Star Trek: Strange New Worlds almost ended with a 2-hour movie before the compromise of a shorter final season: "We get to wrap up all of our storylines"

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will wrap up after two more seasons, including the impending season four and a truncated fifth season. But the series almost ended with a two hour streaming movie, before the compromise of a six-episode final season was reached.

"We just wrapped our season 4, and it’s SO good. And six [episodes] - I don't know if I should say this, but six was a negotiation," says Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Rebecca Romijn at the STLV: Trek to Vegas Convention (via TrekMovie). "Normally it was 10 episodes, but they offered us a two-hour movie and [co-showrunners] Akiva [Goldsman] and Henry [Alonso Myers] said we can't wrap up these storylines in just two hours. And so they got [six episodes]."

Strange New Worlds has been airing season three, which has gotten some mixed reviews from segments of the Trek fandom. But many viewers are embracing the lighthearted tone of some of the episodes - with some even expecting a dramatic tragedy on the horizon.

"I think we feel very lucky to get a season five," Romijn continues. "Not all shows do. And we get to wrap up all of our storylines. I think most of us know where we're going and what happens to us. Not all shows get to have that. Some are surprised by the news that they don’t get a next season, and so everything ends abruptly. I think we feel grateful."

It's unclear exactly where Star Trek will head after Strange New Worlds wraps. There's a lot of speculation that it will segue into a semi-reboot of the original Star Trek, as many of the members of the classic Enterprise crew are now in place.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season three has one episode left, which streams September 11 on Paramount Plus. If you're hungry for more, check out our list of the best Star Trek episodes every fan should watch.