Strange New Worlds Creators Plan Paul Wesley Kirk Prequel

At San Diego Comic-Con, the creative team behind Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shared that they plan to conclude the series with its fifth season—but their passion for Star Trek storytelling is far from over. In fact, they are "100 percent" eager to pursue a dream spinoff project focusing on Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk during his inaugural year as captain.

"Nothing would make us happier than to keep exploring how Pike’s crew transitions to Kirk’s command and how Kirk’s team embarks on its journey," showrunner Henry Alonso Myers told Entertainment Weekly at the event.

"When we meet the crew in The Original Series, it’s not their first day on the job. Key relationships are already established. How did those bonds form? We see rich potential for Sulu, McCoy, and Chekov to have deeper backstories. Continuing that exploration would be incredible."

Myers also noted that he and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman "have narrative paths in mind for characters who don’t clearly appear in established canon" after Strange New Worlds, emphasizing that "their absence from records doesn’t mean they vanished."

That said, Myers and Goldsman are encouraging fans to voice their interest in a prequel series. "We’re dreaming out loud," Myers said about pitching the network. "We often mention, 'Look, you already own these amazing sets. They’re revenue-generating assets. Let’s use them.'"

Of course, their immediate focus is finishing the current series strong. "All our hopes for future stories depend on sticking the landing with Strange New Worlds," Myers added. With season 3’s third episode previewed at SDCC and season 4 production complete, season 5 is already on the horizon. A prequel series could become reality sooner than expected—especially if fans rally behind the idea.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now streaming on Paramount+.