After two long years, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is returning later this summer. The first five episodes were sent out for review well in advance of the Season 3 premiere, which falls just before San Diego Comic-Con on July 17. While there are certainly some big swings and interesting concepts in the first half of the season, Strange New Worlds is beginning to lose some of that Star Trek magic. In a franchise known for going boldly and pushing boundaries, Strange New Worlds Season 3 has pumped the brakes in many ways. While the series is continuing to take advantage of the episodic nature of its storytelling, that may also be hindering its forward movement.
While the majority of Star Trek shows follow an episodic format, the majority of those shows also had 22-episode seasons that were aired on network television rather than 10 episodes on a streaming service. Three seasons in, many characters in Strange New Worlds are still underdeveloped — including those with decades-long legacies within the franchise. With the news earlier this week that the series is set to end with a fifth and final season, it’s time for Strange New Worlds to start pushing boundaries instead of just attempting to appeal to the broadest audience possible.
What Is ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 About?
When we last left the crew of the Enterprise back in August 2023, they were caught between a rock and a hard place, with half the crew abducted by the Gorn and orders from Starfleet to retreat. Due to the episodic format, Strange New Worlds doesn’t have a strong overarching plot; however, the Gorn threat is both swiftly addressed in the premiere and lightly threaded beyond it in an intriguing way that may pay off by the end of the season. The season opens with a solid premiere, with some decent character work for La’an (Christina Chong) and Ortegas (Melissa Navia) in particular.
The rest of the first half of the season sees Strange New Worlds delve into a range of genres, including romantic comedy, horror, murder mystery, and an Indiana Jones-style adventure episode. While your mileage may vary from episode to episode, Strange New Worlds delivers its best when it gets weird and pushes the very boundaries of what we expect from a Star Trek show. While none of the first five episodes live up to the heights of Season 2’s “Those Old Scientists,” “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” or even the controversial musical episode, “Subspace Rhapsody,” the murder mystery episode, shown in the first teaser is easily the stand out of the bunch.
It comes as no surprise that that particular episode is helmed by franchise veteran Jonathan Frakes. While it’s not without a few issues, that episode, written by Dana Horgan and Kathryn Lyn, it’s Strange New Worlds at its best — pushing engaging concepts while having fun within the incredible sandbox established by the rest of the franchise. The second episode of the season, written by Kristen Byer and David Reed and directed by Jordan Canning, also features elements that will likely delight fans of Voyager and The Next Generation, with a hilarious misadventure that feels like a Star Trek novel come to life. The horror episode is the most compelling of the season’s more serious offerings. Written by Onitra Johnson and Bill Wolkoff and directed by Dan Liu, the third episode of the season sees an away party come face to face with a particular horror sub-genre that the Star Trek franchise has rarely touched on.
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Takes a Step Backward With Its Characters
Strange New Worlds Season 3 almost feels like a step backward in terms of character development and certain narrative elements. While the new episodes deliver plenty of romance, especially for Spock (Ethan Peck), there are still no explicitly queer characters within the show and the majority of the romantic relationships are wildly underdeveloped despite having been featured in the series for quite some time. Spock doesn’t get a lot to do in these first five episodes beyond living out his own personal version of a high school love triangle. Likewise, Pike’s (Anson Mount) relationship with Batel (Melanie Scrofano) has been an element of the series since its pilot episode, and yet halfway through Season 3, we still know so little about her as a person beyond him. While it’s always a delight to see Scrofano, and she even has a slightly expanded role in this season, Batel’s personal character growth is non-existent, and she primarily exists to give Pike someone to worry about.
On the bright side, La’an, Ortegas, and Chapel (Jess Bush) get a modicum of development. La’an is the most interesting character of Season 3 by leaps and bounds as she gets to take on a lighter role after processing some of the trauma of her past hanging over her in the first two seasons. Conversely, Ortegas gets a tiny amount of depth beyond “flying the ship” after the opening episode uncovers some old PTSD from the Klingon war. Season 3 also introduces her brother, though he seems to be more of a love interest for Uhura than a window into Ortegas’ personal life. Meanwhile, Chapel returns from her fellowship with a new beau in tow. Fans of the Original Series will recognize him as her future ex-fiancé, Roger Korby (Cillian O’Sullivan). And while we won’t spoil how the romances play out, Season 3 has treats for both Spock/Chapel shippers and those who are hoping to see them explore other options.
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The Fate of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Has Been Decided Ahead of Season 3
The new season arrives next month.
For the most part, however, Strange New Worlds Season 3 lacks major character development across the board — Una (Rebecca Romijn) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) nearly blend into the background for these five episodes. The series may be attempting to appeal to a more outdated sector of the Star Trek audience by lacking a distinct sense of the very ideals that the franchise was built upon. Beyond lacking queer characters in the year 2025, the series also lacks many aliens, with those that are different mostly blending as entirely humanoid until it’s plot relevant. Season 3 even lacks the teeth that the series had in its pilot, which saw Pike take a strong stand against fascism on a planet that was on the verge of destroying itself. While hope is imperative to a Star Trek series, it no longer feels like Strange New Worlds has much to say about the world. The few things the series does have to say lack nuance, as questionable elements of AI and religion are both briefly touched on. However, neither is addressed long enough to make a real impact.
‘Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Is the Middle of the Road, Literally and Figuratively
Watching Strange New Worlds Season 3 feels like going through every stage of the “we’re so back” / “it’s so over” meme. For all of its drawbacks, there are certainly bright moments to look forward to in these first five episodes. Gooding gets to deliver another standout monologue that speaks to the core elements of Star Trek and what it means to people. It’s the kind of moment that the series needs to chase more of, and it comes amidst the murder mystery episode, which plays into some very fun meta elements and allows the series to take a lighter look at the franchise’s origins. Babs Olusanmokun and Martin Quinn get some solid moments as M’Benga and Scotty amid the overfull ensemble. Olusanmokun continues to bring a gravitas to the series that fills his scenes with a certain depth that is missed when he’s not around. Meanwhile, Quinn is a welcome addition to the series, and his comedic timing is well-balanced with the burden of responsibility resting heavily on someone so young.
Rhys Darby also gets to have a lot of fun in his one-off appearance, and he’s a perfect fit for the mystery character. Carol Kane‘s Pelia bops in and out of these first few episodes, taking a backseat to the introduction of Scotty; however, every moment that does feature the legendary comedic actress is better for it. While he’s only featured in one of the first five episodes, Paul Wesley proves yet again that he’s the perfect person to play Kirk while leaning into some incredibly campy meta commentary on William Shatner‘s take on the role. Strange New Worlds has the potential to deliver the kinds of episodes that Gene Roddenberry and company could only dream of in the 1960s, which makes it frustrating to see the show pull back on some of the elements that make Star Trek such a powerful franchise. With another two and a half seasons ahead, we can only hope that Strange New Worlds leans into the essence of its title and pushes the boundaries of science fiction while it still can.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres on July 17 with two new episodes. You can stream the first two seasons on Paramount+ now.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 stumbles as bold ideas take a backseat to lukewarm episodes that lack character development.
Release Date
May 5, 2022
Network
Paramount+
Showrunner
Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
- Christina Chong is a standout and La’an gets to explore some interesting new sides of her character.
- The murder mystery episode is an early favorite that plays with fun meta commentary on the franchise while delivering an engaging story.
- The introduction of Roger Korby brings a welcome shake-up to the ongoing angst between Spock and Chapel.
- The episodic format makes character development feel like an afterthought as narratives still feel as though they’re designed to be picked up by viewers who haven’t seen every episode.
- Despite being featured more, Melanie Scrofano’s Batel lacks personality and agency beyond her relationship with Pike.
- The ensemble almost feels too full as new characters continue to join while we still know little about some who’ve been around since the pilot.
