Nobody expects the Starfleet inquisition! Because of a surprise episode drop at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, the final episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 will all air earlier than originally announced. And that means that the super-secret Season 2 SNW finale will also be bumped up by a full week. Here’s what happened at the SDCC Star Trek panel and why the early release of a big crossover episode changes the remaining episode schedule going forward.
Very mild spoilers ahead.
Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover drops early
Although originally slated for release on Thursday, July 27, 2023, the seventh episode of Strange New Worlds Season 2 — “Those Old Scientists” — was screened in its entirety at the San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 22. The episode then hit Paramount+ the same day at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. Yes, this means the highly anticipated crossover between Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds has been released nearly a full week ahead of schedule.
Strange New Worlds Season 2 updated release schedule
Because “Those Old Scientists” dropped earlier, this now means the release schedule for the final three episodes of Strange New Worlds Season 2 has changed. Here’s how the new schedule shakes out.
- Saturday, July 22 - Episode 7 “Those Old Scientists”
- Thursday, July 27 - Episode 8 “Under the Cloak of War”
- Thursday, August 3 - Episode 9 “Subspace Rhapsody” (The MUSICAL!)
- Thursday, August 10 - Episode 10 “Hegemony” (Season 2 Finale)
Because of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it’s unclear when Strange New Worlds Season 3 will resume production. But, as confirmed by the SDCC panel, Lower Decks Season 4 will drop new episodes starting on September 7, 2023. The new Lower Decks Season 4 trailer was also released at San Diego Comic-Con, which you can watch right here. And yes, they do 100 percent mention the Strange New Worlds crossover!
