‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Ends With Season 5

In a rather unexpected move, Paramount+ revealed on Thursday that “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” has been renewed for a fifth and final season, more than a month before the third season debuts on the streaming service on July 17. The last season will consist of six episodes, while the remaining four seasons will each consist of ten episodes.

In a joint statement, executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers and Alex Kurtzman said they were “deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew.”

“From the very beginning, ‘Strange New Worlds’ set out to honor what ‘Star Trek’ has always stood for — boundless curiosity, hope and the belief that a better future is possible,” the statement continued. “And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey — thank you. With three more spectacular seasons ahead for you to see and enjoy, this adventure is far from over.”

“Strange New Worlds,” being a prequel series, has never been evasive about its ultimate direction. According to “Star Trek,” the original series from the 1960s, the show is set in the years when Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) commanded the USS Enterprise until James T. Kirk (played by Paul Wesley in “Strange New Worlds”) assumed command. In “Strange New Worlds,” Pike is aware of his ultimate terrible fate while continuing to move on as the Enterprise’s captain. In TOS, Pike is introduced as a man who has been severely disfigured and disabled.

The claim made by Goldsman, Myers, and Kurtzman that the series is concluding “just as we envisioned it” does imply that the program would address the entire tale of what led to Pike’s accident in some significant way. Given the fewer episodes in Season 5, it is unclear when that event would take place on the show in relation to the series finale.

Whether the “Strange New Worlds” story might be carried over into a spin-off series based on the Enterprise from Kirk’s time is another intriguing question. Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Chapel (Jess Bush), and Martin Quinn, the most recent cast member of “Strange New Worlds,” all portray well-known “Trek” characters that made their TOS debuts. The showrunners have also made no secret of their desire to continue presenting those characters’ stories.

In 2022, following the Season 1 finale, Myers expressed to Variety that he would “love nothing more” than to further explore the narrative of the TOS-era Enterprise. The next year, Goldsman shared with Variety that “given our druthers — since Henry and I are both greedy and gluttons for punishment — we’d dive straight into the TOS era and discover what unfolds.”

Regardless of what transpires in the series, Season 5 is not expected to be available for streaming for at least a couple of years. Currently, Season 4 is in the works and is unlikely to debut until mid-to-late 2026. The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment. Executive producers include Aaron Baiers, Dana Horgan, Alan McElroy, Robbie Thompson, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Chris Fisher, Anson Mount, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth.