After two years in stasis, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back for its third season. And, just to give you a taste of how long it’s been off the air, in that time the series has started filming its fourth season (several months ago, in fact) and been renewed for a fifth – and final* – season. So, a whole heck of a lot has happened since season two closed out with those three terrifying words: To Be Continued.
*As several critics have pointed out on social media, the decision to essentially cancel Strange New Worlds is a shockingly short-sighted one by Paramount. Sure, the conglomerate is in the midst of financial trouble and a merger, but to shelve the most popular, most critically acclaimed installment of one of your chief pieces of IP at a time when you need hits more than ever? That’s just odd. Especially when Paramount is still planning on churning out Star Trek content – the Starfleet Academy series, set in the future Discovery timeline that was . . .let’s just say, not nearly as popular as Strange New Worlds . . . is still on the horizon. So why bet on new, untested shows when you have a great one right here? A poor decision.
When we left the stalwart crew of the Enterprise, things weren’t looking good. La’an (Christina Chong), Ortegas (Melissa Navia), M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), and Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte) (along with a bunch of colonists) had been transported onto a Gorn ship and were heading into Gorn territory. Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) had been infected by Gorn eggs and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) was desperately trying to figure out a way to save her before they hatched Alien-style out of her skin. Oh, and Admiral April had ordered the Enterprise to leave and meet up with the rest of the fleet, all but insuring their missing crew members would be lost to the Gorn. A hell of a cliffhanger, really. Especially when two of the missing crew members – La’an and Ortegas – are two wholly new characters created for the series. As terrible as it would be, they would be expendable within the universe.
Without spoiling what happens – although if you watched any of the trailers for the new season or follow any of the actors on social media you likely know just who makes it out in one piece – I can say that the resolution of the cliffhanger is excellent across the board. Does it feel a tad too clean in the moment? Sure. But what Strange New Worlds does with that resolution is what makes this series a true cut above the rest. The impact of this tussle with the Gorn reverberates throughout the rest of the season (I’ve seen the first five episodes) in ways both large and small. After all, this event was highly traumatic for those who experienced it. And while Strange New Worlds is, at its heart, a return to episodic Star Trek storytelling, that doesn’t mean our characters forget everything that happened to them the episode prior. No, they definitely take on those experiences and let them shape who they are, episode to episode.
And what rich characters they are. Over the two seasons, we’ve come to know these characters fairly intimately. We’ve seen Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) become more sure of herself – and this season she’s much closer to the self-assured communications specialist from The Original Series than she’s ever been before. We’ve seen Spock (Ethan Peck) struggle with his two selves – Vulcan and Human – while experiencing love and loss. And yes, the series addresses the Spock-Chapel relationship and handles that resolution (or, at least détente) in a really excellent way in the season’s second episode – which might be one of my favorite Trek episodes ever. And we’ve watched Captain Pike (Anson Mount, such a great leader) struggle with the knowledge that he’s essentially living on borrowed time. Heavy stuff, but still incredible compelling.
And this new season addresses one of my major critiques of the show’s first two seasons: It gives Ortegas a really interesting arc to play. (Okay, sorry, Ortegas makes it out of the season premiere alive.) I’ve been beating the drum for the character to become someone more than Chapel’s sidekick and the pilot (her “feature episode” in season two was not, in my opinion, a true feature, since she was relegated to the B-plot even if she came out of that episode with a catch phrase that continues to be used in season three). But this season lets Melissa Navia finally take a crack at something bigger, as Ortegas works through the trauma of her time with the Gorn in ways that feel very true to life. And saddling the normally cheery, cocky, and fun Ortegas with something this complex makes her all the more interesting a character. Navia is absolutely stellar now that’s she’s been given something to sink her teeth into as well.
As for negatives, well, I wish Pelia (the great Carol Kane) was in more episodes – but that’s a feature of her being a recurring character and not a member of the main cast. But even she is given some really interesting beats this season. Sure, Pelia is still kooky, but she’s turning into a bit of a Guinan character for the series – with a joking edge. And that, as with so many of the choices made this season, serves to make the show richer and more layered. The addition of Martin Quinn’s Scotty is also a net positive for the show, although the amount of work he’s doing in Engineering seems a bit out of balance with both his rank, his official position on the ship (which is never really discussed – Pelia remains the Chief Engineer), and his level of experience. Ortegas’ incredibly annoying younger brother pops up far too often and I genuinely wish the writers had found some other way to shoehorn in that particular story arc. And yes, there is one new relationship that blossoms early in the season that seems to be a good fit on paper but doesn’t quite make much sense in practice. But it’s early days with that and I’ll reserve judgement until the season is complete.
So really, just a handful of minor quibbles. Strange New Worlds continues to be a truly special series – combining great, compelling characters with sharp episodic-focused writing, and some of the best acting we’ve had in Trek in a while to craft a series that is both a throwback to early Trek and a very modern retelling of this age of Starfleet. One of my key tests for how much I like a show (and how engaging it really is) is to see how often I reach for my phone while I’m watching the screeners. For Strange New Worlds, I didn’t touch my phone once. If you’re a fan, you’re going to love this season. If you haven’t yet jumped onboard this series, well, it’s a pretty great introduction to the world of Star Trek.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres its third season on July 17 with two episodes. Five of the ten episodes were provided for review.
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