Paramount+ has announced that the fifth season of Star Trek Discovery will be its last. The season will debut in early 2024.
Star Trek Discovery made its debut in 2017. It has been praised for the diversity of its characters. Among its stars is Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Captain Michael Burnham. The character was the first Black woman to captain a starship in the franchise.
It also features queer actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, who play same-sex couple Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber.
Cruz took to Instagram to share his feelings about the news.
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“All I feel, right now, is GRATITUDE, for this opportunity to be a part of a TRULY diverse cast that actually looks like the world in which we live… for the chance to create a family both on and off screen that I will cherish for the rest of my days… and for all of you who have stood with us and gone on this wild ride,” he said.
“I love Dr. Hugh Culber,” he continued. “His heart, his soul, his willingness to risk it all for the world and people he loves, his husband, his chosen family, his crew and for himself, so that we all could live up to our potential.
“It’s been an honor, a privilege to be him and to have learned so much from his journey, which informed my own… and to have shared the stage with these incredible people – these ridiculously talented and big-hearted humans, both in front of and behind the camera, who showed up everyday with enthusiasm and love for this show and each other,” Cruz added.
“I know I am a better person, friend and actor because of what I learned here, because of what I was entrusted with here and the confidence it has grown in me. I will carry it all with me to wherever this path leads me next.”
Related: Wilson Cruz drives fans into hyperspace with steamy post-yoga pic
“Pushing the envelope”
Commenting on the show’s end, Tanya Giles, chief programming officer at Paramount Streaming, said, “Star Trek: Discovery is a perennial favorite on the service, near and dear to the hearts of legions of Star Trek fans as well as all of us here at Paramount+.”
She continued, “The series and its incredible cast and creatives ushered in a new era for Star Trek when it debuted over six years ago, embracing the future of streaming with serialized storytelling, bringing to life deep and complex characters that honor Gene Roddenberry’s legacy of representing diversity and inclusion, and pushing the envelope with award-winning world-building.
“This final season will see our beloved crew take on a new adventure, and we can’t wait to celebrate the series’ impact on the franchise leading up to its final season early next year.”
Paramount+ will celebrate the show’s legacy at key events over the following 12 months, according to Deadline.
“Blessed”
Martin-Green also issued a statement.
“I’m astoundingly blessed by God to have played Captain Michael Burnham and to have taken part in a legacy alongside an extraordinary cast, phenomenal crew and remarkable writing team.
“I will never forget how it felt to stand together as a show family, cradling the heirloom of ‘Trek’ with all those from the franchise at large and with the fans… 65 episodes later, here’s to the entire company of Star Trek: Discovery, to the show and its fifth and final season, to its beloved fans and to all those who envision a better future. Let’s fly… ”
Were you a Star Trek Discovery fan? If so, how do you feel about the show’s cancellation?
Related: Anthony Rapp talks landing -two- roles of a lifetime in ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and ‘Rent’
bachy
If I never hear another actor wax poetic about his – brilliant, cherished show, his tirelessly sacrificial spouse, his ridiculously talented chosen family, the big-hearted crew, and the beloved fans who showed up everyday with nothing but love, etc etc – it will be too soon.
Uncontrollable puking inevitably ruins the show for me.
LumpyPillows
Yeah, it was a bit too much.
lkeels
Too bad for you. It’s a fantastic show, and will forever be one of the best turning points in the history of Star Trek! May you continue to hear about it for decades to come, because we FANS love it!
LumpyPillows
Ikeels, you fan love it.
I like it, but Wilson’s gushing was cringey.
bachy
Living as I do in LA, one hears this kind of endless slavering often– actors gushing with adulation toward entertainment industry wheels who have any say whatsoever in their employment. I do not watch Star Trek: Discovery so it is not a criticism of the show at all.
DBMC
Poor dear. It’s hard to be you.
guezwhoitis
Why are you upset? The man gave you credit for making a show successful. What is the Actual FCK, wrong with you? Maybe drink some of that puke, because you are bitter as it gets.
bachy
LOL!
LumpyPillows
I like the show. Like all good Star Trek attempts to deal with social issues, it did so by just making things so. They did not belabor the issues they addressed, often approaching them tangentially. The black, female captain just was. The gay couple just was. That is the future, or at least the future I hope we have.
Where they went wrong was with the belabored, tortured approach to the non-binary character. What a poorly written and heavy-handed approach. It’s like it was written for today and not in the far future. Plus, it was boring and had the weakest actors in the show – or maybe it was just bad scripts.
I look forward to the next season to see where they take it – the sum of the parts is still quite appealing.
smittoons
Adira, played by Blu del Barrio? I was onboard with them for awhile, but then the writing for the character took a turn for the worse. They became neurotic and lacking in confidence, and it just didn’t appeal to me.
Far worse though was Ian Alexander’s Gray. Alexander has done better in other roles, but the part was egregious. He was a ghost boyfriend trope and used as a literal “We see you” metaphor. That’s not poignant, it’s clumsy and pedestrian.
GlobeTrotter
I’ll sum up the main problem with STD in just one short observation: a bridge crew member died and to this day no one cares or even remembers her name. STD was just a horrible show with horrible characters and a horrible premise. When I watched TNG in the 90’s I actually wanted to be Geordi, I longed to have Riker’s charisma, I dreamed of having Picard’s calm and authoritative presence – I could hardly wait for the future to finally get here. In contrast, no one identifies with any of STD’s characters. No one wishes to live in the dark, grim, dystopian future it portrays. I’ve never heard anyone say “wow, that Tilly character, I wish I had her bubbly incompetence”, or “that self-centered, insubordinate, mutinous, convicted criminal Michael Burnham never faces any consequences for her terrible choices and always seems to be crying in every episode – she’s such a positive role model for young girls”.
There’s nothing wrong with diversity and progressive politics, every TOS and TNG episode was a flawless masterclass in this respect. But the whole purpose of Star Trek from the get go was an optimistic and positive future with a competent and mature humanity taking its place in the wider galactic community. Sure, there were conflicts and bad choices, but they were dealt with in a mature and philosophical manner, exploring both sides of the issue before coming to a competent resolution to a complex moral quandary. If I wanted a grim, dystopian future with lots of pointless action scenes, I’d watch Star Wars or any of the dozens of similar sci-fi shows. That’s why STD got cancelled and that’s why this news is being met with such joyous jubilation all over the net.
I’m sorry that some good people are losing their jobs, but GOOD RIDDANCE to this abominable execration out of Alex Kurtzman’s ass! Poor Gene Roddenberry must be spinning in his grave!
LumpyPillows
I had not thought of it this way, but I think you are right. It was too bleak, with no redemption to the bleakness. In fact, this new Star Fleet is rather pathetic. In many ways they broke the Universe literally and figuratively. (I did like Stacy Abrams showing up as a FU to the right though.)
I am looking forward to the Michelle Yeoh spin off, based on the strength of her character, but now you have tainted that for me! Or is she is a different version of the Universe? I forget.
pokkelbeer
There a few points you’re missing.
Paramount and showtime are busy merging. So cost cutting is on the cards. Making STD is very expensive, and it got more expensive as the series went further. Its the more logical show to ax, as it already has 5 seasons. Also, Paramount spent a ton on money to get their streaming service up, and they’re battling against giants like Netflix and Disney. So cost cutting probably plays a much bigger role that the reasons you provide.
STD also does uphold some of Gene Roddenberry’s ideals. He wanted a ST that was more inclusive and representative. STD has that in buckets.
Don’t forget STD has been a successful reboot of the Star Trek franchise, so despite your personal dislike of the dystopian nature of the series, keep in mind it lead to renewed interest in ST and all the new ST series. A STD spin off is already on the cards.
GlobeTrotter
“STD also does uphold some of Gene Roddenberry’s ideals.”
This is where we firmly disagree. STD completely destroyed Roddenberry’s vision of the future, and I’m not the only one to share this view. This is reason so many Trekkies such as myself are incandescent with rage. Kurtzman himself admitted in an interview that he’d never seen TOS or TNG. He basically took a beloved Franchise, infused it with current day politics and then gave a big FU to the fans.
“He wanted a ST that was more inclusive and representative. STD has that in buckets.”
Star Trek ALWAYS had representation and inclusivity, from TOS all the way down to ENT. The difference is how the characters were written and the material they were given to work with, and in this respect STD failed miserably.
guezwhoitis
the white grievance is pathetic.. GET OVER YOURSELF. Your racism is palpable and it’s getting old. COME OUT AND ADMIT IT, and we can all move on! One bitter queen and a mediocre queen makes not a source of criticism. GET OVER YOURSELF..
GlobeTrotter
@guezwhoitis: Maybe you should explain how a black man like myself is capable of suffering from “white grievance”.
Not every criticism is made out of “grievance”. Sometimes a show gets bad reviews, not because viewers have grievances, but because it’s actually a badly written show. Furthermore, never assume things about people you’ve never met. You just made a pathetic fool of yourself assuming I was white and assuming my criticism of STD had its root in racism and “white grievance”.
cuteguy
It’s so refreshing to hear appreciation and humility. Wilson Cruz should be so proud to not only have endured since My so called life but succeeded in an industry that hated gay men of color, especially in those days.
Mad Fan 89
I am relieved it is finally ending. As much as I appreciated the diversity & representation as a gay man who always wanted to see gay characters in Star Trek I hated what the show did to the Star Trek Universe & canon. The show has totally divided the fan base.
They reduced Gene Roddenberrys Utopian future to a dark Dystopian mirror of today. Abandoning allegory for contemporary politics & unlike the other series who were humanist Discovery took sides & instead of opening minds alienated people. Literally telling people this Star Trek was not for them.
Discovery re-wrote established characters, institutions & events, deconstructing them & contradicting the other future shows.
Then they jumped 900 years into the future, with almost no changes to humanity or the Federation which they had destroyed. They showed Humanity as failing. Literally destroying the Future Gene Roddenberry & others Created for us.
It actually motivated other creators to launch The Orville to give audiences mourning Star Trek a bright optimistic world to enjoy.
Also Soniqua Martin Green may have been the first Black actress to Lead a Star Trek show which was great but she was NOT the First Black Captain- that role went to Madge Sinclair in 1986’s Star Trek IV The Voyage Home and several other Black Actresses who played Starship Captains over the decades.
I’m glad it’s over & can do no more damage to Star Trek. I hope this era ends soon and we get another show in a few years that actually resembles Star Trek with a Bright Optimistic Utopian future of evolved humanity.
Relieved Trekkie.
GlobeTrotter
Hear, hear! Couldn’t have said it better myself!
guezwhoitis
Did any of them LEAD THE SHOW?
smittoons
My mileage varies on Star Trek shows, but Discovery is the only one I’ve every truly disliked on the whole. It has some very good actors, and I applaud the D&I and how they handled Stamets and Culber at first, but it’s just not a great show. It’s so proud of how progressive it is it forgets to do the work of getting the fundamentals of good drama and characterization to make the show compelling. You can’t just stick a couple trans actors on the show without giving them enough material to create some chemistry together. You can’t have the same sex couple do nothing more than declare they are worried about their adoptive kids without making me believe in that family dynamic first. You can’t hire Michelle Yeoh to hang around and do nothing but vamp and say awkward snarky lines without giving her a character arc until the very last minute. You can’t have every damned character express overwrought emotions and declare their love for each other week in and week out. You can’t have an entire ring of glorified extras who are seemingly just there for D&I and to spout technobabble or weird anecdotes, but not to have character development I’ve rather course of 4 seasons. You can’t make the first TV-MA Trek show featuring gory violence, rape with nudity and lots of swearing to alienate the kiddos who used to be a big part of the Trek audience. You can’t clumsily backtrack from throwing one half of a health gay couple into an over bury your gays trope and pretending he was always coming back.
I mean, obviously you -can- do these things, because that’s what Disco did. These are valid creative decisions, the franchise needs to try new things or it will die, and obviously Disco ushered in a new little golden age of new spon-offs. It did make strides for D&I even if they were often superficial. It is a glossy prestige drama on the surface but nowhere nearly as deep and powerful as the people who love making it think it is. It’s rarely been a good show, and that will always sadden me.
LeBlevsez
I hated what Discovery did with the Klingons. Hated the round-robin command. Hated the waste of a good cast, especially Michelle Yeoh. I gave up half way thru season 3, when the supposed reset didn’t fix much. It shouldn’t have been called New Trek. It was Emo Trek. Not gonna miss it.
But it did bring Star Trek back. Strange New Worlds is really good. A few episodes were great. So far, Picard 3 is spectacular. Even the animated shows are earning the name Star Trek.
So, thank you, Discovery.