Star Trek: Discovery Wasn't Originally Going to End With Season 5, Reveals EP

Star Trek: Discovery executive producer Alex Kurtzman recently shared that the fifth season of the Paramount+ series wasn't originally planned to be its last.

During an interview with Screen Rant, Kurtzman discussed how he felt when he learned that Discovery would not return for a sixth season. "At first, I think we felt a lot of things, one of which was ‘Wow, we really picked the right topic to hit our last season with.’ It doesn't feel like, ‘Oh wait, we were on a different train. And now you're ending on a cliffhanger, you'll never find out the answer,'" he shared. "[Season 5] actually is a very complete story that has the benefit of also feeling like it's about endings. And that wasn't really intentional, at least not consciously intentional, but the studio did allow us to come in [and] do a coda. And I think what that really let us do is end the series in a way that feels satisfying, so that nothing's really left dangling."

Kurtzman also reflected on the show's "unbelievable run," saying that it has been "very emotional for everybody." He added, "Five years of any show these days seems like a miracle. And it feels like most people, based on the watch patterns that I understand, seem to check out after two seasons of anything. And so, I think we just felt like the fact that our fans have stayed with us and have continued to grow with each iteration of Star Trek is really is beautiful."

Paramount+'s First Star Trek Series Comes to a Close

Created by Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller, Star Trek: Discovery premiered on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) in September 2017 with an ensemble cast led by Sonequa Martin-Green. While fan reception was initially mixed during Discovery's earlier seasons, the show has now been welcomed with open arms by most of the fandom.

The 10-episode final season, per the official synopsis, "will find Captain Michael Burnham (Martin-Green) and the crew of the U.S.S. 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."

Starfleet Academy Is the Next Star Trek Series

With Discovery ending, Kurtzman revealed to Screen Rant that many of the show's behind-the-scenes crew have moved on to work on the next Star Trek series, Starfleet Academy, which is slated to begin filming later this year. The upcoming series, first announced in March 2023, will feature a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. Kurtzman serves as co-showrunner on Starfleet Academy alongside Noga Landau. Both will also executive produce the series. The first season will consist of 10 episodes.

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery premieres on Paramount+ on April 4.

Source: Screen Rant