There’s no denying thatStar Trek: Strange New Worldsis the most loved of the new era ofStar Trek.Its arrival was met with a huge amount of excitement and the kinds of high expectations that normally spell disaster. Shockingly,SNWseems to have actually exceeded those incredible expectations and then some. It has become the flagshipStar Trekseries on Paramount+ that even makesPicardseem controversial at times. It seems like the entire fandom just wants to have dinner together in Pike’s spacious quarters complete with a full kitchen and enjoyStar Treklike the comfort food it is supposed to be.
So what is it aboutStrange New Worldsthat getsStar Trekso right? Is it the way that the entire ensemble gets things to do while most ofthe crew ofThe Discoverybarely get lines? (Owosekun, Detmer, Rhys, Keen, and Bryce are so underloved on their own series that you probably had to look up which of those names were made up.) Could it be the incredible social commentary? The edge-of-your-seat ship battles? The way Uhura has a character arc for the first time ever? Captain Pike’s perfectly coifed haircut?
While all of that is definitely valid, the main issue underneath the success ofStrange New Worldsis the debate around serialized versus episodic television.
Related:Anson Mount Reacts to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Critics Choice Super Award Nomination
Serialized Vs. Episodic Television
TheStar Trekfranchise has a real up and down relationship when it comes to the idea of serialization versus episodic television. (or, a show with one story throughout the season versus a show with a new story each week.) For a long time, a serializedStar Trekseries was a real dream for fans and writers alike. Star Trek: The Next Generation played heavily with recurring storylines such as Worf’s loss and redemption of his family’s Klingon honor, Data’s quest for humanity, and the plots of Tasha Yar’s Romulan daughter Sela.Star Trek: Deep Space Ninecommitted even more to recurring storylines throughout its run, even becoming semi-serialized (though still episodic by today’s standards) when it entered its enormous “Dominion War” arc. Writers throughout the 90s like Ira Steven Behr and Brannon Braga fought against infamous producer Rick Berman to make the Trek shows of the era more serialized.Star Trek: Voyagerwas famously going to feature an entire season devoted to its “Year of Hell” story arc, but had to settle for a two-parter instead.
Fast-forward several decades later andStar TrekFINALLY had a fully serialized television series that would focus on the Federation-Klingon War which took place beforeThe Original Series.A dream come true, right? Well, perhaps not.
Star Trek: Discovery’sfirst season certainly had its fans (especially of evil captain Gabriel Lorca), but many in theStar Trekcommunity disliked its redesigned Klingons, its darker tone, and the loss of the episodic storylines the franchise was known for. In fact, the brief respites from the season’s storyline, such as the Harry MuddGroundhog Dayepisode “Magic To Make The Sanest Man Go Mad” and the Mirror Universe four-parter, were some of the most-loved episodes of the season.Discoverywould try to reinvent itself several times over the next few seasons, with the introduction of Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike and a whole new timeline to play with, but many longtime fans were still displeased by the series and its focus on season-long mysteries that rarely paid off.
Star Trek: Picardfaced similar problems. Its first season featured a season-long arc that was better received than any ofDiscovery’s, but its second season featured a time traveling Q storyline that had enough story to be a two-parter at best. The season’s weak story, made even weaker by obvious issues with the COVID-19 pandemic and its aging star, pretty much came apart in the middle with episodes devoted to random FBI agents and slow-paced chase scenes through the Picard vineyard. Fans made it clear that they were frustrated with the serialized seasons. Especially when a non-Trekseries was giving them exactly what they wanted.
While the Kurtzman era tried to find a new era forStar Trek,Seth MacFarlane was writing a love letter to theTNGera ofTrek.His series,The Orville,showed the best of the 80s and 90s version ofStar Trek.It had episodic stories, lighthearted episodes, and even a few arcs thrown in for good measure.Many fans considered this series to be the “real"Star Trekwhile the main shows were labeled “nu Trek” or something even more insulting.
What the franchise really needed was a bridge between the frustrated fans of the olderStar Trekand the newer fans who were often first exposed to the series with the JJ AbramsStar Trek (2009).These newer fans appreciatedDiscovery’sdiverse cast,Picard’semotional vulnerability, and theRick and Mortystyle humor ofStar Trek: Lower Decks(which also paid homage to the same episodic Berman era thatThe Orvilledid). While a great deal of fans loved both, the ones more likely to argue on social media seemed to be in one camp or the other.
EnterStar Trek: Strange New Worldswhich proved to be the perfect blend of the so-called “nu Trek”, the Berman Era style stories of the 80s and 90s, and even the 60s style ofStar Trek: The Original Series.Throw in a pitch-perfect performance from Anson Mount as a generation’s Captain, Christopher Pike, and a much younger Spock played by a boyish Ethan Peck, and you’ve got a surefire hit for allStar Trekfans. Not only that, but it offered storylines for pretty much everyone.
Horror, Comedy, and Romance!
The episodic nature ofStar Trek: Strange New Worldscould’ve been fairly dull if the writers had stuck to the same kind of episode each and every week. Instead, they tried to stretch themselves in waysTrekhasn’t done for years. One week there would be a serious science mystery episode like the musically inclined hunk of flying rock from “Children of the Comet” to the body-swapping hijinks of “Spock Amok” and then the sheer terror of dealing with their take on the Gorn in episodes like “Memento Mori” or “All Those Who Wander.”
The series was unafraid to give us campy episodes that transformed theEnterpriseinto a storybook fantasy, make you think about the unethical costs society makes children pay or delve into the Spock/Chapel/T’Pring love triangle fromThe Original Series.The show tried a little bit of everything, and while some things worked better than others, overall the show had more hits than misses. It even gave us perhaps the most painful loss inStar Treksince Jadzia Dax when the lovable Andorian engineer Hemmer lost his life to the Gorn. Not many shows can make you cry, swoon, laugh, think, and cringe in terror likeStrange New Worldscan.
What’s truly incredible aboutStrange New Worldsis the effect it has had on the other series. Fans who scoffed at shows likeStar Trek: DiscoveryorStar Trek: Prodigyare now more willing to give them a shot.Excitement has surrounded the new season ofPicardeven though it has a fully serialized and dark storyline.Could this be a new era of peace and prosperity for theStar Trekfandom now that there’s one show for every kind ofTrekfan?
We’ll find out when the new season ofStar Trek: Discoveryarrives. If everyone actually watches a season-long Michael Burnham adventure and enjoys it (or at the very least quits arguing about it), this really will be a strange new world for the fandom, that is for sure.
Related:Star Trek Picard Season 3 Showrunner Discusses the Biggest Twist of the Season
