Star Trek: Discovery fans waiting for Season 4 to return next month will be happy to know the series has already been renewed for a fifth season. That means Captain Michael Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) journey through the cosmos is far from over, even after Season 4 reaches its finale. In the meantime, the fourth season of Discovery will return with new episodes starting Thursday, February 10.
Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery finally put Michael Burnham in the Captain’s chair after she took command of the ship in Season 3’s finale. However, new challenges have arisen, as the crew of the USS Discovery has to deal with a gravitational anomaly that threatens Federation and non-Federation worlds alike.
Season 4 went into a mid-season break last December 30, making fans wait more than a month before learning if the anomaly was destroyed or not. Even so, the wait will likely be worth it, as Season 4’s menace raised the question of the true purpose of the Federation and whether leaders should use violence as a preventive measure while dealing with unknown threats. This kind of ethical discussion was always at the core of the Star Trek franchise, and if Discovery keeps raising these questions, may the series be renewed for many more seasons.
Initially set 10 years before the original 1960s Star Trek — which featured Spock, Kirk, and the USS Enterprise — Discovery’s early success ensured the series' longevity and kickstarted a whole new universe of intertwined productions. The new generation of Star Trek productions already continues with Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy, as well as the premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. There’s also a Starfleet Academy and a Section 31 series in production, expanding the franchise to new and exciting directions. Both Discovery and Picard are among the most-watched original series on Paramount+, evidence that the streaming platform is highly dependent on the Star Trek franchise to attract new subscriptions. So it’s no wonder that Star Trek: Discovery has already been renewed for a fifth season. Season 4 of Discovery brings back longtime cast members Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, and Doug Jones, while Season 3 newcomers David Ajala, Blu del Barrio, and Ian Alexander also returned for the fourth season.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 comes back from a mid-season break on February 10, with a release date for Season 5 yet to be announced. All previous seasons of the series (and pretty much every Star Trek movie and TV show) are available right now on Paramount+.
Here’s the synopsis for Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery:
Season four of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.