Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Paramount+ keeps beaming up "Star Treks" whether needed or not, but its latest, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," draws more heavily on the original series ...

From that perspective, "Strange New Worlds" is basically mistitled. It's a departure from the serialized template of something like "Picard," "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" premieres May 5 on Paramount+.

Strange New Worlds is set directly after the events of Discovery Season 2, which first introduced the new iterations of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), ...

It's as if the show is talking directly to the audience and saying, "We know that you know how this is supposed to go, but keep watching, and you might be surprised." In a way, Strange New Worlds is Star Trek finally making the show they had planned from the beginning. Strange New Worlds is set directly after the events of Discovery Season 2, which first introduced the new iterations of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Vulcan science officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), and ended up being so popular that they were granted their own spinoff show. Pike is reluctant to get back into the swing of things but game once he's in the captain's chair, trading familiar quips with his towering Amazon Number One, who makes the 1960s high ponytail look natural in 2022, somehow. Since Star Trek: Discovery premiered in the fall of 2017, Paramount has treated us to a veritable wealth of Star Trek stories on our small screens, from Disco's epic that took us through the Klingon war and beyond, to the hilarious animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks, to catching up with a fan-favorite retired captain in Star Trek: Picard. There's something for everyone in all of these, but despite all the love the fans seem to agree that there's something missing from the format, particularly in the live-action shows. Part of the joy of a Star Trek show, from the very beginning, was the anticipation of seeing something completely new every week as the USS Enterprise bounced around the universe meeting alien races and soaking up the rays from distant suns.

From familiar planets to Enterprise captains, to the complicated history of Star Trek, here's how Strange New Worlds episode 1 dives deep into the ...

This is a slight retcon that Star Trek canon has been grappling with since TOS. In “Space Seed,” Spock mentioned that the Eugenics Wars were fought in the 1990s and that it was the last of your “so-called World Wars.” However, in TNG, WWIII and “the Eugenics Wars” were posited as separate events. April tells Pike and the crew that General Order 1 will now be called “the Prime Directive.” Pike scoffs at this saying the term will “never stick.” This of course is an inside joke. Number One refers to “zero point,” saying it’s “where we and the crew of Discovery opened up a wormhole to the future. Pike seems to roll the concepts of “the Second Civil War,” “the Eugenics Wars” and WWIII, all into one time period. As Spock shows Pike and La’an a map of “worlds in this sector with warp,” he uses his hands, casually, to point at the screen, and change what’s being displayed without touching it. What once sounded like a “mistake” now is part of the real-deal sound. Pike did two five-year missions, but not back-to-back, and we know that because there’s some non-five-year-mission action in there during the Klingon War and Discovery season 2 (in fact, right now, canon puts “The Cage” in 2254, which would be close to the end of Pike’s first five-year-mission.) Here’s a funny thing: Of all the points in the Star Trek chronology, the exact years of The Original Series have a tiny bit of wiggle room. Spock mentions to Pike that it’s been about “three months” since the events of Discovery season 2, which could imply this is still 2258, or maybe a bit later. Spock mentions the Klingon Moon Boreth, which is where Pike had his future vision in Discovery. Boreth was first introduced in a TNG episode called “Rightful Heir.” At that time, time crystals were not discussed, and Worf was seeking spiritual enlightenment. Throughout the episode, Pike and Number One both mention events that are “classified.” As Una makes clear toward the end of the episode, they’re talking about the ending of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, in which crews of both Enterprise and Discovery fought the evil AI known as Control, and Discovery opened a time portal wormhole to the future. Well, in Star Trek: Picard season 2, we learn Rick and Morty exist in the Trek timeline, which suggests that Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan also exists in the backstory of Trek, somehow.

Mount and Ethan Peck also discuss Pike and Spock, 'one of the most revered relationships, not just in science fiction, but in television history.'

I think that he is so much farther ahead in his development as a man than I was at his age and I have a great admiration for him as a person and as an actor. That and the conversation they have in the Strange New Worlds premiere is “very” indicative of their relationship on the new series, Peck says. I can’t stop seeing it.” Spock suggests that “knowledge of death is vital for effective leadership,” but “knowledge is one thing,” Pike says. So yeah, that sort of indicates a great amount of respect, of curiosity between the two characters. He has a completely different personality and sense of insight and humor than any other character on the show.” We also learn that Pike requested Kirk. It’s after Pike returns to the bridge at the end of the episode, having decided that he will be staying on and not returning to his cabin (and beard) that Kirk makes his debut — Samuel Kirk ( Dan Jeannotte), James’ brother, that is.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" breaks new ground among the more recent "Trek" shows by going back to the old ways of the franchise.

to be associated with that is kind of confusing and strange, but at the same time, it’s been the most incredible journey. Interestingly, both Peck and Mount have been living with these characters since 2019 when they first appeared on “Discovery” Season 2. At multiple points in “Strange New Worlds,” that knowledge causes him considerable stress. And that, in a strange backdoor way, is tied up in his identity.” “The show is episodic but the characters have memory,” as Mount puts it. We wanted to reinvigorate that sense of excitement.”

In this prequel, the USS Enterprise is under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). In the original “Star Trek,” the character of Pike was seen ...

The series is created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. The more robust version of Pike has been revived and was earlier seen in the Paramount Plus series, “Star Trek: Discovery.” In “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” Pike commands a crew that includes the younger versions of such characters as Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn). Paramount Plus is launching yet another “Star Trek” spinoff with “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which begins streaming on Thursday. The new series actually hearkens back to the circa-1960s “Star Trek,” with mission-of-the-week plotlines and characters fans of the original series will recognize.