The USS Enterprise is again and boldly returning to its original-series roots in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Beaming all the way down to planets! Weird diseases! Submarines in house! Shirts coming off!
Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount Plus on May 5, with new episodes streaming each Thursday. Right from the off, it is a rollicking return to the normal Trek that longtime followers might’ve missed within the current wave of mold-breaking Star Trek reveals like Discovery, Lower Decks, Prodigy and Picard. From its stirring new tackle the unique collection theme tune and chunky bridge consoles to its square-jawed captain and weekly episodic adventures, the collection is a playfully retro romp.
That stated, Strange New Worlds takes the normal Trek method and stirs in more-modern parts, like deeper character backstories and overarching storylines. But that is far looser than in Discovery and Picard, which had been powered virtually totally by ongoing plotlines.
The collection begins with Captain Christopher Pike hiding out within the snows of Montana after his misadventures in Star Trek: Discovery. You need not have stored up with Discovery: All you should know is he is haunted by visions of his personal loss of life and it is made him sprout an enormous beard. Adventure rapidly intrudes on Pike’s introspection, nonetheless, as a Starfleet shuttle sweeps in and whisks him again to the Enterprise on a rescue mission to avoid wasting his trusty first officer.
Celia Rose Gooding as endearing younger Cadet Uhura in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
James Dimmock/Paramount Plus
And then it is off to the races. In the primary 5 episodes made accessible to press, the Starship Enterprise has a brand new journey every week, doing basic Trek stuff like investigating comets and negotiating treaties. Allegories are unsubtle. Lessons are discovered in private logs. And the manufacturing design additionally sidesteps one in every of my private bugbears about Discovery, that it was meant to be a prequel but appeared extra technologically superior than any of the Trek that supposedly got here after. Strange New Worlds tempers this with its satisfyingly chunky starship aesthetic, all fireplace engine crimson surfaces and bodily management consoles.
Following the daring however considerably divisive departure from the Trek method in Discovery and Picard, it is tempting to see Strange New Worlds as an olive department to disgruntled followers. Within minutes the present mentions Bob April, the USS Archer, Lieutenant Kirk and numerous different bits of continuity which is able to make a Trekker’s pointy ears perk up. Cleverly, although, a few of these references supply a bait-and-switch to maintain you in your toes.
While there are a number of new faces, the present takes its cue from the film reboots to convey us new takes on basic characters like Nurse Chapel and Cadet Uhura, led by Captain Pike and Number One (who appeared within the very first Sixties pilot episode earlier than being changed by the crew we all know and love). And the introduction of troubled younger officer La’an Noonien-Singh is an impressed setup for future drama. I’m significantly intrigued by a teasing glimpse of an authentic collection enemy given a heightened air of menace and worry.
The new Enterprise crew: Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Melissa Navia as Ortegas, Ethan Peck as Spock, Bruce Horak as Hemmer, Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una, Jess Bush as Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an and Baby Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga.
Paramount Plus
At the guts of the present is Anson Mount’s Captain Pike. Sort of a brand new character but additionally kind of an previous one, Pike suffers from being somewhat too just like Captain Kirk. Dispensing down-home, Western-inflected knowledge from the captain’s chair, Pike is principally Kirk with grey streaks. His nation retreat even seems to be like Kirk’s dream dwelling in Generations. But the square-jawed but twinkling Mount is an immensely charming chief, and generously shares the highlight with a crew of officers who’re extra rounded than earlier bridge crews.
Celia Rose Gooding is especially endearing as younger Cadet Uhura, whereas Christina Chong will get the meatiest drama as La’an. For my cash, Ethan Peck is not as Spock-y because the smoldering Zachary Quinto within the films, however his dynamic with the remainder of the crew is enjoyable to observe. Rebecca Romijn has a little bit of a thankless job taking part in a stern first officer who is not Spock, however the present offers her sufficient house and a spotlight to slowly develop a personality of her personal.
While Strange New Worlds positively hearkens again to the unique collection, that does not imply it is staid or overly reverent. It’s playful, zingy stuff, pushed by a various solid having enjoyable working round of their smooth Starfleet uniforms. When I say the collection takes its cue from the film reboot (starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura), I imply that these are youthful variations of the acquainted characters. Younger, and sexier. Spock has his shirt off within the first 10 minutes, and is rapidly tractor-beamed towards a love triangle with Chapel’s adorkable flirt, sparkily performed by Jess Bush.
And just like the film reboots and up to date TV reveals, the general tone is playful and quippy. These Starfleet officers in some way make time for Joss Whedon-esque banter and soul-baring emotional confessions even at life-and-death moments. This retains issues energetic, although your mileage might fluctuate with a relentless barrage of strains like, “We positively pissed them off!” whereas they’re meant to be busy dodging photon torpedoes. Also, it’s possible you’ll roll your eyes at every successively extra melodramatic revelation of overwrought tragic backstory for seemingly everybody on the ship.
Still, Strange New Worlds is the Paramount Plus Trek present that lastly relaxes and embraces the basic Trek format, whereas nonetheless feeling recent and fashionable. It jogged my memory of the 2005 Doctor Who revival: Clearly made with love by followers of the unique collection, it jazzes up the theme tune, seems to be deeper into the emotional dynamics between characters and whisks you off your ft with fast-paced motion. If that bugs you, nicely, return to your starbase and your authentic collection VHS, Admiral Fun-Sponge.
It stays to be seen how this new collection will develop its ongoing plot threads by means of its episodic format. But at first look, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is pleasurable, irreverent hokum. Sure, beam me up, why not.
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