Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Episodic Star Trek series set before The Original Series.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is an American science fiction series that premiered in 2022 on Paramount+, the 11th installment in the Star Trek franchise. It was created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet as part of Kurtzman’s broader Star Trek Universe. A spin-off from *Star Trek: Discovery*, the show takes place in the 23rd century, following Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise in the decade leading up to *Star Trek: The Original Series*.
The lead cast includes Anson Mount as Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One—all characters originally from *The Original Series*. They first appeared together in *Discovery*’s second season, and after a positive fan response, Kurtzman expressed interest in a spin-off. Development began by March 2020, and the series was officially ordered in May of that year. Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as showrunners. The ensemble also features Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Bruce Horak, and Martin Quinn, with some portraying younger versions of *Original Series* characters. Production is handled by CBS Studios alongside Secret Hideout, Weed Road Pictures, H M R X Productions, and Roddenberry Entertainment, with filming at CBS Stages Canada in Mississauga, Ontario. The showrunners opted for the episodic storytelling style of *The Original Series* rather than the serialized approach of *Discovery*.
The first season premiered on May 5, 2022, with ten weekly episodes concluding in July. A second season aired from June to August 2023, a third from July to September 2025, and a fourth is releasing from July to September 2026. A fifth and final season, with a shorter six-episode order, is in production. The series is estimated to have high viewership and audience demand, and has received positive reviews for its episodic format and cast. It has earned several accolades, including two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations and two Saturn Award wins.
**Premise** The show follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) in the 23rd century as they explore new worlds and undertake missions across the galaxy, set a decade before *The Original Series*. It offers a contemporary take on that series’ episodic storytelling and 1960s design aesthetic. It is the first *Star Trek* series since *The
- First aired
- May 5, 2022
- Network
- Paramount+
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Creators
- Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
- Showrunners
- Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers
- Number of seasons
- 4 (with a fifth and final season in production)
- Production companies
- CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, Weed Road Pictures, H M R X Productions, Roddenberry Entertainment
Lore & Background
The series was developed after Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn were cast as Pike, Spock, and Number One in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. Positive fan responses led Alex Kurtzman to express interest in a spin-off, and development began by March 2020. The series was officially ordered in May of that year, with Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers as showrunners. Filming took place at CBS Stages Canada in Mississauga, Ontario. The showrunners chose to return to the episodic storytelling of The Original Series rather than Discovery's more serialized approach.
The series premiered on May 5, 2022, with a ten-episode first season released weekly until July. A second season ran from June to August 2023, a third from July to September 2025, and a fourth from July to September 2026. A fifth and final season, with a shorter six-episode order, is in production. The series is estimated to have high viewership and audience demand. It received positive reviews for its episodic storytelling and cast, and several accolades including two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations and two Saturn Award wins.
The cast includes Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La'An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M'Benga, Bruce Horak as Hemmer, and Martin Quinn. Some actors play younger versions of Original Series characters.
Reader's Guide
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is significant as the first Star Trek series since The Next Generation to feature the franchise's opening narration during its main credits. It returns to episodic storytelling, a departure from the serialized format of Discovery, and updates the 1960s designs of The Original Series with a contemporary take. The series explores characters from The Original Series in their younger years, including Spock's human emotions and Pike's empathetic leadership, avoiding what co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman called the 'toxic masculinity' of some previous captains. The series also expands on the backstory of characters like Christine Chapel and Nyota Uhura, and introduces new characters such as Hemmer, an Aenar chief engineer. Its legacy includes high viewership, positive critical reception, and multiple award nominations and wins, cementing its place in the modern Star Trek franchise.
Did You Know?
- The series is the 11th Star Trek series and debuted in 2022.
- Anson Mount's Pike hairstyle drew comparisons to Elvis Presley and Johnny Bravo, spawning Internet memes and a fan-run Twitter account.
- Bruce Horak, who plays Hemmer, is the first legally blind regular actor in a Star Trek series.
- The series features the franchise's opening narration 'Space, the final frontier...' for the first time since Star Trek: The Next Generation.
More in Television series set in the 23rd century 1-20
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