LeVar Burton Says he Wants ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ to Happen

Though talk about the possibility of a Star Trek: Legacy show has died down of late, Star Trek actor LeVar Burton wants to bring the conversation back to the forefront. In a recent interview, he said that he believes Star Trek: Legacy should happen and explained why.

Since Star Trek: Picard brought back several legacy characters, including Seven of Nine and the entire bridge crew of TNG, fans have been calling for a show based on the lives and careers of their favorite classic Star Trek characters. Demand for such a show only increased when the series finale of Picard, which aired in 2023, perfectly set up a spin-off featuring Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), both of whom were central characters throughout Picard’s three seasons, as well as Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher. Picard showrunner Terry Matalas seemed on board, suggesting the title Star Trek: Legacy, and for a while, it seemed like the show would head into production. However, Paramount+ never confirmed the show, and instead turned its focus to the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Related

Is Star Trek: Picard Worth Watching Now?

Star Trek: Picard seasons one and two were received pretty badly by the broader Star Trek fanbase, but Picard Season 3 started moving the series in the right direction. But some say that, if you want to get into the series for the first time, it’s best to skip the first two seasons and just jump into S3, especially if you care about the continuity of The Next Generation.

Interest in the series among fans and Star Trek actors hasn’t waned, though, as Burton made clear in an interview with TVLine earlier this week. The topic came up when the interviewer asked Burton to respond to comments his colleague and friend Patrick Stewart had made at ComicCon a few years earlier, hinting that fans hadn’t seen the last of the TNG characters. Burton responded, saying that both he and his TNG costars would be happy to return to the Paramount+ Star Trek universe, and that he believes Star Trek: Legacy is the logical next step for the franchise.

Burton Holds Out Hope for ‘Legacy’

Burton explained his perspective, saying, “then AND now, at least for us, the cast – and the audience, two years on, seem to be just as interested in the idea of Legacy as when Picard was just airing.”

He went on to say that he doesn’t have much of a say in what happens in the current Star Trek universe, adding that it’s clear Paramount+ is really focused on Starfleet Academy right now. However, Burton emphasized that he still has hope for Star Trek: Legacy.

“I would think that given the opportunity and the resources, that they would want to do this. It makes so much sense… It makes so much sense.”

Will Fans Ever Get a ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ Show?

Though it’s common for proposed projects like this to fade into obscurity as time goes on, especially when the franchise is focused on other projects, Burton’s comments indicate that the idea of Star Trek: Legacy is still fresh in the minds of both the actors and the fans. And in an interview on the podcast The D-Con Chamber earlier this year, Matalas indicated that the project is still on his mind as well.

He revealed that the creative team behind the modern Star Trek universe had talked a lot about Legacy, even developing storylines and writing scenes. Matalas added that he believes fans will always be interested in the premise of Legacy and the characters it would include, so he’s not too worried that the show isn’t happening right now. Like Burton, he holds out hope that it will be greenlit in the future.

While these recent comments about Star Trek: Legacy are encouraging, fans shouldn’t expect anything to come of them in the near future. Paramount+ has been very intentional with their plans for the Star Trek universe. Though fans did get that one, wonderful year of new Star Trek episodes literally every week, that was when Paramount+ was just launching their modern Star Trek universe.

Several years later, now that the modern Star Trek universe is well-established, Paramount+ is thinning the roster, ensuring that each individual show they launch has enough of the fanbase’s attention to succeed. With resources firmly allocated to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Starfleet Academy, and the comedy series Tawny Newsome has in development, Paramount+ is unlikely to move forward with a new Star Trek show anytime soon, especially since they’ll have two dramatic series within the same franchise on the air at the same time.

That being said, Trek insiders keep saying “never say never” about Star Trek: Legacy, so patient fans may still get their wish once Starfleet Academy is well-established.

Star Trek: Picard

Release Date

January 23, 2020

Cast

Patrick Stewart , Michelle Hurd , Santiago Cabrera , Alison Pill , Jeri Ryan , Brent Spiner

Seasons

3

Franchise

Star Trek

Main Characters

Jean-Luc Picard

Number of Episodes

30

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+

Expand

Sources: TVLine, D-Con Chamber