Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 2, “The Griffin Incident.”The current era of Star Trek TV is winding down, but you wouldn’t know it from watching Strange New Worlds. Not only is Season 4 already one of the show’s best runs, even after just two episodes, but the second installment reveals what feels very much like the foundation for a new spin-off. While Paramount has already rejected a pitch for Star Trek: Year One, a speculative Strange New Worlds follow-up with Captain Kirk’s (Paul Wesley) formative months in command of the Enterprise, co-showrunners Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman don’t appear satisfied with the thought of their time with the Star Trek franchise coming to an end.
As it stands, all that Star Trek has left to air is the rest of Strange New Worlds Season 4, and then Strange New Worlds Season 5 next year, along with Starfleet Academy Season 2. After that, the franchise will pivot to focus on big-screen releases in an attempt to perform a soft reboot. However, Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 2, “The Griffin Incident,” very much appears to tease that Star Trek‘s current spell on the small screen is set to expand. Given the space opera’s current behind-the-scenes situation, there’s certainly no guarantee that the implied spin-off will happen, but I would love to see it greenlit.
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Just Teased a Supernatural Division 12 Spin-off
“The Griffin Incident” is one of Star Trek’s scariest episodes to date. I was on edge throughout, due to the fact that it was written and directed as a horror thriller. It’s what isn’t shown and what’s left unanswered that makes the episode so unnerving – that, and the franchise’s rare use of on-screen blood and gore. While not central to the plot, a shadowy branch of Starfleet called Division 12 haunts the script’s edges. It’s only been mentioned in passing once before in Strange New Worlds, although all we know about Division 12 is that it specializes in especially mysterious and hard-to-explain phenomena. That makes whatever happened to the USS Griffin a perfect way for Division 12 to officially enter the fray.
A Division 12 vessel can be seen hauling the Griffin away at the end of the episode, with whatever’s still going on inside terrifyingly active. Sure, Strange New Worlds could just be leaving the enigma of the Griffin and Division 12 open-ended, but I can’t help but feel like there’s more going on here. Given how coyly, vaguely, and gradually Division 12 has been slotted into the Star Trek universe, it comes across as a definite attempt to try and launch a new X-Files-style spin-off that looks into situations like these that seem, on the surface, to defy science. I have to say, based on the strength of “The Griffin Incident,” I think a Star Trek show like this would work very well.
How Likely Is ‘Star Trek: Division 12’ To Happen?
As mentioned earlier, Paramount doesn’t seem interested right now in greenlighting any more Star Trek shows. The general message has been that once Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy conclude in 2027, movies built around new characters in a new era will be the focus. The showrunners have voiced their desire to make spin-offs like Star Trek: Year One, but the fact that the Enterprise sets have been dismantled strongly suggests that a project too similar to existing shows just isn’t on the table for the foreseeable future. All that being said, the premise of something like Star Trek: Division 12 wouldn’t require the Enterprise sets.
I will admit that, even if Paramount did once intend to use “The Griffin Incident” to launch a Division 12 spin-off, recent changes to the Star Trek franchise have made it less likely.
It could simply serve as a loose Strange New Worlds spin-off, but focus on various cases that are showcased as a fresh set of characters tries to explain things that don’t seem to follow conventional logic. Even though the franchise wants to return to big-screen releases, I don’t see any reason why a Division 12 series couldn’t run alongside a string of movies, even if they’re set in different eras. Other big franchises like Marvel and Star Wars do this all the time. I also wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility that the new movie will make heavy use of Division 12, but that’s just conjecture from yours truly as it stands.
‘Star Trek: Division 12’ Could Make up for the Failure of ‘Star Trek: Section 31’
Let’s be super optimistic for a second and assume that Star Trek: Division 12 is something that will definitely happen. If so, it could redeem the only Star Trek spin-off that I would label a total failure. Section 31 aired as a straight-to-streaming movie on Paramount+ in 2025. To be generous, it was not very good. I’ve also not heard anyone who saw it say anything positive about it. While technically a Starfleet movie, given the employers of Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), Section 31 was a franchise outlier for its central mission taking place in the shadows. Star Trek projects usually revolve around an ensemble being loud and proud about carrying out their orders. Furthermore, Section 31 lacked the element of exploring space for the sake of it, which is often another major hallmark of the Star Trek franchise.
Even though it didn’t land well, I will commend Section 31‘s ambition to try something different. The formula just didn’t work, and part of that came down to the fact that the movie was supposed to be a series, but changed course to become a feature-length release. I don’t think Georgiou worked as a central antihero, either, nor were any of her new teammates all that compelling. It felt like a blend between a loose Discovery spin-off and an attempt at a soft reboot. Sure, it failed, but I think the general idea of adding something fresh to the franchise should be explored again, and a project like Star Trek: Division 12 could be the one to strike gold, if done right.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2027-00-00
- Network
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Paramount+
