Star Trek: Short Treks

Lore & Background

The series was announced by Alex Kurtzman at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2018, as a way to buy time to get the second season of Discovery right. The first four shorts were released monthly between the first and second seasons of Discovery. They were produced on the set of Discovery in Toronto, with cast and crew from that series, including composer Jeff Russo. Three of the initial shorts focused on Discovery characters Silvia Tilly, Saru, and Harry Mudd; the fourth introduced a new character, Craft, played by Aldis Hodge. The shorts were designed to tie into the second season of Discovery but appear standalone at first.

In January 2019, two animated shorts were ordered, and in June 2019 four additional live-action episodes were announced. The second season aired between the second season of Discovery and the first season of Star Trek: Picard, with the last short serving as a teaser for Picard. The animated shorts were created by visual effects house Pixomondo, and a roster of new composers supervised by Michael Giacchino provided the music. Kurtzman described the shorts as expanding the definition of Star Trek and allowing intimate, emotional side stories that set up events in the main series.

Reader's Guide

The series received positive reviews and was nominated for several awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award. Kurtzman expressed interest in continuing the series, but the producers chose not to begin work on any new shorts when the COVID-19 pandemic began. He noted that the shorts were an interesting way to test new stories and new filmmakers, with writers, directors, and composers going on to work on other Star Trek series. One early idea discussed was a story featuring Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and a young Jean-Luc Picard, which led to the development of Star Trek: Picard. A third season was reportedly ordered in January 2020 with production scheduled for May to June, but no shorts had begun production by July 2020. Kurtzman hoped the Emmy nomination would lead to more shorts, and he wanted to explore directions such as a musical or black-and-white short. However, due to pandemic restrictions, further shorts were not made, as the focus had to be on filming what was definitely needed for the main series.

Did You Know?

• The first four shorts were released between the first and second seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.
• One short, 'Calypso', was written by novelist Michael Chabon, his first produced television work.
• A third season was reportedly ordered in January 2020 but production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Origins & Strategic Purpose

Star Trek: Short Treks emerged from a pivotal moment in the franchise's television history. In June 2018, Alex Kurtzman signed a five-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios to expand Star Trek beyond Discovery into new series, miniseries, and animated content. Just a month later, at San Diego Comic-Con, he unveiled Short Treks as the first project under that agreement—a collection of four roughly 10-to-15-minute shorts to be released monthly between Discovery's first and second seasons. Kurtzman framed the shorts as delivering closed-ended stories that would simultaneously plant clues for upcoming Discovery episodes and introduce new characters into the broader Trek universe. Crucially, he described the project as a way to buy creative breathing room, giving the Discovery team time to get its second season right while keeping fans engaged. The shorts were designed to feel standalone on first viewing, with their deeper connections to the main series serving as a surprise for attentive viewers. This dual purpose—entertainment and strategic world-building—defined the series from its inception.

Production & Creative Collaboration

Short Treks benefited from a deeply collaborative production environment rooted in the existing Discovery infrastructure. All live-action filming took place in Toronto, Canada, directly on the set of Discovery, allowing the cast and crew to seamlessly integrate the shorts into their ongoing schedule. Composer Jeff Russo, who had already established the musical identity of Discovery, provided an updated main title theme and original underscore for the first season. The second season expanded the creative roster significantly: visual effects house Pixomondo crafted two animated installments, while a new group of composers supervised by Michael Giacchino scored the additional live-action shorts. Individual episodes also attracted distinctive creative voices—Rainn Wilson not only starred in his Harry Mudd short but also directed it, and the script was penned by a writer from the animated series Rick and Morty, which Wilson described as very funny and weird. Aldis Hodge brought a new character, Craft, to the first season, while Mary Wiseman's Silvia Tilly and Doug Jones's Saru each received their own character-focused episodes. This model of leveraging existing talent while inviting fresh perspectives became a hallmark of the production.

Narrative Structure & Franchise Integration

Each Short Treks episode functions as a self-contained story, yet the series operated as a sophisticated narrative engine for the wider Trek universe. Kurtzman emphasized that the shorts expanded the definition of Star Trek by telling intimate, emotional side stories that rewarded viewers on their own terms while quietly setting up future developments in Discovery. The second season's final short served explicitly as a teaser for Star Trek: Picard, demonstrating how the anthology could bridge between major series. Perhaps the most striking example of this cross-pollination was an early concept Kurtzman discussed: a short featuring Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, in which a young Jean-Luc Picard visits her in a hospital and receives a Borg-related mission. That discussion ultimately contributed to the development of Picard itself, though Kurtzman noted the original story could still be told. He also suggested future shorts might tie directly into other new Trek series, introducing ideas and setting up mysteries for audiences. By comparing the format to Pixar's short films, Kurtzman highlighted how brief, focused storytelling could deliver emotional satisfaction while serving a larger narrative architecture.

Legacy, Recognition & Unfinished Potential

Short Treks earned positive critical reception and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, validating its place within the Star Trek canon. Kurtzman viewed the series as a valuable testing ground for new stories and new filmmakers, noting that writers, directors, and composers who worked on the shorts went on to contribute to other Trek productions. Following the Emmy nomination, he expressed enthusiasm for pushing the format into uncharted territory, envisioning a musical short or a black-and-white installment as ways to expand the franchise in surprising directions. A third season was reportedly ordered in January 2020, with production slated for May and June that year. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the producers made the difficult decision not to begin work on any new shorts, as filming restrictions forced the team to concentrate resources on what was essential for their main series. Kurtzman explained in January 2021 that this was the reason no further shorts materialized, while reaffirming his desire to return to the format in the future. The series thus remains an open chapter—a promising experiment paused rather than concluded.