*Paramount’s acclaimed prequel series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is in the middle of its third season and it already has two more on the books. At Comic‑Con 2025 the creative team confirmed that season 5 will be the end, but they aren’t ready to give up on telling Star Trek stories. Showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers used the Hall H stage to pitch their “dream plan” for a follow‑up: a prequel centered on Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk and his first year in the captain’s chair.
Why a Kirk‑centric prequel makes sense
Strange New Worlds was designed as a bridge between Star Trek: Discovery and the original 1960s series. When Kirk finally appears as a lieutenant in the show’s second season, he’s still learning the ropes. Myers told Entertainment Weekly that there’s a gap between Strange New Worlds and the Original Series that has never been dramatized, and he wants to explore how the Enterprise transitions from Christopher Pike’s command to Kirk’s. He noted that when the original Star Trek begins “it’s not the first day of the job,” so fans never get to see how relationships like Kirk’s bond with Spock or his friendship with Sulu, McCoy and Chekov develop. Goldsman and Myers see this space as fertile ground for stories that honour canon while filling in the blanks.
The proposed show, informally dubbed Star Trek: Year One, would not remake episodes of the Original Series. Instead it would chronicle Kirk’s first missions as captain and showcase his evolving dynamic with Spock and the rest of the crew. The creative team stresses that they have plans for characters introduced in Strange New Worlds who don’t appear later in canon; their absence in the 1960s show doesn’t mean those characters vanish from history. Goldsman told ScreenRant they are “very interested in telling stories of Kirk’s Enterprise that we might not yet know about.”
Calling on fans to make it happen
There is a catch: Paramount hasn’t green‑lit the spinoff. Myers and Goldsman said during their Comic‑Con panel that the idea is aspirational and that they need fan support to convince the studio. “We dream it loudly,” Myers explained; he joked that Paramount already owns the sets and could keep using them if a new series happens. Entertainment Weekly reports that the showrunners even suggested a letter‑writing campaign to demonstrate demand. The duo emphasised that they still have to “stick the landing” with Strange New Worlds’ final seasons before any new project will be considered.
Paul Wesley is ready for a Year One series
Actor Paul Wesley, who plays the young James T. Kirk, is eager to carry the torch. In an interview with TV Insider he admitted that he has repeatedly told the producers he would love to headline a Kirk series and introduce characters like Chekov and Sulu who haven’t yet appeared. Wesley pointed out that there is “a chunk of time” between the end of Strange New Worlds and the Original Series episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and he believes there’s “so much story to be mined here.” While he can’t speak for Paramount or the showrunners, he said he would “love nothing more than to play in that series.”
The road to the future
For now, Strange New Worlds will continue its planned run. Season 3 is airing weekly on Paramount+, season 4 has wrapped filming and includes an experimental puppet‑themed episode, and the fifth season will close out the series. Goldsman has said the writers intend to bring the story right up to Kirk’s first day in command, effectively handing the baton to the Original Series. Whether Star Trek: Year One becomes reality may depend on the outcome of Paramount’s pending sale to Skydance Media and on how enthusiastically viewers respond to the idea. One thing is clear: both the creative team and their Kirk are passionate about exploring the lost year that shaped one of science fiction’s most iconic captains.
Sources: screenrant.comew.comscreenrant.com
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