Star Trek EP Confirms Paramount+ Wanted To Cancel Strange New Worlds After Season 4

Published Sep 12, 2026, 8:09 PM EDT John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds executive producer and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman confirms that Paramount+ nearly canceled the prequel series after season 4. During press for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 in summer 2025, Paramount+ announced that the series was renewed for a fifth and final season consisting of 6 episodes. At the time, production was nearly completed on Strange New Worlds season 4. In the fall, Strange New Worlds began filming its final season, and the series wrapped just before Christmas. Image via Paramount+ Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter for Star Trek's 60th anniversary, Akiva Goldsman reiterated that Strange New Worlds' plan to end by leading into Star Trek: The Original Series "was always the promise," although they did not know "how long our show would last." Goldsman then confirmed, "Although they tried to cancel us after season four." THR: Were you saved by a letter-writing campaign like the original Trek? Akiva Goldsman: No, we got into a conversation with Paramount. They said, “Make a movie.” But we were like, no, two hours would just be awful. So, we went back and forth, and to their credit we got six episodes. And that’s what next year is going to be, a six-episode goodbye that hopefully resolves everything viewers have been wondering about. Like every Star Trek series on Paramount+, Strange New Worlds fell into the crosshairs of Skydance Media buying Paramount+. At its peak, there were five Star Trek TV series (and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in development) on Paramount+ under the aegis of executive producer Alex Kurtzman. As the Skydance buyout happened, Paramount+ systematically canceled all of its new Star Trek. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 was delayed for two years by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and a lot changed in Hollywood during that time, including Skydance buying Paramount. Both Strange New Worlds seasons 3 and 4 were produced under the suspicion that they could be the final seasons. Season 4 is full of "big swings," in effect, to get their most pie-in-the-sky ideas produced in case it would be the end of the show. Image via Paramount+ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5 will be a different beast. Rather than giddily leaping across genres, Paul Wesley, who plays the future Captain James T. Kirk, confirms that Strange New Worlds' final season will be "very serious" and more "contained." Goldsman also told ScreenRant during press for season 4 that season 5 will be "a suite of episodes." Fan opinions on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 are wildly varied between those who love its bold experimentation and others who feel the show has gone overboard with excess compared to its acclaimed first two seasons. Regardless, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' last 6 episodes can stick the landing and deliver an ending for the ages in its fifth and final season. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is streaming on Paramount+ Release Date 2022 - 2027-00-00 Network Paramount+ Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman Directors Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman Writers Onitra Johnson Franchise(s) Star Trek Creator(s) Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Trek