If you’re one of those that is hoping that Paramount+ slows its roll with Star Trek content as it bounces between good and bad shows, you’re out of luck. The streamer announced three renewals: Star Trek: Discovery will be getting a season 5 with new episodes of season 4 coming February 10, Lower Decks is receiving a 10-episode season 4 with season 3 premiering this summer, and Strange New Worlds, which will debut its first season on May 5, has landed a season 2 already. Alongside this renewal-palooza, Paramount+ also announced a Star Trek: Picard season 2 release date of March 3, 2022, with episodes dropping every Thursday. Finally, the 10-episode second half of season 1 of Star Trek: Prodigy will hit the streamer sometime later this year as well.
“Four years ago, we made a promise to grow Star Trek into something it had never been before, and thanks to the incredibly hard work done by our many talented showrunners, writers, and directors, along with the extraordinary support of CBS Studios and Paramount+, we’re keeping our word,” said Alex Kurtzman, architect and executive producer of all things Trek franchise. “Now our current shows are set up for the future as we work to build Trek’s’ next phase of programming for years to come.”
Depending on the show, this may come as good or bad news. Star Trek: Discovery hasn’t exactly excited the hardcore Trek fanbase, though people do keep tuning into it, and if you accept it as what it is, it can function pretty well. Star Trek: Picard was a nostalgia fest but never delivered very strong television, and season 2 looks like it will be even more of a mess as time travel is pulled in come its March release date. Meanwhile, Lower Decks and Prodigy seem to have something pretty special going on, feeling more like Trek than either of the aforementioned big two. Of course, no one has seen Strange New Worlds, but the promise of a more traditional Trek show has fans excited as long as the studio can deliver.
