Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is widely regarded as the best modern Trek series. Over the course of three seasons thus far, the show has delved into the backstories of characters we'd eventually come to know in The Original Series, all while hopping between genres in ways no other Trek series has dared to try. These experiments haven't always landed with fans, but you've got to at least appreciate the series' bold approach to storytelling.
As the show heads into its fourth season and its already-filmed fifth and final season, co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman is opening up about one of his biggest regrets from the run. In a conversation with Polygon, Goldsman revealed that the creative team had legitimate plans to bring William Shatner back to the franchise.
The idea centered on a version of Kirk who chose to stay behind in Depression-era New York with Edith Keeler, the soup kitchen operator played by Joan Collins that Kirk famously fell in love with in the classic Original Series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever." It's a compelling what-if scenario, and according to Goldsman, they actually pursued the idea seriously. They tried to make it work every single season and even developed multiple scripts around the idea, but the episode never came together in the end.
With the series now confirmed to be wrapping up after Season 5, the showrunners have been reflecting on everything they've built.
"I think if you get to the end and there's nothing left for you to want to do, then that's more of a disappointment," co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman said. "I'm proud of every episode we've done, but I feel like the best dinners you come to don't leave you feeling stuffed. They leave you wanting more."
We still don't know much about what's actually going to happen in seasons four and five, but it is a pretty safe bet that the final episodes will focus on Captain Pike passing the torch to Captain Kirk. Pike has always been the emotional heart of the show, but Paul Wesley's Kirk has been getting increasingly more screen time with characters that we know from the start of The Original Series. These last two seasons will almost certainly keep pushing these relationships forward as the timeline creeps closer to where the original show begins.
Outside of Strange New Worlds, the future of Star Trek on TV is in a bit of a weird limbo right now. Paramount hasn't committed to any new shows besides what is left of Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, which is also set to end after its second season.
There was real hope for a spin-off reportedly titled "Year One," which would've followed Paul Wesley's Kirk during his first year commanding the Enterprise. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that is happening anymore, especially after reports came out that the Strange New Worlds sets have already been torn down.
It's a bit of a bummer because Wesley's take on Kirk has been one of the best surprises of the whole series. Watching him grow further in that role with his own show would've made for some interesting storytelling potential, especially if they continued with personalized character-driven episodes that could further expand on the likes of Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and the rest of the crew. It also would've kept the door open for a potential Shatner return somewhere down the road.
The last time Shatner actually played Kirk was all the way back in 1994 for Star Trek Generations, which is the movie where the legendary character dies while teaming up with Picard to stop Dr. Soran. Shatner has mentioned plenty of times that he would be down to come back if the right story came along, and these kinds of rumors do seem to pop up every few years. So far though, nothing has ever actually come of them.
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike, embarks on a series of thrilling and emotional adventures across the stars. On their journey, they will battle inner demons and external threats, encounter colorful new characters, reunite with familiar faces and confront terrifying aliens. Through it all, they strive to embrace a bright, hopeful future.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 will premiere July 23 on Paramount+.