Star Trek: Very Short Treks Will Bring Bite-Sized, Animated Stories To Star Trek Day

"Star Trek" sure knows how to celebrate in style. Star Trek Day usually tends to be a huge deal, but this year has all the makings of a can't-miss event for Trekkies both old and new. We recently brought you the news of all the planned festivities and how to enjoy them either online or even in person, but that's not all that this venerated franchise has hidden up its sleeve. Today, there's been another noteworthy announcement that will cater specifically to fans of the classic, bizarre, and oh-so-entertaining "The Animated Series." We've known that "Star Trek" would be marking September 8, 2023 on the calendar as the 50th anniversary of the animated cartoon, but here's one more added wrinkle to the celebration.

Paramount has officially revealed that the first of five total "very Short Treks" will premiere on this year's Star Trek Day, which will pay homage to the franchise's animated roots while bringing together several beloved "Trek" actors to reprise their famous roles — in animated form, of course. In addition to Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, Doug Jones as Saru, and Armin Shimerman as the fan-favorite Ferengi Quark, the new voice cast for these (very) Short Treks will also include Ethan Peck as Spock, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Connor Trinneer as Charles "Trip" Tucker III, Bruce Horak as Hemmer, Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi, and the great George Takei as Sulu.

In addition to a new trailer for these "very Short Treks," the studio also announced new details for an upcoming comic book, as well.

The sheer amount of "Star Trek" material available to fans these days has made it easy for "Short Treks" to slip through the cracks, but these short films have been available since "Star Trek: Discovery" first arrived on the scene. Created to help fill in the blanks between seasons and add some fun, extraneous details to the backstories of the crew, the medium proved to be a very effective means of delivering even more goodies to the hardcore Trekkies. The franchise is now taking things to the next level with the tongue-in-cheek title of "very Short Treks," which will be taking its cues from the distinct (and cost-effective) animation style of "The Animated Series."

As teased in the trailer, these tributes are "anything but canon" given the mashup footage putting the crew of "Lower Decks" side-by-side with some of the more, ah, colorful members of "The Animated Series." But among the many highlights, we see the return of Bruce Horak as the late Aenar Hemmer who tragically sacrificed his life for his crewmates in the first season of "Strange New Worlds," some more musical silliness involving William Riker's trombone-related talents, and even Ethan Phillips' Neelix. "Boldly and briefly" are the key words here, as the five total shorts will be parceled out weekly between September 8 and October 4, 2023.

Created by creative consultant Casper Kelly, who has previously worked on "Short Treks" and is a credited writer on the Nicolas Cage-starring "Mandy," "very Short Treks" will air exclusively on StarTrek.com and the official "Star Trek" YouTube channel. The titles of each short are "Skin a Cat," "Holiday Party," "Worst Contact," "Holograms, All the Way Down," and "Walk, Don't Run." 

Oh, but that's not all. The celebration of 50 years of animated "Trek" continues with a new comic book, also written by Casper Kelly. Titled "Star Trek: The Animated Celebration Presents The Scheimer Barrier," the first chapter will be made available digitally alongside "very Short Treks" on September 8, 2023 for Star Trek Day. Subsequent chapters will debut every Wednesday on StarTrek.com at 10:00 A.M. PT/1:00 P.M., ET. Meanwhile, physical copies will debut at the New York Comic Con event this coming October. You can check out the artwork for "The Animated Celebration" below.

IDW Publishing

GoodReads lists the synopsis as:

Mad scientist Fontana forces Kirk and company to battle other beloved Federation crew members from "The Next Generation" all the way to "Lower Decks" in the brawling death match of the millennium! How can our heroes possibly survive this horrifying gladiator game when the referee has limitless godlike powers? Find out in the thrilling conclusion of this comic book celebrating the 50-year anniversary of "Star Trek: The Animated Series."

Luckily for fans, the wait for all this "Trek" bonus content will be a short one. Star Trek Day officially kicks off this Friday, September 8, 2023.