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Star Trek S4 Launches July 23, Features Henson Puppets

4/28/2026

Summary

Star Trek Debuts

Paramount+ will debut season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on July 23rd.
Production wrapped in summer 2025 after filming in Toronto from March 03 2025 to July 29 2025.
The season will feature puppet versions of Captain Pike and his crew created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman said season 4 and the shortened fifth and final season will contain fewer one-off concept episodes than season 3.

Summary

**Paramount+ Mutes**

Paramount+ muted season 4 promos to avoid fan backlash after season 3’s mixed reception.
The teaser uses a back-to-basics tone with dinosaurs and cowboys, omitting the experimental puppet episode.
Studio heads say Strange New Worlds is the flagship Alex Kurtzman Star Trek series guiding a safe rollout.
Paramount and Skydance hope the cautious approach will preserve the franchise’s reputation after “woke” accusations sparked hate campaigns and prompted reassurance messaging.

Summary

**Pike Teaser**

The season 4 teaser debuted at CCXP in Mexico City, showing a clip first shown at New York Comic-Con.
The preview shows Captain Christopher Pike grieving Marie Batel, whose farewell gift was an alternate life.
Pike’s crew answers a distress call, battles a crippling space storm, and sends a shuttle to harvest iridium.
The teaser features a Wild West-like world with dinosaurs, signaling a shift to a more serious tone.

Summary

Kirk Demolished

CBS Studios demolished Strange New Worlds and Discovery sets, ending the Year One spin-off with actor Paul Wesley’s Kirk.
Season 5’s six-episode finale will debut characters Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (actor Thomas Jane) and Hikaru Sulu (actor Kai Murakami).
Season 4’s producer roster adds producers Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Alex Kurtzman, Aaron Baiers and Rod Roddenberry.
Paramount+ streams three prior seasons and offers a seven-day free trial before the July 23 launch.

History

Historical Context

Star Trek: Voyager debuted on UPN in 1995, extending the franchise after earlier attempts such as the 1988 Disney pilot Earth Star Voyager and the short-lived 1982 NBC series Voyagers!. Produced through 2001, the series kept the brand alive on a new network, reflecting the 1990s trend of launching sci-fi titles on emerging channels. Its multi-year run helped cement the franchise’s transition to later streaming platforms.

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Star Trek Debuts

Paramount+ will debut season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on July 23rd.
Production wrapped in summer 2025 after filming in Toronto from March 03 2025 to July 29 2025.
The season will feature puppet versions of Captain Pike and his crew created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman said season 4 and the shortened fifth and final season will contain fewer one-off concept episodes than season 3.

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