Jonathan Frakes Uncovers the Real Reason Paramount Delays New Star Trek Series

If you’ve been following Star Trek for more than five minutes, you’ve probably noticed the seasons keep getting a lot shorter, and new shows take forever to actually show up on Paramount+. Jonathan Frakes, aka Commander Riker himself and a guy who’s done almost everything in the Trek universe except invent warp drive, recently jumped onto Reddit for one of those 'ask me anything' Q&A sessions and gave some pretty blunt answers about why things are how they are now.

Frakes Weighs In: The New Streaming Reality

Here’s the gist: Frakes didn’t sugarcoat how streaming platforms like Paramount+ have changed the landscape for Star Trek (and basically every other scripted show). The shorter seasons, the slow pace before new Star Trek series get announced, and even the frustrating delay of greenlights for shows like the long-rumored Legacy all come down to the new rules of streaming.

According to Frakes, the main issue is that writing and producing for streamers is a whole different beast than working for good old-fashioned TV networks. He pointed out that Paramount+ will often require a whole season to be written (start to finish) before a single frame gets shot. This is mostly because the shows are heavily serialized now—no more monster-of-the-week stuff—so they need to plan everything out, minimizing the risk of costly reshoots, which can burn through millions fast.

How Streamers Make It Tougher for Writers

Frakes got real about what that means for writers, too. Here's what he explained during his AMA:

So, if you’re an up-and-coming Trek writer, good luck moving up the ladder—the streaming model cuts you out of actually learning how a show comes together on set.

Networks vs. Streaming: What’s Slower, What’s Riskier

Now, classic networks love their pilots and their ad-supported schedules. You pitch a show, shoot a pilot, and sometimes you’re making episodes later that year. It’s fast and risky (studios have killed more pilots than Klingons have been vaporized), but if you’re fast, you’re on the air.

Streamers work differently. Everything is about metrics, library content, and whether your show fits their brand. They can give the official 'yes' quickly, but the actual process of getting the scripts done, hiring cast, and building the sets takes ages. The end result is a green light that sticks, but gets bogged down by an endless build-up.

• Classic Trek: Shows like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager got moving fast, usually getting a full launch within a year or two of the idea being pitched, and often with multiple Star Trek series overlapping in production.
• Streaming Trek: Discovery had to wait for the stars to align just to get on the air, and spinoffs like Legacy still don’t have a green light.

Too Many Shows to Chase, Not Enough Time

Frakes also called out this modern trend of cramming in more shows and episodes, all while demanding better VFX and using AR tech. Apparently, viewers who watch 10 things at once and expect every transporter effect to look like cinema are part of the problem (guilty as charged, I guess).

Bottom line: Streaming's supposed to make things easier, but for Star Trek (and the people making it), it's slowed everything down. Paramount+ basically needs to see the full game plan before they commit, and that extra caution makes every new series crawl to the launch pad rather than launching at warp speed.

Every Star Trek series, from The Original Series all the way to today's stuff, is streaming on Paramount+ in the US—if you have the patience to wait for the next one.