It might not have a big movie on the horizon, but Star Trek is still in a great place. The long-running sci-fi franchise has multiple critically praised series currently in production, ranging from family-friendly space adventures to raunchy animated comedy. The latest addition to the franchise, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, still manages to find plenty of fresh stories to tell in fascinating ways.
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The creators of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet. Anson Mount, who starred inHell on Wheels, is the lead in the series as the second-in-command, Number One.
Unlike Discovery, however, Strange New Worlds takes an episodic approach to the Star Trek universe, with Pike and his crew tackling a new dilemma in each chapter of the show, much like the Enterprise crew did in the original Star Trek series. While there are a few significant, overarching narratives, they take a back seat to the mystery-of-the-week format of Strange New Worlds, which often feels more closely aligned with the franchise's original spirit than the modern, decompressed dramas of Discovery and Picard.
In the first five episodes of Strange New Worlds, Mountwarm does nothing to suggest that the reception was not deserved.
William Shatner's Capt. James T. Kirk was the epitome of a Star Trek captain because of his swagger and calm under pressure. In Discovery, Pike was a brilliant judge of character, innately aware of whom he should trust, what wisdom he can glean from those around him, and how to make the best use of that information. Mount's performance is as inspiring as the role demands, and Strange New Worlds continues to use his relationships to elevate the character.
It might seem like hyperbole, but it's easy to imagine just one season of Strange New Worlds delivering enough memorable moments and stirring performances from Mount to put Christopher Pike in the conversation when discussing the franchise's most revered captains.
The other featured cast members rise to the occasion, too, with Romijn and Peck both adding an impressive amount of depth and nuance to their characters over the course of the season. In Strange New Worlds, we get our best look yet at Spock's life outside of Starfleet, not just his.
There are a lot of compelling new characters and new faces in the series. The original portrayal of the character and expanding the space she fills in Star Trek lore is what Celia Rose Gooding does. As Christine Chapel, the nurse originally played by Majel Barrett, Jess Bush does a great job of balancing the expectations for an established character and the need to give the Chapel the additional depth she deserves.
The formula of Strange New Worlds is a welcome return. While Discovery andPicard rely on fascinating, far-reaching stories that deliver a drip-feed of high drama and escalating stakes, Strange New Worlds offers a reminder that the Star Trek universe still has a place in it.
It is possible to tell a story in the short format of Strange New Worlds, but it is not possible in Discovery or Picard. The original Star Trek series, as well as Star Trek: The Next Generation and the other series in the franchise, occasionally offered up some memorable, lighter stories that showed a softer, humorous side to the franchise and its stars. In the season's fifth episode, titled Spock Amok, there are some clever ways to poke fun at itself and the seriousness of its world.
It seems odd to suggest that the formula that made the original Star Trek series so successful is what makes Strange New Worlds stand out. In recent years, the Star Trek franchise has proven itself to be surprisingly malleable for all manner of stories, and the projects that have come out of this renaissance period for the sci-fi saga have each brought something new, fresh, and entertaining to Star Trek's legacy.
How far the franchise has come and how much it still has to offer are both reminders of how far the franchise has come.
The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will premiere on May 5.
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