Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Mid-Season Review: A Stellar Sci-Fi Adventure

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has achieved a remarkable feat. Fandom is united in fawning praise at the mid-season mark. That’s unheard of for such a disparate audience. Akin to a bunch of Klingons sharing the last goblet of Bloodwine or containing troublesome Tribbles in a box. The show successfully hearkens back to the original’s theme of episodic exploration without sacrificing character depth. Creators Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet have learned to stoke a fire without overheating. We’ve had perfect slices of action, humor, and genuine camaraderie from a nascent crew destined for greatness.

The self-titled premiere introduces Captain Pike (Anson Mount) as a man haunted by inevitability. He has foreseen his awful death ten years into the future. This is a key event in Star Trek lore that launches the career of Captain Kirk. Pike’s mediation of a planet using warp technology in a civil war reaffirms his commitment to Starfleet. He’s bound by sacred duty and honor to his uniform. We get a seasoned leader, not as established as Captain Picard, but a man who understands that his choices matter.

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The primary supporting cast has gotten meaningful exposition. Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck) worries that this job on the Enterprise will affect his engagement to T’Pring (Gia Sandhu). He struggles to please her Vulcan sensibilities as half-human. Their relationship gets a hilarious comic treatment in episode five, “Spock Amock”. Which also deepens the attraction between Spock and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush).

Number One, aka Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), the Enterprise’s first officer, is revealed to be genetically enhanced in episode three, “Ghosts of Illyria”. Pike refuses to accept her resignation after being exposed. Her rigid demeanor and warrior talents, much like Security Chief La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), are explored and mocked in two vastly different episodes. Number One and Singh fight the brutal Gorn in “Memento Mori”. Then try to downplay their buzzkill status in “Spock Amock” by humorously engaging in Enterprise Bingo, a lower decks rite of passage.

Nyota Uhuru (Celia Rose Gooding) is a linguistically gifted cadet at this point. She joined Starfleet after the tragic death of her family in a shuttle accident. Episode two, “Children of the Comet”, has Uhuru playfully hazed by the ship’s brash and cocky helmsman, Ortegas (Melissa Navia). Uhuru proves her mettle in critical situations. She aids Hemmer (Bruce Horak), the blind albino Andorian and chief engineer, when his arm is crushed during the Gorn attack. Spock praises her for quick thinking. She belongs on the Enterprise.

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Rounding Out the Supporting Players

Rounding out the supporting players is the ship’s doctor, M’benga (Babs Olusanmokun). He’s an old friend of Pike’s that serves as a voice of compassion and reason. We learn in “Ghosts of Illyria” that M’Benga has hidden his terminally ill daughter, Rukiya (Sage Arrindell), in the transporter buffer. Number One uncovers this deception but allows him to keep her alive with a dedicated power source. Episode six, “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”, has an alien child’s death giving hope for a new treatment.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has smartly laid the groundwork for events that played out in the original series. I’ll focus on the subplot that I find to be the most intriguing and entertaining. “Spock Amock” is a precursor to “Amok Time” in the sixties Star Trek. His engagement to T’Pring is doomed. However, the show retcons his interactions with Nurse Chapel to be more formative. Her love for Spock is known but briefly addressed in classic Star Trek. Spock physically defends Chapel when she’s slighted by a rude Vulcan in episode five. Her character’s liberal sexuality comes into question as she becomes enamored by him. Spock unwittingly comes to favor her. Ethan Peck and Jess Bush have amazing chemistry. Their storyline is definitely heating up.

The show has done a great job of incorporating modern visual effects with the original’s costumes and gadgets. The phasers, communicators, and tricorders are the same clunky, hand-held devices. Boldly futuristic at the time, the producers avoided a dated look by using them practically with state-of-the-art results. They’ve also kept some background female crew members in mini-dresses without being skimpy. The primary characters are all covered and color-coded except Chapel, whose white jumpsuit reflects her nurse status. My only costume complaint is Pike’s ridiculous pompadour. His over-styled hair belongs on a fashion shoot not a Starfleet bridge.

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Spreading the Narrative Wealth

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The smartest decision was to spread the narrative wealth. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is not just a vehicle for Captain Pike and Spock. The entire cast has gotten a chance to be relevant. Each episode takes the time to build moments for the supporting players. We’re exploring the galaxy with likable characters. Their laughter and pain resonates. Pike’s remorse in “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” also reflects the characters’ vulnerabilities and unwise decisions.

Star Trek fans are pretty clear where they stand on each series. I despise Star Trek: Discovery. Star Trek: Picard has been an utter disappointment. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in my opinion, is the best sci-fi series period. Nothing I’ve seen since in the televised Star Trek universe had come close. My expectations for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds were rightly tempered by past failures and mediocrity, insert Star: Trek Voyager here. Trekkies and casual fans have a reason to rejoice. The show has hit every mark so far. Let’s hope it stays to true form for the remaining four episodes.

Strange New Worlds is a production of CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, Weed Road Pictures, HMRX Productions, and Roddenberry Entertainment. New episodes premiere every Thursday on Paramount+.

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