Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered on Paramount+ on May 5, 2022, and its ten-episodefirst season was released weekly until July. Asecond season was released from June to August 2023, athird season was released from July to September 2025, and afourth season is expected to be released in 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 twoPrimetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations and twoSaturn Award wins.
Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starshipEnterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.[a]
Anson Mount asChristopher Pike: The captain of the USSEnterprise,[1] who knows that he will suffer a horrible fate.[9] Pike was first portrayed byJeffrey Hunter inThe Original Series as a "gruff, authoritative commander" whom Mount described as "first act Pike... a very young man [who is] very self-involved". In contrast, Mount's "second act Pike" is confident, collaborative, and empathetic. Co-showrunnerAkiva Goldsman believed that a "more thoughtful and contemporary approach" was required to avoid thetoxic masculinity of some previousStar Trek captains, and Mount said his Pike represented "true masculinity". Inspired by Mount's own leadership style, Pike's quarters include a kitchen where he convenes the crew, cooks for them, and builds consensus.[10] Pike's hairstyle was widely commented on, drawing comparisons toElvis Presley and the title character of the animated seriesJohnny Bravo (1997–2004), spawningInternet memes and its own fan-runTwitter account,[11][12] and being called "the best hairquiff on television".[13] Mount enjoyed this and attributed the style to "hair guru" Daniel Losco.[12][13]
Ethan Peck asSpock: A half-Vulcan, half-human science officer aboard theEnterprise.[1] The series takes the opportunity to explore Spock's human emotions before he becomes the more "computer-like" version portrayed byLeonard Nimoy inThe Original Series.[14] Peck said he was "constantly checking in" with Nimoy's portrayal,[15] and scenes exploring Spock's emotions were "a constant source of anxiety" for him to get right.[14]Strange New Worlds expands on the complicated relationship between Spock and his fiancée,T'Pring;[15] co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers acknowledged that they interpretedThe Original Series differently from what fans had previously done to expand on T'Pring's role in this stage of Spock's life.[3] The series also explores a romance between Spock and Christine Chapel, who Peck said was one of Spock's "great teachers about his humanness".[14]
Jess Bush asChristine Chapel: A nurse on theEnterprise.[16] Myers felt the character's portrayal inThe Original Series came from a "very different conception of women and of marriage and what people would do in their jobs" that modern audiences would not expect, and sought to tell new stories inspired by Bush's strengths.[17] Bush said the character had a "distinct essence" but also felt there was room to explore her youth and backstory; the actress focused on the character's "dry and sarcastic" personality and developed that into a sense of humor.[18] She said Chapel first sees Spock as a "science subject" and is caught off guard when their relationship develops.[19]
Christina Chong as La'An Noonien-Singh: TheEnterprise's newly assigned chief of security,[16] whose family was murdered by the lizard-likeGorn when she was a child.[20] Chong described the character as guarded and struggling withsurvivor's guilt but noted that she opens up as the series goes on and the crew of theEnterprise becomes her new family. Serving as security chief allows her to protect that family.[21] La'An is also a descendant ofRicardo Montalbán'sStar Trek villainKhan Noonien Singh,[20][22] and has been discriminated against because of this. Chong related to this aspect of the character because she was bullied as a child for her ethnicity.[21] Ava Cheung plays young La'An.[23]
Celia Rose Gooding asNyota Uhura: A cadet on theEnterprise specializing in linguistics.[16] Despite the character's important role throughout theStar Trek franchise, the writers felt that there was a lot still unknown about her that could be explored beyond her just being aStarfleet officer.[17][24] As one of her first television acting roles, Gooding related to Uhura's experiences in the series as a cadet who is learning about theEnterprise.[24] The actress chose to keep her own natural hair rather than wear a wig to match previous Uhura actressesNichelle Nichols andZoe Saldaña because she felt they both represented the "black femininity" of their times and she could, too, with a modern look.[25]
Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas: TheEnterprise's helmsman,[16] who Navia described as a "highly skilled pilot [and] a veteran... she can handle a gun and also crack a joke". The actress compared Ortegas toJonathan Frakes'sNext Generation characterWilliam Riker, one of her favoriteStar Trek characters.[26] Navia worked with John Van Citters—the vice president ofStar Trek brand management atCBS Studios—and the series' motion graphics team, who create the display for Ortegas's on-set control panel, to understand how to fly theEnterprise accurately.[27] Ortegas's surname is a reference to the originalStar Trekpitch which included a navigator named Jose Ortegas.[28]
Babs Olusanmokun asJoseph M'Benga: TheEnterprise's chief medical officer,[16] who is secretly trying to cure his daughter, Rukiya, of a rare disease.[29] When Goldsman first discussed the character with Olusanmokun he said, "[M'Benga] was a man of war, and he's now a healer." Olusanmokun appreciated that description and chances to explore M'Benga's backstory as it is revealed.[14] The actor felt he was "crafting something anew" with his portrayal since M'Benga only appears in two episodes ofThe Original Series.[30] The character was not given a first name in that series, but was referred to as Joseph in the script for the unproduced episode "Shol".[31] Posters at the 2022Star Trek: Mission Chicago convention referred to him as "Jabilo", a name used in some non-canon novels, but the producers soon stated that this was incorrect and the name Joseph was eventually used inStrange New Worlds.[32][33]
Bruce Horak as Hemmer: TheEnterprise's chief engineer, Hemmer, is anAenar, an albino subspecies ofAndorians who are generally depicted as blind; Horak is blind in one eye with limited sight in the other,[16] and the first legally blind regular actor in aStar Trek series.[34] The writers always intended for Hemmer to die in thefirst season as a way to increase the series' stakes, since most of the main characters are still alive inThe Original Series.[35] Horak was told about this when he was first cast and hoped to build the character into a "fan favorite". He compared the role to theStar Wars characterObi-Wan Kenobi, serving as a mentor to the young Uhura.[34]
Rebecca Romijn asUna Chin-Riley / Number One: The first officer of theEnterprise and second-in-command to Pike.[1][16] The character was only referred to as "Number One" inThe Original Series but was given the name Una Chin-Riley in non-canonStar Trek novels.Strange New Worlds brings this name intoofficial canon.[16] The series confirms that Number One is anIllyrian, whichOriginal Series writerD.C. Fontana established in the novelVulcan's Glory (1989), and reveals that Illyrians genetically modify themselves. This explains why Number One appears human while the Illyrians seen in theStar Trek: Enterprise episode "Damage" (2004) do not, and also aligns with the description of Illyrians practicing "selective breeding" inGreg Cox's novelChild of Two Worlds (2015). TheStrange New Worlds writers believed it would be interesting for Number One to be at odds with Starfleet's anti-genetic alteration laws.[36]
Martin Quinn asMontgomery "Scotty" Scott: An engineer who joins theEnterprise.[37] Quinn said the character was "not quite the miracle worker" he is known as inThe Original Series and has a lot of learning to do before he reaches that point.[38] Following the controversial Scottish accents used for the character by Canadian actorJames Doohan inThe Original Series and English actorSimon Pegg inseveralStar Trek films,[39] the showrunners wanted to cast an actual Scottish actor and looked at 30 to 50 different actors before Quinn was hired.[40] He chose not to do an impression of Doohan,[38] and worked with the writers to make the character more authentically Scottish.[41]
WhenAlex Kurtzman, the co-creator and executive producer ofStar Trek: Discovery (2017–2024), askedAkiva Goldsman to join that series as a supporting producer, Goldsman believed—based on internet rumors—that it was a prequel toStar Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969) following theUSS Enterprise (NCC-1701) under the command of CaptainChristopher Pike. He was disappointed to find this was not the case,[42] and with his encouragement theEnterprise was introduced in thefirst-season finale (2018).[43] Then co-showrunner Aaron Harberts wanted to explore Pike, feeling he had not been seen much inStar Trek, but was less interested in exploringEnterprise crew memberSpock due to his many franchise appearances.[44] Harberts was also reluctant to have an actor other thanLeonard Nimoy orZachary Quinto portray the character.[45] However, Spock was confirmed to be in thesecond season in April 2018.[46]Anson Mount was cast as Pike,[47] and he revealed in July thatRebecca Romijn would portrayOriginal Series characterNumber One.[48] Mount and Romijn signed one-year deals for the series as part of the producers' attempt to alignDiscovery more closely with the widerStar Trek continuity than it was in the first season.[49] In August,Ethan Peck was revealed to have been cast as Spock.[50]
Strange New Worlds stars (left-to-right) Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One, reprising their roles fromDiscovery. Their characters first appeared inThe Original Series.
In June 2018, after becoming sole showrunner ofDiscovery, Kurtzman signed a five-year overall deal withCBS Television Studios to expand theStar Trek franchise beyondDiscovery to several new series, miniseries, and animated series.[51] Mount leftDiscovery following the second-season finale, and fans began calling for him to reprise his role in a spin-off series set on theEnterprise, alongside Romijn and Peck. Mount and Peck both responded positively to the idea.[52][53] Mount saidDiscovery's long filming schedule was difficult and his return would involve "a lot of creative conversations",[54] but he later added that he had never had such a positive response to his work as he did for Pike and the role "changed [his] life".[55]
In April 2019, Kurtzman was asked about the spin-off idea and said, "The fans have been heard. Anything is possible in the world ofTrek."[56] AtSan Diego Comic-Con in July, Kurtzman announced that the second season of companion seriesStar Trek: Short Treks (2018–2020) would include three shorts starring theEnterprise actors. He said this was a way to bring those characters and actors back, but would not prevent a full spin-off series from being made.[57] In January 2020, Kurtzman said active discussions regarding a spin-off series had begun and he had been "tossing ideas back and forth" with Goldsman, who had moved from producingDiscovery to co-showrunningStar Trek: Picard (2020–2023). Kurtzman said he would prefer for it to be an ongoing series rather than a miniseries, and said it could explore the seven years betweenDiscovery's second season and the accident that seriously injures Pike inThe Original Series.[58] Kurtzman soon said two unannouncedStar Trek series were in development forCBS All Access.[59]
CBS All Access officially orderedStar Trek: Strange New Worlds to series in May 2020, with Mount, Romijn, and Peck confirmed to be reprising their roles.[1] Kurtzman and Goldsman were confirmed to be executive producing alongside: their fellowStar Trek producerJenny Lumet; Henry Alonso Myers;Heather Kadin and Aaron Baiers of Kurtzman's production company Secret Hideout; Frank Siracusa; John Weber; andRod Roddenberry, the son ofStar Trek creatorGene Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth of Roddenberry Entertainment. Akela Cooper and Davy Perez were set as co-executive producers.[1][2] Goldsman wrote the script for the series' first episode based on a story he wrote with Kurtzman and Lumet, and was set as showrunner alongside Myers. Goldsman would also remain an executive producer and co-showrunner onPicard.[1] Myers joked that "The Cage" (1965), the firstpilot episode ofThe Original Series which stars the same main characters asStrange New Worlds, could be considered the pilot for the new series as well, making it "the longest pilot-to-series pickup in the history of television".[60]
In September 2020, ViacomCBS (later renamedParamount Global) announced that CBS All Access would be expanded and rebranded asParamount+.[61] Asecond season ofStrange New Worlds was reported to be in development in November 2021,[62] which Paramount+ officially announced in January 2022 ahead of thefirst season's release.[63] Goldsman expressed his hope that the series would continue until it caught up with the events ofThe Original Series,[64] stating: "We will continue on for as long as Paramount lets us. We will drive right intoThe Original Series."[65] Mount said he was willing to continue the series until fans felt Pike was on the same level as previousStar Trek captainsJames T. Kirk andJean-Luc Picard.[66] Paramount+ officially announced athird season in March 2023, ahead of the second season's release,[67] and afourth season in April 2024 while the third was in production.[68] Amid financial issues andan ongoing merger process with Skydance Media, Paramount decided to end the series after four seasons. The showrunners did not want it to end without connecting toThe Original Series, and said they would need six more episodes to do that. Paramount,CBS Studios, and Secret Hideout did not want a similar situation toDiscovery, which was denied a proper conclusion following its cancelation, and worked together to find a way for those additional episodes to be made.[69][70] In June 2025, ahead of the third season's premiere and during production on the fourth season, a six-episode fifth and final season was announced. Adam B. Vary ofVariety said the announcement was "something of a surprise". Goldsman and Myers said they were grateful to be given the abbreviated final season so they could complete their "five-season mission".[6]
Kurtzman felt audiences had primarily responded to the "relentless optimism" of Pike, Spock, and Number One onDiscovery, and saidStrange New Worlds would explore how Pike remains an optimistic leader despite learning about his tragic future duringDiscovery's second season.[71] Myers wanted to take advantage of his own experience in comedy to make the series lighter than the more dramaticDiscovery andPicard,[72] feeling that the purpose of the series was to carry on the optimistic messages ofThe Original Series. It was important to him to explore current social and political issues in the series, as all previousStar Trek projects had,[3] and to ignore elements of characterization fromThe Original Series that were no longer appropriate, such as its portrayal of female characters, in favor of a more modern approach.[17] Goldsman described the series' approach to depicting younger versions of characters fromThe Original Series as "inductive storytelling", explaining that the writers "can see where somebody ended up and then try to imagine how they got there".[65] The showrunners put together a "five-year plan", inspired by the traditionalStar Trek five year mission, to show how the returning characters become who they are at the start ofThe Original Series and what happens to some of the other characters.[73]
"We are going to do stand-alone episodes. There will be emotional serialization. There will be two-parters. There will be larger plot arcs. But it really is back to the model of alien-of-the-week, planet-of-the-week, challenge-on-the-ship-of-the-week."
—Executive producer Alex Kurtzman on the series' episodic storytelling[71]
The series is more episodic thanDiscovery andPicard, a style closer toThe Original Series, but it takes advantage of serialized storytelling to develop character arcs.[74] Myers said the writers wanted to bring a "modern character sensibility" to "Star Trek in the wayStar Trek stories were always told. It's a ship and it's traveling to strange new worlds and we are going to tell big idea science fiction adventures in an episodic mode. So we have room to meet new aliens, see new ships, visit new cultures."[75] Since the series has just ten episodes a season, unlike the 20 episodes or more that past episodicStar Trek seasons had, the producers feltStrange New Worlds was not able to just try things and instead wanted to show its full potential by giving each episode a dramatically different genre and tone.[72] Goldsman said this was the only series he worked on where he wished to have double the number of episodes, as the writers had to discard ten good ideas for each ten that were selected for a season.[76] One idea that never came to fruition was a fully animated episode inspired byStar Trek: The Animated Series (1973–74), though the series doescrossover with the animated seriesStar Trek: Lower Decks (2020–2024) in the second-season episode "Those Old Scientists".[77]
After working as a general science advisor onDiscovery and the other Paramount+Star Trek series, astrophysicistErin Macdonald did the same forStrange New Worlds. She said each series was on a "spectrum of science to fiction" and her role onStrange New Worlds was mostly to help the writers remove the "word salad" from science explanations and tweak other dialogue to ensure the correct terms were being used.[78]
Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn star in the series, reprising their respective roles of Christopher Pike, Spock, and Una Chin-Riley / Number One fromStar Trek: Discovery.[1] Their characters were first introduced in "The Cage", which starredJeffrey Hunter as Pike,Leonard Nimoy as Spock, andMajel Barrett as Number One.[47][74]Babs Olusanmokun,Christina Chong,Celia Rose Gooding,Jess Bush, andMelissa Navia were announced as additional series regulars with the start of filming.[2] Their roles were revealed in September 2021: Bush was cast in Barrett's otherOriginal Series role ofChristine Chapel, Gooding took over the role ofNyota Uhura fromNichelle Nichols, and Olusanmokun replacedBooker Bradshaw asJoseph M'Benga. Chong, Navia, andBruce Horak were cast as new characters La'An Noonien-Singh, Erica Ortegas, and Hemmer.[16][79] Horak was the first legally blind regular actor in aStar Trek series. After Hemmer's death in the first season,[80] Horak returned as the character for a guest role in the second.[81]James Doohan'sOriginal Series characterMontgomery "Scotty" Scott had an offscreencameo appearance in the first-season finale,[82][83] voiced by Matthew Wolf,[84] beforeMartin Quinn was cast in the role for the second-season finale.[40] Quinn was made a series regular for the third season.[37]
Design work began by August 2020,[75] with Jonathan Lee as production designer.[85] Myers said they approached the series as ifStar Trek creatorGene Roddenberry was makingThe Original Series with modern technology and effects, keeping elements of the 1960s designs that still worked for a contemporary project while avoiding the parts that looked "cheap". He compared this to the firstStar Trek film,Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), which also used its budget and resources to expand on the original designs.[3] Mount said the sets had a "mid-century modern look from the 1960s. There are some pieces that you might find in a super upscale version ofMacy's in 1967. It retains that cool '60s vibe, but in an updated way".[55] TheEnterprise sets forStrange New Worlds were updated from theDiscovery ones,[86] such as the bridge set being more compact and closer to the size of theOriginal Series set. The sets were designed to function like a practical starship, including moving components and pre-programmed monitor graphics that reacted to the actors,[85] and a practical viewscreen to replace the visual effects thatDiscovery used. Lee wanted the bridge to feel "warmer" thanDiscovery's cool blue and green palette, especially using the colors of the on-set monitor graphics to achieve this.[87] The engineering, mess hall, and cargo bay sets were augmented withvirtual production technology.[88] The props were also redesigned fromDiscovery:phasers,tricorders, andcommunicators all feature "retro" looks closer to those fromThe Original Series.[89]
Display of Starfleet uniforms from the series, as created by costume designer Bernadette Croft[90]
Bernadette Croft was hired as costume designer after working as an assistant onDiscovery.[91] The Starfleet uniforms were updated fromDiscovery,[86] to have a more casual style closer toThe Original Series.[92] Mount called them "a world of difference from theDiscovery uniforms. They're a lot more forgiving... more of a throwback."[55] They retain the primary colors fromThe Original Series (Pantone colors are noted in parentheses): gold (Chai Tea) for command and control, blue (Duck Denim) for science, and red (Pomegranate) for communications, engineering, security, and tactical.[92][93] Each division has an insignia that appears on their Starfleet badge, and as a pattern on the shoulders and arms.[93] The uniform has a standard tunic and a longer jacket variation. The latter is similar to theminiskirt-style uniforms worn by actresses onThe Original Series, which Croft initially wanted to avoid due to their "over-sexualization". Romijn encouraged her to make a more appropriate version because "you can make it look badass, and you can fight, you can do whatever you need to do in a dress". The series' version is gender-neutral and actors decide whether they want to wear it or the tunic style.[91] Dr. M'Benga's tunic is light blue—Pantone color Blue Heaven—and has a flap in the front to approximate the look of modernscrubs,[92][94] while also taking inspiration from the costumes worn byDeForest Kelley's Dr.Leonard McCoy inThe Original Series. Nurse Chapel wears a white jumpsuit that is similar to the medical uniforms worn inDiscovery. Away-team members wear a gray jacket over their uniforms which are an homage to the jackets worn in "The Cage". The jackets have a round patch on the shoulder that was inspired by a costume worn byWilliam Shatner as James T. Kirk in the filmStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).[91] Shoe designerJohn Fluevog created futuristic versions of the "Cuban-style boots" fromThe Original Series. The leather boots have a metal Starfleet delta insignia on the ankle.[95]
Legacy Effects provided alien prosthetics for the series, and introduced new alien species in almost every episode.[96] Per Goldsman's request, Legacy re-designed the prosthetics for Spock's ears and eyebrows to be closer to those used on Nimoy in "The Cage" than the ones fromDiscovery. Prosthetics department head Chris Bridges convinced Peck to shave his eyebrows, which Peck had chosen not to do onDiscovery, to improve the process of applying the prosthetics and reduce the time it took from two hours to 70 minutes.[97] The make-up and hair team worked on Spock's hairstyle and sideburns, creating a variation on Nimoy's look that suited Peck's face.[98]
In the initial edit of the series' first episode, Goldsman added a temporary title sequence using the one fromThe Original Series, with the franchise's famous "Space: the final frontier..." monologue and images of theEnterprise in space. This inspired the actual title sequence which was designed by creative studio Picturemill.[4][99] It begins with a "start-up sequence" where theEnterprise becomes illuminated and Mount gives the opening narration, followed by visuals of theEnterprise flying through interstellar locations and visiting the titular "strange new worlds". This was compared to the "exploratory-style title sequence" fromStar Trek: Voyager (1995–2001).[99][100]
The series is filmed at CBS Stages Canada inMississauga,Ontario,[101] under theworking titleLily and Isaac.[102] The directors were encouraged to bring a unique look and tone to each episode to highlight the series' episodic approach.[96] Paramount+ constructed avideo wall to allow for virtual production, based on theStageCraft technology used on theDisney+ seriesThe Mandalorian (2019–2023).[103][104] The new virtual set was built in Toronto by visual effects companyPixomondo, and features a 270-degree, 70 feet (21 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m) horseshoe-shaped LED volume with additional LED panels in the ceiling to aid with lighting. The technology uses thegame engine softwareUnreal Engine to display computer-generated backgrounds on the LED screens in real-time during filming;[104] additional filming to support these visual effects took place in New Mexico.[105]
By December 2020,Discovery andPicard composerJeff Russo had discussedStrange New Worlds with Kurtzman, including how it "should be treated musically", but whether Russo would be involved in the spin-off had yet to be determined.[106] In February 2022, Russo was revealed to have written the series' main titles music whileNami Melumad was composing the rest of the score. Melumad previously composed the music for an episode ofShort Treks and the animated seriesStar Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024).[107][108] Russo's main theme is a modern adaptation ofAlexander Courage'soriginalStar Trek theme,[100] and includes atheremin to foreshadow Courage's vocal arrangement.[109] Myers felt it was a "perfect metaphor for what we are trying to do" with the series, adapting elements fromThe Original Series "in a bigger, more cinematic way" than was possible in the 1960s.[4]
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered on the streaming service Paramount+ in the United States, Latin America, Australia, and the Nordics on May 5, 2022.[119] It was released in Canada byBell Media (broadcast onCTV Sci-Fi Channel before streaming onCrave),[120] in New Zealand onTVNZ, in India onVoot,[121] and in other countries as Paramount+ orSkyShowtime (a combination of Paramount+ andPeacock for some of Europe) became available there.[121][122] In August 2023,Star Trek content was removed from Crave andStrange New Worlds began streaming on Paramount+ in Canada. The series continued to be broadcast on CTV Sci-Fi and be available on CTV.ca and the CTV app.[123][124]
Parrot Analytics determines audience "demand expressions" based on various data sources, and the company calculated thatStrange New Worlds was the fifth-most in demand US streaming series in May 2022, being 30.9 times more in demand than the average series. The only other Paramount+ series on the list for that month was the 9th-rankedsecond season ofPicard.[125] In August 2022, Paramount+ saidStrange New Worlds was the most-watched originalStar Trek series on the service over its first 90 days, and the second-most watched original series in general for the service in the United Kingdom.[126]
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has a 96% approval score on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,[133] whileMetacritic, which uses aweighted average, has assigned a score of 78 out of 100 based on reviews from 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[134]
For the first season, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 99% of 84 critics reviews were positive and the average rating was 8.10 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Strange New Worlds treks across familiar territory to refreshing effect, its episodic structure and soulful cast recapturing the sense of boundless discovery that defined the franchise's roots."[127] Metacritic assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[128] Critics reviews for the season commonly praised the cast, particularly Mount, as well as the throwback production design and episodic format.[135]
The second season was met with critical acclaim for its "genre-bending" episodes and for breathing new life into the franchise.[136][137][138] Rotten Tomatoes reported that 97% of 98 critics reviews were positive and the average rating was 8.45 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Boldly going where this hallowed franchise has gone before with effervescent execution,Strange New Worlds's superb sophomore season continues to recapture classicTrek with modern verve."[129] Metacritic assigned a score of 88 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim" according to the site.[130]
Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of 28 critics reviews for the third season were positive. The website's critics consensus reads, "Still a bright beacon in theStar Trek universe,Strange New Worlds's third season makes up for its lack of narrative ambition with gleaming execution.[131] Metacritic assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" response.[132]
As with previous Paramount+Star Trek series, each episode ofStrange New Worlds is followed by an episode of the officialaftershowThe Ready Room. Hosted byStar Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) actorWil Wheaton,The Ready Room features interviews with cast and crew members as well as behind-the-scenes details from each episode.[151]
The first tie-in novel for the series was announced in April 2022 asThe High Country, from authorJohn Jackson Miller. It was published bySimon & Schuster in February 2023 and tells an original story about Pike and the crew having to abandon ship during a mission. Miller, the author of manyStar Trek tie-in novels, previously wroteThe Enterprise War that explored Pike and theEnterprise before the second season ofDiscovery.[152]Asylum, another tie-in novel forStrange New Worlds, was published in November 2024. Written by frequentStar Trek authorUna McCormack, it depicts Pike's first meeting with Chin-Riley atStarfleet Academy and explores how her connections to a cultural minority group come back to haunt her during trade negotiations between theEnterprise and that group decades later afterStrange New Worlds's second season.[153]
The Illyrian Enigma, the first comic book tie-in for the series, was announced in September 2022. Written by co-executive producerKirsten Beyer and veteranStar Trek author Mike Johnson, the four-issue series features art by Megan Levens and Charlie Kirchoff. It is set between the first and second seasons, continuing from the first season's cliffhanger ending with theEnterprise crew attempting to prove Chin-Riley's innocence.[154] A second tie-in comic, also written by Beyer and Johnson, debuted in August 2023. TitledScorpius Run, it features art by Angel Hernandez and sees theEnterprise crew trapped in unexplored space and unable to contact Starfleet.[155]
When asked in July 2024 if the series would feature more musical episodes after the second-season episode "Subspace Rhapsody", Goldsman said the creative team were exploring a stage version of the episode.[156]
After the final season ofStrange New Worlds was announced in June 2025, Goldsman and Myers expressed interest in making a sequel series set during theOriginal Series era using the cast and sets ofStrange New Worlds. Jeremy Mathai at/Film speculated that such a series could cover the fourth and fifth years of theOriginal Series's five year mission, which were not told by that series due to its cancelation after three seasons.[157] Recurring guest starPaul Wesley, who took over fromThe Original Series lead William Shatner as James T. Kirk, previously expressed interest in starring as Kirk in a new series onceStrange New Worlds came to an end.[158] In July, Goldsman referred to the potential sequel series asStar Trek: Year One. He asked fans to petition Paramount and Skydance to help get the series agreenlight.[159]
^The opening narration forThe Original Series ends by saying "where noman has gone before". This was changed to "where noone has gone before" forThe Next Generation, andStrange New Worlds also uses the updated wording.[5]
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