Meet Your New Bones and Sulu: Thomas Jane and Kai Murakami Join Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Strange New Worlds is loading the Enterprise with some very familiar faces before it bows out. According to multiple reports, the show is bringing in Bones and Sulu for its finale, and yes, that means we are finally rounding out the classic crew.

So who is joining, and when?

Thomas Jane (Boogie Nights, Deep Blue Sea, The Thin Red Line) is set to play Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, the role DeForest Kelley made iconic. Kai Murakami is stepping in as Hikaru Sulu, originally played by George Takei. Neither character shows up in Strange New Worlds until the very end: both reportedly appear in the final episode of Season 5. It is a neat timeline marker that sets the table for the ship we know right before Kirk takes the chair.

How much Strange New Worlds is left?

Paramount+ renewed the series in June for a six-episode arc that will cap the show at five seasons. Translation: Season 5 is the end. Premiere dates for Seasons 4 and 5 are still under wraps. If you need a refresher (or a first watch), Seasons 1 through 3 are streaming now on Paramount+.

The creative pivot: fewer swings, more straight-ahead Trek

Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman told ScreenRant that the last stretch shifts closer to the franchise's core vibe. Here is the key bit:

'I think that it is fair to say - as we come to the end of the show, because we are making season 5 now - that we are trending towards that, which is probably the center line of Star Trek. We are trending now, beginning with season 4 and through season 5 to a much more singular sci-fi, action-adventure with emotional storytelling. The outliers are getting fewer and fewer as we focus on saying goodbye to each other and the fans.'

Worth noting: they still have playful stuff in the mix. Season 4 features a puppet-themed episode. Those experiment-heavy installments tend to split the audience, especially when there are only 10 episodes in a season; two or three big swings can feel like a lot if the gamble is not your thing that week. Sounds like the back half of the series dials that down as it aims for a proper farewell.

Season 4 cast

• Anson Mount
• Rebecca Romijn
• Ethan Peck
• Jess Bush
• Christina Chong
• Celia Rose Gooding
• Melissa Navia
• Babs Olusanmokun
• Martin Quinn
• Guest star: Carol Kane
• Special guest star: Paul Wesley

Bottom line: Strange New Worlds is closing out with a crowd-pleaser move, bringing Bones and Sulu aboard for the Season 5 finale, syncing the timeline right before Kirk's era. Shorter runway, fewer detours, and a last lap that looks a lot like classic Trek.