For co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ succeeds not by breaking from canon, but by treating every episode like a self-contained experiment inside a familiar universe.
“We all rented these chairs in ‘Star Trek,’ they’re not ours to keep,” says Goldsman about being part of the franchise. “But the question is, what do we do when we have them?”
“Each episode is a gift, and each episode we never know what the surprise is going to be,” Myers says.
In a wide-ranging conversation, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers reflect on the creative flexibility of the series’ episodic format in Season 3, the tonal and production challenges of genre-hopping installments, and the ways canon both constrains and liberates storytelling in the Star Trek universe. They discuss standout experiments like the holodeck-inspired murder mystery directed by Jonathan Frakes, the evolving arc of Captain Pike and the bittersweet knowledge of his canon fate, and the decision-making behind key character turns such as Marie’s transformation into the Beholder. Looking ahead, they tease ongoing post-production on Season 5, the conclusion of the series, and the continued commitment to honoring the franchise’s legacy while still pushing into new narrative territory. Throughout, both emphasize joy, collaboration, and the idea that the franchise’s enduring appeal comes from making ‘Star Trek episodes’ that remain grounded in optimism even when experimenting with form.
Season 3 of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ picks up with the U.S.S. Enterprise crew, still under the command of Captain Pike, as they face the fallout from their intense showdown with the Gorn. But the mission of exploration continues, leading them to new civilizations—and a dangerous new enemy that will push them to their limits. The season builds on the show’s signature blend of character-driven storytelling and genre experimentation, offering bold adventures that explore themes of faith, duty, romance, humor, and mystery in ways no previous Star Trek series has attempted.
Created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, Kurtzman and Henry Alonso Myers are the co-showrunners. ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ stars Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Martin Quinn, and Rebecca Romijn. Guest stars for season 3 include Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O’Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano, and Carol Kane. Paul Wesley recurs as a special guest star.
All episodes are streaming on Paramount+. Season 4 will premiere on July 23, 2026.
Awards Focus: It’s nice to meet you today. How are you doing?
Akiva Goldsman: Very well, thank you. How are you?
AF: I’m doing well. One of the things that I’ve enjoyed about watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds over the last few years is that it brought Star Trek back to its episodic storytelling roots. Were there any episodes that provided a creative or tonal challenge during Season 3?
Henry Alonso Myers: (Laughs) Well, I think in—I mean, not to misspeak, they all do on some level. The way we try to approach story kind of necessitates that. Meaning each episode we try to look at as its own separate movie, and which means that each episode tends to have its own very different requirements.
We have a zombie episode, and then we have an episode where we go back in time and experience a television show from the ’60s. So yeah, it’s a wide range of production challenges. It’s a wide range of creative challenges. Each episode is a gift, and each episode we never know what the surprise is going to be.
AF: How much fun was it to utilize the holodeck for the murder mystery episode and bring back Jonathan Frakes to direct it?
Akiva Goldsman: Well, it was a great time. We searched around canon and discovered that there is in fact an analog version of the holodeck, or at least an as yet, I think they called it the simulator in the animated series. That allowed us to start to iterate holodeck technology and put it in our show and start to play with the ideas that obviously evolved much more fully in ‘Next Gen’ and beyond.
It was fun to be able to play in that sandbox which we typically haven’t been able to do. Frakes is just a joy. Also, the thing about Frakes is if you are a ‘Star Trek’ fan, and we all are ‘Star Trek’ fans, you’re sort of sitting there the whole time going, “Oh, fuck, it’s Jonathan Frakes. How cool is that?”
As the actors are too and that sort of makes it especially fun for those episodes.
AF: In terms of breaking story, does the writers’ room ever feel any restraints because of where this series is sitting compared to the original series and having to work around canon and all that?
Henry Alonso Myers: I wouldn’t say that. Constraint is not how I would put it. I would say that every show has some limits and every show has some real benefits.
Part of it is it’s great to just have a set of things that are set already. Oh, we can do this. Oh, we can’t do that. As long as you have an area that you are aiming for, it makes what we do in the writers’ room easier and more fun.
Not to make this analogy, but it’s like playing a game of any kind. Each game is more interesting if you have very specific rules. You don’t need to make things easier. You sometimes need to make them harder, and that’s what makes them more fun.
AF: At what point during the process was it decided to have Marie become the Beholder during the finale?
Akiva Goldsman: In the pilot, Marie was really a one-shot idea, just the idea of humanizing Pike and seeing him as he was in his most secluded and hermetic.
And then we loved her, we just thought the actor was amazing, we thought Melanie was just terrific. We asked her to come back in season 2.
And so by the time we thought about season 3, that was the plan. That there was an idea here that we chased, and it was a one-season idea. So from the start of the season, we knew where she was going.
AF: Seeing their future felt bittersweet, especially knowing what happens to Captain Pike in established canon.
Akiva Goldsman: Yeah, I think so. And also hopeful, right?
I mean, that we—it—not to borrow too heavily from “The Inner Light,” but a lot of what Pike has to learn over the course of this series—because in the pilot, he learns he will live in the present—but really throughout the series he learns to live for tomorrow and today without having to live beyond that into his death. That there’s still a future even if it ends in death.
That’s a more subtle and more refined idea and an important one because in some senses, we’re all Christopher Pike.
We may not know the exact day or means of our demise, but nobody’s getting out alive. I do think that that becomes the most interesting bit of the story.
AF: In bringing on Martin Quinn as Scotty, we’re inching closer to the inevitable with where ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ eventually gets to the original series timeline. Should we expect to see Sulu make an appearance anytime soon? (Note: A casting announcement for both Bones and Sulu was made in December but I missed it due to a hectic schedule during awards season on the film side.)
Henry Alonso Myers: Well, not in season 3 and not in season 4, but at some point perhaps. (Laughs)
AF: I had to ask.
Henry Alonso Myers: I mean, in the original series, we had to meet the guy at some point, you know, beforehand.
AF: Have you all started breaking story on season 5 or finished production? Because I know that the renewal was announced last year for the 5th and sadly final season.
Akiva Goldsman: Yeah, yeah, we’re done. It’s all done. We shot them all.
Henry Alonso Myers: We’re working on post and VFX right now. Sound and color.
AF: What’s been the most special part of being part of the ‘Star Trek’ universe? It’s still going strong 60 years later.
Akiva Goldsman: Well, my first ‘Star Trek’ convention was in 1974, so to say it is a lifelong dream would be pretty close to accurate.
It was my solace at the end of every day after school. It was first run syndication in New York and like so many people, ‘Star Trek’ was a safe place and an exciting place and a promising place to go when home or life might not have been as much so.
What an amazing gift to have been able to be part of it for these last few years.
We all rented these chairs in ‘Star Trek,’ they’re not ours to keep. But the question is, what do we do when we have them?
We have had such a good time, Henry and myself and this cast, such a good time. I’m really so proud of the show and all the humans who have run towards it because they felt like ‘Star Trek’ the way we do.
As Henry often says, “You don’t get that that much.” It’s been a gift.
Henry Alonso Myers: I would like to at least state for the fact that Akiva has worked on a number of these shows, and he had created this pilot beforehand. I was lucky enough to just come on to help make the show itself, and the pilot after he had done all that work.
Every challenge he ran into, every mistake that had happened in the past, everything that was difficult, I want to say honestly thanks to him, we got to figure out how to do the things in a way that we as ‘Star Trek’ lovers really wanted it to work.
There’s a really simple idea that I think it starts at home in when you’re alone with a script. It starts with the writers and it extends through our cast, production, post, everything, which is you go in, bring your joy, try to have fun.
If you are having fun, chances are you made something good, and you just try to keep approaching it that way. If other people are having fun, they are bringing their A-game. That’s been our experience, and what we’d like to think is that that’s going to be the experience of our viewers.
AF: Would you like to continue playing in the ‘Trek’ sandbox?
Akiva Goldsman: I think if they ever call us, we’re ready.
Henry Alonso Myers: I would never say no.
AF: I’ve asked everything I’ve printed out.
Akiva Goldsman: Well done.
Henry Alonso Myers: Nicely done.
AF: Yeah, it’s been one of those brain-fried days and trying to—because I watched the season when they send out the screeners, so it’s been several months. I’m trying to think of what to ask.
Akiva Goldsman: My friend, I don’t remember what’s in season 3. It’s so long ago, right?
Henry Alonso Myers: Which episode was that? Oh, “Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,” we did that one. We did—oh my G-d, we did “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans.” We did the Gorn and Ortegas together on the planet, which is one of my favorite things that we’ve done. I don’t know, it’s one of those—it takes me a minute to remember because we’re two seasons ahead of that.
AF: The last thing I wanted to do was ask about the musical episode because that was the season before.
Akiva Goldsman: That’s right.
Henry Alonso Myers: It was a delight and really fun to make. This is what I’ll say.
AF: Yeah, that and the crossover with ‘Lower Decks’—hands down, two of my favorite episodes by far.
Henry Alonso Myers: We’re delighted that you enjoyed them. They were really fun. Super challenging but really, really fun.
AF: Yeah. I’m looking forward to the remaining 16 episodes of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.’
Henry Alonso Myers: I will say, there are— in season 4, we have a bunch of things that we try that have never been done in ‘Star Trek.’ But at its core, and I can’t state this enough, we are making ‘Star Trek’ episodes. Each one of those things that we try that haven’t been done, they are ‘Star Trek’ episodes. We hope there are some surprises for you to come that you enjoy.
AF: Thank you so much.
Akiva Goldsman: Thank you.