Next Star Trek Movie to Feature New Characters and Far-Future Setting

Upcoming Star Trek feature film will jump deep into the franchise’s far future, featuring entirely new characters disconnected from previous television or movie eras. Filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley offered the update during San Diego Comic-Con, keeping exact plot details under wraps for now.

The Bottom Line:

• The Creative Team: Written, produced, and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, known for Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
• The Timeline: Set further into the future than we’ve been before, moving beyond the traditional late 24th-century TNG/DS9/Voyager era.
• The Franchise Context: Represents a theatrical Star Trek release since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, standing apart from current television iterations.

Breaking Away from the Familiar Timeline

When Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were tapped back in November of last year to write, produce, and direct a fresh cinematic installment, the project was framed from the outset as a completely new take within the Star Trek universe, unmoored from legacy television series, active streaming continuities, or past cinematic development loops.

Appearing at San Diego Comic-Con this week, the directing duo finally pulled back the curtain slightly on how their vision takes shape. Daley noted that the project is firmly in progress and promised that audiences will likely be surprised by the direction. Goldstein expanded on those remarks, confirming that the film will sidestep characters that have been seen previously in Star Trek movies. Crucially, the narrative pushes the timeline further into the future than the franchise has been before.

Navigating the 32nd Century and Beyond

Here is the kicker: figuring out just how far ahead this new script reaches opens up massive storytelling territory. The classic television era encompassing The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Picard anchored itself firmly in the late 24th century. Meanwhile, modern efforts like Star Trek: Discovery and Starfleet Academy push all the way into the 32nd century, shadowing the cataclysmic fallout of an event known as The Burn.

Goldstein and Daley’s film will likely thread the needle in the expansive gap between the post-Picard era and the 3069 timeline of The Burn.

Project	Creative Team	Era / Setting	Status
Untitled Star Trek Film	Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley	Far Future (Post-Picard)	In Progress
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy	Not specified	32nd Century	Wrapping Final Season (2027)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds	Not specified	Not specified	Wrapping Final Season (2027)

The Theatrical Rebirth Strategy

The last time a Star Trek adventure hit multiplexes was in 2016 with Star Trek Beyond. Since then, the franchise has found a home on television.

As both Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy prepare to wrap up their respective runs in 2027, the theatrical slate remains wide open.

Where would you like to see the franchise go next? Drop your thoughts on this far-future jump in the comments below.