As the show’s third season came to an end last week, the crew of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is already teasing season 4, which has wrapped filming and is reportedly in the post-production stage. The cast and crew have mentioned that there will be some big swings in the upcoming season, which continues the tradition of one-off episodes.
As the show gears up to end with its fifth and final season, which will connect to The Original Series, the characters will also go through events that will complete this evolution. Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman mentioned how they navigated this space (via Trek Movie).
Henry always says that they don’t know who they’re going to be. And I think that’s really sort of our watchword when it comes to characterization. They’re not the folks that we grew up with, or I grew up because I’m really old. They will be. They’re the precursors. And so how they get there is exciting.
Having said that, season 4 will still follow the same episodic structure the show has become famous for and will see some experimental storylines explored again, including a puppet-themed episode.
When & Where Is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Releasing?
While the finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 was airing, filming on season 4 had already been wrapped and was in the post-production stage. While the gap between the previous two seasons was two years, the team has assured fans that season 4 would come in 2026.
There has been no confirmation on when the season will premiere, but previous seasons have premiered during the summer, and it is likely this one will too, between May and July. While season 5 will have a reduced six-episode run, season 4 will have a regular 10 episodes, with each one releasing weekly.
As with previous seasons, Strange New Worlds season 4 will be streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
Who Will Star in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 had many guest stars apart from the regulars. Actors like Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, John de Lancie, and more made one-off appearances as guest stars. While no one has been confirmed to appear in season 4, as the release date nears, we might get some updates on the guest list this time around.
Regulars like Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and Rebecca Romijn will return in their roles. Recurring stars like Adrian Holmes as Captain April, Paul Wesley as Captain Kirk, and Dan Jeannotte as George Samuel Kirk will also be returning. Martin Quinn has been promoted to a regular.
Akiva Goldsman Promised an Improved Season 4 After Struggles With Production on S3
As mentioned before, season 4 of Strange New Worlds will not see a two-year delay like the gap between seasons 2 and 3. One of the biggest reasons for the delay was reportedly the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which put a significant hamper on production and resulted in changing teams when filming resumed.
The third season’s responses were not as unanimous as its previous seasons. Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman mentioned that season 4 will not have such issues (via Trek Movie).
We just had more time [for season 4]. Just had more time, more continuous time. We didn’t have staffing changes. We didn’t have a strike. The strike caused a change. Those things are real. And starting up and shutting down and starting up again is complicated.
And it shows. The filming for the season has been wrapped, and the team will now take time to do post-production in time for the release before heading into season 5.
While More TOS Characters Are Teased, One Will Definitely Not Make an Appearance
The plan has always been for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to tie into Captain James Kirk’s first day as the commander of the Enterprise and tie into the crew’s characters in The Original Series. Apart from Spock and Uhura, we have also seen more characters from the original series making appearances, with the latest being Montgomery Scott.
Here are all the crossover characters from TOS and SNW.
While more characters are teased in upcoming seasons, the makers promised that one character would not make it in the show. Co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers said,
Yeah, Chekov doesn’t make any sense.
Walter Koenig’s Pavel Chekov only made his first appearance in season 2 of Star Trek: TOS, and hence, it would not make sense to appear in the prequel series.
Are you excited for season 4 of Strange New Worlds? Comment below.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is available to stream on Paramount+.