On July 16, 2025,Star Trekfans were delighted by the surprise short film765874 - Unification. Released byThe Roddenberry Archive, this short film was timed to be released in honor of the 30th Anniversary ofStar Trek: Generations, which opened in theaters on August 13, 2025. The seventh film in theStar Trekfranchise bridged the gap betweenStar Trek: The Original Seriesby having Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) meet Captain Jean-Luc Piccard (Patrick Stewart) and concluded with Kirk’s death. 30 years later,765874 - Unificationnot only looks to provide an epilogue forStar Trek: Generationsbut does a similar purpose to that film, uniting various corners of theStar Trekfranchise, including The Kelvin timeline films andStar Trek: Discovery.
The short film follows the spirit of James T. Kirk in the afterlife following his death inStar Trek: Generationsand was created by the VFX studio OTOY.William Shatner reprises his roleas Captain Kirk with the team at OTOY, digitally de-aging Shatner through the same technique used on Mark Hamill inThe Mandalorianor Harrison Ford inIndiana 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 inStar 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.
‘765874 - Unification’ Connects Various Corners of Star Trek Canon
765874 - Unificationis a continuation of 1994’sStar Trek: Generationsand a prequel to 2016’sStar Trek: Beyond, uniting both the Prime and the Kelvin timeline. It fits nicely with many previously established stories, showingKirk’s final moments followingGenerationsand showing fans Spock’s final moments before the start ofStar Trek: Beyond. The short film contains many other references to the largerStar Trekcanon. At one point, three different Kirks appear on-screen together, counting for different points in his life: the young Captain Kirk fromStar Trek: The Original Serieswearing the classic yellow shirt, Admiral Kirk fromStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and finally the recently deceased Captain Kirk fromStar Trek: Generations.
Meanwhile, Kirk meets an elderly version ofSaavik, with Robin Curtis reprising her role fromStar Trek III: The Search for SpockandStar Trek IV: The Voyage Homeaftertaking over the role from Kirstie Alley, who originated the role inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.765874 - Unificationalso features Saavik alongside her and Spock’s adult son, Sorak (Mark Cinnery). This is a reused abandoned plot point from the original films asSaavik and Spock hooked upinThe Search for Spock.
The original plan for Saavik sitting out the events ofThe Voyage Homewas 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’sVulcan Heartnovel, 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.
More characters from theStar Trekcanon appear. The short starts withGary Mitchell(Gary Lockwood) from Kirk’s first episode ofStar 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 meetsYor(Gordon Tarpley), a character who was first teased inStar Trek: DiscoverySeason 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 isa direct reference to the inciting incident of 2009’sStar Trek, which kicked off the Kelvin timeline and marked the first mention ofthe rebooted timelinein the mainStar Trekcanon. 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.
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 originalStar Trekpilot “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 ofStar Trek: The Next Generationthat saw Spock working to unite Vulcan and Romulus. It is one of the most critically acclaimed episodes in theStar Trekfranchise and would later get a sequel in “Unification III” in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3. Notably, “Unification Pt. 1 & 2”, “Unification III,” and now765874 - Unificationall debuted in November.
With all of that, it is clear that765874 - Unificationis deeply rooted in theStar Trekcanonwith references fromThe 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?
765874 - Unificationis a production of the Roddenberry Archive, a collaboration between The Roddenberry Estate, OTOY, and iconicStar Trekartists. As outlined intheir 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, includingStar Trekand 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.”
The Roddenberry Archive,like Roddenberry Entertainment, works closely with theStar Trekfranchise owners, Paramount. Yet Paramount is the one who controls and owns the rights to theStar Trekfranchise and has the final say over the franchise. With that in mind,765874 - Unificationis 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 theStar Trekfranchise, such as William Shatner and Robin Curtis.
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765874 - Unificationmight not be officially dubbed “canon” byStar 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.
What matters is if it means something to the individual viewer. If seeing this somehow enriches eitherStar Trek: GenerationsorStar Trek: Beyondor adds new meaning and context to Star Trek:The Search for SpockorStar Trek: Discovery, then that is what matters. Who knows, years from now, a writer onStar Trekmight 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
765874 - Unification’s arrival on the 30th anniversary ofStar Trek: Generationsis 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 forStar Trek: Generationson 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 aStar Trekmovie hit theaters, the longest gap in the franchise’s history. Paramount Pictures has had multipleversions ofStar Trek 4in development, but everyone has been hit with production issues, delays, and some cancelations.
TheStar Trekfranchise is at an interesting place.Star Trek: Lower Decksis in the middle of airing its final batch of episodes, and earlier in 2024,Star Trek: Discoverytook its final bow. 2025 will see two majorStar Trekprojects released on Paramount+, the franchise’s first non-theatrically released film withStar Trek: Section 31debuting on July 06, 2025, withStar Trek: Strange New WorldsSeason 3 debuting later that year. While more series, likeStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, are on the way,there isn’t a constant stream on Paramount+ like there was just two years ago.Star Trek 4remains up in the air, and unless progress is made, it likely won’t be ready for the franchise’s upcoming 60th anniversary in 2026.
As mentioned, releasing765874 - Unificationin November, right before Thanksgiving, seems well-timed. Not only is itGenerations'30th anniversary and the window for the previous three episodes titled “Unification,” but films likeThe Voyage Homewere released in theaters, andStar TrekandStar Trek Into Darknesswere released on home video close to the November holiday.Star Trekfeels at home during Thanksgiving, and765874 - Unificationis a short film for whichStar Trekfans can be thankful.
