There are over 600 canonical hours of Star Trek out there, some of which are the finest hours of television out there. Due to the expansiveness of the Trek franchise, there have been dozens of different tones and iterations of these stories. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds offers a sampling of these many different tones while still remaining a consistently exciting and fun show.

What I have always loved about Star Trek was that it became its own medium with as many different science fiction stories as possible. I also adore the positivity that Star Trek exudes, as even during episodes dealing with darker themes, there is always another episode with the feelings of positivity and discovery. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is an episodic show, and it is all the better for it. Each episode is its own little adventure that jumps around in tone and topic. One episode can be about a planet that makes people forget who they are and another can be a gripping war story about a character’s trauma. All of these episodes flow well together because of how wonderfully written each character is and how great the cast fits in each of their roles.

Speaking of the cast, each character gets a moment to shine throughout the ten-episode season. Anson Mount is brilliant as Captain Christopher Pike, a character that knows he only has so long to live and uses that to his advantage. Ethan Peck gets a really fun turn as Spock. It is very difficult to pull off a character who embodies Star Trek for a lot of people, but Peck really nails the tone of the series.  Rebecca Romijn plays Una, a character who had been emotionally guarded in the previous season, but is given the chance to really open up this season. Babs Olusanmokun plays the most weighty role this season as Dr. M'Benga and is able to add a lot of gravitas to the show. Celia Rose Gooding and Melissa Navia play Uhura and Ortegas respectively and add some levity to the season.

My two favorite performances of the season come from Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh and Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chappel. Both characters and their relationships with others get a lot of focus this season. While the romantic aspects of the show could come off as relatively cheesy (especially since we already know the fate of these relationships), these performances sell them incredibly well. They are both the heart of the show and I hope to see more of these actresses in more things. I’ve come to care for each and every member of this specific crew on the Enterprise.

Season 2 of Strange New Worlds has some of the most fun episodes of TV that have come out this year. For instance, “Those Old Scientists”, a crossover episode with the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks, could have easily come off as a throwaway episode. Instead, it is one of the most pivotal episodes of the season with a lot of really important character moments. Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome guest star here as their animated characters and get a lot of good bits to do during their short tenure on the Enterprise. My favorite episode of the season, though, has to be the musical episode “Subspace Rhapsody.” Throughout the 600 hours of Star Trek, there has never been an episode where a starship crew spontaneously burst into song. This episode easily could have jumped the shark and been a bit too goofy. Instead, it soars. In the episode, the Enterprise crew comes across a force that makes them sing out their feelings, following the rules of a musical. Each performer is given the ability to show off their singing chops with some really well-written songs. The choreography of the episode is also really strong, as even the Enterprise gets to dance a bit! The episode also has maybe the funniest moment of all of Star Trek, which you’ll know the second when you see it. What’s also nice is that La’an and Uhura get to be the focus of the episode, and they really come into their own. Since the crew are forced to sing their feelings, we get to see their thoughts in a way we would not have been able to in a typical episode. Music allows us to feel emotions in a way dialogue cannot do on its own, and “Subspace Rhapsody” vehemently understands this.

Though it has its fun, this season is also not afraid to get dark. “Under the Cloak of War” asks some rather introspective questions about war and forgiveness that have stuck with me since the episode aired. “Hegemony,” the season finale, replicates a zombie apocalypse film by replacing zombies with the reptilian alien species of the Gorn. There is a sadness in all of the relationships during the show, since we know that the crew will eventually disband to make way for the Enterprise crew of the original series. The writers of the show play with this to make the Star Trek: Strange New World characters even more compelling.

The show is visually quite terrific with some truly lavish production design, as I adore how the Enterprise looks in this show. The costuming is also quite exceptional, and I love how the Strange New Worlds uniforms are as colorful as the original show’s uniforms.  This is a very VFX-heavy show, so thankfully it all looks strong. The Gorn in the series finale are a mixture of CGI and some absolutely phenomenal practical effects. It’s tremendous to see puppets used as monsters, and I sincerely hope that Star Trek continues to use practical effects.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds provides a collection of wonderful science fiction adventures that are all unique in their own right. The second season’s offerings are some of Star Trek’s strongest. This season also ends on a really solid cliffhanger in classic Star Trek fashion, so I cannot wait for the third season. Whether you are a seasoned Trekkie or a beginner, Strange New Worlds has been a great addition to the Star Trek universe, and I highly recommend joining in on the expedition. 

9/10