It’s been a long wait for more upcoming Trek series to hit streaming, but readers will soon have new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to obsess over and dissect. It’ll surely be a welcome distraction from the recent news that the acclaimed series is ending with an abbreviated Season 5. I was among the first to express spinoff skepticism, given the final season didn’t even get a full episode order, but the showrunners explained to me why the final season will only be six episodes.
I had a chance to speak to Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers ahead of the premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, and of course, had to talk about the show concluding. When I asked if the decision to end with only six episodes in Season 5 was their decision or Paramount+’s, Goldsman laid out the thought process behind it as best as he could, saying:
No, I mean, the studio network with Paramount+ asked how much we need to get to come right up against TOS. I think the inclination [from them] was that four seasons was enough, and we said, ‘Well, for us, we made a promise [to fans].’ They were like, ‘True, we were part of that promise.’ So they said, ‘What does it take?’ We said, ‘We can do it in six [episodes].’ So that number is us saying that’s what it would take.
soft reboot of the original series starring Paul Wesley and the new cast, ,focusing on Kirk’s early years as Captain of the Enterprise. Goldsman had a sly expression as he responded by pointing out some very relevant facts:
I wouldn’t argue. [Smiles]. I mean, we do have the sets, and two-thirds of the cast are already there.
Akiva Goldsman has been in the industry a long time, and he makes a great point. Having the Enterprise still set up and able to be used for a follow-up with Kirk’s captaincy, along with having most the cast already in the fold does a chunk of the leg work for this show.
Of course, I think it’s fair to say that nothing is set in stone by any means. Sure, it could make sense for it to happen with the cast all wrangled together and filming for the immediate future, but with Star Trek scaling back on projects, it may not be in the cards.
The good news is, we have a long time before we see the end of Strange New Worlds. Season 3 is only just starting, and then we have all of Season 4 to watch before Season 5 arrives. So, before we start banging the gong about a spinoff, maybe it’s best to remember we still have potentially two more years of the current series before it closes out.
I’m thrilled that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back on the 2025 TV schedule, and I’m hoping that a potential spinoff is in the works. For those interested in that, it may be worth keeping an eye on Paul Wesley’s upcoming projects, like the latest vampire show he’s a part of.