On November 17, 2024, Star Trek fans were delighted by the surprise short film 765874 - Unification. Released by The Roddenberry Archive, this short film was timed to be released in honor of the 30th Anniversary of Star Trek: Generations, which opened in theaters on November 18, 1994. The seventh film in the Star Trek franchise bridged the gap between Star Trek: The Original Series by having Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) meet Captain Jean-Luc Piccard (Patrick Stewart) and concluded with Kirk's death. 30 years later, 765874 - Unification not only looks to provide an epilogue for Star Trek: Generations but does a similar purpose to that film, uniting various corners of the Star Trek franchise, including The Kelvin timeline films and Star Trek: Discovery.
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The short film follows the spirit of James T. Kirk in the afterlife following his death in Star Trek: Generations and was created by the VFX studio OTOY. William Shatner reprises his role as Captain Kirk with the team at OTOY, digitally de-aging Shatner through the same technique used on Mark Hamill in The Mandalorian or Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Actor Sam Witwer serves as Shatner's body double.
The short film not only shows Kirk reconnecting with various figures in the afterlife but also traveling across realities to be with his friend Spock (reused footage of the late Leonard Nimoy with Lawerence Selleck as the body double) before he passes away in the Kelvin Timeline as referenced in Star Trek Beyond. The beautiful short film has been warmly received by fans, but as with all things Star Trek, the question of the short's canon status has become a major concern.
✕ Remove Ads '765874 - Unification' Connects Various Corners of Star Trek Canon Close
765874 - Unification is a continuation of 1994's Star Trek: Generations and a prequel to 2016's Star Trek: Beyond, uniting both the Prime and the Kelvin timeline. It fits nicely with many previously established stories, showing Kirk's final moments following Generations and showing fans Spock's final moments before the start of Star Trek: Beyond. The short film contains many other references to the larger Star Trek canon. At one point, three different Kirks appear on-screen together, counting for different points in his life: the young Captain Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series wearing the classic yellow shirt, Admiral Kirk from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and finally the recently deceased Captain Kirk from Star Trek: Generations.
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Meanwhile, Kirk meets an elderly version of Saavik, with Robin Curtis reprising her role from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home after taking over the role from Kirstie Alley, who originated the role in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. 765874 - Unification also features Saavik alongside her and Spock's adult son, Sorak (Mark Cinnery). This is a reused abandoned plot point from the original films as Saavik and Spock hooked up in The Search for Spock.
The original plan for Saavik sitting out the events of The Voyage Home was to stay on Vulcan to raise her and Spock's son, but this idea was scrapped. The concept of Saavik and Spock having a son together was first made canon in 1999's Vulcan Heart novel, but none of the live-action series or films have referred to it, leaving its status up in the air. This inclusion of both Saavik and Sorak is undoubtedly a nice inclusion for fans.
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More characters from the Star Trek canon appear. The short starts with Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) from Kirk's first episode of Star Trek, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," suggesting he is observing these events during that episode as he was granted near god-like powers to see across time and space. Meanwhile, Kirk also meets Yor (Gordon Tarpley), a character who was first teased in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 9 "Terra Firma Part 1." That episode mentioned that Yor "traveled forward...and across from a parallel universe caused by the incursion of a Romulan mining ship."
This is a direct reference to the inciting incident of 2009's Star Trek, which kicked off the Kelvin timeline and marked the first mention of the rebooted timeline in the main Star Trek canon. This implies that when Yor and Kirk switched places in their universes, an alive Yor went from the Kelvin timeline to the Prime timeline. At the same time, Kirk's spirit was able to cross over from the Prime timeline to the Kelvin timeline.
✕ Remove Ads What the Title Means
Finally, there is the short's title itself. The number 765874 is a reference to the serial number for crewmember J.M. Colt, who appeared in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage" and has become a common naming practice among Roddenbery Archive Shorts. "Unification" is a meta title in that the short unites the Prime and Kelvin timelines while also reuniting Kirk and Spock together one last time, but it is a play-off of a popular Star Trek episode.
"Unification" was a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that saw Spock working to unite Vulcan and Romulus. It is one of the most critically acclaimed episodes in the Star Trek franchise and would later get a sequel in "Unification III" in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3. Notably, "Unification Pt. 1 & 2", "Unification III," and now 765874 - Unification all debuted in November.
With all of that, it is clear that 765874 - Unification is deeply rooted in the Star Trek canon with references from The Original Series, The Wrath of Khan, Generations, Beyond, Discovery, and many more. Yet that might not make it officially canon, but it is more of an impressive fan film.
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It Is Not Technically Canon, But Does That Matter? Close
765874 - Unification is a production of the Roddenberry Archive, a collaboration between The Roddenberry Estate, OTOY, and iconic Star Trek artists. As outlined in their mission statement, The Roddenberry Archive "seeks to honor the work and career of Gene Roddenberry by documenting, preserving, and presenting key aspects of his work, including Star Trek and other productions," and they "preserve this information for those studying his career in the future, for those who appreciate his work, and to provide accurate information for those involved in future productions and other projects based on Roddenberry's work."
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The Roddenberry Archive, like Roddenberry Entertainment, works closely with the Star Trek franchise owners, Paramount. Yet Paramount is the one who controls and owns the rights to the Star Trek franchise and has the final say over the franchise. With that in mind, 765874 - Unification is not an official Paramount production and, therefore, is not part of the franchise canon, according to Paramount. It is a fan film, be it a high production or a very expensive one, that brings back critical members of the Star Trek franchise, such as William Shatner and Robin Curtis.
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765874 - Unification might not be officially dubbed "canon" by Star Trek's official owners, but as a fan, if one wants to imagine it as canon, that is perfectly fine. The nature of the story takes place outside of space in time, meaning it can be both canon and not canon at the same time. It doesn't contradict anything that came before; currently, nothing contradicts it.
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What matters is if it means something to the individual viewer. If seeing this somehow enriches either Star Trek: Generations or Star Trek: Beyond or adds new meaning and context to Star Trek: The Search for Spock or Star Trek: Discovery, then that is what matters. Who knows, years from now, a writer on Star Trek might make this short film canon. Yet even if it is not made official by Paramount, if it is true in the heart of the viewer, then who is to say that it doesn't count?
A Thanksgiving Miracle for Trekkies Close ✕ Remove Ads
765874 - Unification's arrival on the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Generations is certainly a nice one for fans. It allows them to pay tribute to two legendary characters like Captain Kirk and Spock and gives them an ending that real life never could. It is a lovely celebration for Star Trek: Generations on its 30th anniversary and brings everything full circle on the franchise's last theatrically released movie, Star Trek Beyond. It has been eight years since a Star Trek movie hit theaters, the longest gap in the franchise's history. Paramount Pictures has had multiple versions of Star Trek 4 in development, but everyone has been hit with production issues, delays, and some cancelations.
The Star Trek franchise is at an interesting place. Star Trek: Lower Decks is in the middle of airing its final batch of episodes, and earlier in 2024, Star Trek: Discovery took its final bow. 2025 will see two major Star Trek projects released on Paramount+, the franchise's first non-theatrically released film with Star Trek: Section 31debuting on January 24, 2025, with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 debuting later that year. While more series, like Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, are on the way, there isn't a constant stream on Paramount+ like there was just two years ago. Star Trek 4 remains up in the air, and unless progress is made, it likely won't be ready for the franchise's upcoming 60th anniversary in 2026.
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As mentioned, releasing 765874 - Unification in November, right before Thanksgiving, seems well-timed. Not only is it Generations' 30th anniversary and the window for the previous three episodes titled "Unification," but films like The Voyage Home were released in theaters, and Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness were released on home video close to the November holiday. Star Trek feels at home during Thanksgiving, and 765874 - Unification is a short film for which Star Trek fans can be thankful.
Stream on The Roddenberry Archive.
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