Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 is reaching the finish line, which means we have one more abbreviated season left before the series ends its run. While some fans are bummed that it's not a full ten-episode season like what we're watching on the 2026 TV schedule, EP Akiva Goldsman reminded fans it could've been worse. We've previously heard that Paramount wanted Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to end with a movie, and that the EPs pushed to get six more episodes to appropriately close out the story and bring it up to the original series. Now, we're getting more details on that from Goldsman, who explained exactly how things went down. Paramount Wanted Star Trek: Strange New Worlds To End With A Movie After Season 4Akiva Goldsman mentioned in a recent interview with THR that when Paramount came to the showrunners about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the idea was to just outright cancel the series at the conclusion of Season 4. Rather than allow that to happen, Goldsman explained they began to negotiate with Paramount, which is where the idea for a movie came into play: We got into a conversation with Paramount. They said, 'Make a movie.' But we were like, no, two hours would just be awful. So, we went back and forth, and to their credit, we got six episodes. And that’s what next year is going to be: a six-episode goodbye that hopefully resolves everything viewers have been wondering about.Two hours presumably wasn't enough time for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to end its run the way the creators wanted, which we've learned was to show James T. Kirk's first day on the job as Enterprise captain. Now, having seen a bulk of Season 4, I think I can confidently say the EPs were right to push for more episodes. Fans Would've Turned On The Series Given Season 4 So FarStar Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to deliver bold storylines in Season 4, but its largely come at the expense of the character arcs we saw in the first two seasons. The episodes themselves are decent enough, I'd even argue some are great, but this wasn't a season crafted with the idea in mind it would be the final episodes of the series. More On Star Trek: Strange New WorldsStar Trek: Strange New Worlds Showrunners Compare Season 4 To Season 3, And The Difference Making Them Behind The ScenesPerhaps, had this conversation happened before it was written, it might've been ok, but Season 4 of Strange New Worlds was not created to set up any movie or one-off that would effectively wrap up the entire series. If anything, it feels like a season from a series that felt it had more seasons left and could have some fun with some wacky premises and get back to business next time around. Going from Season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds into a movie, I feel, risked ruining all the goodwill the series built with fans. I'd compare it to how Game of Thrones finished out its run, feeling too rushed, awkwardly paced, and like the show was unprepared to end as quickly as it did. Here's hoping that with six episodes, fans won't feel that way, though we won't know for sure until the episodes are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. While I have my concerns about the final run, I'm still loving what we've seen from Season 4 of Strange New Worlds thus far. Be sure to check it out for those who aren't caught up, especially for those who love when Star Trek leans into paying homage to other classic franchises.