After an era of being spoiled for choice when it came ot Star Trek shows, Paramount+ has announced the future of two of it’s most popular streamed series as Star Trek’s first animated comedy comes to an end whilst Captain Pike gets another season to explore Strange New Worlds with Spock and his Number One.
Serving as both a spin off to Discovery as well as a prequel to the original series, Strange New Worlds was a hit even before production began. With Pike being revived for television after being cut from the original pilot episode, Anson Mount made a huge impression as Discovery’s second commanding officer during it’s second season leading to massive fan demand for a series.
Currently Strange New Worlds’ third season is in production set to pick up on a good old fashioned end of season cliffhanger, and the announcement confirms a fourth has been given the green light allowing more time for Pike to explore with his crew before meeting his ultimate fate seen in 1966 episode The Menagerie.
With Paramount up for potential sale, and cuts to streaming budgets, the renewal is a big win for Strange New Worlds which has become the new flagship show following last years announcement that Discovery would end with it’s fifth season – currently airing new episodes weekly on Paramount + and the end of Picard which was only set to run for three seasons.
While it’s all good news for fans of Strange New Worlds, it also comes with the news of the latest cut to the Paramount line up as Star Trek’s first animated comedy – Lower Decks – will come to an end with it’s fifth and final season, mirroring Discovery’s run.
Five seasons for any streaming show these days is a good run in itself with many streaming shows brought to a premature end over the years (looking at you, Netflix!) though with the Lower Deckers only just beginning to walk the path of promotion, it’ll be a bittersweet final outing for the crew with the potential to end with some amazing developments for the rising young officers.
Of course, this leave Star Trek with an interesting future. Once Discovery ends in a few weeks, Strange New Worlds will be the only live action show in active production. Down the line we do have Starfleet Academy in pre-production as well as one off event for Section 31 starring Michelle Yeoh – but if the limit for Paramount+ Trek is going to be capped at five seasons, the team at Secret Hideout may have to keep rolling out new formats and new shows to keep the brand active.
You can read more about the recent announcements through Variety.com or StarTrek.com
Star Trek Discovery’s Final Season is available to watch weekly on Paramount+. Members of SFC Quadrant 2 are welcome ot join the Discovery SPoilers & Discussion groups for erpisode discussion in line with Europa’s spoiler policy. For more informaiton, visit Starbase Europa on FB or reach out to your CO of DoFA.
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