Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was officially picked up to series back in May 2020. And because it’s been over one and a half years since that announcement, a lot of Trekkies are now wondering, “when does Star Trek: Strange New Worlds start?”
Paramount+ finally had an exact answer to that question last Tuesday, revealing that the new sci-fi series will debut on the ViacomCBS-owned streamer on May 5th. Following the premiere, new episodes of the show will drop weekly every Thursday, with the 10-episode season 1 running through July 7th. And even though the series has yet to launch, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already been renewed for season 2.
What will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds be about?
A spinoff from Star Trek: Discovery and a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), First Officer Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew as they explore new worlds throughout the galaxy during the late 2250s.
Aside from the abovementioned trio who all appeared in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 in 2019, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will also feature new versions of some of the classic 1960s Star Trek characters, including Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will also introduce all-new Enterprise crewmembers, such as Hemmer (Bruce Horak), La’an Noonein-Singh (Christina Chong), and Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia)
How will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds be different from ongoing Star Trek shows?
During a Star Trek panel back in September 2020, co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman implied that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be more episodic compared to newer Star Trek shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard. It will have “episodic value [with] characters stretched in a serialized quality,” Goldsman said of the upcoming show.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will feature close-ended stories that will conclude every week. Writer and co-executive producer Akela Cooper described this as “more one-off plots.” Cooper, however, noted that there will be “one plot point” that they “will be sprinkling in” across the episodes, so there will still be an aspect of serialization in the show.
Where can I watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, and Australia. The series will air on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave in Canada with additional international availability to be announced at a later date.