Apologies for veering off course for a moment and covering popular culture rather than technology, but if not for Star Trek, I would likely not have a career in technology. So I present a round-up of all things Star Trek from my annual trek to Comic-Con International in San Diego (SDCC).
SDCC 2026 marked the beginning of Star Trek’s 60th anniversary celebration, with Paramount bringing together television, publishing, collectibles, gaming, and fan experiences under a single banner. Rather than focusing on individual series, this year’s programming emphasized the franchise’s continued expansion across multiple media, with announcements from Paramount+, the LEGO Group, Wizards of the Coast, Nacelle, Factory Entertainment, and IDW Publishing, alongside new experiences celebrating six decades of exploration. All of this in the shadow of Starfleet Academy’s cancellation and the impending end run of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
This SDCC, however, felt more Trekkie than normal, from the Paramount+ Star Trek lanyards to the badges emblazoned with the starship Enterprise. San Diego Comic-Con 2026 felt very Trekkie in all the best ways.
LEGO Builds the Original Enterprise Bridge
The centerpiece of the “Star Trek: The Collector Frontier” panel was the official unveiling of the LEGO Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge. Developed in partnership with Paramount Products & Experiences, the 1,701-piece adult collector set recreates both the bridge and transporter room from the original U.S.S. Enterprise.
The model features working play elements that simulate the bridge shaking under attack, lighting effects, removable stations, and eight newly designed minifigures representing Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, and Nurse Chapel. LEGO also announced preorders ahead of the September 1 release, with a suggested retail price of $199.99.
The announcement was complemented by “Star Trek: Boldly Built,” an immersive public installation at the Marriott Marquis that blended LEGO models, including a full-sized LEGO reproduction of Captain Kirk’s iconic command chair, with photo opportunities celebrating both the new set and the franchise’s anniversary. For those walking in from the bus routes, the Star Trek LEGO activation was the first hint that they were in the right place.
Magic: The Gathering Boldly Goes Where It Has Never Gone Before
Wizards of the Coast provided the first substantial look at Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek, arriving November 13.
Beyond revealing cards inspired by every era of Star Trek, Wizards introduced a new premium collectible category called Signature Cards. Seven iconic actors signed original artwork that will appear on ultra-rare versions of selected cards, including William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, Avery Brooks, Jonathan Frakes, George Takei, and Jeri Ryan.
The crossover spans the Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds, making it one of Magic’s broadest franchise collaborations to date.
Paramount+ Looks Toward the Franchise’s Next Era
The annual Hall H presentation focused on both current productions and what comes next for the Star Trek Universe.
The cast and producers of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds previewed the remainder of Season 4, which premiered during Comic-Con week. Executive producers also teased the direction of the series as it moves closer to the events of The Original Series.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduced a significant casting addition, announcing that Ruaridh Aldington has joined the series as Keats, a mysterious young alien who becomes central to the Academy’s evolving story.
Animation also received attention as Paramount announced that Star Trek: Scouts will return for a second season on Star Trek Day, September 8, continuing the YouTube-first series aimed at younger audiences.
The Hall H event concluded with a celebration of Star Trek’s upcoming 60th anniversary, bringing together performers representing multiple generations of the franchise.
Nacelle Expands Its Star Trek Universe One Bridge Section at a Time
Nacelle’s announcement was much more ambitious than simply revealing another action figure. Building on its growing line of 1:10-scale Star Trek figures, the company unveiled the prototype for its Build-A-Bridge Collectible Playset, an Enterprise bridge that will ultimately span approximately 40 inches in diameter when complete. Rather than selling the bridge as a single premium product, Nacelle plans to release it over the course of twelve months, with each monthly installment representing a section of the bridge that connects to the next. When assembled, the display will include integrated lighting and sound effects and serve as a centerpiece for the company’s expanding figure line.
The modular approach is intended to make the display more accessible to collectors while encouraging customization. Individual sections can function as standalone dioramas, allowing fans to recreate iconic scenes without committing to the entire bridge. Company founder Brian Volk-Weiss also revealed that the turbolift section will include interchangeable dedication plaques, enabling collectors to display the bridge as different Constitution-class starships rather than only the U.S.S. Enterprise. Nacelle also confirmed that it has deliberately avoided retailer-exclusive bridge segments so collectors won’t need to chase individual pieces across multiple stores to complete the set.
The bridge complements Nacelle’s existing action figure program, which already includes characters such as Captain Kirk, Captain Janeway, Worf, Nog, Captain Sulu, Captain Jellico, and Mirror Universe Archer, with additional figures expected to accompany future bridge releases.
Factory Entertainment Celebrates Star Trek’s Rich Prop History
Factory Entertainment used San Diego Comic-Con to unveil one of its largest Star Trek product lineups to date, emphasizing premium replicas created from extensive research into original studio props. The company’s 2026 “Convention Exclusive Premieres” span everything from screen-used accessories to iconic technology and memorable set pieces, reflecting Star Trek’s six decades of design history.
Among the headline releases was a limited-edition replica of Lieutenant Uhura’s communications earpiece from Star Trek: The Original Series. Created from detailed study of surviving production props, the replica is machined from aluminum, incorporates a clear molded earpiece, and includes a Starfleet delta display stand, numbered certificate of authenticity, and premium presentation box. Limited to 500 pieces worldwide, it was one of the company’s marquee anniversary collectibles.
Another standout was the M-5 Multitronic Unit from the classic episode The Ultimate Computer. The five-inch resin replica faithfully recreates Dr. Richard Daystrom’s experimental artificial intelligence that nearly commandeered the Enterprise during one of Star Trek’s earliest explorations of machine autonomy. Displayed on its own stand, the M-5 joins Factory Entertainment’s growing line of scaled prop replicas celebrating memorable technology from The Original Series. As ChatGPT and Claude find their way to defy safeguards, harken back to this episode for a “Star Trek told you so” moment.
The company also expanded its range of larger display pieces with replicas of the Planet Killer from The Doomsday Machine, complete with a miniature battle-damaged U.S.S. Constellation, and Captain Pike’s laser cannon from The Cage. Returning products included the limited-edition U.S.S. Excelsior porcelain teacup and saucer from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, featuring the distinctive blue-marble pattern and metallic gold accents seen aboard Captain Hikaru Sulu’s ship.
Beyond the convention exclusives, Factory Entertainment previewed several future products that illustrate the breadth of its Star Trek roadmap. Among them were premium replicas of the gold-pressed latinum bars from Deep Space Nine, Eline’s necklace from the acclaimed The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light,” additional Original Series bridge props with electronic features, and forthcoming Next Generation-era Type II “Cobrahead” phasers. Together, the collection demonstrates the company’s strategy of preserving Star Trek history through museum-quality replicas spanning multiple eras of the franchise.
IDW Boldly Launches a New Era of Star Trek Comics
While television commanded much of the attention at San Diego Comic-Con, IDW Publishing demonstrated that some of Star Trek’s most ambitious new storytelling will unfold on the printed page. The publisher’s 60th-anniversary program features two new flagship ongoing series, commemorative one-shots, a Starfleet Academy adventure, and continuing missions for the crews of The Last Starship and Lower Decks.
The centerpiece of IDW’s publishing plans is a pair of interconnected but independently accessible series led by Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker. Together, they push Star Trek beyond familiar territory while retaining the franchise’s emphasis on exploration, ethical choices, scientific discovery, identity, and chosen family.
Star Trek #1
Arriving in September 2026, Star Trek #1 launches a new ongoing series from Eisner-nominated writer Christopher Cantwell and Ringo-nominated artist Dennis Menheere.
Captain Seven of Nine leads the Enterprise-G on a secret mission beyond the four known quadrants and into a hidden region outside the galaxy. There, time fractures, minds begin to unravel, and an unseen power weaponizes fear against the crew. The resulting story examines survival and legacy while challenging one of Starfleet’s foundational beliefs: Is exploration a path toward understanding and salvation, or can the impulse to explore become a dangerous form of intrusion?
Cantwell describes the series as a clean slate designed to work for longtime fans and readers who have never previously encountered Star Trek. Although the Enterprise-G and Seven provide continuity with the franchise’s past, the mission looks forward, introducing new characters, new territory, and a mystery unconstrained by established galactic borders.
Star Trek: Zero Point #1
The second flagship series, Star Trek: Zero Point, launches in October 2026 under Hugo Award-winning writer Charlie Jane Anders.
While Seven and the Enterprise-G disappear beyond the galaxy, Captain Raffi Musiker assumes command of another starship with a radically different assignment: prevent future catastrophes before they happen. The crew is guided by a powerful predictive artificial intelligence that wears the face of a familiar ally. Its knowledge may make it indispensable, but its incomplete understanding of hope and humanity could also make it dangerous.
Anders is building the series around problem-solving, ethical dilemmas, identity, artificial consciousness, exoplanetary science, and chosen family. Like Star Trek #1, Zero Point is intended to welcome new readers without requiring extensive knowledge of franchise history. The two series begin with separate missions, but their simultaneous premises—Seven vanishing beyond known space while Raffi attempts to defend the Federation from threats that have not yet happened—establish a compelling foundation for IDW’s new era.
Star Trek: Celebrations 2026
Released in May, Star Trek: Celebrations 2026 is an anthology one-shot created by an LGBTQIA+ lineup and centered on the franchise’s queer characters.
Its stories focus on love, identity, triumph, and community, connecting contemporary Star Trek characters with Gene Roddenberry’s ideal of “infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” Rather than treating representation as peripheral to the anniversary, the book positions diversity as one of the principles that has allowed Star Trek to remain relevant across six decades.
Star Trek: 60th Anniversary Special
Scheduled for September, the 50-page Star Trek: 60th Anniversary Special celebrates the full breadth of the franchise through a collection of new stories.
The creative lineup includes Dana Gould, Ryan North, Derek Charm, David Walker, Megan Camerena, and additional contributors. Covers come from Michael Cho, John Tyler Christopher, Chris Fenoglio, and other artists. While the two new ongoing series are designed to carry Star Trek into unfamiliar territory, the anniversary special offers a concentrated celebration of the characters, ideas, and storytelling traditions that brought the franchise to this milestone.
Other Star Trek Books from IDW
IDW is still continuing to publish Star Trek: Starfleet Academy—Lost Contact, Star Trek: The Last Starship, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, which continue the adventures of Mariner, Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, Captain Freeman, and the U.S.S. Cerritos.
Taken together, IDW’s anniversary slate does more than commemorate 60 years of Star Trek. It creates multiple entry points into the franchise: a boundary-breaking Enterprise mission, a scientifically grounded story about predictive artificial intelligence, an Academy survival adventure, inclusive character-focused anthologies, far-future examinations of the Federation, and the continuing comic misadventures of the Cerritos.
The result reinforces IDW’s role as Star Trek’s primary comics publisher. Its books can preserve characters after their television stories end, explore concepts that would be difficult to realize within production budgets, and carry the franchise into regions of space—and forms of storytelling—that television has yet to reach. IDW has also indicated that additional Star Trek comics will be revealed during the anniversary year.
Experiences Beyond the Convention Center
Paramount once again extended Star Trek beyond the convention halls.
The Paramount+ Lodge recreated portions of Strange New Worlds’ Port Galley while displaying the original filming model of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the Roddenberry Estate. Fans could participate in themed games, receive exclusive merchandise, and experience franchise exhibits without requiring a Comic-Con badge.
Along with Lego’s Star Trek: Boldly Built installation, the game Star Trek Fleet Command transformed The Sinclair on G Street into the 60 Years of Star Trek Archives Experience, blending museum-quality exhibits with interactive attractions. Visitors could view original costumes, props, prosthetics, and models spanning every live-action Star Trek television series, from The Original Series through Starfleet Academy.
The activation paired those archival displays with a Holodeck-inspired virtual reality experience, themed photo opportunities, collectible trading cards, a claw machine stocked with Star Trek prizes, and a personalized souvenir card that let guests align themselves with a Star Trek faction.
Rather than serving as a traditional game promotion, the experience celebrated the franchise’s history while demonstrating how Star Trek Fleet Command has become a gateway into the broader Star Trek universe for many fans.
Paramount also offered an early screening of a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode at the Balboa Theatre.
A Year Focused on Every Kind of Fan
Unlike previous Comic-Con presentations centered primarily on television announcements, Star Trek‘s 2026 celebration reflected the breadth of the franchise’s modern ecosystem. Paramount paired streaming originals with premium collectibles, comics, tabletop gaming, construction sets, action figures, and immersive fan experiences.
As the franchise enters its seventh decade, Comic-Con demonstrated that Star Trek‘s future is being built simultaneously across entertainment, publishing, collectibles, and interactive fandom, giving longtime fans and newcomers alike multiple ways to boldly go.
His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Wired, NASA Ask, and dozens of other magazines and websites. His analysis on the future of work can be found at SeriousInsights.net. He is also the author of Understanding Artificial Intelligence, Cyberlife, Rethinking Smart Objects, and Empower Business with Generative AI.
Rasmus regularly speaks on the future of work at events such as Comic-Con International, Wondercon, Impact, Enterprise AI World, Worktech, CLO Symposium, KMWorld, AAAI, Computers in Libraries, Microsoft’s Building the Future, Educause, Expo Capital Humano, Devlearn, Internet Librarian, CAMEX, EduComm, and Sourcing Summit Europe.
As an Affiliate Instructor, Rasmus teaches scenario planning at the University of Washington and is an Associate Adjunct Professor at Bellevue College.
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