Star Trek executives, including Rod Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, revealed their feelings about the new leadership at Paramount and whether they believe Star Trek will prosper under the new regime. In August 2025, Paramount underwent a major change. The company merged with Skydance Media, creating the new Paramount Skydance Corporation regime. After the deal closed, Skydance CEO David Ellison was named chairman and CEO of the new Paramount Skydance Corporation.
In an exclusive interview with The Direct on the red carpet at the 2026 Saturn Awards to support Star Trek: Strange New Worlds being nominated for Best Science Fiction Television Series, Star Trek producers Trevor Roth and Rod Roddenberry were asked about the new regime at Paramount and how they felt it would affect Star Trek in the future.
According to Roth, the executives behind the sci-fi franchise "hope that the new leadership understands or appreciates" that Star Trek "is a wonderful piece of entertainment" and that it can also "talk about important issues."
The producer also mentioned that he wants the new team at Paramount to "see what [they] see." So far, according to Roth, "they do:"
The Direct: Obviously, Paramount has gone through some leadership changes recently. So I'm curious, with all of those changes, how do you guys think that's going to affect 'Star Trek' and its trajectory in terms of what we get in the future?
Trevor Roth: "Our hope is that the new leadership understands or appreciates what we appreciate about 'Star Trek': that it is a wonderful piece of entertainment, that it can go beyond entertaining and talk about important issues to us today, and make people think, and allow for the intelligence of our audience to be recognized and appreciated. So, our hope is that they'll just see what we see. And I think thus far, from what we can tell, they do."
Roddenberry, who produced the Saturn Award-nominated Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series and whose father created Star Trek, reinforced that the creative minds and producers behind the franchise think "things will get better" with the regime change:
Rod Roddenberry: "I'm a big fan of change, maybe not change just for the sake of change, but, dare I say, sometimes disruptive change for the better. I do think with the new regime, things will get better."
The longtime Star Trek producer mentioned that things weren't necessarily "bad" before the Paramount and Skydance merger, but there is now "a fresh perspective." Roddenberry also said that "Star Trek has a very important message and story to tell" and that he has "high hopes that the new regime at Paramount will recognize that:"
"And not that they were bad, but I think there's a fresh perspective, and in this heightened climate of humanity right now, I've got a lot of high hopes that they'll understand and recognize that 'Star Trek' has a very important message and story to tell, and that it really needs to be highlighted, emphasized, and put out there. So, I have high hopes that the new regime at Paramount will recognize that and give us something good to watch."
It seems Paramount plans to invest a lot of time and resources in the Star Trek franchise, and, as the producers said, the new regime already recognizes it as an important part of the Paramount brand.
Notably, Paramount Skydance Corporation CEO David Ellison listed Star Trek as one of the most important franchises under the Paramount umbrella, which now includes Warner Bros. Discovery. So, of all the franchises from Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Skydance Media, the new CEO feels that Star Trek is among the best of them.
The Direct also asked Roth and Roddenberry what they learned from another new series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Specifically, Roth emphasized the importance of understanding their audience and "[bring] humanity to the shows." However, something that is just as important is "speaking on a human level to the audience:"
The Direct: You guys just had 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,' which has had a great reaction, and it's also geared towards a younger generation. I'm curious with that show and its reaction, how people have been taking this new show, what lessons has that taught you guys, and how you want to take the franchise going forward?
Trevor Roth: "I think that at the end of the day, 'Academy' is reaffirming something that I think we knew. But, it's always important to understand if it remains true and as the world evolves, and that is: are we talking to people about parts of their lives that are important? Are we getting them during periods when they are forming themselves and what they are going to be as a Starfleet Academy member, as a Starfleet captain eventually, and/or anything in between? So, I think that the lesson you learn from it is that, we continue to make sure that we're bringing humanity to the shows, and that we're speaking on a human level to the audience."
The Direct also asked the producers about what it means for Star Trek to have such a strong presence at the 2026 Saturn Awards. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds received four total nominations, including Best Science Fiction Television Series, Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series, Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, and Best Guest Star in a Television Series.
Roddenberry revealed that he believes "sci-fi never gets what it deserves," so the Saturn Awards are truly a great experience and show for projects within that genre. He also talked about how the sci-fi genre "allows people to really come up with creative ideas about the future," making it extremely important in the world of fiction.
The producer also mentioned that he is "very proud of" Star Trek's nominations, because "it's something that gives [them] hope for the future:"
The Direct: 'Star Trek' is sweeping with nominations, and they always do with the Saturn Awards. What does it feel like to see that?
Rod Roddenberry: "I mean, I love the Saturn Awards because sci-fi never gets what it deserves. This is an incredible genre that allows people to really come up with, often, creative ideas about the future, and it inspires us [with] Star Trek, in particular. And so, when 'Star Trek's' here and 'Star Trek's' getting nominated and recognized, of course, I'm very proud of it, because it's not just science fiction. It's something that gives us hope for the future, and those are the kinds of things that need to be recognized, regardless of whether they're 'Star Trek' or not."
What Does the Future of Star Trek Look Like Under Paramount's New Regime?
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has already made it clear that he considers Star Trek one of the company's most valuable assets and franchises. Therefore, fans can expect Star Trek to continue for years to come and for Paramount to remain extremely supportive of the sci-fi franchise.
In the near future, Starfleet Academy Season 2 and Strange New Worlds Season 4 will be released. The latter is expected to come out sometime in 2026, with Starfleet Academy set for a 2027 release.
Beyond that, a feature film is in the works from the duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. Not much is known about the project, but it was announced in November 2025 and is expected not to continue the storyline explored in the most recent live-action films that starred Chris Pine.
Other Star Trek movies have been planned since the last film was released, but none of them have worked out. Therefore, fans are a bit reserved about getting their hopes up for this new title. Still, given Paramount's optimism about the franchise, it seems likely to take off and could kickstart a new era of storytelling on the big screen.
