Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura Rebecca Romijn as Number One Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga Jess Bush as Christine Chapel Dan Jeannotte as Sam Kirk
Its two-minute-long trailer promised a return to form with the Enterprise crew charting the stars and pushing boundaries. Along with color uniforms, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is arguably the most similar to Star Trek: The Original Series – just with more advanced special effects.
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Back in 2009, J. J. Abrams brought Star Trek to the big screen for the first time in years. Younger generations were offered the opportunity to understand why this franchise has remained a staple of pop culture since the 1960s. Starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk & Zachary Quinto as Spock, the film immediately became the face of Star Trek’s newest revival. Its basic premise explored a timeline different from what fans know of as Star Trek canon. While not everyone was a fan of the alternative timeline it introduced, it undoubtedly brought in a significant wave of new Trekkies.
This triumphant comeback eventually led to the creation of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017 and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in 2022. Similarly, these additions to the franchise also explored storylines that deviated from that of Star Trek: The Original Series. In one, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) plays Spock’s sister and the series explores why she’s later no longer in his life. In the other, fans get a whole new perspective on Pike, Uhura, Chapel, M’Benga, and Kirk. The common theme – possibly stemming from the reboot movies – is a willingness to play with the original story.
However, therein lies the concern. The more new Star Trek projects bring in new facets of old stories, the more confusing it can be for anyone trying to keep track of exactly what’s going on. Unlike the MCU, the franchise has not been bogged down by licensing issues or barriers to specific characters, which can cause problems with touching on specific plotlines. Yet, it has faced its share of issues when it comes to figuring out how all the different movies and TV shows – live-action or otherwise – tie in with each other. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds does not fix this, but it does attempt to fill in blanks with the storylines of specific characters. It also tries to provide fans with a better sense of who each character is, as well as how this series fits into the bigger Star Trek universe.
In some ways, trange New Worlds fits right in with the franchise. According to writer John Orquiola, the series is “adept at switching genres, from sci-fi, to drama, and even to comedy.” Orquiola also points out how it “[embraces] the episodic style of Star Trek: The Original Series,” leaving fans with no way to predict “where the Enterprise will go” next. The series even gives fans a new look into what happened to Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) during his sporadic appearances in the original series. Season 1’s unaired pilot episode, “The Cage,” shows Pike at the helm of the Enterprise during a strange alien encounter. The same episode was later used as a reference point in S2 Ep11 & 12 to explain why Spock (Leonard Nimoy) risks his career to help the permanently disabled former Captain Pike. In other ways, however, the newest live-action series offers up new pieces of the franchise puzzle that don’t really fit into a larger narrative.
This is where Star Trek: Strange New Worlds starts to lose some Trekkies. For example, it revives the relationship between Spock and T’Pring, the woman he was betrothed to at a young age. This is where the similarities end as far as depictions within each series, and it’s caused some confusion. In Star Trek: The Original Series, it’s implied that Spock (Nimoy) & T’Pring (Arlene Martel) have not been in contact since they were betrothed as children. T’Pring herself has very little impact on the storyline other than setting up the main conflict. In Strange New Worlds, though, Spock (Ethan Peck) & T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) are in a committed relationship, complete with internal conflict and a surprisingly active sex life. For a series that’s supposed to lead up to the original, this is but one example of the minor wrenches thrown into any attempt at continuity.
Of course, not everyone is as skeptical of continuity in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Whether it’s embracing T’Pring’s new characterization or celebrating new additions to Pike’s story, many fans just want to enjoy the ride. They’re taking in new information with less concern about how it matches up to what they know about The Original Series. Rather, they just appreciate the newest series being able to dabble in mature themes while also not taking itself too seriously.
The series has captivated audiences with its diverse storytelling, galactic adventures, and – more importantly – its commitment to reminding fans why they fell in love with Star Trek in the first place. It can get serious at times. It can also laugh at its own absurdities and revel in the wonder of taking chances with familiar characters. Continuity may not always be its first concern, but its mission is always bravely exploring the unexplored.
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Source: How Many Strange New Worlds Did Season 1 Really Explore?
