An obvious conflict with the popular Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could cause some problems for a potential Star Trek: Legacy spinoff series as well as the long-gestating Star Trek 4. After Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) made a big splash in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, momentum began to build to get the character his own series. That series eventually manifested as Strange New Worlds, a throwback to the episodic structure of classic Star Trek shows with modern storytelling sensibilities and a robust budget. The show was an immediate hit, certainly a relief for Paramount in the wake of the polarizing reactions to their previous modern Star Trek shows.

The potential Star Trek: Picard spinoff Star Trek: Legacy has traveled a road similar to the one Star Trek: Strange New Worlds took to reality. Picard ended its run by making Captain Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan) the commanding officer of the newly rechristened USS Enterprise-G, ready for new adventures in the 25th century. However, that rechristening could prove to be an issue for Star Trek: Legacy going forward, as well as the film series that has remained in limbo since Star Trek Beyond hit theaters in 2016.

Strange New Worlds Being About The Enterprise Makes Star Trek 4 & Legacy Getting Made Harder

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Legacy, and a continuation of the Kelvin timeline films in a potential Star Trek 4 all have one thing in common - they primarily take place aboard the USS Enterprise. Pike commands the original version of the storied Federation vessel in Strange New Worlds, while Captain Seven commands the latest iteration over a century later. Meanwhile, the Kelvin timeline chronicles the adventures of an alternate reality version of the 23rd-century Enterprise.

This could create a problem that could confuse and divide audiences. True, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country coexisted with the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it was clear those were set on two different Enterprises in two different eras. Star Trek 4 is set aboard the same Enterprise in the same time period, and both the movie and Strange New Worlds star young variations of Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, albeit from different realities. Add another Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Legacy and Paramount may find potential brand confusion with so many different iterations of the Enterprise appearing in shows and films concurrently.

Can 3 Star Trek Shows & Movies About The Enterprise Coexist?

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Star Trek is in a much different place than it was in its 1990s heyday, as its scope has expanded to chronicle several different eras of the franchise at once. Audiences are likely savvy enough to understand the difference between the settings of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Legacy. The concepts and personnel involved are so different that there would be little confusion.

The potential problem lies with Star Trek 4. The last Kelvin timeline movie came out in 2016, a year before Star Trek: Discovery kicked off the franchise's television renaissance. That big-screen iteration of the franchise currently feels irrelevant to Star Trek's overall health as a franchise, as it continues to blossom on the small screen. Star Trek can likely manage two Enterprises between Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Legacy within its tightly managed television empire, but another big screen version of Kirk and Spock's Enterprise may be one too many.