We’re just over a month away from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ long-awaited return on July 17 — but even though there’s still quite a bit of adventure ahead, we now know when Captain Pike’s time aboard the USS Enterprise will come to an end.
Paramount+ this morning has announced that Strange New Worlds will officially conclude with a fifth and final season, which will head into development after work on the currently-filming Season 4 is finished later this year. In addition, the streamer has confirmed that the show’s final year will consist of just six episodes — a reduction from the 10-episode orders for Seasons 1-4.
Additionally, SkyShowtime yesterday confirmed that Strange New Worlds Season 3 will make its European debut on August 4, about two weeks after its North American return.
The official word on the Season 5 ending:
Paramount+ today announced that the fan-favorite original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS has been renewed for a fifth and final six-episode season ahead of the third season premiere this summer. Production will begin on the final season later this year.
Here’s what the show’s leadership had to say about today’s announcement:
“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,” said executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers and Alex Kurtzman.
“We’re deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. 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.”
As that statement highlights, today’s news doesn’t mean that the Strange New Worlds crew will be going away anytime soon — with Season 3 still ahead of us, Season 4 in production, and Season 5 not even written yet, it’s likely that we’ll be following the adventures of Captain Pike’s Enterprise for at least the next two years.
And unlike the surprise cancellation that ended Star Trek: Discovery after its final season was nearly complete, the advance notice about Strange New Worlds’ end will give the show’s writing and production team plenty of notice to prepare the series for a proper conclusion.
The impending end of Strange New Worlds does signal yet again that the days of 30+ straight weeks of Trek episodes are well in the rearview mirror — especially after the end of Star Trek: Picard in 2023, the conclusions of Star Trek: Discovery, Prodigy, and Lower Decks in 2024, followed by the wrap of The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton in December, and the five-year-wait for the awful Section 31 movie that finally arrived in January.
We’ve also got at least two seasons of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on the 2026-2027 calendar. (The first season will debut early next year, with Season 2 expected to go back into production later in 2025.)
At minimum, there’s still another 46 episodes of Trek in the Paramount+ queue:
- Strange New Worlds Season 3 — 10 episodes (2025)
- Starfleet Academy Season 1 — 10 episodes (2026)
- Strange New Worlds Season 4 — 10 episodes (2026)
- Starfleet Academy Season 2 — 10 episodes (likely 2026)
- Strange New Worlds Season 5 — 6 episodes (likely 2027)
There are also additional Trek projects in development, like Justin Simien and Tawny Newsome’s untitled comedy, but that has yet to be officially green-lit for production as of this writing. Any new Trek announcements are likely on hold pending the outcome of the proposed Paramount-Skydance corporate merger.
How does the news of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ planned ending make you feel? Let us know your thoughts about today’s announcements in the comments below!