Star Trek: Strange New Worlds EPs Explain The Decision To End With Season 5 — How Close Will It Get To The Original Star Trek?

By Dave Nemetz
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Ending Kirk Spock Courtesy of Paramount+

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds already has a stardate in mind for its final voyage.

Paramount+ announced in June that the Star Trek prequel will end with an upcoming fifth season of six episodes — which is still a long ways off, with Season 3 premiering this Thursday. So why did they decide Season 5 was the right time to put the Enterprise back in storage?

"Well, Paramount+ felt that we had sort of exhausted the appetite for Strange New Worlds after [Season 4]," executive producer Akiva Goldsman tells TVLine, "and we said, 'Well, remember, we made this promise to the fans that we get them right up to the edge of [the original Star Trek]'. And they were like, 'Oh yeah, we were part of that promise, too. What do you need to get there?' And we said, 'I think we can do it in six [episodes].' And they said, 'OK, do it in six.'"

But with three more seasons still yet to air, Strange New Worlds isn't ready to say goodbye just yet. "The audience has only seen 20 episodes" so far, EP Henry Alonso Myers reminds us. "There's still 26 to go. More than you've seen already. So to talk about the end of the series now seems silly for us. It would be like if you'd seen Star Wars and then you went to see the trailer for The Empire Strikes Back, and you said, 'Well, and now it's over.' It is far from over."

Season 4 of Strange New Worlds is already filming, and "we're building right now" the narrative structure of the fifth and final season, Goldsman teases. And with Strange New Worlds taking place right before the original Star Trek TV series, "we'll try to get right up to Kirk's first day of command" of the Enterprise by the end of Season 5, he adds. That means we'll be seeing more of Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk in Strange New Worlds' final two seasons, Myers confirms: "Yes, absolutely. No maybes about it."

What are you hoping to see as Strange New Worlds draws to a close? Beam down to the comments to share your thoughts.

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