You can watch Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 1 for free and here’s why you absolutely should

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 is on the way. For those you who aren’t Paramount Plus subscribers but want to catch up on the show, you can now enjoy the entire first season for free on YouTube.

Strange New Worlds is one of many Star Trek shows hitting our screens. The series acts as a prequel to the first-ever Star Trek TV show, at a time when Captain Christopher Pike – who helmed the USS Enterprise in the pilot episode, The Cage – was still in command of the iconic spaceship’s crew.

The free YouTube drop is a boon for any Star Trek fan who hasn’t had a Paramount Plus subscription that lets them see the show – with all 10 episodes from the first season being available to stream.

It’s only a temporary bit of marketing, though – as the season will be pulled at midnight (PT) on June 30, giving you only a few weeks to binge through the whole show.

Live long and subscribe

The surprising move to release the first season for free comes in the run-up to the second season, which lands on June 15 – with Paramount no doubt looking to drum up interest in the show for those not yet subscribed to its streaming service.

Paramount Plus has become the de-facto home of Star Trek shows, hosting Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery (formerly hosted on Netflix) and the animated spin-off Lower Decks.

The trailer for Strange New Worlds season 2 teased a shocking crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, specifically showing off actors Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome who voice Boimler and Mariner in the animated show – embodying these cartoon characters in live-action for the first time.

Before checking out season 2, though, this foray into free streaming on YouTube should give you a taste of what the show’s actually like.