Star Trek Day is right around the corner and this year’s event comes with a special celebration of the 50th anniversary ofStar Trek: The Animated Series. September 8 marks 50 years since the debut ofStar Trek’s first animated series and 57 years since the debut ofStar Trek: The Original Series. In that time the franchise has spawned several spin-off shows, multiple movies, and even two new animated series withLower DecksandProdigy—Lower Decksacts asan adult-oriented workplace comedywhileProdigyintroduces a new generationof children to the wonderful world ofStar Trek. Now, to celebrateStar Trek’s rich andgrowing history of animation, Paramount is launchingStar Trek: Very Short Treks.
Short Treksdebuted back in 2018, with episodes acting as little glimpses into theStar Trekuniverse as supplemental short films with stories ranging from hilarious to heart-wrenching. NowVery Short Trekswill see characters from across the franchise go on comedic adventures in even less time as five new promotional spots celebrateThe Animated Seriesas you’ve never seen it before. Unlike the two seasons ofShort Treks, theseVery Short Treksare being marketed as “anything but canon” allowing directorCasper Kellyto deliver a handful of wacky, out-of-this-world stories that celebrate the franchise without changing its trajectory.
Earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con, Collider’sPerri Nemiroffsat down with Kellyto talk about the upcoming shorts. Kelly previously worked on theShort Trek"Too Many Cooks," which is a delightful episode featuringArcherstarH. Jon Benjaminand the origin ofStar Trek’s adorable and unstoppable Tribbles. During their chat, Kelly spoke to Collider about striking the right balance with the upcoming shorts, saying:
“I’m writing them along with these two other writers, Claire Friedman and Aaron Waltke. I write them and then I’m directing them basically along with Awesome Incorporated, the animation studio. And I think the challenge is this isn’t something new I’m making myself, it is a beloved thing with a storied history. So it is negotiating, but you want, you want to push limits. So what’s the right limits to push? What’s not right? What feels good? What makes this not feel likeStar Trekanymore, and just figuring all that out because it is a show about optimism and hope for the future. But it’s also a show that does not take itself too seriously.”
Check out a new poster for Star Trek: The Animated Celebration below and keep scrolling for more details on when you may watchStar Trek:Very Short Treks.
‘Star Trek: Very Short Treks’ Features Talent From the Entire Franchise
Back in July, it was announced thatStar TreklegendsJonathanFrakes,ArminShimerman, andDougJoneswould bereprising their roles as Will Riker, Quark, and Saru, respectively, now we’ve learned that even more familiar voices will be heard in the upcoming episodes. In addition to Frakes, Shimerman, and Jones,Very Short Trekswill feature appearances fromEthanPeckas Spock,GatesMcFaddenas Dr. Beverly Crusher,Celia Rose Goodingas Uhura,Connor Trinneeras Trip Tucker,Bruce Horakas Hemmer,Noël Wellsas Tendi andOriginal SeriesstarGeorge Takeias Sulu. In bringing back so many iconic characters, Kelly also shared his fear that “the talent would say, ‘wait a minute, you can’t have my character doing this,'” so it sounds like we’re in for quite a trip.
The firstVery Short Trekwill air at 1 p.m. ET on September 8, with the remaining four shorts airing at the same time each Wednesday through October 4. While the plot of these shorts has not yet been revealed, the titles (in order of air date) are “Skin a Cat,” “Holiday Party,” “Worst Contact,” Holograms, All the Way Down," and “Walk, Don’t Run.”
Watch the teaser forStar Trek: Very Short Treksbelow and keep an eye out for “Skin a Cat” onStarTrek.comas part of this weekend’sStar Trek Day celebrationson September 8.
