Paramount+ has cast Thomas Jane (The Punisher) as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy and Kai Murakami in his TV debut as Hikaru Sulu for the season 5 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The final six-episode season has wrapped production, bridging to James T. Kirk's Enterprise command as teased by showrunners.
Updating coverage of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5 developments, Paramount+ announced casting for two iconic original series characters in the finale, per TV Line. Thomas Jane, a veteran known for The Punisher, The Expanse, Boogie Nights, and three Golden Globe-nominated turns in Hung, will portray ship doctor Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, originally played by DeForest Kelley. Kai Murakami, with stage credits from the Royal Shakespeare Company and motion-capture in Assassin's Creed Shadows and Rise of the Ronin, makes his television debut as helmsman Hikaru Sulu (originally George Takei, later John Cho in the reboot films).
The prequel series, starring Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh, Melissa Navia as Lt. Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Lt. Hemmer (with Martin Quinn as Scotty and Paul Wesley as Kirk), premiered in 2022. Seasons 2 and 3 followed in 2023 and 2025, respectively; season 4 is slated for 2026 ahead of this final chapter.
Showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have confirmed season 5 will lead directly into Kirk's command, with Goldsman stating, 'We'll try to get right up to Kirk's first day,' and Myers affirming more Kirk appearances. While it honors franchise lore, no Kirk-led reboot has been confirmed.
This casting underscores Paramount+'s focus on TOS continuity as Strange New Worlds concludes.
