As an Original Series prequel, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is limited in which characters it can kill off, but there are certain members of Captain Pike's (Anson Mount) crew who aren't safe from the inherent plot armor that comes with the Paramount+ show. The exciting new season 4 trailer strongly implies the imminent demise of two officers who have been involved with Strange New Worlds since its inaugural season back in 2022. However, any passionate followers of the franchise will know how hollow these macabre teases really are.
With a confirmed premiere date of July 23, 2026, Strange New Worlds season 4 will bring the Alex Kurtzman-era of Star Trek even closer to its end. Thankfully, there is also season 5 still to come, which will conclude Strange New Worlds. The final run of episodes has wrapped and is expected to land in 2027. Before that, we still have all 10 episodes of the show's penultimate season to enjoy. Although season 4's trailer gives very little away in terms of solid information, two implied twists are already very easy to debunk.
Why La'an & Kirk are both safe throughout Strange New Worlds season 4
The new trailer shows a fairly harrowing shot of Paul Wesley's Lt. Commander James T. Kirk screaming as he's shut inside what looks like a room aboard the Enterprise. Additionally, Christina Chong's Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh utters a very loaded phrase to Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding): "Any of these missions could be our last." In countless other sci-fi shows, both of these moments would spark wild speculation about both Kirk and La'an meeting their respective ends in Strange New Worlds season 4. The fact that this project belongs to the sprawling Star Trek franchise changes things, though.
Starting with the most obvious point, at least to long-standing Star Trek fans, we know when Kirk dies, and it's not for a long time yet. Still, even before his death in 1994's Star Trek Generations, Kirk had to go through all the events of The Original Series and all six of its spin-off movies. So, Kirk's scream in the Strange New Worlds season 4 trailer isn't something that should be read as a clue to his imminent death. La'an's line about any mission being her last takes a little bit of a deeper dive to disarm as evidence of her demise, but not by much.
It all comes down to the fact that Strange New Worlds was very open about when its cast had been wrapped out at the end of season 5. Star Trek's social media was filled with updates like these in December 2025, and Chong's final scene as La'an was among those confirmed. While it's possible that season 5 could be using Chong in a different way in season 5, such as in a flashback or hallucination, I don't think that's very likely. Because La'an isn't in The Original Series, she could certainly die in season 5, and that would explain her absence in the classic-era show. However, she's safe for season 4.
The ultimate fates of Strange New Worlds' characters have always been a huge part of the show's identity
Strange New Worlds isn't the first show to be restricted by which characters it can kill off and when, and it won't be the last. That said, the project hasn't shied away from the challenge and has actually embraced it instead. The biggest example of this approach has been Captain Pike. The character is still alive in The Original Series, but fans have known for decades that his life will be forever altered by profound physical injuries. What's more, Pike has known about this fate since Star Trek: Discovery season 2. So, Strange New Worlds was given a great way of navigating what could have been a notable restriction. Fans have therefore been able to witness the unique experience of seeing how Pike processes his unavoidable fate as he tries to continue serving as a Starfleet captain until he's no longer able.
Inversely, Strange New Worlds also hasn't been afraid to introduce a handful of original characters, with the eventual goal of explaining why they never appeared in The Original Series or beyond. Of these new figures, only Bruce Horak's Lt. Hemmer has been killed off in the traditional way. Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) was given a far less conventional exit at the end of season 3. Strange New Worlds now has two seasons left to pull off satisfying exits for La'an, Commander Pelia (Carol Kane), Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and a few other minor characters.
Considering the varied ways the show has handled the respective fates of Pike, Hemmer, and Batel, it becomes wildly unpredictable to figure out what's waiting for the others. The fact that Strange New Worlds is so genre-heavy opens up even more possibilities that other shows don't have available to them. That said, some exits could be as simple as officers being transferred to other ships, but La'an's "any of these missions could be our last" feels far more loaded than that. My advice is to brace for the worst across Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' next two seasons, even though we know that certain characters are, in theory, safe for now.
Catch up with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+ before the season 4 premiere on July 23, 2026.
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