"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" Embarks on Its Final Voyage with a Fifth and Conclusive Season
Paramount+ has unveiled that "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" will embark on its grand finale with a fifth season comprising six gripping episodes. The announcement heralds the end of an era for the beloved series.
"From its inception, 'Strange New Worlds' has aimed to embody the timeless essence of 'Star Trek' — a boundless quest for knowledge, unwavering hope, and a steadfast belief in a brighter tomorrow," said executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, and Alex Kurtzman in a joint statement. "We are immensely thankful to Paramount+ for granting us the opportunity to bring our five-season mission to its intended conclusion, alongside our exceptional cast and crew. And to our devoted fans who have fearlessly embarked on this journey with us — our heartfelt gratitude. With three more mesmerizing seasons awaiting your discovery and delight, this adventure is merely at its apex."
Interestingly, this announcement precedes the highly anticipated premiere of the show's third season on Thursday, July 17. Fans are not only treated to a fresh season this summer but also have a fourth season on the horizon before the abbreviated fifth and final season unfolds (previous seasons, including the upcoming third and fourth, consist of 10 episodes each). Production for season four is already underway, with season five set to commence later this year. Premiere dates for the remaining seasons have yet to be disclosed, but it is plausible that "Strange New Worlds" will conclude sometime in 2027 or 2028.
As a prequel to "The Original Series," fans have long speculated that Captain Pike (played by Anson Mount) and his crew would eventually converge with the timeline of the classic show. This convergence is likely to transpire in season five, given the creative team's advanced notice of the series' conclusion. "If left to our own devices — meaning, if Paramount allows us — we would乐意 venture into the TOS era," Goldsman revealed to Collider. "And we know precisely how to do it. That's our hope."
This news arrives amidst Paramount Global's cost-cutting measures, having announced last August that it would reduce its U.S.-based workforce by 15 percent due to the industry's economic challenges.
After ushering in a new wave of heavily serialized "Star Trek" shows with 2017's "Star Trek: Discovery" and 2020's "Star Trek: Picard," the producing team led by Kurtzman chose to revert to the more traditional and exploration-centric episodic storytelling of the 1966 original series with "Strange New Worlds." The result has been the most-watched "Trek" TV series on Paramount+ and was even nominated for Best Drama by the Critics Choice Awards in 2023.
However, in February, the Paramount+ "Trek" team faced a setback with the release of "Star Trek: Section 31," a streaming film spin-off featuring Michelle Yeoh's "Discovery" character Emperor Philippa Georgiou. The project received the worst critical and fan reception of any "Trek" title, even surpassing the infamous 1989 film "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" in notoriety.
Paramount+ has another series in development: "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," helmed by showrunner Noga Landau. The series follows a new class of Starfleet cadets as they undergo training to become officers, starring Holly Hunter as the Academy's leading Starfleet captain. "Starfleet Academy" wrapped up filming in February and is expected to debut later this year or early in 2026. "It's an incredibly optimistic and entertaining show, filled with humor and deep emotions," Kurtzman told the L.A. Times. "These kids, in their unique ways, embody the sentiments of many kids today."
Regarding "Strange New Worlds'" third season, Mount is joined on the bridge by Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and Martin Quinn. Guest stars this season include Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O'Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano, and Carol Kane, reprising her role as the eccentric Lanthanite, Pelia. Paul Wesley also returns as Captain James T. Kirk.
The third season picks up from the cliffhanger of season two, as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise confronts the violent alien race known as the Gorn. Paramount+ teases a new villain and promises "thrilling adventures filled with faith, duty, romance, comedy, and mystery, featuring genres never before seen in any other 'Star Trek' iteration."
