Boldly Back! Hit Star Trek Series Returns After 5-Year Hiatus with Thrilling New Trailer!

Despite a challenging year for Star Trek fans, marked by a decade-long hiatus in new series production and ongoing mega-merger issues at Paramount, there is good news for those eager to delve into the franchise's extensive history. After a five-year absence, the acclaimed Star Trek documentary series, The Center Seat, has made its return. Collider has exclusively announced its second season, titled The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek, accompanied by a new trailer and key art.

Produced by Nacelle, the original season of The Center Seat premiered in 2021, coinciding with the franchise's 55th anniversary. Across eleven episodes, it meticulously explored the initial decades of Star Trek, tracing its journey from the genesis of Star Trek: The Original Series through various attempts at revival with The Animated Series and Phase II. It also covered its significant resurgence with the theatrical movies and The Next Generation, its popular syndicated era featuring Deep Space Nine, and its perceived conclusion on the ill-fated UPN network with Voyager and Enterprise. The first season also included dedicated episodes focusing on the series' iconic spaceships and memorable guest stars.

The Center Seat II will venture into new narrative territory, looking forward from the previous season's scope. This installment will examine the intricate transition between the first six Star Trek movies, which starred the Original Series cast, and the subsequent four films that centered on the crew of The Next Generation. A particular focus will be on Star Trek: Generations, the first of these four, which controversially featured the first-ever team-up of Captains Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard (Patrick Stewart) before Captain Kirk's death. Furthermore, the documentary will explore J.J. Abrams' "Kelvin Universe" Star Trek movies, which famously rebooted the series' continuity and achieved unprecedented box office success.

The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek is set to premiere on September 8th, a date celebrated as "Star Trek Day" to commemorate the anniversary of the original Star Trek broadcast in 1966. Viewers will be able to access the series on Prime Video, Tubi, and YouTube. Gates McFadden, known for her role in The Next Generation, will narrate the second series, as she did the first. The new season will feature interviews with a wide array of Star Trek luminaries, including Leonard Nimoy, Jonathan Frakes, F. Murray Abraham, Alan Ruck, Brent Spiner, Walter Koenig, James Cromwell, Malcolm McDowell, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ron D. Moore, Alice Krige, Deep Roy, Tim Russ, Brannon Braga, Michael Westmore, Wil Wheaton, Jeri Taylor, Doug Drexler, Bryan Fuller, Rick Berman, and many others.