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Star Trek’s 2025 lineup was compact rather than empty: the year’s two major Paramount+ scripted events were Star Trek: Section 31, which premiered on January 24, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, which began on July 17. Starfleet Academy was still in production and did not premiere until January 2026.
The year also marked a strategic contrast. Section 31 tested a movie made directly for streaming, while Strange New Worlds remained Star Trek’s principal ongoing episodic series. The result was a smaller slate, but one that revealed where the franchise was placing its bets.
Star Trek’s 2025 slate at a glance
| Release | Date | What it was | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: Section 31 | January 24, 2025 | A movie-length Paramount+ original starring Michelle Yeoh | Paramount+ in the United States and participating international markets |
| Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 | July 17, 2025 | A 10-episode continuation of the Pike-era series | Paramount+ in the United States and participating international markets |
| Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Not a 2025 release | The next major Star Trek series in the pipeline | Premiered on Paramount+ on January 15, 2026 |
For viewers deciding where to begin, watch Star Trek on Paramount+. Availability is territory-specific: Paramount+ is the primary home in the United States and several international markets, while some European territories use SkyShowtime.
Section 31 was Star Trek’s unusual movie experiment
Star Trek: Section 31 premiered exclusively on Paramount+ on January 24, 2025. It brought Michelle Yeoh back as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the character she originated in Star Trek: Discovery. In the film’s official premise, Georgiou joins a secret Starfleet division charged with protecting the United Federation of Planets while confronting the consequences of her past.
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Olatunde Osunsanmi directed the film. Craig Sweeny wrote the screenplay from a story by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt. The premise gave Paramount an opportunity to explore the morally ambiguous side of Starfleet and the Federation through a character who had never been a conventional hero.
Was Section 31 Star Trek’s first movie in nine years?
Only with an important qualification. The previous Star Trek feature film was Star Trek Beyond, released in 2016, so Section 31 arrived roughly nine years later. But Section 31 was not a theatrical release. It was a made-for-streaming Paramount+ movie.
The most precise descriptions are therefore “the first movie-length Star Trek production since Star Trek Beyond” or “Star Trek’s first movie in nine years, made for streaming.” Calling it simply the franchise’s next theatrical movie would be incorrect.
Why the movie mattered
Section 31 tested whether Star Trek could expand its movie output through streaming rather than waiting for a theatrical feature. That strategy could, in theory, allow Paramount to make self-contained films between series releases and to pursue stories that did not need to carry an entire television season.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe film’s reception complicated that experiment. Contemporary review aggregation was broadly negative. That response should be treated as part of the movie’s release story rather than as an objective measurement of its quality, but it made Section 31 a weak immediate proof point for a large slate of streaming Star Trek movies.
Strange New Worlds season 3 was the year’s main episodic event
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premiered on Thursday, July 17, 2025, with two episodes on Paramount+. The remaining episodes followed weekly. Like the first two seasons, season 3 contains 10 episodes.
The season begins after the Gorn cliffhanger at the end of season 2. That setup gives the opening episodes an ongoing threat, but the season does not become a single serialized story. It continues the show’s central format: a continuing crew, a recognizable Star Trek setting and a different adventure or dramatic mode from week to week.
Complete season 3 episode list
- Hegemony, Part II
- Wedding Bell Blues
- Shuttle to Kenfori
- A Space Adventure Hour
- Through the Lens of Time
- The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail
- What Is Starfleet?
- Four-and-a-Half Vulcans
- Terrarium
- New Life and New Civilizations
This is a spoiler-light guide: the list identifies the season’s episodes without revealing the Gorn storyline’s resolution or the finale’s major developments.
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The regular crew returned with Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M’Benga.
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Martin Quinn, who played Montgomery Scott in a guest role during season 2, became a series regular in season 3. Paul Wesley returned as James T. Kirk in a special-guest capacity. Guest appearances included Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O’Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano and Carol Kane.
Genre variety remained the show’s defining choice
Paramount’s promotion highlighted the season’s range, including a murder mystery, a romantic comedy and a documentary-style episode. That variety explains much of the show’s appeal: Strange New Worlds can move from a traditional space adventure to a character comedy or a formal experiment without abandoning its established crew.
It also explains the divide in the response. Critics generally continued to appreciate the show’s confidence and accessibility, while some viewers felt that the stylistic experiments and emphasis on familiar Star Trek ideas sometimes displaced deeper season-long momentum. That is a description of the critical and audience split, not a settled verdict on every episode.
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The critical response remained broadly positive, but the audience response was more divided. When the research for this article was accessed, Rotten Tomatoes listed season 3 at 88% from critics and 52% from audiences. Metacritic listed a critic score of 75 out of 100, categorized as generally favorable.
Those numbers are snapshots rather than permanent facts. Review-aggregation scores can change as additional ratings are added, so anyone displaying live scores should recheck them before publication. The durable takeaway is the contrast: professional critics remained favorable overall, while the audience score indicated a much less unified reaction.
Starfleet Academy was the next project, not part of the 2025 release slate
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was the major next-generation project associated with this period, but it did not premiere in 2025. Paramount+ announced its official trailer and January 15, 2026 premiere date on October 11, 2025.
The series follows young cadets under the supervision of their instructors. Its cast includes Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Tig Notaro, Robert Picardo and Paul Giamatti, among others. The first season has 10 episodes, beginning with a two-episode premiere and continuing weekly.
That timing matters when describing Star Trek in 2025. Starfleet Academy belonged in the year’s production and promotional conversation, but not in its list of released shows. The correct 2025 summary is two major Paramount+ scripted events: Section 31 and Strange New Worlds season 3.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The Pike-era story had a defined future
Paramount+ had renewed Strange New Worlds for a fourth season before season 3 premiered. On June 12, 2025, the service also announced that the series would end with a six-episode fifth and final season.
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What Star Trek in 2025 really represented
The year was a contraction of Star Trek’s Paramount+ expansion rather than a disappearance of the franchise. There was no year-round lineup of several new scripted series, but there were two strategically different releases.
Section 31 was a streaming-first movie built around Michelle Yeoh’s Georgiou and a darker, more covert corner of the Federation. Strange New Worlds season 3 was the returning episodic series that continued to carry the most recognizable version of classic Star Trek: an established bridge crew, weekly adventures and the freedom to change genres from one episode to the next.
That contrast is the clearest way to understand the 2025 slate. The movie tested whether streaming could support a new form of Trek film, while the series demonstrated the continuing strength—and the divisiveness—of episodic television. Meanwhile, Starfleet Academy and the planned fourth and final fifth seasons of Strange New Worlds showed that the franchise still had a forward plan, even as its release schedule became more selective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Star Trek: Section 31 a theatrical movie?
No. Star Trek: Section 31 premiered on Paramount+ on January 24, 2025. It was Star Trek’s first movie-length production since Star Trek Beyond in 2016, but it was made for streaming rather than released theatrically.
How many episodes are in Strange New Worlds season 3?
Season 3 has 10 episodes. It premiered with two episodes on July 17, 2025, followed by weekly releases. The episode titles are Hegemony, Part II, Wedding Bell Blues, Shuttle to Kenfori, A Space Adventure Hour, Through the Lens of Time, The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail, What Is Starfleet?, Four-and-a-Half Vulcans, Terrarium and New Life and New Civilizations.
Did Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiere in 2025?
No. Paramount+ announced a January 15, 2026 premiere for Starfleet Academy on October 11, 2025. Its first season has 10 episodes and began with a two-episode premiere.
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Will Strange New Worlds continue after season 3?
Yes. Paramount+ announced on June 12, 2025 that Strange New Worlds would receive a six-episode fifth and final season. Season 3 therefore belongs to the remaining Pike-era story rather than an open-ended run.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Star Trek’s major 2025 releases were Section 31, a Paramount+ movie and the franchise’s first movie-length production since Star Trek Beyond, and Strange New Worlds season 3, the year’s main 10-episode television event. Starfleet Academy was still forthcoming, and the later renewal news confirmed that the Pike-era series would conclude with a six-episode fifth season.
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