6 Things Strange New Worlds Ending With Season 5 Means For Star Trek

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ending will affect Star Trek in several ways. Before the highly anticipated Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premieres on July 17 after a two-year wait, Paramount+ and CBS Studios announced that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is renewed for a fifth and final season. Strange New Worlds season 4 is currently in production, and season 5, which will consist of only 6 episodes, will film later in 2025.

When Star Trek: Discovery ended with season 5 in 2024, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds assumed the mantle of the flagship series of Star Trek on Paramount+. However, the news of Strange New Worlds' looming end isn't a surprise, as Paramount+ has seemingly set five seasons as a cap for its Star Trek streaming series. Star Trek: Lower Decks also ended after 5 seasons, while Star Trek: Picard was always planned for 3 seasons, and Star Trek: Prodigy was fortunate to complete two seasons on Netflix.

With three more seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on the way, the silver lining is that there are still 26 more episodes to come, presumably bringing the series into 2027. Similarly, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has a guaranteed two-season order, and they could premiere on Paramount+ in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Star Trek is still going relatively strong on Paramount+, even if there is less of it, but Star Trek will also be changed by Strange New Worlds' upcoming conclusion.

6Strange New Worlds Won’t Repeat Star Trek: Discovery’s Ending Problem

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Has Time To Plan Its Ending

A silver lining of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds learning season 5 will be their last is that it's far enough in advance for executive producers and co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers to plot out a proper conclusion for the voyages of Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise. Goldsman and Myers have stated that the Starship Enterprise's five-year mission was also their hopes for how long Strange New Worlds can run, although they also dreamed of going longer. Strange New Worlds can now build towards a fitting ending.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds received better circumstances than Star Trek: Discovery, which was abruptly canceled after season 5 production was completed and before writing commenced for season 6. Star Trek: Discovery was grateful to receive 3 extra days of reshoots to add a 12-minute epilogue to what became Star Trek: Discovery's series finale, "Life Itself." While Star Trek: Discovery ended on an emotional high note, it was still a rushed solution to their unfortunate dilemma. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is in a better position to end its series.

5Strange New Worlds Could Have Extended Episodes

Could Feature-Length Strange New Worlds Episodes Replace Star Trek Streaming Movies?

Although Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5 only has a 6-episode order, it's possible that some or all of those episodes could be extended or feature-length. This could be similar to Game of Thrones season 8, which was also only 6 episodes, but the latter half of the season consisted of movie-length epics. Perhaps Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' series finale could be feature-length, at the least.

There has been no word of more Star Trek streaming movies on Paramount+ after Star Trek: Section 31. Similarly, there is no update on Star Trek theatrical movies from Paramount Studios, despite rumblings about a Star Trek Origin movie and Star Trek 4. Perhaps feature-length Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episodes can scratch that itch, and be an ersatz way for Paramount+ to deliver Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 'streaming movies.'

4Strange New Worlds Will Need To Have Time Jumps

Strange New Worlds Has 4 More Years Until Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds always knew where it must end: right at the cusp of Star Trek: The Original Series, with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) taking over the USS Enterprise from Captain Pike. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds still has a few years to go, and the prequel must now accelerate its plan to connect to TOS' beginning in 2265.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 picks up where season 2's cliffhanger left off in 2260, and season 3 will contain some form of time jump to bring Strange New Worlds to 2261. At some point in Strange New Worlds season 3, the United Federation of Planets will celebrate the centennial of its founding in 2161. The next two seasons of Strange New Worlds will have to navigate the four years to end at the onset of Star Trek: The Original Series.

3Strange New Worlds & Starfleet Academy Means 5 More Seasons Of Star Trek Are Coming

There Are Still 46 Episodes Of Star Trek On The Way

Star Trek on Paramount+ in 2025 is a far cry from the remarkable 2022, when there were five Star Trek series and a new episode streamed every Thursday on Paramount+ for nearly the entire year. Still, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is joined by Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, a brand-new Star Trek series that has thus far been shrouded in mystery. Yet Paramount+ was confident enough in Starfleet Academy to renew it for season 2 during the production of season 1.

Between Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' 3 seasons to come, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's 2 seasons consisting of 10 episodes each, this means there are 46 more episodes of Star Trek on the way. Longtime Star Trek fans lament that this is about the equivalent of two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation's era, but, at least, fans are now assured of a certain amount of Star Trek to look forward to. And it's possible Star Trek: Starfleet Academy could eventually run the same five seasons as Strange New Worlds.

2Strange New Worlds Could End On The 10th Anniversary Of Star Trek: Discovery Premiering

2027 Will Be 10 Years of Star Trek On Paramount+

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is likely to premiere in 2026 to mark the 60th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series premiering in 1966. Logically, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5 would then arrive in 2027, and this would mark 10 years since Star Trek: Discovery premiered on CBS All Access (before it rebranded to Paramount+) in 2017. The advent of Star Trek: Discovery ended 12 years of no new Star Trek on television after Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005.

Star Trek: Discovery was controversial, but it was also successful. Thanks to Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek on Paramount+ expanded the universe with six TV series and the first Star Trek streaming movie, Star Trek: Section 31. Strange New Worlds is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, with Captain Pike, Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) debuting on the USS Discovery first. It's fitting for Strange New Worlds to 'close the circle' that Star Trek: Discovery began.

1Will Star Trek Go On A Hiatus After Strange New Worlds Ends?

Lots Of Questions Surround Star Trek's Future

What happens after Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy) ends has Star Trek fans understandably concerned. Paramount Global is in the midst of a complicated sale to Skydance Media. Paramount+'s Star Trek franchise was downsized as a result of this sale, and Star Trek's future after the current series run their course is up in the air. Will Skydance Media renew executive producer Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout's contract for Star Trek, bring in someone new to oversee the franchise, or put Star Trek on hiatus?

Beyond Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, other Star Trek projects in various stages of development are question marks, such as Tawny Newsome's live-action Star Trek comedy. Fans also continue to clamor for Star Trek: Picard's continuation, Star Trek: Legacy, despite no movement on that happening. However, the future of the Star Trek franchise doesn't fall on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' shoulders, unless some kind of surprise spinoff is greenlit. Star Trek's uncertain tomorrow aside, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' goal is to end its prequel in a satisfying way.