Paramount Considered Launching An Entire TV Network Centered On A Star Trek Series

Why It Matters

The collapse of the Phase II‑led network showed that even powerful studios must balance franchise fan expectations with financial risk, influencing how sci‑fi properties are launched today. It also set the stage for later Paramount ventures like UPN and streaming, reshaping the TV landscape.

Key Takeaways

• Paramount planned a fourth network anchored by Star Trek: Phase II.
• Phase II episodes budgeted $2 million for pilot, $500k per episode.
• Network collapsed weeks before production, becoming a feature film.
• Barry Diller later founded Fox after Paramount’s network idea stalled.
• Star Trek later migrated to streaming on CBS All Access.

Pulse Analysis

Paramount’s foray into network television began in the post‑war era, when the studio helped launch the DuMont Television Network and later operated its own Paramount Television Network from 1948 to 1956. After a half‑century of intermittent attempts, the most ambitious plan emerged in the late 1970s: the Paramount Television Service, a proposed fourth broadcast network that would have been anchored by a brand‑new Star Trek series. The move reflected a broader industry belief that rising advertising revenues could sustain another national outlet, a sentiment voiced by then‑president Barry Diller.

The centerpiece, Star Trek: Phase II, was envisioned as a high‑budget flagship, with a two‑part pilot slated at $2 million and each subsequent episode at $500,000—figures unprecedented for TV at the time. Fan backlash over the absence of Spock and the staggering costs created a perfect storm. By November 1977, just days before production, Paramount pulled the plug, repurposing the scripts and concepts into the 1979 theatrical release Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The network plan dissolved, and the studio redirected its energies toward other ventures, including the eventual launch of UPN in 1995.

The legacy of the aborted PTS reverberates in today’s media landscape. Barry Diller carried the network ambition to Fox, establishing a successful fourth network that reshaped broadcast competition. Paramount later found a home for its sci‑fi franchises on the streaming service CBS All Access (now Paramount+), demonstrating how costly, franchise‑driven pilots can pivot into lucrative film or digital formats. The episode underscores the delicate balance between fan expectations, production budgets, and distribution strategies that continues to guide studios when launching high‑profile IP in an increasingly fragmented market.