The good news for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fans is that Season 4 is expected to premiere on the 2026 TV schedule. The bad news is that this will be the penultimate outing for the pre-The Original Series crew of the USS Enterprise, as it was announced earlier this year that Strange New Worlds will end with an abbreviated fifth season. Christina Chong, who plays La’An Noonien-Singh on the Paramount+ subscription-exclusive series, shared her thoughts about why it’s “bittersweet” Strange New Worlds will come to a close with Season 5.
During a panel at ST-CHI: Trek To Chicago this past weekend, Christina Chong informed the crowd that the Strange New Worlds team was almost done shooting Season 5’s fifth episode, i.e. the show’s penultimate episode. The cast and crew are chugging along during the holiday break to wrap on the series before Christmas, which Anson Mount also shared on his “exhausted” video from a few days ago. When asked by TrekMovie what the mood is like on the Star Trek show’s set with the end fast approaching, Chong answered:
I mean, it’s bittersweet. It is sad. It’s realizing this is the last time we’re all on the bridge together. Okay, this is the last time I’m on the bridge. This is the last time I’m going to put on this uniform. This is the last time I’m going to be in a scene with Spock… It’s all those last times… My last costume fitting is tomorrow [Monday, November 24]. It’s crazy that it still doesn’t feel real it’s coming to an end.
It’s hard to believe that there was a time when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was merely a desire from fans for a spinoff show starring Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike, Ethan Pecks’s Spock and Rebecca Romijn’s Una Chin-Riley following their successful debuts on Star Trek: Discovery. Strange New Worlds now ranks as one of the most successful Trek shows both critically and in viewership. In Christina Chong’s case, the series has given her a bigger presence in the sci-fi space following her guest appearance on Doctor Who by playing the descendant of one of the greatest Star Trek villains.
Alas, all journeys must come to an end, and that’s coming soon for this series that premiered in May 2022. Christina Chong also had this to say about saying goodbye to the cast and crew she’s spent so much time with up in Toronto:
It’s not just the cast, it’s the crew. We’ve worked with these people for five years. Almost all the crew are still there from day one, and it’s such a gift to be able to work with the same familiar, friendly faces every day. Because it allows you to relax and bring your best performance… So, yeah, it’s kind of sad, but like with anything, trying to appreciate the last few moments and then also looking forward for what is to come.
Naturally we’re in the dark for now about what’s in store for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 5, as we barely know anything about what’s coming in Season 4 (puppet episode aside). Regardless, a major chapter of Christina Chong’s life will be done soon, so it’s no wonder she’s experiencing these kinds of feelings. But hey, at least she’ll probably get to reunite with some, if not all of her costars when making the press rounds for Seasons 4 and 5.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 doesn’t have a specific premiere date yet, but the new series Starfleet Academy will begin airing on January 15. There are also renewed plans to make the first theatrical Star Trek movie since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, though it will be unconnected to any of the other movies and TV shows.