Rent Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Series 2 (2023)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Series 2 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

It usually takes a few episodes or a season for a Star Trek series to find its groove. Strange New Worlds is that brilliant exception, where its first season was a wonder of stellar Star Trek staging. For being a spin-off, especially one that telegraphs where its protagonist is headed, there’s a refreshing mixture of ongoing stories and episodic showcasing of excellent sci-fi adventure. If Lower Decks was the postmodern dose of sly comedy, Strange New World is the back-to-basics brilliance of the franchise’s best traits.

Season Two picks up after the cliffhanger of Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) being arrested by Starfleet. While Captain Pike (Anson Mount) organizes a defense, the rest of the Enterprise crew proceed on their adventure, with Spock (Ethan Peck) taking the helm. The two best traits of Star Trek are brilliantly woven into these opening episodes, where the politics of Starfleet is called into question. At the same time, the Enterprise still gets to venture off to new worlds and make discoveries. The adventures are made all the more exciting with the latest addition to the ensemble, Pelia, a long-living engineer played with casual comedy by the always-adorable Carol Kane. The season only gets better from there.

Even when episodes seem to operate on a central type of gimmick or standalone story, there is always a progression. This is best showcased by Spock’s developing romance with Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush). While “Charades” has the presence of a boss-coming-to-dinner comedy, it’s a solid way to advance Spock’s romantic tension, where the Vulcan finds himself kissing after putting on an act for his parents. Later on, in “Subspace Rhapsody,” Starfleet becomes infected with musical fever, leading to an entire musical episode where Spock and Chapel ultimately break up. To have that drama unfold in song is a bold, but refreshing perspective of how the characters don’t slow down amid the more fun diversions. And that’s to say nothing of the conflicted politics of Doctor M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), La'an’s (Christina Chong) dark knowledge of the past, and Ortegas (Melissa Navia) with her increasing instincts.

Everything else that makes Strange New Worlds great in its first season continues into its second season. The special effects remain a highlight, with plenty of exciting sequences and the Starship Enterprise zooming around the galaxy. The many encounters with Gorn and Klingons lead to great debates about tactics, as M’Benga’s encounter with a Klingon brings up aspects of ethics and politics that are anything but simple. There are starship battles, time travel, and even some surprise appearances by other classic Star Trek characters of the Enterprise. It all feels so balanced and exciting that every episode is a banger.

Season two has proven that Strange New Worlds was not just a fluke of a rare perfect season for a Star Trek show. With the many characters given plenty of development and continuity amid familiar types of Trek episodes, there’s much drama and fun to be had with this lovingly crafted show. It’s a Star Trek iteration that can have its Tribble-laced cake and eat it, too, making for what could be one of the best Star Trek shows ever. Time will tell how much better the show can get with season three.