Season two of Star Trek: Discovery included the surprising element of including Captain Christopher Pike (from the pilot episode of the original Star Trek series) as the temporary captain of the Discovery on a special mission to search for Spock (who was wanted for murder). Immediately, I was taken in by Anson Mount's portrayal of this classic character who had captained the Enterprise before Kirk. He was compassionate, yet decisive, displaying some of the best qualities of leadership in any show, let alone of Star Trek captains.
Thus, I was thrilled when they announced that a new series--called Strange New Worlds--would pick up after Discovery season two and before the original series. It was enough that I finally gave in and enrolled in Paramount Plus--which also gave me access to the other seasons of Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks, and the new series of Prodigy and Halo (which isn't Star Trek, but is still sci-fi). It was worth it for this series alone.
For the past ten weeks, I have eagerly looked forward to Thursdays when a new episode would drop. Unlike Discovery, Picard, or other popular streaming shows such as Stranger Things, Strange New Worlds decided on an episodic rather than serialized storyline. While character development and some plots are threaded throughout the season, the stories of each episode are largely self-contained--much like pre-streaming Star Trek shows (and most television) used to be. There are pros and cons to both formats, but this episodic approach worked wonderfully for this season.
Every episode made me care about the characters. Even though some of the plots were rather predictable, they were done with such heart and quality that they were a joy to watch. There was also an extreme reverence given to the Star Trek stories and characters that came before, particularly those from the original series. In fact, the final episode of the season faithfully plays out an alternative viewpoint of one of the original episodes while giving subtle differences to how I perceived some of those characters.
An example of this is the character T'Pring. In the original series, she showed up for a single episode as Spock's conniving betrothed. As this series takes place ten years earlier, we are introduced to T'Pring's and Spock's relationship in its earlier stages and are given the chance to see some of the underpinnings of the conflict that the relationship had. However, I also grew to like T'Pring and actually feel sympathy for the situation she is in which will lead to her later conniving.
This extra level of depth to the original series while still providing new and fascinating characters has made this one of my favorite Star Trek series of to this point. Even the intro is amazing. Although we usually watch the show in the dining room while eating dinner, the younger boys and I made a point to watch the intro on the living room television with its higher resolution--it did not disappoint.
I cannot recommend this show enough.
Thus, I was thrilled when they announced that a new series--called Strange New Worlds--would pick up after Discovery season two and before the original series. It was enough that I finally gave in and enrolled in Paramount Plus--which also gave me access to the other seasons of Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks, and the new series of Prodigy and Halo (which isn't Star Trek, but is still sci-fi). It was worth it for this series alone.
For the past ten weeks, I have eagerly looked forward to Thursdays when a new episode would drop. Unlike Discovery, Picard, or other popular streaming shows such as Stranger Things, Strange New Worlds decided on an episodic rather than serialized storyline. While character development and some plots are threaded throughout the season, the stories of each episode are largely self-contained--much like pre-streaming Star Trek shows (and most television) used to be. There are pros and cons to both formats, but this episodic approach worked wonderfully for this season.
Every episode made me care about the characters. Even though some of the plots were rather predictable, they were done with such heart and quality that they were a joy to watch. There was also an extreme reverence given to the Star Trek stories and characters that came before, particularly those from the original series. In fact, the final episode of the season faithfully plays out an alternative viewpoint of one of the original episodes while giving subtle differences to how I perceived some of those characters.
An example of this is the character T'Pring. In the original series, she showed up for a single episode as Spock's conniving betrothed. As this series takes place ten years earlier, we are introduced to T'Pring's and Spock's relationship in its earlier stages and are given the chance to see some of the underpinnings of the conflict that the relationship had. However, I also grew to like T'Pring and actually feel sympathy for the situation she is in which will lead to her later conniving.
This extra level of depth to the original series while still providing new and fascinating characters has made this one of my favorite Star Trek series of to this point. Even the intro is amazing. Although we usually watch the show in the dining room while eating dinner, the younger boys and I made a point to watch the intro on the living room television with its higher resolution--it did not disappoint.
I cannot recommend this show enough.
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