SDCC ’25: The STAR TREK UNIVERSE Hall H panel offers trailers & more

Photo Credit: Miller Mobley/Paramount+.

On Saturday, July 26, 2025, the Star Trek Universe panel took place in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. The energetic panel was moderated by Robert Picardo, who plays “The Doctor” on Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Prodigy and the forthcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. But as he quipped at the top of the event, he was in this instance stepping into the role of the Emergency Moderation Hologram.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Image credit: Avery Kaplan.

Throughout the panel, Alex Kurtzman was present on the stage. The first of three segments focused on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Kurtzman was joined by two of his fellow executive producers on the show, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers. Also appearing were cast members Christina Chong (La’An Noonien-Singh), Paul Wesley (James T. Kirk), Jess Bush (Christine Chapel), Ethan Peck (Spock) and Rebecca Romijn (Una Chin-Riley).

Noticeably absent was actor portraying the current captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Anson Mount (Christopher Pike). After explaining that Mount was indisposed due to having recently welcomed a baby to his family, the first big reveal of the panel came via a short video clip. Featuring a puppet version of Pike crafted by the Jim Henson Creature Shop, this clip (which you can watch below) heralds an upcoming Season 4 episode centered on a “felt-related transporter accident.”

After the puppet clip, the future of this corner of the Star Trek universe was discussed. Goldsman reiterated that Strange New Worlds will be concluding with its fifth season. Furthermore, the series plans to end with Kirk’s first day in the center seat. 

But Goldsman isn’t necessarily done with this part of the timeline, and he hopes Trekkies aren’t either. Citing the fact that the Enterprise sets are already built, he urged fans to write letters to Skydance and Paramount regarding the possibility of a Star Trek: Year One series, continuing the crew’s adventures under the command of Kirk. This was the only mention of Skydance during the panel.

“A Space Adventure Hour”

Photo Credit: Paramount+

Next, the Trekkies in Hall H were treated to a screening of this week’s upcoming episode of Strange New Worlds Season 3, “A Space Adventure Hour.” Written by Dana Horgan & Kathryn Lyn and directed by Jonathan Frakes, this standout episode will be available for streaming on Paramount+ beginning Thursday, July 31, 2025.

The episode leans heavily on the fourth wall, to the delight of the audience, who cheered and reacted positively throughout its 47 minute runtime. When the lights came up, the Strange New World cast and EPs returned to the stage, and the cast specifically talked about the pleasure of working under the direction of Frakes (who was literally hidden in a bush during the shooting of one scene of the episode).

Photo credit: Kaplan.

Each member of the cast member shared some of their thoughts on the series. Wesley said “A Space Adventure Hour” was the most fun he’s ever had on a set. Chong shared that her favorite part of Strange New Worlds Season 3 is the dancing. Bush shared an anecdote about Babs Olusanmokun having a difficult time maintaining his composure during a scene in “A Space Adventure Hour.” Peck teased the upcoming episode “Four and a Half Vulcans.” And Romijn shared that simultaneously filming Strange New Worlds and Avengers: Doomsday was an exhausting affair that required a lot of time aboard airplanes.

Myers teased that we can expect more big surprises in Strange New Worlds Seasons 3, 4 and 5. Someone in the audience shouted out a desire to see an anime episode of the genre- and medium-bending series. Myers replied, “We love anime.” Sounds promising to this reporter!

Star Trek: Khan

As the Star Trek Universe panel transitioned to the second of three segments, everyone but Picardo and Kurtzman left the stage. After a skit in which Picardo proposed an operatic retelling of the Khan story, the upcoming Star Trek: Khan narrative podcast was discussed. Following a short introduction by Naveen Andrews, who is stepping into the role of Khan Noonien-Singh for the production, the trailer for the podcast was shared.

Two Star Trek alumni will be reprising their iconic roles for the podcast. These are Tim Russ as Tuvok and George Takei as Hikaru Sulu. As Trekkies will surmise, based on evidence from Star Trek: Voyager Season 3’s “Flashback,” this suggests that the podcast’s story will intersect with Sulu’s time as captain of the U.S.S. Excelsior.

Khan promises to explore “the untold events on Ceti Alpha V, chronicling Khan’s descent from a superhuman visionary into the vengeful villain seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Additional cast members on the podcast include Wrenn Schmidt as Marla McGivers, Sonya Cassidy as Dr. Rosalind Lear, Olli Haaskivi as Delmonda, Maury Sterling as Ivan, Mercy Malick as Ursula and Zuri Washington as Madot.

The first episode of Khan will premiere on the 59th anniversary of the debut of Star Trek: The Original Series: September 8th, 2025. Additional episodes will be released on a weekly basis through November 3rd, 2025. The podcast is written by Kirsten Beyer and David Mack, and is based on a story by Nicholas Meyer.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Photo credit: Kaplan.

The third and final segment of the Star Trek Universe SDCC ’25 panel focused on the upcoming series Starfleet Academy (which has already been renewed for a second season). For this segment, Kurtzman was joined by his co-showrunner Noga Landau and cast members Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins and Bella Shepard. Kurtzman stated that setting the series in the wake of The Burn was intentional, and designed to reflect the challenges the younger generation faces as they inherit our divided world.

Photo Credit: Mobley/Paramount+.

Among the information shared about Starfleet Academy were preliminary details about the characters played by the actors onstage. Hunter is playing Captain Nahla Ake, a character who is part Lanthanite. Rosta plays Caleb Mir, a human cadet with an enigmatic and troubled past. Diané plays Jay-Den Kraag, a Klingon cadet. As Diané revealed, both Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation movies and Star Trek: Picard) and Doug Jones (Star Trek: Discovery) shared advice for the performance.

Photo Credit: Mobley/Paramount+.

Brooks plays the Kasquian character SAM, a photonic being who was created just weeks before enrolling at the Academy. No doubt the character will have some especially memorable scenes alongside the EMH. Hawkins plays the Khionian character Darem Reymi, who arrives at the Academy shouldering the weight of some great expectations. And Shepard plays Dar-Sha character Genesis Lythe, the daughter of an admiral.

The centerpiece of this segment was the debut of the Starfleet Academy trailer. This was the first time the cast was seeing the trailer, leading Brooks to attempt (and not quite succeed) to hold back some tears. Finally, Kurtzman revealed that Nus Braka, the recurring villain played by Paul Giamatti, is part Klingon and part Tellarite, an interesting combination of legacy Franchise species. The series is scheduled to arrive on Paramount+ in early 2026.

“Please state the nature of the moderation emergency.”

The titular San Francisco-based institution from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.

Which one of the upcoming Star Trek Universe projects are you most excited about? Be sure and let Comics Beat know, either here in the comment section or over on social media.

Keep up with all of The Beat’s Star Trek coverage here.

Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.

Cover image credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+