Star Trek: Discovery is preparing for its final voyage on Paramount+.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Star Trek: Discovery is officially slated to come to an end with its upcoming fifth season on Paramount+. The outlet's sources explain that principal photography on Season 5 is mostly complete. However, now that the decision has been made to end the show, there will be additional photography to make sure Discovery has a proper ending. As such, the premiere of the show's fifth season has been pushed back to early 2024.
"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 CBS Studios president David Stapf. "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's Cast and Crew React to the Show Ending
"As lifelong fans of Star Trek, it has been an immense honor and privilege to help bring Star Trek: Discovery to the world," Discovery executive producers and co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise wrote in a statement. "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."
Kurtzman and Paradise continued, "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. Discovery has truly become a family over the years -- and we couldn't be more grateful to be part of it. To the fans around the world, thank you for joining us on this incredible journey. Your love for these characters and your excitement for every episode, every season, has meant the world to us. 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."
"I can hardly believe that this mind-blowing journey with Discovery is ending," the aforementioned Martin-Green, star of Discovery, added in a statement of her own. "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. To our most supportive partners at CBS Studios and Paramount+, who insisted on making television history, I'm deeply grateful. I'm also deeply grateful for the creative collaboration with our showrunners Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, as well as Olatunde Osunsanmi and the incomparable team of executive producers. 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. The fans welcomed us into their hearts as we launched a new iteration of Trek and an entire entertainment platform, and we'll never forget it. 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..."
Tanya Giles, chief programming officer at Paramount Streaming, released a statement as well. "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+," she wrote. "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. 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."
Discovery Ushered in the Modern Era of Star Trek Shows
Discovery initially premiered on Paramount+ (then known as CBS All Access) in 2017 as the sixth live-action Star Trek television show -- and the first since UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise came to an end over a decade prior in 2005. Paramount+ since has become home to two more live-action Star Trek series, namely Star Trek: Picard (a follow-up to Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (which is both a spinoff of Discovery and a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series). The streaming platform also debuted two animated series titled Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.
Not only is Discovery ending with Season 5 next year, but Picard is itself set to come to an end with its currently-ongoing Season 3. This would make Strange New Worlds the de facto mothership show moving forward. Strange New Worlds Season 2 and Lower Decks Season 4 are both expected to premiere on Paramount+ later this year. A second season of Prodigy is also currently in the works for the streaming platform.
However, while Discovery and Picard are bidding farewell, a number of other Star Trek shows are currently in the works for Paramount+, including Discovery alum Michelle Yeoh's long-gestating Section 31 spinoff and another series focusing on Starfleet Academy. Notably, former Paramount exec Julie McNamara previously hinted that new Star Trek shows would not move forward until existing ones ended. "Some of these [series] can be considered as replacements as opposed to additions," McNamara said in 2019.
That being said, it should also be noted that news of Discovery ending comes shortly after it came to light that Paramount might spend less on streaming content in 2024 than previously expected due to the merging of Paramount+ and Showtime.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 premieres in 2024 on Paramount+.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter