Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season One (ten episodes), 2022, 4K UHD
How refreshing, something that lives up to the hype: this was pretty great. Genuinely a whole lot of fun, I had such a blast watching this over the past week – so glad I waited for the 4K release (plaudits to CBS/Paramount for announcing the 4K set before the Blu-ray set came out several weeks ago). While this series wasn’t perfect, and I took exception to SOME of the decisions made (space doesn’t seem to be at a premium on these Constitution-class ships; the rooms are bloody massive), on the whole, yeah, it really was pretty great- the best Star Trek since The Original Series.
What? The best Star Trek since The Original Series? Yeah, probably so. To be honest, its likely unfair to compare just ten episodes of a series to The Next Generation’s 176 episodes across seven seasons- the proof of how good Strange New Worlds really is won’t be apparent until it has itself has run four or five seasons but I think they have struck gold here. Strange indeed, after suffering through Discovery and Picard.
I mention TNG in particular because, well, while SNW gets lots of plaudits for channelling the spirit of TOS, its very much as indebted to TNG as it is the original show: its like a clever hybrid, really, of the two. Like TNG, SNW is much more of an ensemble show, less dominated by its main protagonist -in this case, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) – than TOS was with its Captain Kirk. Typical of television shows back in the 1960s, TOS was always pushing the supporting cast way, way in the background, making it clear who the stars of the show were (and even then, the whole Kirk/Spock thing caused friction behind the scenes). Indeed, its curious just how much both Pike and Spock take a back seat in some of the show’s episodes, and very often the writing feels as much as if it were something written in TNG’s prime as much as something written for TOS; certainly a more positive, utopian approach than the increasingly dark, pessimistic view of other, more recent Treks.
Paywalls being what they are, I won’t be watching the second season arriving next month on Paramount+; so instead I’ll likely be busy avoiding most spoilers until I get to see it on 4K disc next year, hopefully, maybe. Oh well, I can certainly give these first season episodes a rewatch to tide me over…
the ghost of 82 
I was surprised that this show was actually good
Yeah, it broke the trend of woeful Trek. Maybe there’s hope for Star Wars yet…
Well, that’s just cost me £40 I didn’t have.
I hope you enjoy it- let me know what you think.
About halfway through and really enjoying it.
The writing flags occasionally but visually it’s such a treat. I really like the glossy, shiny design work: after the gloom of Discovery and Picard, where all the interiors seemed to be painted black, it’s a treat to see a big bright Enterprise. The interiors put the plywood and plastic sets of the 80s/90s Trek to shame.
And lovely characters. I like the idea – as I did in Discovery – of the Federation as a campus for bright young things full of energy and hormones and emotion, being guided by benevolent older guardians.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Hope all is OK there? It’s gone very quiet.
Glad you’re enjoying it; I rewatched the first episode a few nights ago and it left me so tempted to just go through it all again. It isn’t perfect but it holds the promise it could be- I so hope they don’t screw things up in the second season. I always have the fear that showrunners enjoy great success with something and assume its for things that aren’t strictly true, resulting in them going off in a direction that spoils things. Like, they think everyone loves the whole Spock/Nurse Chapel/T’Pring thing more than anything else and make the show some kind of ludicrous soap opera/romantic-triangle drama in season three. While I enjoy many of the call-outs to Trek lore etc, I want them actually, er, exploring strange new worlds- I remember how everything felt new in TOS, I’d like more of that. Maybe even employ some genuine sci-fi writers like TOS did.
Meanwhile, yeah all ok here. Well, sort-of. Just been busy of late, time always seems at such a premium, and I haven’t been away on holiday in two years now so maybe worn-out a little. Haven’t been able to watch much. I did take time-out to do some art (nearest thing to therapy here). To my horror I’d realised I hadn’t touched a brush in more than seven years so I finally got messing around with all the art supplies gathering dust, trying oil painting for the first time ever. That’s done now -I’ll put something up on the blog about it maybe- and I’ve a few films to write about when I get chance.
Well, just finished it this evening. There was a pause in the middle whilst the house was being redecorated and everything was in disarray.
It’s a pleasant watch – not a keeper, and it’s up for sale already. The strengths are the extremely likeable characters and the sleek look of the show, but the writing very much has its ups and downs.
And I have to admit, I skipped most of the storybook episode: as soon as it became clear this was going to be an hour of whimsy I just couldn’t face it.
Glad I watched it, though I won’t be buying the second season to catch up with that. If it turns up free somewhere eventually that’ll do for me.
The first episode of season two is up on the Paramount+ YouTube channel, its not a bad tease for what may be ahead for the show (I just have to wait for an eventual disc release next year). Hard to believe the good old days when new Trek turned up free on tv. Progress, eh?