CBS Studios and the Star Trek franchise launched Star Trek: very Short Treks, a series of five all-new animated promotional spots in the style of Star Trek: The Animated Series. The objective was to use our fan holiday - Star Trek Day - to launch a month’s long celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Animated Series - playfully upending fan expectations and create break-through digital content that would engage all audiences - from the core, to the casual, to the curious. Star Trek: very Short Treks’ goal was to see all generations of the Star Trek franchise through the iconic Filmation style of the original animated series and the irreverent comic lens of Casper Kelly (“Too Many Cooks”). The spots featured fan-favorite characters voiced by original cast members from across Star Trek series, including icons Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker, Doug Jones as Saru, and the legendary George Takei as Sulu.
The series is comprised of the following five spots:
“Skin A Cat” - A dire Klingon attack is further complicated by poor word choice.
“Holiday Party” - It’s a First Contact Day celebration and Spock is in charge of the entertainment.
“Worst Contact” - First Contacts, like first dates, can be awkward.
“Holograms All the Way Down” - It’s Holodecktastic!
“Walk, Don’t Run” - When the old guard meets the new, sensitivities flare!
Star Trek: very Short Treks was brought to life through the combined efforts of creative consultant Casper Kelly, production company Awesome Inc, and the Star Trek franchise/CBS Studios teams. The project was designed to not only celebrate 50 years of Star Trek: The Animated Series, but also to expand the expectations of humor while staying true to core Star Trek characters and values.
A mini writer’s room was established for the project with five scripts ultimately being selected from the team’s work. After the scripts were selected, talent outreach began, with special attention to ensuring representation throughout each era of the franchise. The final cast included icons Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker, Doug Jones as Saru, Armin Shimerman as Quark, Ethan Peck as Spock, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Connor Trinneer as Trip Tucker, Bruce Horak as Hemmer, Noël Wells as Tendi, Angus Imrie as Zero, and the legendary George Takei as Sulu. Securing legendary George Takei from the original The Animated Series cast to reprise his role from 50 years ago was especially meaningful - and Mr. Takei’s willingness to lean into the wacky comedy of the program resulted in what will likely be the most meme-worthy moment - a duet with Jonathan Frakes singing an original song - “Put Love On the Duty Roster”.
The project is incredibly unique, as it challenges conventional Star Trek humor and offers non-canonically stories that had never been explored prior. The wacky, experimental nature of the shorts stretched comedic boundaries while still feeling like Star Trek, and created worlds in which characters from different generations and shows appeared on screen together (in animated form), for the first time.
Overall, Star Trek: very Short Treks succeeded in surprising fans and creating lively digital ‘water cooler’ conversation around what the Star Trek universe can offer. Not only did the spots perform well in their premiere window on Star Trek’s YouTube channel, they also are now reaching expanded audiences with digital distribution on ComedyCentral.com. In addition, the shorts - released to coincide with the launch of the fourth season of the new animated Star Trek series, Star Trek: Lower Decks - provided additional promotion for that series and the original animated series on Paramount+
