By Well Sewn Staff
Classic science fiction, in its purest form, does more than provide momentary escapism from reality. The truly standout pieces of the genre establish a commentary track for our society, even those set in far distant times, on alien worlds that defy our conventions, to be enjoyed by all groups: children with vivid imaginations, passionate lifelong fans, even connoisseurs who debate philosophical meaning over cigars and brandy. Science fiction inspires us to look forward and inward simultaneously, creating a panoply of who we are now and who we mean to become.
For years, Star Trek has been setting the standard as the intellectual heavyweight of the genre in cinema and television, boldly inspiring countless generations not only to look up at the stars with wistful dreams of future technology and the promise of gallivanting off towards the heavens, but also to examine our own modern prejudices and precepts which we cling to in modern times. Recent series such as Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard have sought to infuse darker, grittier themes into the franchise, depriving longtime fans of the franchise’s hallmark optimism.
That optimism is on full display once again with the franchise’s newest series, however. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds emerged through the machinations of the second season story arc of Discovery, setting the stage for an impressive fan campaign to bring a spin-off to fruition. That campaign brought Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck) and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise to our screen in the newest Trek property, in effect making it an indirect pickup of the original pilot episode, which was unaired. Replaced with a re-worked pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, which served as the pilot for the original series, the unused original pilot, “The Cage” finished production all the way back in 1965, and with Strange New Worlds airing, those 57 years now mark the longest time ever for a pilot episode to make it to a full series production order.
Immediately, fans of the classic Star Trek formula will be sold on the newest crew to helm our beloved Enterprise, from Anson Mount’s return as the debonair captain with a heart of gold, to his mysterious first officer whose backstory we finally begin to see fleshed out after all these years. Joining Mount and Romijn as series leads is Ethan Peck, who, like Zachary Quinto in the Kelvin-timeline series of films by J.J. Abrams, has the mighty task of filling the shoes of the late, great Leonard Nimoy in the role of Spock. Peck ably adapts to the pressure by turning in a performance so on-point, even Nimoy himself would think he were watching his younger self at work.
From the series opener (the eponymous “Strange New Worlds”) onward, the viewer feels as though this crew is in fact a crew that cares for one another. Often times the personal angst and darker vibes in Strange New Worlds sibling series Discovery and Picard lead to the absence of that warmth and camaraderie. Here, the crew work together as a family from the drop of the hat with nary a betrayal or secret sleeper agent in sight. Such a change of pace back to the old formula is, in a strange twist, refreshing and new for the franchise in recent years. The chemistry between the crew on set is palpable, as you truly feel as though you are witnessing a family at work onboard the Enterprise.
Speaking of the beloved flagship of the Federation, the Enterprise is in all her glory in Strange New Worlds, continuing on from her cameo appearances in Discovery by updating the visual look from the original series with modern graphics and design. The special effects on the show are, in a word, breathtaking, and the musical scores hit all the right notes. During a particularly tense moment during episode four, entitled “Memento Mori”, the showrunners manage to take a cheesy villain from the classic series in the Gorn and turn them into a menacing, gripping threat, creating an atmosphere that almost feels ripped out of Das Boot and other World War II submarine films.
Other cast standouts include Melissa Navia as wisecracking helmsman Erica Ortegas, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel and young Celia Rose Gooding as the incomparable Nyota Uhura during her early days as a cadet in Starfleet. Far from the classic Uhura that we are familiar with, Gooding’s Cadet Uhura finds herself at a crossroads in life, unsure of where she is going or what her purpose is. This sets up a particularly beautiful on-screen friendship with Bruce Horak’s Aenar engineer character, Hemmer, that pays off wonderfully in the ninth episode “All Those Who Wander.” Babs Olusanmokun does great service to the character of Dr. M’Benga from The Original Series with a story arc involving his ill daughter and the choices that he has to make to help keep her alive long enough to find a cure.
The ten episode-run of the first season produced ten immensely entertaining episodes, a feat that rates the first season of Strange New Worlds as arguably the best debut for a Trek series since, and possibly even surpassing, The Original Series. It is a series built on the themes that Trek fans around the world grew up idolizing: teamwork, friendship in the face of adversity, and unhindered hope for a better future. Far from the grim prognostications of its sibling series, Strange New Worlds returns us to that classic ethos of looking forward to Star Trek’s fictional future, that one day we may embrace infinite diversity in infinite combinations in peaceful coexistence in our own world, and find our way exploring strange, brilliant new worlds beyond our own.
