'Star Trek: Discovery' will end with season 5 in early 2024 (original) (raw)
It's the end of an era within the Trek franchise as Star Trek: Discovery is officially concluding with season 5, which is getting an early 2024 premiere on Paramount+.
In a lengthy statement released to press, series star Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Captain Michael Burnham, opened up about her time on Discovery.
"I can hardly believe that this mind-blowing journey with Star Trek: Discovery is ending," Martin-Green, who's also a producer, says. "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."
Sonequa Martin-Green's Captain Burnham flees from a sandstorm in 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5. Paramount+
The actress thanks CBS Studios and Paramount+, "who insisted on making television history." She also calls out showrunners Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman, and executive producers, including Olatunde Osunsanmi.
"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 star says. "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. Sixty-five 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… "
Premiering in 2017, Star Trek: Discovery was one of the flagship series that helped launch CBS All Access, the Viacom streaming platform that later became Paramount+. It's also a series that kicked off a new age of modern Star Trek shows, which has continued with Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks, and kid-friendly off-shoot Star Trek: Prodigy.
With next year's final season premiere so far down the line, Paramount+ is planning to celebrate the series as a whole, as well as season 5, all throughout 2023.
"As lifelong fans of Star Trek, it has been an immense honor and privilege to help bring Star Trek: Discovery to the world," Kurtzman and Paradise mention in joint remarks. "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."
In addition to Martin-Green's leading performance, the show also highlights LGBTQ representation, primarily with Wilson Cruz's Dr. Hugh Culber and Anthony Rapp's Lieutenant Paul Stamets.
Anthony Rapp's Paul Stamets, Doug Jones' Saru, and Wilson Cruz's Dr. Hugh Culber in 'Star Trek: Discovery'.
"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," the showrunners continue. "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."
2022's Star Trek Day gave fans a first look at season 5. We don't know much about what the story will entail, but after President of Earth Stacey Abrams, the crew of the U.S.S Discovery will uncover a mystery that sends them across the galaxy on a quest to find an ancient power. It's a power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries, and there are other, dangerous foes who are desperate to find it.
Doug Jones (Saru), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), David Ajala (Cleveland "Book" Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira), and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner) will also star in season 5.
Even though Picard is currently airing its final season and Discovery is planning for its big finish, Kurtzman said at San Diego Comic-Con last year that the producers are "currently developing two more Star Trek shows." He also made a point to say, "You can certainly expect to see more Star Trek shows with female leads."
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