Star Trek plans packed lineup for the franchise's 60th anniversary, with
Lego sets and YouTube show
[September 09, 2025]
By ITZEL LUNA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Not many franchises have fueled society’s timeless
fascination with the boundless possibilities of a utopian future like
“Star Trek.”
Next year the sprawling franchise will add more shows, Lego sets and
even a Rose Parade Float in a yearlong celebration of its 60th
anniversary.
The hefty lineup of “fan-centric” celebrations was announced by the
franchise on its 59th anniversary Monday, known as Star Trek Day. The
projects are the first wave, Paramount said in its announcement.
“The 60th anniversary celebrates “Space for Everybody,” extending an
open invitation to celebrate the future that “Star Trek” aspires to — a
future of HOPE, a future of EXPLORATION and a future where we rise to
the challenge to BE BOLD,” the announcement read.
The sci-fi franchise began with the TV series created by Gene
Roddenberry that debuted in 1966 and has since sprawled into a
multi-billion dollar cultural phenomenon.
Today, fans, known as Trekkies, have enjoyed countless movies, spinoff
shows and video games based on the original series.
Set in the Milky Way a couple hundred years in the future, the series
followed the crew behind the starship USS Enterprise. Their journey led
them to, “Boldy go where no man has gone before,” as William Shatner,
who played Captain James T. Kirk, famously said at the top of every
episode.
Celebration kicks off at the Rose Parade
The yearlong celebration will kick off on New Year's Day, with a float
in the Rose Parade in California. The float “will reflect values of
hope, inclusivity, exploration and unity,” the franchise representatives
wrote in a statement.
The float will also feature the upcoming new series “Star Trek:
Starfleet Academy” set to launch in early 2026 on Paramount+. The show
will center on a group of young cadets who navigate the responsibilities
of becoming Starfleet officers all the while juggling new friendships,
love interests and enemies.
[to top of second column]
|
Members of the "Star Trek" crew, from left, James Doohan, DeForest
Kelley, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy,
and Nichelle Nichols, toast the newest "Star Trek" film at Paramount
Studios on Dec. 28, 1988. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)
 Paramount gave a first look of the
show, which starts actors Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, during a
Comic-Con event in late July.
The franchise also announced “Star Trek: Scout” a new original,
animated YouTube-first series. Created by Nickelodeon Digital Studio
in association with CBS Studio, the show is the first preschool
extension of the franchise. It follows three 8-year-old friends as
they train to become future Starfleet Explorers.
The first two episodes of the 20-episode run were released Monday,
and the rest will roll out into the next year.
A new scripted podcast, “Star Trek: Khan” also released its first
episode Monday. New episodes will air weekly and chronicle Khan’s
descent into the iconic villain introduced in the 1982 film “Star
Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”
New partnerships
Following the longstanding success of Lego partnerships with similar
franchises like “Star Wars,” the company will partner with Paramount
for the first time to bring “Star Trek” to life.
The franchise and the Lego company “have strong shared values of
imagination, exploration and building a better tomorrow, making this
an ideal partnership for fans of all ages,” the statement read.
A “Star Trek” cruise will set sail in late February “filled with
once-in-a-lifetime experiences in celebration of the franchise’s
60th anniversary,” according to the statement. Various “Star Trek”
actors, including Shatner and Walter Koenig, will join the voyage.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
