Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Spinoff Unlikely Means Thomas Jane Only Appears Once As Bones

The possibility of a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds spinoff now appears to be slim to none, which looks to be a waste of a major movie star cast at the end of the prequel. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wrapped filming its fifth and final season in December 2025, and those episodes are in post-production for an expected 2027 premiere on Paramount+.

Star Trek's decade-long franchise on Paramount+ is now over, at least in terms of active production. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy were the last two series (of six), but both are now canceled after Paramount+ axed Starfleet Academy in March. There is also no new Star Trek in production or greenlit for the first time since Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 4 and 5 are banked, with the fourth season aiming to premiere in summer 2026 on Paramount+. Assuming it premieres after Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's second and final season, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' shortened 6-episode season 5 will close out this era of Star Trek on Paramount+.

Incredibly, it will likely also be the only time fans see a big Hollywood name in Star Trek.

No Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Spinoff Is A Waste Of Thomas Jane

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5's finale will introduce Thomas Jane as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and it looks like Jane's time as Bones will be a one-and-done. Jane will only be in Strange New Worlds' final episode, which is said to depict Captain James T. Kirk's (Paul Wesley) first day in charge of the USS Enterprise.

The Toronto sets of both Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are being destroyed, with pieces auctioned off. The loss of the Starship Enterprise sets tacitly means that the proposed spinoff of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds about Captain Kirk's first year running the Enterprise, Star Trek: Year One, won't happen on Paramount+.

When Thomas Jane, whose impressive list of acting credits includes The Punisher and The Predator, was cast as Bones McCoy, it seemed like a smartly hedged bet that he would portray the Starship Enterprise's 'old country doctor' beyond Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' finale. After all, why cast an actor of Jane's stature for just one appearance? Unfortunately, this looks like exactly what ended up happening.

It's unknown how much Thomas Jane appears in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' series ender, or how substantial his role is. With Star Trek: Year One apparently not in the cards, every second Jane plays Bones should be enjoyed, since it may well be all we ever get of Jane's rendition of Doctor McCoy.

Could Strange New Worlds’ Star Trek: Year One Spinoff Still Happen?

Paramount+ never confirmed or even publicly acknowledged Star Trek: Year One. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' executive producers and co-showrunners, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, repeatedly spoke about their hopes for a spinoff during season 3's press. Goldsman's wink-wink tease hinged on, "Well, as long as we have the Enterprise sets..."

But now, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds sets are being demolished and sold off. While it's not inconceivable that Paramount+ could still order Star Trek: Year One, why would they eliminate the existing sets before greenlighting more Star Trek from Goldsman and Myers?

Paramount Skydance is reportedly in massive debt in its bid to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, and building a new Starship Enterprise set for a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds spinoff makes no financial sense. Sadly, it's far more logical that there will be no Star Trek: Year One at all.

Acknowledging how Star Trek espouses that "there are always possibilities," if Star Trek: Year One is greenlit, perhaps it will mean building a new USS Enterprise set to more closely resemble the starship in Star Trek: The Original Series, reflecting how the vessel gets a refit for Captain Kirk.

Sadly, unless something remarkable and unexpected happens from Paramount+, Thomas Jane's Bones butting heads with Spock (Ethan Peck) and forging his friendship with Captain Kirk will be entirely contained in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series finale, and fans will likely be left wanting more.