Season one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently free to watch on YouTube for visitors in the US, or those who can pretend to be in the US.
As IGN reports, it's a surprising decision for Paramount and CBS Studios when you consider the popular series required a Paramount+ subscription until now to view. The reason for doing this is clear, though—the second season is due to arrive on June 15, and it will require a Paramount+ subscription to view.
The first season was released on May 5 last year and ran 10 episodes with the last released on July 7. The second season will also consist of 10 episodes airing between June 15 and Aug. 17. The story follows the crew of the USS Enterprise in the 23rd century, but a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series is set.
Star Trek fans will have consumed all 10 episodes os season one last year (and probably multiple times since). For everyone else, the 76 rating on Metacritic combined with the fact it's now free to watch should be enough of an excuse to at least sit through the first episode. If you enjoy it and can't wait for the second season, Paramount+ offers a seven-day free trial and then costs $4.99 per month.