September 24 Started One Star Trek Era & Ends Another
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
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Star Trek Day was September 8th, but September 24 marks the end of an era for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on the same date that a new era began nearly a decade ago, thanks to Star Trek: Discovery. Paramount+'s Star Trek franchise under executive producer Alex Kurtzman is winding down. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds are the last two Kurtzman-era shows on the streamer, and the final seasons for both will premiere in 2027.
For fans anxious about the future of Star Trek, September 8th was a bust, with no news of what's happening after 2027. Instead, Paramount took the occasion of Star Trek's 60th anniversary to celebrate the history of the franchise. Public screenings of the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series that aired on NBC in 1966, paired with the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, were part of a series of global fan events. Star Trek was looking back, with due pride, on the previous six decades of the final frontier.
However, Trekkers are all-too-aware that there is no new Star Trek in production for the first time in 2017. Paramount Skydance plans to let Star Trek go dark for an unspecified amount of time until a new direction is found for the franchise. One sign of what's next for Star Trek is the new movie being developed by filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, which will not connect to prior Star Trek TV shows or movies. The next era of Star Trek looks to be very different from the Kurtzman era nearing its end.
Star Trek: Discovery Started A New Era When It Debuted On September 24, 2017
September 24, 2017, was the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, which kicked off the current era of Star Trek on streaming. Discovery's first episode, "The Vulcan Hello," simultaneously premiered on CBS, as an invitation for fans to find the second episode, "Battle at the Binary Stars," and the rest of the first new Star Trek series in 12 years on the new streaming service, CBS All-Access (now Paramount+).
Star Trek: Discovery was instantly controversial. Visually and tonally inspired by J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies instead of the way Star Trek was presented for 18 years under executive producer Rick Berman, Discovery was designed to compete with the top Peak TV series of the era like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. The serialized Star Trek: Discovery was grim and violent, while season 1's mid-23rd century setting and reimagining of the Klingons ignited ire from Trekkers (and still does long after the series ended).
As the first new Star Trek TV series since Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005, Discovery carried a universe of expectations on its shoulders, and didn't always meet them. Yet Star Trek: Discovery was a success thanks to the extraordinary performances of its cast, led by Sonequa Martin-Green, which included Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, and casting coups Jason Isaacs and future Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, who would later headline Star Trek's first and only streaming movie, Star Trek: Section 31.
Star Trek: Discovery became the flagship of a new era, as Alex Kurtzman led an unprecedented expansion of Star Trek on Paramount+. Patrick Stewart and, eventually, the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, plus Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, returned in Star Trek: Picard. Star Trek: Lower Decks was the first animated comedy, and Star Trek: Prodigy was thrilling for all ages. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds restored the optimism and bold risk-taking of 1960s Star Trek, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy ushered in the latest generation of Starfleet heroes.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4’s September 24, 2026 Finale Is The End Of An Era
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 ends when its finale, "Tomorrow's Enterprise," premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Although there is still one more season to come, season 4's finale marks the end of an era for Strange New Worlds: season 4 is the last season to consist of 10 episodes, which has been the episode count for most of Star Trek on Paramount+'s series.
Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment
The Final Frontier
Trivia Challenge
🚀ShipsEnterprise!
⭐CrewMake it so
☠EnemiesResistance is…
⚡TechWarp speed!
📖LoreLive long…
01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record
/ 8
Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?
The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will only be 6 episodes. This is due to Skydance Media buying Paramount Global, which led to Paramount+ canceling all of its Star Trek streaming shows. Strange New Worlds executive producer and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman confirmed that Paramount+ wanted to cancel Strange New Worlds after season 4, but agreed to a 6-episode final season to wrap up the hit prequel.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5 will be more "serious," leaving the last two seasons' genre-hopping behind to tell a complete story, according to Goldsman and Paul Wesley, who plays the future Captain James T. Kirk. Strange New Worlds' fifth and final season will complete its 'five-year mission' to lead into the start of Star Trek: The Original Series, with Kirk as Captain of the USS Enterprise.
Strange New Worlds began as a direct sequel to Star Trek: Discovery, and inherited the mantle of flagship of Star Trek on Paramount+ when Discovery ended after five seasons in 2024. Whether the date of September 24 was planned or is a cosmic coincidence, it's fitting that Discovery launched a new era of Star Trek on that date nine years ago while Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ends an era of its own in 2026.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Discovery are streaming on Paramount+
-
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
9/10
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2027-00-00
- Network
- Paramount+
-
Captain Christopher Pike
-
Spock
A spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a television series that takes place before the events of the original series and follows Captain Christopher Pike as he mans the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The show focuses on this previous crew of the Enterprise as they explore the galaxy with returning characters from Discovery.
- Showrunner
- Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
- Writers
- Onitra Johnson
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Creator(s)
- Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
- Executive Producer(s)
- Alex Kurtzman, Aaron Baiers, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Heather Kadin, Jenny Lumet
- Seasons
- 4
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount Plus
- Where To Watch
- Paramount Plus
-
Star Trek: Discovery
7/10
- Release Date
- 2017 - 2024-00-00
- Network
- CBS All Access, Paramount+
-
Sonequa Martin-Green
Michael Burnham
-
Doug Jones
Saru
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
- Showrunner
- Alex Kurtzman
- Writers
- Michelle Paradise, Jenny Lumet, Anne Cofell Saunders, Kyle Jarrow, Brandon Schultz, Ted Sullivan, Terri Hughes, Kirsten Beyer, Kenneth Lin, Sean Cochran, Jesse Alexander, Aron Eli Coleite, Chris Silvestri, Jay Beattie, Joe Menosky, Lisa Randolph, Andrew Colville, Dan Dworkin, M. Raven Metzner, Jordon Nardino, Johanna Lee, Kemp Powers
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Creator(s)
- Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman
- Executive Producer(s)
- Aaron Baiers, Aaron Harberts, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Fuller, Craig Shapiro, Elizabeth Kruger, Eugene Roddenberry, Frank Siracusa, Gretchen J. Berg, Heather Kadin, John Weber, Kenneth Lin, Michelle Paradise, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Trevor Roth
- Seasons
- 5
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount Plus
- Where To Watch
- Paramount Plus
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