Strange New Worlds Season 3 Premieres July 17 on Paramount+

Paramount+ released the first trailer for the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 on July 17, 2025, almost a year after the series’ Season 2 finale originally aired on the streaming platform. The new footage follows an early April sneak peek, a teaser that was vague at best and lacked much in the way of context or substance.

Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds concluded with a fight for survival on a Federation colony world that the Enterprise was sent to help defend against an invasion of Gorn forces. In the chaos of a battle that the U.S.S. Enterprise lost handily, several of the ship’s crew were taken captive along with other Federation survivors. At the last minute, Captain Christopher Pike, played by Anson Mount, is faced with a choice to obey Starfleet’s orders to retreat and abandon the colony or defy the orders and try to rescue the hostages. Pike, of course, chooses the more dangerous route.

Paramount+ shared a sneak preview of Season 3 at New York City Comic-Con in October, just a few minutes of new footage. The clip picks up immediately where the Season 2 finale ended, with a spectacular ship-to-ship battle in space, one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ signature set pieces. As the teaser trailer did last April, this new trailer also shows the Enterprise crew finally confronting the Gorn threat head-on. The Gorn storyline is expected to wrap up in the first half of Season 3, but not before Kirk gets a brief turn as captain and the crew is tested once again.

In addition to the Gorn, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 will introduce a new recurring villain, one that will make them question their loyalties, test their convictions, and try their mettle, according to Paramount+. The network also confirmed that the third season will balance classic Trek storytelling with several episodes that fall into different genres, including stories of faith, courage, and duty, as well as episodes that focus on romance, comedy, and even mystery. Paramount+ also teased at these more unexpected genre shifts in Season 3, something the Star Trek franchise has rarely touched on in the past.

As expected, all the main and returning recurring cast members will return for Season 3, but the trailer teases one especially notable addition. Cillian O’Sullivan will join the cast as Dr. Roger Korby, a character who was first introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Errand of Mercy.” Portrayed by Michael Strong, Roger Korby was in a long-term relationship with Christine Chapel, played by Jess Bush on Strange New Worlds. He was Chapel’s long-missing fiancé, and in Strange New Worlds continuity, he is known as a “celebrated archaeologist who specializes in the medical archaeology of long-extinct civilizations.” The series has not yet confirmed how long Korby will appear in Season 3 or how his character’s unexpected return will affect Chapel’s relationship with Spock, but fans are certain to enjoy the addition of an old friend in a new light.

Actor Rhys Darby and Patton Oswalt also join the Strange New Worlds cast, with Oswalt expected to play his own original Vulcan. In the April trailer, the series emphasized these more comedic elements with quick cuts to Kirk and Spock, showing their relationship being pulled in different directions as the crew deals with several different episodes and issues. The new trailer goes further and places more of an emphasis on this lighter side of the crew, with sequences showing members of the crew laughing and spending their free time together. The trailer also features several situations and comedic moments involving Oswalt’s Vulcan and possibly more “adventures in fun,” as the April trailer suggested.

What Are You Doing? – Captain Pike Teases Kirk at the Helm of the Enterprise

After a fiery space battle with a mysterious Gorn ship, a near run-in with an unknown Federation ship, and more, the trailer teases a new mission for Captain Pike. Pike tasks James T. Kirk, played by Paul Wesley, with leading the Enterprise for a little while, as he cannot. In the brief but impactful sequence, Pike relays how leadership in Starfleet is earned, not given, and reminds Kirk that “the choices you make in that chair, they are yours to make and yours to live with.”

The trailer also ends on a humorous note that seems to pit Spock and Oswalt’s Vulcans against each other in a small comedic exchange. After what appears to be an experiment gone awry, Spock is explaining to Oswalt’s Vulcan how to “high five.” After a successful try at first, Spock makes the classic “too slow” gesture. The confused Vulcan asks Spock, “Why would you do that?” Spock replies simply, “Because you are too slow.”

Season 3 Trailer Premiere Date and Release Schedule

The trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premiered on July 17, 2025. New episodes will be released every Thursday starting on July 17 through September 11, 2025. Season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already been confirmed for release.