Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Producers Have A Genius Plan To Keep The Show Alive (Kind Of) [Exclusive]
Like many "Star Trek" series before it, each episode of "Strange New Worlds" begins with a voiceover narration from the show's captain laying out the parameters of the USS Enterprise's five-year mission: These are the voyages, to boldly go, etc. And every week for these past two seasons (and soon to be three, as /Film's Jacob Hall reviewed here), that has felt like the fulfillment of a promise that "The Original Series" teed up for fans. Famously, that series never got a chance to actually show us all five years of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock's deep-space mission, as NBC ultimately canceled the OG "Star Trek" after three seasons. "Strange New Worlds" will thankfully avoid that fate, now that we know it will be running for a total of five seasons. However, that doesn't mean the producers behind this success aren't already looking ahead to what the future of "Trek" may be once this is all said and done.
The news that "Strange New Worlds" will be ending with its fifth season came as a shock to most, but it's safe to say that it came as an even bigger one to the show's cast and crew themselves. /Film had the chance to attend the season 3 premiere of "Strange New Worlds" in New York City, where we talked to two-thirds of the main trio responsible for the series' critical acclaim and widespread love among Trekkies: executive producer/co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman and executive producer/co-showrunner/writer Henry Alonso Myers. (Longtime "Trek" producer and overseer Alex Kurtzman was unable to attend.) When asked what made now the right time to announce the beginning of the end, Goldsman responded:
"It just happened. The truth is, we have been, from the beginning, hoping for a five year mission. And that was the plan, but you also have to not wear out your welcome. And the folks who determine whether or not you wear out your welcome [are the ones] who pay. And so, they gave us this abbreviated fifth season right on the heels of giving us a fourth season. Nothing stays a secret."
Reading between the lines, it's clear that the decision to end things this way came more so at Paramount's behest than that of the show's creative team. Despite the bittersweet news, however, Goldsman and Myers see reason for optimism. Once this chapter closes, it seems possible an even more exciting one may open.
Could the next Star Trek show finally catch up to the Original Series timeline?
What's the future of "Trek" when "Strange New Worlds" ends? The ending of "Discovery," "Lower Decks," and "Strange New Worlds" in such a short amount of time certainly makes it feel like the end of an era, as all three helped usher the franchise into the new reality of streaming television. We've seen attempts to further expand the universe to varying degrees of success, from 2016's "Star Trek Beyond" with the rebooted cast to the announcement of a new "Starfleet Academy" series to the straight-to-Paramount+ movie "Section 31." What's next, of course, remains the question on everybody's minds.
If Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers get their way, well, the future could look very similar to the present. When directly asked where "Trek" goes from here, Myers replied with refreshing honesty, "I don't know. I know Alex [Kurtzman] is going to be doing 'Starfleet Academy.' But my focus is singular. I'm 'Strange New Worlds' all the time. But would I like to get us right up to the edge of ['The Original Series'] and then have somebody call us and say, 'Now make that show!'" At that point, Goldsman jumped in with the most thrilling tease of all:
"We literally have a fantastic cast and we have incredible sets and we have all these things right there — it's a shame to waste it."
It doesn't take an Academy-level education to figure out that Goldsman is cheekily alluding to the casting of Ethan Peck as Spock, Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk, and the existence of the various USS Enterprise sets – all of which were put to such great use on "Strange New Worlds." Might Paramount be amenable to a sequel series that uses "The Original Series" as a jumping-off point and picks up where season 3 left off back in 1969? Could we finally get to see the fourth and fifth years of that original five-year mission ... but, this time, with the production values, attention to detail, and new casting that modern "Trek" has spoiled us with these past few years? Goldsman and Myers are obviously campaigning for this to happen, and so are we.
Season 3 of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" will premiere on Paramount+ July 17, 2025.