On September 8, 1966, a corny sci-fi series premiered on NBC. During its run, it was cancelled and resurrected twice in spite of low ratings.

When it finally was cancelled after its third season, it somehow lived on in a new television concept called “syndication.” Its fanbase continued to grow despite the absence of anything new. The cast was reuniting for conventions and space shuttle launches. Fans refused to let this 79-episode network throw-away become lost to obscurity.

This corny little sci-fi series was, of course, Star Trek. Sixty years later, former and current members of Star Trek‘s many casts came together at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 to honor and celebrate the show’s enduring legacy. Trekkies had the opportunity to screen the first two episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ latest season, followed by an emotionally charged Hall H panel full of Star Trek legends.

The Fan Screening

On Friday, July 24, Star Trek held a screening of the first two episodes of the latest season of Strange New Worlds at Balboa Theatre, “Valles Marineris” and “The Griffin Incident.”

The first episode had already premiered on Paramount+ the night before. The second, however, was a sneak peek of the episode that will be available for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, July 30.

While I can’t talk about the second episode yet (you’ll have to wait for my episode recap/review post this week), I can tell you it’s one of the most terrifying episodes of Star Trek they’ve made in a long time. Trekkies were yelling, “Don’t go in there!” from their seats. It was a great example of classic sci-fi horror and a great experience for Star Trek fans.

This was Comic-Con, however; it’s not just about watching a couple of Star Trek episodes. Those in attendance were also treated to an episode poster for “The Griffin Incident,” a box of popcorn with Strange New Worlds‘ season four poster gracing the front, a “Star Trek 60″ anniversary enamel pin, and a blue ball cap with the Vulcan salute embroidered on the front.

There was also a backdrop set up for photo ops and selfies.

As if that wasn’t generous enough, the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast (including Runa) and producers stopped by to say hello to their Trekkies. While we didn’t get any inspiring speeches from either Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) or Captain Pike (Anson Mount), it was great to see the cast reunited since their final season wrapped filming last year.

They left the audience feeling like no time had passed, and they were still the tight-knit crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

The Hall H Panel

Star Trek‘s 60th Anniversary Celebration

Star Trek‘s SDCC panel once again took over the Saturday lunchtime spot in Hall H. This year, along with their usual panel for Strange New Worlds, Star Trek brought together both current and legacy Trek cast members to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

The panel started with an emotional speech from Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creators Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, explaining how the concept of I.D.I.C. (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) is and always has been the core philosophy behind Star Trek since his father first presented the concept.

Moderator Scott Mantz (Reporter, KTLA) later pointed out that one of the most poignant lines in the series came early on in the first season episode “Balance of Terror” when Captain Kirk boldly declares, “Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There’s no room for it on the Bridge.”

Next, Trekkies were treated to a discussion with cast members from Star Trek: The Original Series (George Takei, “Hikaru Sulu”), Star Trek: The Next Generation (Michael Dorn, “Worf”), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Cirroc Lofton, “Jake Sisko”), Star Trek: Voyager (Robert Picardo, “The Doctor”), Star Trek: Enterprise (Dominic Keating, “Malcolm Reed”), Star Trek: Discovery (Doug Jones, “Saru”), Star Trek: Picard (Michelle Hurd, “Rafi Mussiker”), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Christina Chong, “La’an”), Star Trek: Lower Decks (Jerry O’Connell, “Jack Ransom”), and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Karim Diané, “Jay-Den”).

Takei echoed Roddenberry’s sentiment of I.D.I.C. being at the center of Star Trek and thanked his fellow panel members for carrying on Star Trek‘s legacy for 60 years. Dorn revealed that being the “muscle” of the crew wasn’t all it was cracked up to be when he told the crowd that Worf was “tired of getting his ass kicked every week.”

Michelle Hurd spoke directly to Takei when she told him how much it meant to her to see such a diverse group of people working together, and how the character of Uhura inspired her.

Jerry O’Connell’s casting story brought both the panel members and audience to tears. O’Connell’s wife, Rebecca Romijn, was already cast as Una Chin-Riley for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and had been playing her for a couple of years, so he expected his first congratulatory text would come from her. After all, she likely had the inside scoop.

That wasn’t the case, however. His phone went off, but it was his Stand By Me costar Will Wheaton (“Wesley Crusher”) who simply sent him “Welcome to Starfleet, Commander.”

Star Trek affects everyone in their own way, and that was definitely the case with Karim Diané, who shared some of the fan messages he’s received on social media with the crowd.

\We slid into his DMs to learn that a particular fan got a full-body, scantily-clad Jay-Den tattooed on his thigh. That was when the impact of the character he was portraying really hit him, and he knew he was locked into Star Trek history for the rest of his life.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

After we said goodbye to all but one of the first set of panelists, we said hello to the rest of the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, who treated Hall H to another look at what’s coming this season on the series.

This included strong hints of the Captain Pike (Anson Mount) era of the series coming to a close, and the Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) chapter was about to begin.

Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) was now in her classic TOS-era uniform and hairstyle, and Scotty (Martin Quinn, not present) hands a PADD to “Captain” Kirk.

Moderator Scott Mantz asked each cast member what to expect from their character this season. Melissa Navia (Erica Ortegas) said she enjoyed the interactions Ortegas has with Scotty this season that play off the traditional bad blood between engineers and pilots. Rebecca Romijn (Una Chin-Riley) enjoyed watching her character grow beyond what she initially thought was possible for her, and Gooding was eager for fans to see Uhura continue to grow.

Mantz made an interesting observation when he pointed out that the character of Spock was the only character that Roddenberry carried over from the original pilot episode (“The Cage”) to the pilot the execs finally liked (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”).

Not only that, but Spock is mentioned or referred to in every iteration of the series. Ethan Peck (Spock) shared the weight of the responsibility he felt in carrying on that role. If I.D.I.C. is at the center of Trek, Spock is at the center of I.D.I.C.

The Experience

For 60 years, Star Trek has been trying to show us that we work better together than we do separately. Its simple but powerful message has inspired its fans to do some pretty amazing things.

Trekkies have three generations’ worth of series to watch, with more to come. While Paramount hasn’t announced any firm plans for the franchise’s future yet, we still have the current season of Strange New Worlds plus one more as well as one more season of Starfleet Academy to look forward to.

Star Trek may not currently be in production (all the coming seasons have already been filmed), but I’m confident the franchise isn’t going anywhere. The creatives behind the franchise have more stories to tell, and the actors are ready to fill their roles.

In the words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, “Let’s see what’s out there.”

Watch season four of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds every Thursday on Paramount+ through September 24.