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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW) is the most recent installment in the Star Trek franchise. It is the 12th show to be released since the franchise’s inception in 1966, but only the eighth fully live action series. The show picks up where the second season of Star Trek: Discovery (DISCO) leaves off. The primary cast of the series features a few of Star Trek’s inaugural characters, Captain Christopher Pike played by Anson Mount, Science officer Spock played by Ethan Peck, First Officer Una Chin-Riley played by Rebecca Romijn as well as a handful of new characters such as Chief Engineer Hemmer played by Bruce Horak and Helmsman Erica Ortegas played by Melissa Navia. The series show-runners have also chosen to include beloved character Nyota Uhura, who in this iteration is played by Tony and Grammy Award winning actor Celia Rose Gooding. Uhura is much younger than when we meet her in Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) as she holds the rank of Cadet.
The first season of the Series has taken on the large task of reintroducing beloved characters, who are closer to the beginning of each of their journeys as Starfleet officers on the USS-Enterprise, Registration number NCC-1701, to both veteran fans of the franchise as well as garnering new support from a new generation. SNW has bridged a large gap, as the fandom consists now of trekkies that range in age from Baby Boomer to Gen Z. For many fans, this show is a refreshing change of pace as it has chosen to implement the episodic format of storytelling, in line with the previous shows we have come to love, such as TOS, The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space Nine (DS9), Voyager (VOY) and Enterprise (ENT). Most of the Modern Trek shows starting with DISCO have chosen a serialized story arc. SNW is a real return to form in the campy style of TOS while also flawlessly conveying more dramatic tones in some of the heavier episodes.
As a legacy trekkie, having bonded with my mother (who fell in love with TOS) when I was young, over the humanity of the TNG cast and stories, I am truly loving the performances in this show. While I am extremely engaged with the continued growth of all of the characters, my personal favorites are no surprise, Captain Pike and Spock. I am particularly excited for all of the female characters as well as cast members of color.
Season 2 is expected to start streaming in the Spring this year (2023). If you have any interest in getting into Star Trek, Season 1 is a great place to start. SNW carries all of the heart and essence of Star Trek at its roots while also bringing a modern feel with cinematic flair. It is currently available to stream on Paramount+, along with the other 11 shows in the franchise. If you don’t have Paramount +, it is also available to stream with premium packages on the Roku channel and Amazon Prime video.
