SDCC 2019: Short Treks Are Back, Baby!

The Star Trek Comic-Con panel is going on right this second. So far we’ve learned a couple things. One, the next season is going to take place 1000 years into the future (we knew the future, but I don’t recall knowing quite how far). Two, David Ajala will play a new Discovery character named Book.

But the big Discovery news is the return of Short Treks. These little mini-movies were fun last year but this new batch sounds a ton more appealing.

There will be six. Three (three!) will be all about Pike’s Enterprise. So if you were bummed about never seeing Spock or Number One again, put those fears away. (No confirmation on if we’ll see Pike himself or not). A fourth short will be all about those pesky Tribbles. The fifth will be animated. The sixth? All about my boy Picard. Also, one of these will be directed by none other than film composer Michael Giacchino. Holy shit!

So as you can see, there is a much more upfront reason to pay attention to these. Some of what we saw last year figured into the plot of Discovery’s second season, but overall you were okay if you missed them. That technically might be the case with these new ones, but curiosity is going to make them required viewing, for me at least.