ICYMI: Our Reporter Broke Down the Potential Paramount-Warner Brothers Merger on a Popular STAR TREK Podcast

Aster Lufkin talks about a potential merger.

DECEMBER 21, 2023 - As we reported yesterday, Paramount Global is up for sale, and now it appears that they are in talks with Warner Brothers/Discovery. The news was broken yesterday by news service Axios and it carries a host of possible implications for Star Trek.

Our reporter, Aster Lufkin, made a live appearance on the Trek Cast podcast, to break down the news. “Nobody really has Max [Warner Brothers’ streaming platform] or Paramount+ unless they’re really into one of those shows,” he explained. “So they’re trying to become a more competitive streaming platform.”

Lufkin was quick to point out that the talks are in the very early stages, and have so far been confined to a single meeting to discuss “the possibility of merging,” preliminarily gauging each other’s interest. The fact that there is a long way to go before any decisions are made doesn’t stop speculation about what this could mean for the future of Star Trek.

“Part of me wonders how the merger will affect the filming process,” Lufkin said, “and if we could see a turnover in creatives on movies like the Section 31 movie or the new Starfleet Academy show.” He went on to clarify that if Warner Brothers’ money was involved now, would they want some of their own showrunners to get involved in the process of making Star Trek?

Lufkin and the show’s hosts, Daniel Reyes and Scott Bouters, also speculated about bundle pricing and, amusingly, what Star Trek/Warner Brothers crossovers they’d like to see. You can watch the entire interview below. And keep abreast of the latest news about a potential merger by staying tuned to Daily Star Trek News.