Star Trek Day Brings Khan Podcast, Preschool Series, and Lego Teaser

September 8 is no ordinary date for fans of the final frontier – it’s Star Trek Day. This year’s celebration brought more than nostalgic tributes; Paramount unveiled two brand-new projects while teasing a broader push toward the franchise’s upcoming 60th anniversary. The announcements ranged from a dark, character-driven podcast to a brightly colored preschool adventure, showing once again that Star Trek is a brand that refuses to sit still.

The headline reveal was Star Trek: Khan, a scripted podcast series that dives into the psyche and legacy of one of the franchise’s most enduring villains.

Available on major podcast platforms and the official Star Trek YouTube channel, the show releases weekly through early November. With an impressive voice cast – Naveen Andrews breathing new menace into Khan Noonien Singh, Wrenn Schmidt as Marla McGivers, George Takei reprising Captain Sulu, Tim Russ as Ensign Tuvok, and Sonya Cassidy as Dr. Rosalind Lear – the production signals that Star Trek storytelling is not bound by screens alone. It’s an experiment in format that could easily become a template for other sci-fi giants seeking to expand into the audio realm.

Equally notable, but aimed at a different audience, is Star Trek: Scouts, the franchise’s first preschool-targeted show. Developed by Nickelodeon Digital Studio with CBS Studios, the animated series follows three eight-year-old friends – JR, Sprocket, and Roo – training as Starfleet Explorers. Episodes are bite-sized at just a few minutes long and roll out first on YouTube via Nickelodeon’s Blaze and the Monster Machines channel. Two episodes are already live, and with 20 planned through 2026, the project introduces Trek ideals – teamwork, curiosity, and discovery – to an entirely new generation. It may not be what long-time fans had on their wish list, but it could be essential in keeping the brand alive for decades to come.

Paramount also confirmed fresh partnerships designed to broaden Trek’s cultural footprint. Chief among them was the first-ever collaboration with the Lego Group. The teaser unveiled Jean-Luc Picard in brick form, igniting speculation about larger sets to follow – possibly even the Enterprise itself. Fans have clamored for a Lego x Star Trek crossover for years, and this announcement felt like a long-awaited acknowledgment. Meanwhile, WEBTOON is preparing digital comics set in the Star Trek universe, promising original storylines that tap into universal genres while staying rooted in Trek’s philosophy of exploration and moral dilemmas.

Yet not all reactions were celebratory. Some fans argue the franchise is leaning too heavily into side projects – podcasts, Lego tie-ins, short-form cartoons – without delivering the big-screen or prestige television experiences they believe Star Trek deserves. Still, the breadth of initiatives suggests Paramount is testing the waters across multiple demographics and platforms. From the youngest cadets watching Scouts to the diehards thrilled by a new take on Khan, Star Trek’s 60th anniversary momentum is building. And for better or worse, the voyage continues – expanding boldly into formats Gene Roddenberry could never have imagined.