The Next 'Star Trek' Movie Leaves Every Familiar Face Behind

For a franchise that has always leaned on its captains, from Kirk to Picard to Janeway, the notion of a Star Trek with no familiar face is a real gamble. That is the bet the next film is making, and its directors confirmed it at the biggest geek-friendly convention of the year.

Speaking at Collider’s Directors on Directing panel at San Diego ComicCon, filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daleyoffered the first substantial look at their approach. They shared the stage with Weapons director Zach Cregger and stressed that the project stands apart from any previous or current Star Trek series or movie. The pair, known for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and the screenplay for Spider-Man: Homecoming, are writing, producing, and directing what will be the first Star Trek feature film since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Two details stood out: the movie will center on entirely new characters, and it will be set further into the future than any Trek before it.

The comments were the most concrete yet after months of near-silence. Daley kept specifics under wraps, saying only that the “script is in progress” and that audiences should expect to be surprised. Goldstein went a step further, confirming the film won’t feature “the characters that you’ve seen previously” in the Star Trek movies. He added that the story will likely move further ahead on the timeline than the franchise has traveled before.

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This is a sharp break from recent history. The 2009 reboot and its sequels ran in the separate “Kelvin” timeline but still leaned on legacy figures, most notably Leonard Nimoy‘s Spock. A cast with no returning faces removes that safety net.

Since Beyond, multiple attempts stalled, including a Quentin Tarantino pitch and separate projects from filmmakers who moved on before cameras rolled. The announcement comes as Star Trek marks its 60th anniversary in 2026 and as Paramount winds down its television slate, with Strange New Worlds heading into its final seasons and Starfleet Academy canceled after one. As the franchise turns 60, Paramount has emphasized a renewed commitment to theatrical releases, positioning the film within a broader studio strategy. Paramount first announced the project in late 2025 and confirmed it at CinemaCon in April.

The directors said the reset is a way to welcome newcomers without losing the fans who have followed the series for six decades. No release date has been set, and with the screenplay still being written, the film remains a distant prospect. What the panel made clear is that the next voyage will look unlike any that came before.

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