10 Dream Star Trek Moments That Could Still Happen
These dream Star Trek moments are not just replicated pie in the sky.
Star Trek is the dream that dreams the dreamer, to paraphrase the Talaxians. For almost 60 years, Gene Roddenberry's singular ideal has shaped our collective hopes and fantasies, just as we, the viewer, have helped shape his vision for the future. We're all as much a product of Star Trek as it is a product of us.
Nearly 950 episodes across 12 series — plus 14 movies — are a lot of moments to have already happened. There are still a considerable number of moments that have yet to occur. 2025 is a quiet enough year, but there is a season about to hit streaming, another in production, and at least one brand new series on the way for 2026. Those who often predict an eternal slumber for the franchise should be having nightmares!
Star Trek remains very much in the land of the living, and there are plenty of things we'd like to see ticked off our 'bucket list' list. As we long for Legacy, yearn for the 'Lost Era,' and live for live action Janeway, that diamond anniversary is also fast approaching. So, let's all dare to dream a little bigger, shall we?
10. All My Friends Are Dead
800-odd years is already a long life, even for a hologram. First activated on Voyager in 2371, soon to be teaching at the Academy in the 32nd century, the Doctor will not only have lived, he will have seen generations of friends die along the way. And, as Robert Picardo pointed out during Trek Talks 4 this year:
Digital memory is completely clear, which means that a beloved colleague, like Captain Janeway […] [is] as present in his memory, 900 [sic] years on, as when he was working with [her] in the 24th century.
That bittersweet fact leaves us with a few dream possibilities. The Doctor's trips down memory lane could see the on-screen return of any one of his former crewmates. He could chat to B'Elanna aboard Voyager in a daydream, before being interrupted by a student mid-lecture! (More on other legacy characters later.)
An EMH that doesn't age still poses a few technical questions about de-aging. The Doctor can alter his physical parameters as he sees fit, but there needs to be some sort of explanation for the audience. In Star Trek: Picard, Q snapped his fingers. The Doctor can just tap his mobile emitter. The ageing process shouldn't be too much of a stretch for his subroutines!
For the 'Octocentennial Man,' there is also always the possibility of transfer to a synthetic organic android, or 'golem,' body — one capable of ageing. The Doctor might prefer that, in fact, to flickering every five seconds like every other bloody hologram in the future. The end of that really would be a dream come true!