‘Strange New Worlds’ Ending Sparks Hints of a Star Trek: TOS Reboot

Paramount+ recently revealed that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will end after five seasons, a surprise announcement made well before the show’s third season even premiered in July.

Fans were confused why the news came so early, but the showrunner, Akiva Goldsman, dropped some interesting hints during an appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. According to TrekMovie, Goldsman suggested that while Strange New Worlds might be wrapping up, it could lead into a reboot or revival of the original Star Trek series, also known as The Original Series (TOS).

Goldsman said, “Right now [the characters] are in mid-stage development. How do they become who they are? What happens to some of them? Those are questions that we knew we needed to answer and promised to answer. And so that’s our five-year plan. And then we run into TOS. [Switching to conspiratorial tone] But they’re not dying. And we have those sets…” This gives fans a lot to think about.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, and there’s no new movie planned to celebrate it. There’s a new series about Starfleet Academy expected to debut in 2026, but that probably won’t be the big event for such a milestone. A reboot or revival of the original series, the one that started it all, would definitely get attention.

Strange New Worlds has already introduced many of the TOS characters like Spock, Kirk, Uhura, Scotty, Chapel, and M’Benga. They just need to add characters like Bones and Sulu to complete the familiar lineup since Chekov appeared later in the original series.

Adding fuel to the speculation is William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk, who recently mentioned that Paramount has approached him about something Star Trek related. While Kirk’s character died in Star Trek: Generations, Picard season 3 hinted at the possibility of his return.

What if Shatner returns as an older Kirk reflecting on his early adventures, with the younger Strange New Worlds cast playing out those stories? This would be a huge deal for fans and the franchise.

The original Star Trek mission lasted five years in-universe, but only three seasons were made. A reboot or prequel could explore those missing years with the sets and characters already mostly in place, just as Goldsman hinted.

While nothing is confirmed yet, the signs point to something exciting ahead. Many fans would love more seasons of Strange New Worlds, but in today’s streaming world, five seasons is often the maximum. Streaming services prefer launching new shows over extending existing ones because new content attracts more subscribers.

If a fresh take on the original Star Trek could bring more viewers to Paramount+ than another season of Strange New Worlds, it’s not hard to imagine the network choosing that path. Whatever happens, Star Trek fans have plenty to look forward to.

This information was first posted on TrekMovie.

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