The end is in sight for Star Trek: Discovery. Paramount+ said today that its longest-running original drama series will end with its upcoming fifth season, which will debut in early 2024.
Leading up to the final season, Paramount+ will honor the show’s groundbreaking storytelling over its past four seasons with yearlong celebrations and appearances at key events in markets around the world.
“Star Trek: Discovery is a perennial favorite on the service, near and dear to the hearts of legions of Star Trek fans as well as all of us here at Paramount+,” said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer at Paramount Streaming.
Star Trek: Discovery, which launched in 2017, is a legacy show for Paramount+. It helped announce then-upstart streamer CBS All Access as its first commissioned original series. It also launched the Star Trek franchise on the streamer, which has grown to five current series. With Picard currently airing its final season, Star Trek: Discovery will be the final CBS all Access series to end its run on Paramount+.
CBS made waves in 2017 when Discovery, part of a storied franchise and one of its most valuable IPs, was sent to the company’s then in-the-works streaming service instead of the flagship broadcast network. Star Trek: Discovery did get a broadcast premiere on CBS before becoming a CBS All Access exclusive. Discovery then made a return to CBS in the fall of 2020, when Season 1 was used as contingency programming because of the pandemic’s impact on production.
“The series and its incredible cast and creatives ushered in a new era for Star Trek when it debuted over six years ago, embracing the future of streaming with serialized storytelling, bringing to life deep and complex characters that honor Gene Roddenberry’s legacy of representing diversity and inclusion, and pushing the envelope with award-winning world-building,” Giles added. “This final season will see our beloved crew take on a new adventure, and we can’t wait to celebrate the series’ impact on the franchise leading up to its final season early next year.”
The fifth and final season will find Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well — dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.
Principal photography has just wrapped, but there will be come additional filming on the season, a source tells Deadline.
“As lifelong fans of Star Trek, it has been an immense honor and privilege to help bring Star Trek: Discovery to the world,” said executive producers and co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise. “The ‘Trek’ universe means so much to so many – including us – and we couldn’t be prouder of everything Discovery has contributed to its legacy, particularly with representation. If just one person sees themselves, or the possibilities for their future, in a new way because of Discovery, then we think we’d have made Gene Roddenberry very proud.”
Along with Martin-Green, the Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 cast includes Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner).
“Of course, there would be no Discovery without Sonequa Martin-Green and the extraordinary team of artists, both in front of and behind the camera, who have brought this show to life. Their passion and determination to make every episode special has been deeply inspiring; so too has their love and support for one another and their genuine love for Star Trek,” Kurtzman and Paradise continued.
Martin-Green made Star Trek history as the first Black woman to Captain a ship, with the show setting other major firsts in LGBTQIA+ representation on both Star Trek and in television in general.
“I’m astoundingly blessed by God to have played Captain Michael Burnham and to have taken part in a legacy alongside an extraordinary cast, phenomenal crew and remarkable writing team,” said star and producer Martin-Green. “I will never forget how it felt to stand together as a show family, cradling the heirloom of ‘Trek’ with all those from the franchise at large and with the fans… 65 episodes later, here’s to the entire company of Star Trek: Discovery, to the show and its fifth and final season, to its beloved fans and to all those who envision a better future. Let’s fly… ”
As Discovery and Picard are coming to an end, there has been speculation about new series in the franchise as part of Kurtzman’s deal with CBS Studios. As we previously reported, a new offshoot, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, is in development at CBS Studios and Alex Kurtzman’s studio-based Secret Hideout for the streamer. Also in the works is Section 31, a Discovery spinoff that features the Emperor Philipa Georgiou character played by Michelle Yeoh. Current Star Trek series, in addition to Discovery and Picard, include Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.
“When we first started talking about the return of Star Trek eight years ago, we never could have imagined the indelible impact Star Trek: Discovery would have,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “The series brought back a beloved global franchise, and just like its predecessors, Discovery honored Star Trek’s legacy of ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations,’ representing the best of what we could be as humans when we celebrate our differences.”
Star Trek: Discovery is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers. Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise serve as co-showrunners.
“To the fans around the world, thank you for joining us on this incredible journey,” Kurtzman and Paradise added. “We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been working on for this final season; we appreciate your patience in the meantime and trust us when we say it’ll be worth the wait. We love you all! LLAP.”
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