The end of Star Trek’s current prequel series, Strange New Worlds, has always been a fixed point, but the way the series would conclude was in flux until very recently. Paramount+ confirmed that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise will complete their five-year mission in its fifth season, which will also be the show’s shortest. Rather than the typical 10-episode order, Strange New Worlds Season 5 will feature only six episodes. That may be a disappointment to fans who’ve followed the show from the beginning, but according to star Rebecca Romijn, the final season was almost shorter still.
Appearing at this year’s Star Trek Las Vegas convention, Romijn — who plays Una Chin-Riley, First Officer to Captain Pike (Anson Mount) — shed some light on the fight to bring Strange New Worlds to the finish line. Initially, Paramount planned to wrap the series after four seasons and a feature-length film. Said film would have clocked in at “just” around two hours, a far cry from even a six-episode season. Romijn credited showrunners Henry Alonso Meyers and Akiva Goldsman with convincing Paramount to give the series a proper, if truncated, send-off.
