) left her friends to travel to the Vau'Nakat homeworld of Solum to hopefully change their future. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's 20 episodes are currently in production and are likely to premiere in late 2023. But Prodigy season 2 also looks to incorporate more Star Trek legacy characters the way season 1 brought in Admiral Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) and Thadiun Okona (Billy Campbell).

Star Trek 4

star trek 4 first announcement

2023 could also be the year Star Trek 4 finally gets off the ground. Originally slated for a December 2023 release date, the fourth Star Trek movie to be produced by J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot has been mired in development hell. Director Matt Shakman left the project for Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four in 2022, and no new director has been named, although Jonathan Frakes has publicly asked for the job. The Star Trek cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoë Saldaña, have all expressed their interest in returning to the Starship Enterprise. Hopefully, Star Trek 4 will finally exit drydock and begin production in 2023 so that a new Star Trek movie can complement the Star Trek series on Paramount+

More: Jonathan Frakes Directing Star Trek 4? It's Only Logical

Every Star Trek TV series is available to stream on Paramount+