Strange New Worlds Confirms Season 3’s Time Jump With A Star Trek: Enterprise Callback

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 moves further up the Star Trek timeline with a callback to the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise. Premiering in summer 2025, the highly anticipated Strange New Worlds season 3 delivers 10 new episodes continuing the genre-bending voyages of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the USS Enterprise. Of course, Strange New Worlds is a prequel set years before and setting up the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.

In Star Trek's Prime Universe timeline, Strange New Worlds begins in 2259, months after the USS Discovery jumped to the 32nd century at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds doesn't adhere to the 'one season = one year formula' that was prevalent in Star Trek: The Next Generation's era. Although Strange New Worlds is more flexible with the passage of time, the end of Strange New Worlds season 2 happens at some point in 2260, so roughly a year has passed between seasons 1 and 2.

Strange New Worlds’ Enterprise Callback Confirms When Season 3 Happens In Star Trek’s Timeline

There Looks To Be A Time Jump In Strange New Worlds Season 3

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's trailer has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it callback to Star Trek: Enterprise's era and the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Behind a multi-armed alien bartender is a sign that says "United Federation of Planets Centennial." As seen in Star Trek: Enterprise's series finale, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) oversaw the signing of the articles that birthed the Federation in 2161. This means Strange New Worlds season 3 will enter 2261 to celebrate the one-hundred-year anniversary of the Federation.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 immediately picks up the cliffhanger from Strange New Worlds season 2's finale of the Starship Enterprise's crisis against the Gorn in 2260. However, there must also be a time jump at some point in Strange New Worlds season 3 to bring the show up to 2161. This is also borne out by how Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) has longer hair than she does in Strange New Worlds season 2's finale and the season 3 premiere.

How Many Years Are Left Until Strange New Worlds Ends & Star Trek: The Original Series Starts

The Clock Is Ticking For Pike As Captain Of The Enterprise

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 brings the prequel one year closer to Star Trek: The Original Series, when Captain James T. Kirk (WIlliam Shatner) takes command of the USS Enterprise from Captain Pike. It also inches Pike toward his tragic destiny of being horribly disfigured and confined to a wheelchair. Kirk canonically becomes Captain of the Enterprise in 2265, which leaves about four years to go after Strange New Worlds season 3 enters 2261.However, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' fluidity with time can postpone Pike and Kirk's inevitability for as long as Paramount+ keeps the show on the air. Ideally, Strange New Worlds, which is currently in production on season 4, will run for many more years to come. Meanwhile, the Federation's Centennial is another welcome nod to Star Trek: Enterprise's era after Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 2 crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks reaffirmed the importance of Captain Archer's Enterprise to Captain Pike and his crew.