It’s been a long hiatus for Star Trek: Discovery fans, who have been awaiting the return of Captain Burnham and crew since the show’s Season 4 finale all the way back in March 2022… and today we’ve learned that it will still be quite a while until the Star Trek: Discovery adventure continues.
Announced at the massive CCXP convention in Sao Paolo, Brazil today, Paramount+ has revealed that the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery will debut in April 2024 — more than two years after the Season 4 finale, and a year after the show’s cancellation was made public in March.
Along with today’s scheduling announcement, Paramount+ also released the first Discovery Season 5 cast photo featuring the final-season looks of David Ajala (Book), Mary Wiseman (Tilly), Doug Jones (Saru), Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Burnham), Wilson Cruz (Culber), Anthony Rapp (Stamets), Blu del Barrio (Adria), and newcomer Callum Keith Rennie as Captain Rayner.
We also got another clip from the upcoming season, which showcases Burnham and Book trying to complete a mission while dangerous cloaking-capable alien creatures attempt to fight them off.
A longer, five-minute preview clip was released back in August, showcasing more of what’s to come in the show’s final year.
Pushing out Discovery’s start is sure to be frustrating for fans of the series, but it’s probably the best way for Paramount+ to spread Trek throughout 2024 — as it seems likely that only Discovery Season 5 and Lower Decks Season 5 will be ready for broadcast before 2025.
Filming on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 and the Michelle Yeoh-led Section 31 movie haven’t yet begun, due to the production pause during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Strange New Worlds (aka ‘Lily & Isaac’) is slated to begin filming in mid-December, and Section 31 (aka ‘Dovecourt’) is expected to start up in late January, according to Ontario production listings.
The announced Starfleet Academy series is a ways off from any kind of active production, and of course Paramount+ also dropped Star Trek: Prodigy from its catalog this summer. The animated series shifts to Netflix on December 25, and its forthcoming second season will be released through that streamer later in 2024.
Check back for more Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 coverage as we get closer to the show’s return next April. Let us know what you think about the new clip, the cast photo, and the additional five-month wait in the comments below!