Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S.3 - Where Do We Boldly Go From Here?
By John Kirk
Rating: A-
At the midpoint of the journey of the most recent iteration of Star Trek, the question needs to be asked if the momentum of positive fan reception will allow The USS Enterprise to continue its voyages?
Based on Season Three, all signs seem to point to Yes. But can this show take us to places we haven’t already seen in other versions of Star Trek?
It’ll be a short journey regardless. Strange New Worlds will only clock in at 46 episodes by the end of the fifth and final season. It’s hardly an auspicious number of voyages compared to its predecessor Discovery - which ended with 65 episodes, and was still trying to define itself and find resonance with an entire fan-base. Heck, even the animated Lower Decks ended with 50 episodes.
The beginning of a beautiful friendship, Spock (Ethan Peck) and Lieut. Commander Kirk (Paul Wesley).
So, let’s take a look at the first few episodes in the season.
Season Three begins with the resolution of a cliffhanger from the USS Enterprise’s encounter with an entire Gorn fleet in “Hegemony II”. The reptilian, carnivorous Gorn, who have shaped up to be this Trek’s villains, give the crew and captain a good run for their money in this episode which has to be a textbook example of a Trek cliffhanger. It’s classic and it’s a great start.
It's a tough episode to follow though. The others are a collection of whimsy, canonically-connective drama and stories that lack the excitement of combating an invasive alien species as dangerous as the Gorn, one that harkens back to the Original Series.
But that, of course, is Strange New Worlds’ greatest appeal. Out of all the other iterations of Trek, this series does its best to emulate that original aesthetic. In all the coverage I’ve delivered on this show, ranging from previous reviews, cast and crew interviews, that’s the most prominent goal that emerges from all that work and it’s a welcome relief. Serious Trek, if you like.
Actually, I’d recommend watching both episodes back-to-back. CTV’s Sci-Fi channel is actually good about stuff like that.
Both episodes 301 and 302 (“Wedding Bell Blues”) are released on the same day. But 302 is a different creature. This is the whimsy I had mentioned earlier. It’s fun, and this one reminds me of the TOS episode “The Squire of Gothos”. Not wanting to give away spoilers, I’ll just say that there’s also a familiar voice that fans will enjoy hearing. This alone, makes it a worthwhile episode.
Actually, watching “Hegemony” 1, 2 and “Wedding Bell Blues” makes for a great Star Trek date night.
The others include a greater interaction with the Klingons in the configuration that fans approve. The Klingons act and look like the Klingons that everyone knows and loves. Yeah, while you can still see some Discovery Klingons in the background, they’re not part of the major action, and in my opinion, that’s the way it should be.
The third episode, “Shuttle to Kenfori” looks at the diplomatic relationship with the Klingons and returns them to their vaunted status of being the “bad guys.” It’s a chance for Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and La’an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong) to really shine. And who doesn’t love a Klingon warrior doing what they do best? Seriously, a little bit of confrontation can be fun.
The fourth episode, titled “A Space Adventure Hour” is a little ham-fisted in its attempt at satire. I know that this series is trying to reach back to its TOS roots, but this is a little much. It’s apparent what the intention is, and even though Paul Wesley - the heir apparent to the role of Captain Kirk - appears in this episode, fans will understand what I mean when I describe it this way. It also does also try to describe the root origins of a certain technology that got a lot of ground in TNG, which is why it’s forgivable. But again, watch and you’ll see what I mean.
I hate to give away any other exciting information but there’s a massive focus on a TOS call-back character who was one of my particular favourites in the fifth episode, “Through the Lens of Time”. In fact, he features in one of my all-time favourite TOS episodes. Not only does it pay homage to those glorious years of the 1960’s but it modernizes the character AND improves him, in my humble opinion. Better yet, he’s in for two episodes, which gives him more credence and background, especially when it comes to the relationship with a seminal member of the Enterprise crew. This is pure canon gold.
Anson Mount’s performance as Captain Pike seems a little stiff in this season though. Maybe it’s because not every episode is a Pike-focused one. But with the exception of Hegemony, Part II, the episodes don’t seem to need all that much from him. This is a definite marked difference from TOS where almost every episode was a Kirk episode.
Carol Kane as the Lanthanite Engineer, Pelia is a particular irritant to me. While I love Kane’s history and her legendary career, this character isn’t a great fit for her. Luckily, there’s an out as we can see a lot of development with the timely and welcomed arrival of a certain Lieutenant Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn). It’s another reminder that this show is leading us closer to back to the original incarnation of Trek.
I’ve talked a lot about what I like, what I don’t like, and have been extremely careful not to give away spoilers to fans of this series. However, the question I posed at the beginning of this piece is what I’ll answer now: where will this series take us?
The answer is: back to the Original Series.
Out of all the contemporary Star Trek series, SNW is the one that really reaches back into the roots of Trek and does its best to remain true to its ideals. It lovingly polishes the chrome, re-vamps the drywall scenery and upgrades the flickering lights on all the consoles, and brings TOS into the 21st century.
Of course, this will receive a mixed reaction from the fans, who remain the most diversely difficult group self-proclaimed lovers of any franchise.
But, like it or not, there can be no dispute that these ARE the voyages of the Starship… Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season Three. Showrunners: Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers. Directors: Jonathan Frakes, Dan Liu, Jordan Canning, Andrew Coutts, Chris Fisher, Valerie Weissand Maja Vrvilo.
Cast: Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun and Martin Quinn, along with guest stars Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O’Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano and Carol Kane, plus special guest star Paul Wesley.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season Three streams on Paramount Plus on July 17th and also on CTV Sci-Fi Channel.