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Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 2 - Subspace Rhapsody (Original Series Soundtrack)

August 4, 2023 11 Songs, 32 minutes ℗ 2023 Lakeshore Records

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'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2: Tracklist Revealed for Musical Episode

The entire crew of the USS Enterprise is set to sing their hearts out on Paramount+ this week.

The Big Picture

• Strange New Worlds is venturing into new territory with Star Trek 's first-ever musical episode, titled "Subspace Rhapsody."
• The upcoming musical episode features eleven tracks from various artists and includes the vocal talents of Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, and more.
• "Subspace Rhapsody" will premiere on Paramount+ on August 3.

A Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode is something fans never expected to fall into their laps, and now it's right around the corner! Set to air on August 3, the second season's ninth episode will mark the franchise's first foray into the musical realm. While widely considered a risky move — given the show's sci-fi, drama, and adventure aspects — Season 2's bold exploration of comedic elements has only added extra layers to the show's complex premise. Of course, while some are skeptical about Strange New Worlds delving into the musical route, we only have to trust the creatives behind the series , who are currently on strike for better wages and working conditions , to provide a triumphant musical episode. In order to give audiences a look at what to expect from Episode 9, Apple Music (via Screenrant ) has unveiled the track titles from the upcoming episode, including all the USS Enterprise crew involved in the musical production.

Serving as the first musical episode in the entire Star Trek franchise , the upcoming " Subspace Rhapsody " episode is something unexpected. But considering Strange New Worlds ' previous Star Trek: Lower Decks crossover , a musical episode is not a big surprise, although greatly unpredicted. The album, titled Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 - Subspace Rhapsody (Original Series Soundtrack) , features eleven tracks from various artists, with music and lyrics from lyrics by Letters To Cleo 's Kay Hanley and Tom Polce , featuring the vocal talents of Anson Mount (Christopher Pike), Rebecca Romijn (Una Chin-Riley), Christina Chong (La'an Noonien-Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Nyota Uhura) and more.

The songs included in the tracklist are as follows: "Star Trek Strange New Worlds Main Title (Subspace Rhapsody Version)," "Status Report," "Connect To Your Truth," "How Would That Feel," "Private Conversation," "Keeping Secrets," "I'm Ready," "I'm the X," "Keep Us Connected," "We Are One," and "Subspace Rhapsody End Credit Medley."

Strange New Worlds ’ Episodic Structure Lends Itself to Almost Any Genre, Including Musical

A musical may seem like an outrageous concept for the popular franchise, but Strange New Worlds ' episodic format allowed the show's creators to experiment with a range of creative choices. After exploring different genres, from comedy and sci-fi to horror and drama, musical is the next genre the team behind the show will be dipping their toes into.

Aboard the USS Enterprise, Captain Pike (Mount) and the rest of the crew continue their galactic explorations in Season 2. The series stars also include Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, Carol Kane as Pelia, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga, and Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk.

"Subspace Rhapsody" airs on Paramount+ on August 3. You can watch the teaser for the episode below.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Soundtrack

• Action TV Series , Adventure TV Series , Apple TV , Canal+ , Claro TV+ , Crave , CTV , Paramount+ , Ruutu , Sci-Fi TV Series , SkyShowtime , Strim , TV Series , TV2 Play , TVNZ+

Season 2 • Episode 1: ‘The Broken Circle’ (S02E01)

Season 2 • Episode 2: ‘Ad Astra Per Aspera’ (S02E02)

Season 2 • episode 3: ‘tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’ (s02e03), season 2 • episode 4: ‘among the lotus eaters’ (s02e04), season 2 • episode 5: ‘charades’ (s02e05), season 2 • episode 6: ‘lost in translation’ (s02e06), season 2 • episode 7: ‘those old scientists’ (s02e07), season 2 • episode 8: ‘under the cloak of war’ (s02e08), season 2 • episode 9: ‘subspace rhapsody’ (s02e09).

Season 2 • Episode 10: ‘Hegemony’ (S02E10)

Category: Action TV Series , Adventure TV Series , Apple TV , Canal+ , Claro TV+ , Crave , CTV , Paramount+ , Ruutu , Sci-Fi TV Series , SkyShowtime , Strim , TV Series , TV2 Play , TVNZ+

IMDB: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

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Strange New Worlds Kicks off Its Musical Episode With a Surprisingly Subversive Song

Strange New Worlds' musical episode mostly uses original songs. But it starts with an old standby that's far more subversive than the show admits.

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 9, "Subspace Rhapsody," now streaming on Paramount+.

Musical episodes have become a standard for television shows, fueled by the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6, Episode 7, "Once More with Feeling." The Star Trek franchise gets onboard with Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 6, "Subspace Rhapsody," as a quantum singularity causes the crew to spontaneously break out in choreographed musical numbers. It's hardly an original moment, but it gives fans a breather after the previous episode -- "Under the Cloak of War" -- went very dark. It also gives the characters a chance to sort through their various relationships, which have lately taken a turn for the messy.

Though most of the episode's songs are original, it starts with a telling number: "Anything Goes" by Cole Porter, which Uhura describes as "something from the Great American Songbook." It's used as an obvious harbinger of the zany mayhem to come, but there's a deeper connection that the episode declines to acknowledge. Not only is it a supremely appropriate warm-up for a musical set onboard a starship, but it carries subversiveness that goes far beyond a little singing and dancing.

RELATED: REVIEW: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 9 Pulls Out the Stops for Its Musical

"Anything Goes" Sets the Pace for Strange New Worlds

Porter wrote "Anything Goes" in 1934 as part of a Broadway musical of the same name, which has since become one of the songwriter's signature works. The song itself has been covered by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald (and more recently Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga), while movie fans probably know it best for the opening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , where Kate Capshaw performs it in Mandarin Chinese. "Subspace Rhapsody" uses it similarly to Indy as a sign of imminent chaos.

Yet the musical for which it was written parallels the episode in more ways than one. Penniless broker Billy Crocker sneaks onboard a transatlantic cruise in hopes of romancing a woman he met at a party, only to learn that she's an heiress unhappily engaged to a British lord. Hilarity ensues as he attempts to win her back: complete with phony identities, induced confessions, and laments over former lovers set to music.

Season 2 of Strange New Worlds feasts on the same kind of ship-bound romantic shenanigans which "Subspace Rhapsody" uses as its centerpiece. Most prominently, the series' designated troubled lovers, Spock and Chapel , both bemoan their respective frustrations in a manner eerily similar to the protagonists in Anything Goes. The episode also adds La'an's complex attraction to Kirk, while Captain Pike is forced to sing-confess his romantic hesitancy around Captain Batel. The episode could swap its tunes for Anything Goes numbers like "I Get a Kick Out of You" or "All Through the Night" without missing a beat.

RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Musical Director Wants to Helm a Western-Themed Episode Next

"Anything Goes" Is a Shockingly Subversive Song

Beyond the passing similarities, however, the title song remains far more subversive than Uhura's "Great American Songbook" suggests. The son of old money, Porter famously defied his family's wishes by becoming a songwriter. He lived an openly gay lifestyle despite his marriage to Linda Lee Thomas and often openly mocked the upper class to which he ostensibly belonged. "Anything Goes" is nothing if not a celebration of sexual promiscuity, as well as a vicious takedown of religious piety. (It's performed in the musical by Reno Sweeney: an ex-evangelist turned nightclub singer.) This is an era when fascist governments openly touted patriarchal values and homophobic laws kept the LGBT community locked in the closet for fear of their lives.

That unfortunate timelessness endures to the present day and gives "Anything Goes" a continuing pertinence despite its era-specific references. (The song targets John D. Rockefeller, Samuel Goldwyn, and the Roosevelts, among others.) The Star Trek franchise retains a similar timelessness, with its benevolent future embracing diversity in all its form. Sex is often an open (if sometimes problematic) subject, and its championing of the LGBTQ community in Star Trek: Discovery and elsewhere has earned it no shortage of condemnation from the same factions that Porter mocked with his song.

All of that goes beyond a simple tune, and while Strange New Worlds has tons of fun with the notion, the most important parts go unspoken. The episode quite literally has its own songs to sing and uses "Anything Goes" as an easy spritzer to kick it all off. But their commonalities run deeper than it appears, which "Subspace Rhapsody" allows to pass unacknowledged. Reno Sweeney would doubtless disapprove.

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stream every Thursday on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Recap: Stardust Melody

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Hi, I’m Sophie, your guest recapper. Keith will be back to cover the season finale next week, and I’ve promised not to trash the place while he’s away. As they say, both on Broadway and in outer space, on with the show!

The writers of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  did not have to go so hard. They could have written a perfectly respectable penultimate episode, where the themes this season has explored — the challenges of navigating collegial, platonic, and romantic relationships; balancing one’s own dreams and ambitions against the dreams of those we love; processing past grief and trauma — would all be folded into an adventure with genuine heart and emotional heft.

Instead, Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff took a big swing and ratcheted up the episode’s degree of difficulty for everyone by writing a musical episode. Not even a supersize portion of hand-wavy, “It’s SCIENCE, okay?!” expository dialogue can fray the elegant weave of all of the character arcs and thematic threads that give “Subspace Rhapsody” its narrative sturdiness. The delightful, often moving, and deeply earworm-y songs furnished by songwriting team Tom Polce and Kay Hanley elevate the whole affair. You may recall their work from the effervescent oeuvre of Letters to Cleo and from appearances in films such as  10 Things I Hate About You  and  Josie & the Pussycats .

It’s so fun to watch the crew members being hypercompetent. Uhura’s zipping through the  Star Trek  version of every fun 1940s switchboard-operator montage we’ve ever seen to clear the electronic decks for this experiment and excitement about a naturally occurring subspace fold is matched by Spock’s eagerness to test a hypothesis. What if the naturally occurring subspace fold could triple the speed of subspace communications? They could invent interstellar texting! Uhura’s unconscious humming to herself as she works gives Pelia a brilliant idea: Since the fold operates under a different set of physics laws than they’re used to, maybe a different type of communication will unlock the speed they’re hoping for. Perhaps dynamic harmonics (a.k.a. songs) would work? Pelia is a bit cheeky and is still a somewhat mysterious character. Is she being a sincerely helpful, nearly immortal physics genius, or a trickster? Maybe it’s a bit of both.

The confidence of this episode is further emphasized by its patience: The first song doesn’t arrive until seven minutes in. With the ship reeling from a mysterious wave sent from the fold, Spock, of all people, kicks off the first song with the Spock-iest lyrics imaginable, “The intermix chamber and containment field are stable / I’ll get to the warp core and assess its state when I’m able,” and we are off to the races. It is, as they repeat several times, so peculiar.

Everyone in this cast can sing, and even those with modest vocal gifts acquit themselves well and then make room for powerhouse vocalists like the Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated Celia Rose Gooding and classically trained dancer Christina Chong. Shout-out to Polce and Hanley for writing toward their cast members’ skills. The most surprising new-to-me tidbit I learned on a little dive into their Wikipedia entries is that Rebecca Romijn studied voice at UC Santa Cruz. Actor, supermodel, singer — she can do it all!

Upon returning from the credits — this week featuring a special choral arrangement, a true gift to collegiate a cappella groups everywhere — everyone learns that by sending the fold “Anything Goes” and giving it a taste of the Great American Songbook, the Enterprise prompted the fold to unleash a very unlikely alternate musical-theatre reality. This scene includes a sweet little Easter egg for all the  Buffy the Vampire Slayer  fans out there, with La’an and Dr. M’Benga fretting about being turned into bunnies. Seems unlikely, but at least they’re not terrified of bunnies like  Buffy ’s resident vengeance demon and  leporiphobia sufferer, Anya .

Captain Pike wants solutions, and the team set to work with their first attempt, zipping the fold shut. This leads to a trio of related songs about balancing the responsibilities of leadership with one’s feelings. The first, Number One’s charming waltz with the visiting Jim Kirk, “Connect to Your Crew,” furnishes some genuinely helpful life advice about drawing on one’s authentic self to make and maintain meaningful relationships. It’s a tiny slice of Rodgers and Hammerstein in the midst of an episode that leans far more toward the (also lovely) contemporary style of  Waitress .

Throughout this song, the camera keeps panning to La’an, crouched behind a hallway buttress. Her face is a picture of jealous anguish as she observes her hero-friend, Una, casually sharing confidences with Jim, for whom she harbors feelings she’s obliged not to name due to space-time reasons. She’s been trapped in this ” Conceal, don’t feel ” place for too long, and as she puts it in her big number, as valuable as being cool, methodical, and responsible is, “it might be time to change [her] paradigm / if only [she] can let go of the wheel.” Can La’an merge the parts of herself that keep the watch — her one memento of “ Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ” — under a double lock and key with the part that conjures a little flight of fancy where she and Kirk are in love and she can let herself be vulnerable and happy? Is it any wonder that La’an raises the alarm about the crew’s emotions being a security threat?

She knows she needs to nip the possibility of singing to Jim in the bud, but to do so is also to come clean about how she knew Alternate Timeline Jim. Number One, opening up to La’an in exactly the way she’d hoped for earlier, counsels a Marie Kondo approach to her skills and habits. They’re not in a desperate struggle for survival anymore, so perhaps it’s time to thank secret-keeping and emotion-crushing for their valuable service and let them go. Wanting to avoid the whole thing coming out in the form of a 17th-century sea shanty (for the record, I would  love  to hear that), La’an does what she must, leading to the episode’s best scene. Kudos to Christina Chong and Paul Wesley for leaning into the maybe-next-lifetime of it all. In lesser hands, this scene could have been kind of maudlin, but they transform it into well-earned heartache.

All that honesty may be for naught, though. The musical logic anomaly’s expansion across the entire subspace communications network could overwhelm the entire fleet’s logical thinking and drive them to the brink of war. The threat of total communications annihilation grows more intense now that even the Klingons are affected. General Garkog cannot abide “the abominable source of our dishonor” and intends to destroy it immediately upon arriving at the fold in about two hours.

Spock’s next gambit, generating a song-prompting moment, leads into another pair of songs: Chapel’s big ensemble number, followed by his own response song. Chapel’s is the most fun song of the episode so far, and yet it also raises some questions. She’s usually pretty easygoing, and perhaps some of that easy-breeziness is as much a survival tactic as Number One’s secret keeping. Her song underlines the professional ambition that led her to apply for (and get) another prestigious fellowship with a leading archaeological medicine specialist. She’s ready for what the future holds, even if it includes leaving Spock behind entirely, though I note that she’s still keeping her rationale a secret from everyone. Spock’s response song, back in the emotionally safe space of Engineering, uses the same melody as Chapel’s, and is every bit as lovelorn as hers is (mostly) triumphant. It’s such a bummer to see Spock describe his behavior in their relationship as “dysfunctional, weak, and emotional” when that relationship prompting him to let his human side take precedence seemed to be a boon for him.

Thank goodness for Uhura, whose song is the barn burner of the episode, making the most of Celia Rose Gooding’s gorgeous voice and presence as she sings about finding patterns in both data and in her heart. As a person who’s always been devoted to helping everyone else maintain their connections, can she marshal those skills to include herself in that everyone and find a way out of the potential impending disaster as a member of a team? Uhura is the youngest member of the Enterprise crew, and the degree to which they rely on her is  staggering .

She leads the crew to the unified emotional heights they’ll need to scale to reverse the effects of the improbability field with a  Back to the Future –style jolt of emotion of 344 giga electronvolts. The grand finale works because Uhura is able to inspire all 200 or so crew members to sing together. As ever, teamwork makes the dream work, and each person contributes all they can — including dancing! — in spite of the real challenges they’ve been singing about. The triumphant climax of the song is delayed a tiny bit by a check-in from the Klingons, who are led in song by General Garkog, who … can’t possibly be familiar with  T-Pain’s oeuvre , but who nonetheless delivers a flawless impression of the greatest practitioner of Auto-Tune. A+ silliness by Bruce Horak, who played Hemmer last season.

The song does the trick, and everyone on board is relieved to get back to their new normal of being more in touch with their feelings and chance-taking. They’re still sensitive enough to be struck with momentary dread when Uhura hums the tune of Chapel’s and Spock’s songs, but it passes, as every feeling does.

Space Tidbits

• As JTK is about to arrive, Number One tells La’an, “You have … an energy. You came in hot. On fire. It’s making me sweat.” I love this line delivery so much and have been waiting all season for it.

• Musical Pun Watch: Pike tells Uhura and Spock, “You’re applying old rules to a new reality. I suggest you find a different tempo.” LOL.

• A prize for the best bit of business in the background goes to Sam Kirk’s tiny body rolls, which I’m pretty sure only Uhura notices.

• Does the grand finale include an homage to  The Muppet Show  theme song? You be the judge: The crew sings that “We’re unbreakable, unshakeable, improbable, unstoppable, sensational, ovational, we, the fully explorational crew of the Enterprise!” Their Muppet forebears always sang about “the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational / This is what we call  The Muppet Show !”

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Subspace Rhapsody (soundtrack)

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‘Star Trek’ made its first ever musical episode, but was it any good? Our writers discuss

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This article contains spoilers for “Subspace Rhapsody,” the ninth episode of Season 2 of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .”

On Thursday, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Paramount+) debuted “Subspace Rhapsody,” which has been announced as the first musical episode in the franchise . (Some will, of course, remember Spock strumming on a Vulcan lute and Uhura singing in the original series or Data’s rendition of “Blue Skies” at Will and Deanna’s wedding in “Star Trek: Nemesis.”)

Whether or not one views this as an insult to or a delightful expansion of the series, it has become, if not quite de rigueur, not unusual for a comedy or drama or even a soap opera to get its inner “Rent” on. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was perhaps the most ballyhooed show to take this step toward Broadway, but all sorts of series have danced into the footlights: “Fringe,” “Psych,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Futurama,” “One Life to Live,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Community,” “Transparent” and more.

Entertainment and arts reporter Ashley Lee, who knows a lot about musicals but little about “Star Trek,” and television critic Robert Lloyd, who knows quite a bit about “Star Trek” and less about musicals (at least any written after 1970), got together to discuss the episode.

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Ashley Lee: Because I love musical theater, I’m always intrigued when TV shows take the risk to make a musical episode. The task of creating original songs for the screen is already tricky enough, especially in a way that invites along the show’s weekly audience and still moves its stories forward. And then there’s the task of asking the actors to perform them, whether or not they’ve ever sung or danced onscreen before. It’s an episodic experiment that, over the years, only some shows have gotten right.

I admittedly put on the musical episode of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” with low expectations because, outside of “Little Shop of Horrors,” putting sci-fi to song hasn’t historically been so harmonious (R.I.P., “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”). Even though I had no prior connection to any of these characters, I found “Subspace Rhapsody” to be a pleasant surprise.

I loved how the songs, written by Kay Hanley and Tom Polce of the ’90s alt-rock band Letters to Cleo, poked enough fun at the oddity of suddenly breaking out into song without insulting the TV tradition. And I found it hilarious that the episode, directed by Dermott Downs and written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, deemed “confessing highly personal, emotional information” a legitimate security threat. (When you think about it, such can definitely be true in the real world!)

I’m surprised that, after all these years, this is the first ever “Star Trek” musical episode. Robert, as a longtime fan of the franchise, were you open to the idea?

Robert Lloyd: In sci-fi fandom, any unusual step is bound to raise some hackles. But as a TV critic since before flat screens, I have seen at least a few of these “special musical episodes” mounted in otherwise nonmusical series. I suspect the impetus came not from viewer demand but from the producers or the writers, who are always looking for something new to entertain the audience and, not incidentally, themselves and was seized upon happily by cast members, many of whom will have had backgrounds in or at least a love of musical theater, even if only from their high school production of “Guys and Dolls” (which I mention because it was produced at my high school — not with me).

History shows there’s no sort of show more likely than another to take on this challenge, but of all the “Star Trek” series, “Strange New Worlds” is perhaps the one most amenable to it. It’s got a strong vein of humor, and, as a highly episodic show, it’s subject to — in fact, embraces — tonal shifts from week to week. This season has been particularly … goofy? Two weeks prior to “Subspace Rhapsody,” they aired a crossover with the animated spinoff “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” in which cartoon characters became flesh and fleshly characters cartoons.

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I thought it was smart to give the musical element of the show a “scientific” rationale — if the usual “Trek” technobabble — with the Enterprise overwhelmed by feedback from a substance fault into which, on the inspiration of Carol Kane’s Pelia, they sent a playlist in an attempt to communicate musically.

And it’s quite appropriate for a season full of romantic subplots, including Ethan Peck’s Spock — who, you must know, is more about logic than feeling — having a thing with Jess Bush’s Nurse Chapel, and security chief Noonien-Singh’s (Christina Chong) awkward reunion with a young James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), who doesn’t recall their relationship from an alternative timeline. (That bit may have made no sense to you, Ash.) Appropriately, the story makes it clear that heightened emotion is what causes the characters to sing — which is, of course, the underlying rationale of music theater.

All else aside, how did the music strike you? It was odd that although the music they fed into the fault was the “Great American Songbook” — the standards of early to mid-20th century popular song, often written for musicals — none of the songs in the episode were actually modeled on that tradition. Not much in the way of Jerome Kern or Rodgers and Hart there. It all sounded post-Andrew Lloyd Webber to me.

Lee: Haha, you’re right! While I did appreciate the use of Cole Porter’s show tune “Anything Goes” as a very literal cue to the audience of the storytelling “rules” ahead, many of the tunes were more contemporary than Golden Age. The one that’s most “vintage” in style was the sweet duet “Connect to Your Truth,” when Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) shared key leadership advice with Lt. Kirk.

Regarding the romances, I admittedly became deeply invested in these will-they-won’t-theys by the end of their musical numbers. I particularly loved La’an Noonien-Singh‘s song “How Would That Feel,” about contemplating vulnerability; it was like an introspective, angsty version of “Company’s” “Being Alive” in the musical style of “Wicked” (and is a promising preview of her music — Chong just released a debut EP). And the stark differences in genre between Spock’s brooding electropop ballad “I’m the X” and Nurse Chapel’s Amy Winehouse-esque fellowship celebration “I’m Ready” definitely maximized the tension amid their miscommunication.

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Beyond those, the opening number titled “Status Report” was so strong — a perfect example of musicalizing a familiar routine of the world (think “Opening Up” from “Waitress” or “Good Morning Baltimore” from “Hairspray”) — and the choral, orchestral rendition of the show’s main title was a delight. Also, the double meaning of communications officer Nyota Uhura’s anthem “Keep Us Connected” was very satisfying and, in my opinion, only scratched the surface of Celia Rose Gooding’s vocal abilities (she earned a Tony nomination for her performance in “Jagged Little Pill”).

If “Star Trek” ever officially makes the leap to the stage, I imagine these three songs in particular would transfer well. (Though if so, I’m gonna need a full expansion of that brief interlude of autotuned, rapping Klingons.) Bravo to Hanley and Polce for writing all the music and lyrics of this episode; while many have attempted it over the years, only a few pop stars and rockers have successfully walked the tightrope of writing effective and entertaining stage musicals (e.g., Cyndi Lauper, David Byrne and Elton John).

Overall, did you enjoy “Subspace Rhapsody”? Was the first musical episode of the franchise worth the wait?

Lloyd: I can’t say I was waiting for it, but I certainly enjoyed it. I’m all about nutty “Star Trek,” going back to “The Trouble With Tribbles,” and also found it a really effective way to embody the emotional crises being faced by “Strange New Worlds’” eminently likable characters. Certainly, the cast bursting into song (and the occasional dance), with music dropping in from … somewhere, is no more nonsensical than about, oh, a hundred things that have happened to the various starship crews over nearly six decades.

But let me ask you, did it make you liable to keep watching the series? (No judgment.)

Lee: Robert, these subplots were so genuinely compelling, even when concisely moved forward in song, that I’ll likely start this series from the beginning and continue on past this episode. Plus, I’m so intrigued by Lt. Kirk and Noonien-Singh’s romance in that alternate timeline!

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

Where: Paramount + When: Anytime, starting Thursday

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Ashley Lee is a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes about theater, movies, television and the bustling intersection of the stage and the screen. An alum of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute and Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices, she leads workshops on arts journalism at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She was previously a New York-based editor at the Hollywood Reporter and has written for the Washington Post, Backstage and American Theatre, among others. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver.

Robert Lloyd has been a Los Angeles Times television critic since 2003.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Did The Actors Actually Sing In The Musical Episode?

From "Riverdale" to "My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," musical numbers in television shows have become more commonplace than ever. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was the next to attempt such a feat, and to great success. In an episode aptly named "Subspace Rhapsody," the crew of the Enterprise encounters an anomaly that ultimately causes a rip in space-time. Naturally, this results in an alternate reality where everyone bursts into song.

The plan for this musical episode stretches back as far as Season 1 of "Star Trek: Picard" and finally comes to fruition near the end of Season 2 of "Strange New Worlds." The cast is full of talented singers, some of whom are musicians in their own right. Christina Chong, who plays La'an Noonien-Singh , debuted one of her singles, entitled "Twin Flames," in a previous episode. Before she played Uhura, Celia Rose Gooding earned a Tony nomination for the Broadway show "Jagged Little Pill." 

One of the biggest surprises, however, comes from Ethan Peck, who plays a younger Spock in the series. Showrunner Akiva Goldsman was shocked to learn of the actor's talents, on top of his prowess as the half-human, half-Vulcan science officer. "Our composer played with all of them to see what their range was, and we wrote for them. I mean, I didn't know Ethan could sing ..." Goldsman relayed to Variety . "Which is, by the way, kind of what happens when you watch the episode. You're like, 'Wait, Spock is singing now?'"

Star Trek is no stranger to out-of-the-box thinking

Star Trek has the virtue of throwing its characters into surprising situations, and this isn't even the first time that "Strange New Worlds" has done this. Earlier in Season 2, Jonathan Frakes directed the "Lower Decks" crossover episode. The animated series originally hails from CBS and stars Jack Quaid as Ensign Brad Boimler. He and Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) are given the live-action treatment in "Strange New Worlds," which does not hold back. This is an apt precursor to the musical episode, which pulls out all the stops. 

During the final moments of the episode, the fearsome Klingons have their own musical sequence that is more than surprising. The creatives behind the series did two versions of the song, unsure of which would play best. "We did an operatic [musical number] which was also great because the Klingons have a history with that. And it was also good," executive producer Henry Alonso Myers reflected to Variety. However, the song in the episode won out, and the Klingons do their version of a pop boy band. Myers continued, "The boy band took you by surprise. It was not what you thought was going to happen. I'm delighted by it." 

The episode cultivates humorous moments such as these and heartbreaking songs that hammer home themes of loneliness, making it as well-rounded as any musical on screen.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Musical Songwriters Were Told: “We Want People To Cry”

• Kay Hanley and Tom Polce were challenged to create emotional songs for Star Trek's first musical episode, leading Hanley to cry while writing "Keep Us Connected."
• The writers aimed for a narrative that exposed the characters emotionally, with a directive to make viewers cry during the musical episode.
• The episode, "Subspace Rhapsody," was screened at WonderCon in a singalong event, showcasing the emotional depth of the songs.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds songwriters Kay Hanley and Tom Polce reveal they were instructed to make people cry watching Star Trek 's first-ever musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody." Hanley and Polce, from the band Letters to Cleo, wrote and composed all of the songs for "Subspace Rhapsody" in just five weeks. It was a rewarding but emotional experience that led Hanley to cry for the first time ever while writing a song .

At WonderCon, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode was screened in a singalong event, followed by a panel with Kay Hanley and Tom Polce moderated by Scott Mantz. Hanley revealed she had never cried writing a song before "Keep Us Connected," which was sung by Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Tom Polce says writers Bill Wolkoff, Dana Horgan, and Strange New Worlds ' showrunners encouraged the songs to be emotional . Check out their quotes below:

Kay Hanley: I’ve been writing songs, we both have, for 30 years, and I’ve never cried while writing a song until “Keep Us Connected.”

Tom Polce: One of the great directives they gave us - from the very beginning of this when we were trying to figure out ‘what is this about? What are these songs going to be about?’, it was clear to all of us that this wasn’t going to be an hour of jazz hands set to superfluous music. What was important was that lyrically, it was a narrative, and it was an exposition of these characters emotionally. And when they said to us, I swear, it was like, ‘We want people to cry’... That’s what they said!

Kay Hanley: So I took that to heart. Meaning, you want me to cry. And I did. I cried, and I still cry. I sobbed writing the Uhura song.

Check out the full performance of "Keep Us Connected" from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical, "Subspace Rhapsody", below:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 - Everything We Know

Why star trek: strange new worlds' musical was so emotional, the crew of the starship enterprise bared their innermost feelings.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical worked wonders not just because it was wildly entertaining, but there was genuine depth and heartfelt emotion behind the characters' songs. While the threat of the subspace rift affecting the entire galaxy satisfied Star Trek' s sci-fi requirements, the crux of the episode was the crew of the Starship Enterprise laying their innermost feelings bare. Characters like Uhura, Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), and Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) sang out loud their hopes and deepest fears since Strange New Worlds began.

"Keep Us Connected" gave Uhura the fortitude to save the Enterprise.

Nurse Chapel came to a fateful decision to put herself first in "I'm Ready," breaking the heart of Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) in the process. La'an's heartwrenching performance of "How Would That Feel?" gave her the strength to open herself up to others, especially Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). And the powerhouse "Keep Us Connected" made Ensign Uhura face the loss of her family and Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), but affirmed Uhura's true purpose as the heart of the Starship Enterprise. "Keep Us Connected" gave Uhura the fortitude to save the Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds while bringing Kay Hanley and audiences to tears.

Source: WonderCon

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is streaming on Paramount+

Cast Bruce Horak, Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush, Melissa Navia, Ethan Peck, Babs Olusanmokun, Rebecca Romijn, Paul Wesley, Christina Chong, Anson Mount

Streaming Service(s)

Franchise(s)

Writers Bill Wolkoff, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers

Directors Amanda Row, Valerie Weiss, Jonathan Frakes, Chris Fisher

Where To Watch Paramount+

Screen Rant

Strange new worlds musical's best star trek singers ranked worst to best.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode was an all-around triumph, but some members of the cast were decidedly better singers than others.

WARNING: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 9, "Subspace Rhapsody."

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 delivers a successful musical episode, showcasing the crew's talent and original songs.
• Some cast members, like Lt. Spock and Ensign Nyota Uhura, stand out with their impressive singing ability and emotional performances.
• While not everyone has a standout vocal performance, the overall episode proves that the Star Trek franchise can excel at a musical episode.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 delivered an incredible musical episode this week, but some of the cast were better singers than others. Despite music being incorporated into other Star Trek series, a full-on musical episode wasn't something the franchise had done before Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 9. However, the show proved that Star Trek was not only fully capable of doing a musical episode but doing one extremely well, with the crew of the USS Enterprise giving their all to the performance of nine hilarious and heartfelt original songs.

The premise of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode revolved around Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Ensign Nyota Uhura's (Celia Rose Gooding) experiments on a subspace fold. Initially intended to help boost interstellar communication, the experiments ended up causing the creation of a quantum uncertainty field that resulted in the crew breaking out into song every time they experienced heightened emotion. While all the episode's musical numbers were excellent, and everyone brought their A-game to the performances, there was a clear hierarchy of whose voice was the best.

11 Commander Pelia (Carol Kane)

Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) joined the Enterprise crew as a new addition in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 but has quickly established herself as an interesting and often hilarious character. Unfortunately, she was not featured heavily in Strange New Worlds ' musical episode, besides being the one to suggest to Uhura and Spock that they try using music to get the subspace fold to respond. Pelia only contributed one solo line to the first ensemble number, and while her voice sounded fine, there simply wasn't enough of it to warrant her ranking as one of the episode's better singers.

10 Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano)

Similarly to Pelia, Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) didn't have a lot to do in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode. The further exploration of her and Captain Pike's (Anson Mount) romantic relationship led to an amusing subplot and a shared song, but although Scrofano's acting during the song was well done her performance was nothing to write home about. Batel's contribution to the song certainly wasn't bad, but once again, there simply wasn't enough of it to justify a higher ranking among Strange New Worlds ' more dynamic singers.

Related: Pike’s Girlfriend In Strange New Worlds Is Great But Star Trek Says It Can't Last

9 Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount)

Captain Pike contributed some amazing moments to "Subspace Rhapsody", but when compared to other members of the cast, Anson Mount's singing voice is not nearly as strong. Pike had several solo lines in both ensemble numbers and of course in his duet with Captain Batel, but it's clear from listening to him sing why he wasn't given a big solo song himself. However, there is no denying that Mount's acting during the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode more than made up for his slightly less-than-stellar singing voice.

8 Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun)

Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) didn't do much singing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode, but the little that he did was actually fairly impressive. M'Benga really only participated in the group numbers, usually in a duet with Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and even though the doctor insisted in the episode that " I do not sing ", the few lines he had in songs showed off his surprisingly pleasant and tuneful voice. Unfortunately, Dr. M'Benga wasn't given the opportunity to have his own song in "Subspace Rhapsody", but still held down his part of the ensemble numbers well.

7 Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia)

Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) is another character that only had one line in the opening song, but unlike Pelia, Navia was given the opportunity to show off her acting and singing chops more expansively. After joining her fellow crew members on the bridge, Ortegas was drawn into the song "Status Report" while updating Pike on the condition of the ship after the quantum uncertainty field's creation. Not only does Navia have a lovely singing voice, but her acting in the scene added quite a lot to her performance as she chewed up the scenery while delivering her a report on the bridge.

6 Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley)

James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) might be the last character audiences would have expected to sing, but Wesley demonstrated in a duet with Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) that he can hold his own. Although Wesley and Romijn's duet, "Connect To Your Truth", wasn't one of the best songs of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode, it was still a fun interlude that showcased Number One and Kirk as a surprisingly compelling duo. The quality of Wesley's vocal range was also surprising, as he was more than able to hold his own against Romijn.

5 Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush)

Christine Chapel's "I'm Ready" was not only one of the most fun songs in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode but demonstrated Jess Bush's impressive voice quite well. The song took place in the Enterprise's lounge and involved backing vocals from many of the crew including Uhura, Ortegas, and even Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte). Although the vibe of "I'm Ready" was fun and upbeat, the song also served as a break-up, with Chapel telling Spock that she was more interested in putting her career first than their relationship. Bush's performance both vocally and acting-wise carried the song impressively, and the whole scene did a lot to further the plot.

Related: Spock & Chapel’s Star Trek Strange New Worlds Breakup: Blame Jack Quaid’s Boimler

4 Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck)

After Chapel's rejection, Ethan Peck's Spock got his chance to shine in "I'm the X", a truly heartbreaking exploration of his feelings with Uhura in Engineering. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode was Peck's singing voice, which carried the best qualities of his already resonant speaking voice and showcased an impressive vocal range. Spock's song was also a big moment of character development, showing the beginnings of his move towards logic in order to cope with the pain of losing Chapel. Although the song wasn't one of the episode's showstoppers, Peck's performance was still a stand-out.

3 Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn)

Number One's performances in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode were both memorable and impressive. Although Una wasn't as involved in some of the episode's bigger storylines, she certainly had an effect on them, including helping La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) confess her feelings for Lt. Kirk. Number One convinced La'an to speak her truth with the beautiful ballad "Keeping Secrets", a song that really showed off Romijn's powerful singing voice. Romijn also got to have some fun earlier in the episode with her much more lighthearted duet with Kirk, and reference Number One's love of Gilbert and Sullivan opera in the process.

2 Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong)

With a wonderful voice and one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode's most emotional songs, Christina Chong truly stole the show as La'an Noonien-Singh. La'an's story arc throughout the episode was already compelling, but the fact that Chong is a professional singer, as well as an actor, helped ensure that her performance was extra stand-out. La'an's big number, "How Would That Feel" showed the most emotionally vulnerable side of her character yet, and Chong's vocals helped capture the rawness that La'an and Kirk's romance was clearly provoking for the character.

1 Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding)

Despite a number of great performances, Uhura's role and vocal contributions to "Subspace Rhapsody" were the most impressive. Like Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding is no stranger to singing, having won a Grammy Award in 2021 for their performance in the musical Jagged Little Pill on Broadway. As such, Uhura's big song, "Keep Us Connected" was not only one of the best of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode but also the most dynamic performance. Uhura played arguably the most important role in the episode, bringing the crew together at the end for their show-stopping number that managed to finally close the quantum uncertainty field for good.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Published Apr 2, 2024

The Final Frontier in Flavorful Coffee is Here

Pop Culture Coffee boldly launches new Star Trek coffee brand for fans and coffee connoisseurs alike!

StarTrek.com

Pop Culture Coffee , an innovative new company with unique collaborations with popular franchises, has announced the launch of its highly anticipated Star Trek branded coffees. This extraordinary collection, made under license from Paramount Consumer Products, aims to cater to coffee connoisseurs, Star Trek fans, and collectors alike, bringing together the love for the beloved franchise and the art of brewing the perfect cup of coffee. Customers can purchase the official Star Trek coffee in the U.S. directly from www.popculturecoffee.com , and the product will also be available soon at select specialty retailers and conventions nationwide.

The new Star Trek branded coffees by Pop Culture Coffee seek to celebrate the spirit of the legendary franchise by offering a flavorful array of carefully curated coffee blends inspired by the various aspects of the Star Trek universe. Each of the limited-run collectible coffee blends is adorned with stunning artwork featuring iconic Star Trek characters, cultures, and starships.

Pop Culture Coffee

Launching first will be CAPTAIN’S CHOICE — a smooth medium roast featuring The Original Series ' Captain James T. Kirk on the bag, as well as VULCAN VANILLA — a full-flavored Madagascar vanilla roast featuring Mr. Spock.

Following up will be a dark KLINGON RAKTAJINO brown sugar roast, featuring The Next Generation 's Worf. Not far behind, and to celebrate First Contact Day, will be the FEDERATION FRENCH ROAST featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard and a light BORG BEANS roast highlighting the Borg Queen from Star Trek: First Contact on the bag. More coffee profiles will be released throughout the year.

But it's not just about the packaging — Pop Culture Coffee is committed to delivering an exceptional coffee experience. All of the company’s coffees are triple-picked by hand, ethically sourced from unique origins all over the world, 100% organic Arabica beans, and small-batch craft roasted to ensure a rich and flavorful cup of coffee with every brew. Beyond the cup, Pop Culture Coffee has an entire department dedicated to meticulously pairing natural flavors for explosive great-tasting flavor-fusions. The end result? Fans will have the opportunity to enhance their coffee-drinking experience while showcasing their love for Star Trek .

Pop Culture Coffee’s founder Ethan Terra shares his vision behind the creation of Pop Culture Coffee, "My lifelong passion for movies, pop culture, collectibles, and coffee led me to establish Pop Culture Coffee. We are driven by a singular purpose — to fuel people’s passions. Whether it’s art, movies, anime, music, gaming, sports, or celebrity icons, we all have something we’re enthusiastic about, and that enthusiasm should be championed. In a world where millions rely on coffee to kick start their day, we believe that coffee should be nothing short of extraordinary."

With its fusion of sci-fi fandom and coffee culture, Pop Culture Coffee is set TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE. Pop Culture Coffee invites coffee connoisseurs, fans, and collectors alike to embark on a journey of taste and imagination, bringing together two passions in a truly innovative and enjoyable way. So grab a mug, set your tastebuds to stunned, and indulge in the flavors of the Star Trek universe with every sip.

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The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans

“I can’t believe I get to play the captain of the Enterprise.”

“Strange New Worlds” is the 12th “Star Trek” TV show since the original series debuted on NBC in 1966, introducing Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a hopeful future for humanity. In the 58 years since, the “Star Trek” galaxy has logged 900 television episodes and 13 feature films, amounting to 668 hours — nearly 28 days — of content to date. Even compared with “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Star Trek” stands as the only storytelling venture to deliver a single narrative experience for this long across TV and film.

In other words, “Star Trek” is not just a franchise. As Alex Kurtzman , who oversees all “Star Trek” TV production, puts it, “‘Star Trek’ is an institution.”

Without a steady infusion of new blood, though, institutions have a way of fading into oblivion (see soap operas, MySpace, Blockbuster Video). To keep “Star Trek” thriving has meant charting a precarious course to satisfy the fans who have fueled it for decades while also discovering innovative ways to get new audiences on board.

“Doing ‘Star Trek’ means that you have to deliver something that’s entirely familiar and entirely fresh at the same time,” Kurtzman says.

The franchise has certainly weathered its share of fallow periods, most recently after “Nemesis” bombed in theaters in 2002 and UPN canceled “Enterprise” in 2005. It took 12 years for “Star Trek” to return to television with the premiere of “Discovery” in 2017; since then, however, there has been more “Star Trek” on TV than ever: The adventure series “Strange New Worlds,” the animated comedy “Lower Decks” and the kids series “Prodigy” are all in various stages of production, and the serialized thriller “Picard” concluded last year, when it ranked, along with “Strange New Worlds,” among Nielsen’s 10 most-watched streaming original series for multiple weeks. Nearly one in five Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. is watching at least one “Star Trek” series, according to the company, and more than 50% of fans watching one of the new “Trek” shows also watch at least two others. The new shows air in 200 international markets and are dubbed into 35 languages. As “Discovery” launches its fifth and final season in April, “Star Trek” is in many ways stronger than it’s ever been.

“’Star Trek’s fans have kept it alive more times than seems possible,” says Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., who executive produces the TV series through Roddenberry Entertainment. “While many shows rightfully thank their fans for supporting them, we literally wouldn’t be here without them.”

But the depth of fan devotion to “Star Trek” also belies a curious paradox about its enduring success: “It’s not the largest fan base,” says Akiva Goldsman, “Strange New Worlds” executive producer and co-showrunner. “It’s not ‘Star Wars.’ It’s certainly not Marvel.”

When J.J. Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” in 2009 — with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldaña playing Kirk, Spock and Uhura — the movie grossed more than any previous “Star Trek” film by a comfortable margin. But neither that film nor its two sequels broke $500 million in global grosses, a hurdle every other top-tier franchise can clear without breaking a sweat.

There’s also the fact that “Star Trek” fans are aging. I ask “The Next Generation” star Jonathan Frakes, who’s acted in or directed more versions of “Star Trek” than any other person alive, how often he meets fans for whom the new “Star Trek” shows are their first. “Of the fans who come to talk to me, I would say very, very few,” he says. “‘Star Trek’ fans, as we know, are very, very, very loyal — and not very young.”

As Stapf puts it: “There’s a tried and true ‘Trek’ fan that is probably going to come to every ‘Star Trek,’ no matter what it is — and we want to expand the universe.”

Every single person I spoke to for this story talked about “Star Trek” with a joyful earnestness as rare in the industry as (nerd alert) a Klingon pacifist.

“When I’m meeting fans, sometimes they’re coming to be confirmed, like I’m kind of a priest,” Ethan Peck says during a break in filming on the “Strange New Worlds” set. He’s in full Spock regalia — pointy ears, severe eyebrows, bowl haircut — and when asked about his earliest memories of “Star Trek,” he stares off into space in what looks like Vulcan contemplation. “I remember being on the playground in second or third grade and doing the Vulcan salute, not really knowing where it came from,” he says. “When I thought of ‘Star Trek,’ I thought of Spock. And now I’m him. It’s crazy.”

To love “Star Trek” is to love abstruse science and cowboy diplomacy, complex moral dilemmas and questions about the meaning of existence. “It’s ultimately a show with the most amazing vision of optimism, I think, ever put on-screen in science fiction,” says Kurtzman, who is 50. “All you need is two minutes on the news to feel hopeless now. ‘Star Trek’ is honestly the best balm you could ever hope for.”

I’m getting a tour of the USS Enterprise from Scotty — or, rather, “Strange New World” production designer Jonathan Lee, who is gushing in his native Scottish burr as we step into the starship’s transporter room. “I got such a buzzer from doing this, I can’t tell you,” he says. “I actually designed four versions of it.”

Lee is especially proud of the walkway he created to run behind the transporter pads — an innovation that allows the production to shoot the characters from a brand-new set of angles as they beam up from a far-flung planet. It’s one of the countless ways that this show has been engineered to be as cinematic as possible, part of Kurtzman’s overall vision to make “Star Trek” on TV feel like “a movie every week.”

Kurtzman’s tenure with “Star Trek” began with co-writing the screenplay for Abrams’ 2009 movie, which was suffused with a fast-paced visual style that was new to the franchise. When CBS Studios approached Kurtzman in the mid-2010s about bringing “Star Trek” back to TV, he knew instinctively that it needed to be just as exciting as that film.

“The scope was so much different than anything we had ever done on ‘Next Gen,’” says Frakes, who’s helmed two feature films with the “Next Generation” cast and directed episodes of almost every live-action “Trek” TV series, including “Discovery” and “Strange New Worlds.” “Every department has the resources to create.”

A new science lab set for Season 3, for example, boasts a transparent floor atop a four-foot pool of water that swirls underneath the central workbench, and the surrounding walls sport a half dozen viewscreens with live schematics custom designed by a six-person team. “I like being able to paint on a really big canvas,” Kurtzman says. “The biggest challenge is always making sure that no matter how big something gets, you’re never losing focus on that tiny little emotional story.”

At this point, is there a genre that “Strange New Worlds” can’t do? “As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I’m not sure there is,” Goldsman says with an impish smile. “Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”

This approach is also meant to appeal to people who might want to watch “Star Trek” but regard those 668 hours of backstory as an insurmountable burden. “You shouldn’t have to watch a ‘previously on’ to follow our show,” Myers says.

To achieve so many hairpin shifts in tone and setting while maintaining Kurtzman’s cinematic mandate, “Strange New Worlds” has embraced one of the newest innovations in visual effects: virtual production. First popularized on the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” the technology — called the AR wall — involves a towering circular partition of LED screens projecting a highly detailed, computer-generated backdrop. Rather than act against a greenscreen, the actors can see whatever fantastical surroundings their characters are inhabiting, lending a richer level of verisimilitude to the show.

But there is a catch. While the technology is calibrated to maintain a proper sense of three-dimensional perspective through the camera lens, it can be a bit dizzying for anyone standing on the set. “The images on the walls start to move in a way that makes no sense,” says Mount. “You end up having to focus on something that’s right in front of you so you don’t fall down.”

And yet, even as he’s talking about it, Mount can’t help but break into a boyish grin. “Sometimes we call it the holodeck,” he says. In fact, the pathway to the AR wall on the set is dotted with posters of the virtual reality room from “The Next Generation” and the words “Enter Holodeck” in a classic “Trek” font.

“I want to take one of those home with me,” Peck says. Does the AR wall also affect him? “I don’t really get disoriented by it. Spock would not get ill, so I’m Method acting.”

I’m on the set of the “Star Trek” TV movie “Section 31,” seated in an opulent nightclub with a view of a brilliant, swirling nebula, watching Yeoh rehearse with director Olatunde Osunsanmi and her castmates. Originally, the project was announced as a TV series centered on Philippa Georgiou, the semi-reformed tyrant Yeoh originated on “Discovery.” But between COVID delays and the phenomenon of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” there wasn’t room in the veteran actress’s schedule to fit a season of television. Yeoh was undaunted.

“We’d never let go of her,” she says of her character. “I was just blown away by all the different things I could do with her. Honestly, it was like, ‘Let’s just get it done, because I believe in this.’”

If that means nothing to you, don’t worry: The enormity of the revelation that Garrett is being brought back is meant only for fans. If you don’t know who the character is, you’re not missing anything.

“It was always my goal to deliver an entertaining experience that is true to the universe but appeals to newcomers,” says screenwriter Craig Sweeny. “I wanted a low barrier of entry so that anybody could enjoy it.”

Nevertheless, including Garrett on the show is exactly the kind of gasp-worthy detail meant to flood “Star Trek” fans with geeky good feeling.

“You cannot create new fans to the exclusion of old fans,” Kurtzman says. “You must serve your primary fan base first and you must keep them happy. That is one of the most important steps to building new fans.”

On its face, that maxim would make “Section 31” a genuine risk. The titular black-ops organization has been controversial with “Star Trek” fans since it was introduced in the 1990s. “The concept is almost antagonistic to some of the values of ‘Star Trek,’” Sweeny says. But he still saw “Section 31” as an opportunity to broaden what a “Star Trek” project could be while embracing the radical inclusivity at the heart of the franchise’s appeal.

“Famously, there’s a spot for everybody in Roddenberry’s utopia, so I was like, ‘Well, who would be the people who don’t quite fit in?’” he says. “I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field. These are not people who necessarily work together the way you would see on a ‘Star Trek’ bridge.”

For Osunsanmi, who grew up watching “The Next Generation” with his father, it boils down to a simple question: “Is it putting good into the world?” he asks. “Are these characters ultimately putting good into the world? And, taking a step back, are we putting good into the world? Are we inspiring humans watching this to be good? That’s for me what I’ve always admired about ‘Star Trek.’”

Should “Section 31” prove successful, Yeoh says she’s game for a sequel. And Kurtzman is already eyeing more opportunities for TV movies, including a possible follow-up to “Picard.” The franchise’s gung-ho sojourn into streaming movies, however, stands in awkward contrast to the persistent difficulty Paramount Pictures and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot have had making a feature film following 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond” — the longest theaters have gone without a “Star Trek” movie since Paramount started making them.

First, a movie reuniting Pine’s Capt. Kirk with his late father — played in the 2009 “Star Trek” by Chris Hemsworth — fell apart in 2018. Around the same time, Quentin Tarantino publicly flirted with, then walked away from, directing a “Star Trek” movie with a 1930s gangster backdrop. Noah Hawley was well into preproduction on a “Star Trek” movie with a brand-new cast, until then-studio chief Emma Watts abruptly shelved it in 2020. And four months after Abrams announced at Paramount’s 2022 shareholders meeting that his 2009 cast would return for a movie directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”), Shakman left the project to make “The Fantastic Four” for Marvel. (It probably didn’t help that none of the cast had been approached before Abrams made his announcement.)

The studio still intends to make what it’s dubbed the “final chapter” for the Pine-Quinto-Saldaña cast, and Steve Yockey (“The Flight Attendant”) is writing a new draft of the script. Even further along is another prospective “Star Trek” film written by Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and to be directed by Toby Haynes (“Andor,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) that studio insiders say is on track to start preproduction by the end of the year. That project will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise. In both cases, the studio is said to be focused on rightsizing the budgets to fit within the clear box office ceiling for “Star Trek” feature films.

Far from complaining, everyone seems to relish the challenge. Visual effects supervisor Jason Zimmerman says that “working with Alex, the references are always at least $100 million movies, if not more, so we just kind of reverse engineer how do we do that without having to spend the same amount of money and time.”

The workload doesn’t seem to faze him either. “Visual effects people are a big, big ‘Star Trek’ fandom,” he says. “You naturally just get all these people who go a little bit above and beyond, and you can’t trade that for anything.”

In one of Kurtzman’s several production offices in Toronto, he and production designer Matthew Davies are scrutinizing a series of concept drawings for the newest “Star Trek” show, “Starfleet Academy.” A bit earlier, they showed me their plans for the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada.

But this is a “Star Trek” show, so there do need to be starships, and Kurtzman is discussing with Davies about how one of them should look. The issue is that “Starfleet Academy” is set in the 32nd century, an era so far into the future Kurtzman and his team need to invent much of its design language.

“For me, this design is almost too Klingon,” Kurtzman says. “I want to see the outline and instinctively, on a blink, recognize it as a Federation ship.”

The time period was first introduced on Season 3 of “Discovery,” when the lead character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), transported the namesake starship and its crew there from the 23rd century. “It was exciting, because every time we would make a decision, we would say, ‘And now that’s canon,’” says Martin-Green.

“We listened to a lot of it,” Kurtzman says. “I think I’ve been able to separate the toxic fandom from really true fans who love ‘Star Trek’ and want you to hear what they have to say about what they would like to see.”

By Season 2, the “Discovery” writers pivoted from its dour, war-torn first season and sent the show on its trajectory 900-plus years into the future. “We had to be very aware of making sure that Spock was in the right place and that Burnham’s existence was explained properly, because she was never mentioned in the original series,” says executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise. “What was fun about jumping into the future is that it was very much fresh snow.”

That freedom affords “Starfleet Academy” far more creative latitude while also dramatically reducing how much the show’s target audience of tweens and teens needs to know about “Star Trek” before watching — which puts them on the same footing as the students depicted in the show. “These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before,” Noga Landau, executive producer and co-showrunner, says. “They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

In the “Starfleet Academy” writers’ room in Secret Hideout’s Santa Monica offices, Kurtzman tells the staff — a mix of “Star Trek” die-hards, part-time fans and total newbies — that he wants to take a 30,000-foot view for a moment. “I think we need to ground in science more throughout the show,” he says, a giant framed photograph of Spock ears just over his shoulder. “The kids need to use science more to solve problems.”

Immediately, one of the writers brightens. “Are you saying we can amp up the techno-babble?” she says. “I’m just excited I get to use my computer science degree.”

After they break for lunch, Kurtzman is asked how much longer he plans to keep making “Star Trek.” 

“The minute I fall out of love with it is the minute that it’s not for me anymore. I’m not there yet,” he says. “To be able to build in this universe to tell stories that are fundamentally about optimism and a better future at a time when the world seems to be falling apart — it’s a really powerful place to live every day.”

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Star Trek legend calls his Strange New Worlds season 3 murder-mystery “the best episode of television I’ve ever done"

Season 3 is expected to drop in 2025

Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes has some high praise for Strange New Worlds season 3.

"[It's] the best episode of television I’ve ever done," Frakes told Variety , referring to a Hollywood murder-mystery episode he directed. The actor-director starred as Captain William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and began directing episodes during the show's third season. He went on to helm Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and episodes of almost every subsequent live-action Star Trek TV show including Voyager, Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds.

Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the starship Enterprise as they embark on intergalactic adventures that take place in the 23rd century. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and Ugly Betty writer Henry Alonso Myers serve as showrunners. The cast includes Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and Rebecca Romijn.

The series premiered in on Paramount Plus, the home for all things Star Trek, in 2022 and became the most-watched original Star Trek series on the network. Season 2 was greenlit in January 2022 and aired in June 2023. Season 3 was announced in March of last year, but production was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 does not yet have a release date, but is expected to hit Paramount Plus sometime in 2025. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2024 and beyond.

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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From Discovery to Picard to Lower Decks , Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds , there's a lot of New Star Trek to love.

Seven years ago, in 2017, after a 12-year absence, the Star Trek franchise returned to TV. On Sept. 24, 2017, the two-episode debut of Star Trek: Discovery was risky, bold, and, up until it dropped, shrouded in secrecy and more than a little bit of behind-the-scenes drama.

But, the Star Trek franchise survived this rocky start. After all, The Next Generation had several different writing staffs and production teams until it finally stabilized around 1990. And of course, The Original Series had its fair share of big production pivots across its three seasons. Radical change is built into the DNA of all Star Trek, though for some haters, the “NuTrek” that began with Discovery wasn’t what they wanted. Maybe it was the paywall on CBS All-Access. Maybe it was those all-blue uniforms in the first two seasons of Discovery . Or it was a million other, totally unfair complaints trolls had against the new Trek regime under Alex Kurtzman.

But, now, we’re nearly a decade into this brave (and strange) new world of Star Trek on TV. And, even for the most stubborn Trekkie, there are, in fact, episodes of so-called “NuTrek” that can convert a hater into a lover.

With representatives from every single new series, here are 10 episodes from the new era of Star Trek, all of which are just as good as great episodes from the classic eras that came before. Very mild spoilers ahead.

Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 2: “I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee”

The Moospy is coming!

With a title liberally stolen from Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” the sci-fi deep-cuts in this brilliant Lower Decks romp are never-ending. When the USS Cerritos encounters an alien zoo (classic!), the most deadly creature may also be the cutest.

Brilliantly, this Lower Decks takes a common Trek trope about misunderstood monsters and flips it on its head. The most dangerous creatures in this episode aren’t the aliens, but instead, well, you can guess.

This Lower Decks episode is also essential because it introduced the aforementioned bone-sucking (but otherwise adorable ) alien monster known as the Moopsy. Forget facehuggers from Alien. Moopsy will destroy all of them.

Prodigy Season 1, Episode 13: “All the World’s a Stage”

The kids of Prodigy discover the shuttlecraft Galileo from the classic USS Enterprise .

Can Star Trek do a version of Galaxy Quest ? The closest proof that the answer is yes, exists in the form of this extremely charming episode of Prodigy .

In “All the World's a Stage,” the kids of the USS Protostar roll up on the planet in which the inhabitants are all pretty much cosplaying as members of Starfleet from The Original Series . But, something has been lost in translation, because these folks call themselves “Enderprizians,” and refer to Starfleet as “Star Flight.”

Eventually, we learn that Ensign Garrovick, a redshirt Kirk saved in the episode “Obsession,” crashed a shuttle on this planet over a century prior. The Protostar tweens have to band together with these in-universe TOS fans to save the planet, and themselves. It’s a smart cross-generational story that sends a love letter to 1960s Trek fandom, while telling a great story that non-Trekkie kids can love, too.

Discovery Season 2, Episode 14: “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2”

Spock gets ready to send his sister Michael where no Trek time traveler has gone before.

With Discovery Season 5 taking place roughly in the year 3191, it’s hard to remember that the first two seasons happened in the 2250s. While Season 1 alternated between the depression of the Klingon War and the bleakness of the Mirror Universe, Season 2 was the moment in which Discovery actively moved closer to the ethos of The Original Series , with a dash of J.J. Abrams-reboot zest.

While the universe-destroying killer AI called “Control” feels like a rough draft of several other Trek villains, the emotional core of Discovery Season 2 — mostly focused on Spock and Burnham — truly delivers in this epic finale. When the classic USS Enterprise has to team up with the USS Discovery , the sensibilities of various Star Trek aesthetics collide. This was the moment when Discovery jumped into a new future to reboot itself for Season 3, and the moment that Discovery also created what became the proto-pilot episode for Strange New Worlds .

Picard Season 3, Episode 6: “The Bounty”

All your favorite characters await the arrival of even more of your favorite characters.

Midway through Picard Season 3, just when you thought the sweet nostalgia couldn’t get any sweeter, we get this episode. Even explaining why this episode is called “The Bounty” is, oddly, a really cool spoiler.

While it's fashionable to complain about fan service in a big geek franchise, “The Bounty” (and Picard Season 3 in general) proves how fan service can be done well by making massive Easter eggs integral to a real and heartfelt story.

Bottom line: between the Fleet Museum of awesome starships and the Daystrom Institute’s vault of strange devices and creatures (and apparently, the bones of Captain Kirk!) this episode has so many Star Trek goodies in it that it feels like opening a pack of trading cards or something. Did we mention the holographic Moriarty is in this one and an HD flashback to the first Next Generation episode, ever? If ever even had a passing interest in Star Trek, this episode will remind you why just the basic stuff in this universe is so damn cool.

Strange New Worlds Season 1, Episode 5: “Spock Amok”

Chapel and Spock discuss just how bad Spock is at being engaged.

Star Trek meets Freaky Friday in perhaps the most tender and hilarious body-swap sci-fi TV episode, ever. In order to work out their relationship problems, Spock and T’Pring decide to swap katras, and briefly inhabit each other’s bodies. But, of course, the swap seems permanent, and so, Spock has to pretend to be T’Pring, while T’Pring has to convince everyone’s she’s Spock.

While Ethan Peck’s take on Spock has been pretty much spot-on since the ending of Discovery , Gia Sandhu was put in the unique position of not only having to play T’Pring in this episode, but Spock too! Sandhu was more than up to the challenge, and this episode solidified her as one of the most memorable Strange New Worlds recurring guest stars.

But “Spock Amok” isn’t just about body-swapping shenanigans. There’s also a great subplot here involving Pike trying to work out a bizarre diplomatic problem, while another delightful storyline focuses on La’an and Una playing “Enterprise Bingo.” So, come for the body swap that leads to the Chapel-Spock-T’Pring love triangle, but stay for an episode that will give you all the warm and fuzzy Trekkie feelings.

Short Treks Episode 5: “Q&A”

Number One AKA Una (Rebecca Romijn) shines in a one-of-a-kind minisode.

Although the anthology format of Short Treks seems to have not stuck long term, the fifth episode, “Q&A,” represents perfectly why the concept is so great. Do we need an entire episode that explores Spock’s very first day on the USS Enterprise in 2253? Probably not! But, in the anthology world of Short Treks , this small, very specific story could be told without too much fuss.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (and Picard co-creator) Michael Chabon, “Q&A” finds Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) trapped together after a turbolift malfunctions. Here, Michael Chabon specifically attacked a real-life truth and combined it with a slick retcon. In Gene Roddenberry’s original conception of Star Trek , Number One would have been more like Spock. But when “The Cage” was rejected as a series pilot, and Roddenberry retooled the concept of Spock, many of Number One’s personality traits were given to Spock.

So, how does that work in canon? “Q&A” provides the answer. Spock clearly looks to Number One as his North Star when it comes to balancing his outward persona with his innermost feelings. Strange New Worlds has slightly walked back some of these themes more recently, but then again, several years have passed between “Q&A,” “The Cage,” and the most recent Number One-centric episode, “Ad Astra per Aspera.”

Discovery Season 1, Episode 7: “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”

Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) stops by Discovery to shake things up with a time loop.

Despite being the NuTrek series that launched the entire franchise, the serialized nature of Discovery makes it difficult to pick out just one episode, since so many episodes rely on dense season-long arcs. However, smack-dab in the middle of Discovery’s first season is a wonderful stand-alone episode called “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.”

In it, Rainn Wilson makes his second appearance as Harry Mudd, a reboot (pre-boot?) of an actual mustache-twirling villain from Star Trek: The Original Series . This version of Mudd has time crystals, which allow him to turn the whole episode into a delightful time loop story. If more Discovery Season 1 episodes had been like this one, the show probably wouldn’t have faced such early opposition from fans and critics. This was an instant classic in 2017, and it holds up still.

Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 10: “No Small Parts”

The Easter egg in this opening scene is one of the deepest, and best cuts in all of Lower Decks . You either know who Landru is...or you’re not of the body.

Although you could populate this entire list with Lower Decks episodes that would convert cranky or confused fans, the Season 1 finale of the show might remain the most impressive. Although the internet will tell you that Lower Decks is just Rick and Morty with Trekkie jokes, nothing could be further from the truth. With “No Small Parts,” showrunner Mike McMahan took the structure of a TNG season finale and married that sensibility with the ethos of what the series is all about.

The crew of the USS Cerritos is often doing the mop-up chores of Starfleet, and so it makes sense that their greatest nemesis would be extremely silly alien pieces from TNG . And yet, when things really start to hit the fan, Lower Deck pulls out the big phasers with an unforgettable cameo that will put a smile on the face of even the most casual or jaded Star Trek fan. After you watch “No Small Parts,” you’ll immediately want to watch the next season, and guess what? You’ll find most Lower Decks episodes are just as good.

Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 9: “Subspace Rhapsody”

Captain Pike, seconds before hearing Klingons burst into song.

Although the notion of a Star Trek musical episode might sound like the ultimate example of NuTrek jumping the space shark, the truth is, the zany premise of “Subspace Rhapsody” is exactly the kind of concept The Original Series would have floated if it had had the budget.

When the Enterprise gets hit by an improbability field from a subspace fold, suddenly, they’re enveloped in a kind of reality that operates on the rules of a musical. Getting to the end of this musical reality is the goal of the episode, meaning the musical premise is what drives the entire episode.

That said, “Subspace Rhapsody” does an incredible amount of character work for nearly every member of the crew. This episode establishes the canonical fact that Nurse Chapel has to leave the Enterprise at some point in order to make sense of her wonky TOS chronology. Plus, Chapel dumping Spock in the song “I’m Ready” leads to Spock’s lament “I’m the X,” which effectively retcons the more emotional Spock we’ve seen throughout this series, Discovery , and the 1964 pilot episode “The Cage.”

All in all, “Subspace Rhapsody” represents what Strange New Worlds does best: it takes a huge risk by playing it safe. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Picard Season 3, Episode 10: “The Last Generation”

Raffi and Seven take charge of the USS Titan, which may have a totally different name now, but no spoilers!

The series finale of Picard is a weird episode to watch as your very first episode of NuTrek but, for longtime fans of the 1990s version of the franchise (which is an era that lasted from 1987 to 2005), this big, bold episode will remind you of all your favorite Star Trek toys.

While watching this episode out of context with the rest of Picard Season 3 could be disorienting, combined with its predecessor — the penultimate episode “Võx” — you’re getting a TNG movie that is much better than most of the actual TNG movies. Heartfelt, action-packed, and with nods to all corners of Trek fandom, “The Last Generation” is also a not-so-secret backdoor pilot for yet another Trek series that has yet to materialize. Fans and showrunner Terry Matalas have dubbed this hypothetical spinoff show as Star Trek: Legacy . Will we ever see it? There are always possibilities, but for now, the most crowd-pleasing NuTrek episode of them all will remain this absolute banger.

Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and Discovery all stream on Paramount+. Prodigy streams on Netflix.

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ S5 Review: Final Season Is Its Best

This season has a brisk pace and the sense of fun that in the past has been crushed under the weight of grave galactic stakes..

Star Trek: Discovery occupies an interesting place in the celebrated franchise. It was the first Trek series of the streaming era, the first to debut behind a paywall, the first produced after J.J. Abrams’ big screen reboot, and the first to put a woman of color in the captain’s chair. Discovery redefined the look and feel of the franchise on television, bringing Trek into the modern world of feature-level photography, effects, and pace of story. It blazed a trail for a new generation of Trek media, like direct spin-off Strange New Worlds and the upcoming Section 31 TV movie. It is also not terribly popular amidst the old guard of Trekkies, nor is it a mainstream hit or a critical darling. Discovery has struggled to find its footing from the very beginning and is still uneven after years of retooling. I do not consider its cancellation after five seasons to be a tragic loss for television. However, Discovery may still have one “first” left to achieve: It may be the first Star Trek series whose final season is its best. 

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(A quick personal note to the handful of Trekkies who just clutched their pearls: Season 4 of Enterprise is not better than Season 3, it merely has more familiar stuff for fans to point at with childlike glee. And you’ve likely already read my thoughts on Picard ’s final season .)

Even as a critic of the show, I have to acknowledge that every season of Discovery has started with a bang. It’s the nature of a serialized, season-long story arc to kick off with something resembling the first act of a feature film, and Season 5 is no different. The opening chapter, “Red Directive,” is a fast-paced space adventure packed with flashy action set pieces. The illustrious Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) and her crew are on the trail of Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), a spacefaring Bonnie and Clyde who have stumbled across a secret with enormous implications for the future of the galaxy. Just like the previous three seasons, this sets Team Disco off on another cosmic scavenger hunt, jumping to a new world each week to find the next clue to the season’s grander mystery. 

Historically, this is where Discovery has run into trouble. While each chapter tends to have its own contained adventure plot or even a classic Trek “message of the week,” they’re rarely that memorable and they advance the season’s overarching storyline without adding much depth. This season, though, has a brisk pace and a sense of fun that, previously, has been crushed under the weight of grave galactic stakes. Paramount has promoted this season as having an Indiana Jones energy to it , and that’s a fair comparison. The characters are enjoying themselves more, and for the first time since Season 2, the story isn’t built around some unfathomable tragedy. T o my best recollection, none of the episodes provided in advance to critics feature any crying. That’s four consecutive episodes, possibly a new track record.

This is not the only way in which Discovery ’s new season throttles back on the show’s occasionally cloying sentimentality. The season premiere introduces a new character, Captain Rayner ( Callum Keith Rennie ), a gruff pragmatist who serves as a contrast to Burnham’s soft-spoken, personable, firmly feminine command style. At first, Rayner appears to be a straw man representing aggro, entitled white male authority, a trope Discovery goes to often. As the season progresses, Rayner acquires some depth and even some likability. It’s fun to watch this grumpy old guy interact with a cast full of characters who are totally in touch with their feelings. Most importantly, Rayner provides something that the series has needed ever since Burnham took command of Discovery: a professional peer with whom to disagree and occasionally compromise. It’s an essential role that her first officer, Saru ( Doug Jones ), has become too adoring and loyal to play. Burnham has earned the devotion of her crew, but watching her gracefully manage dissent only enhances her aura of strength and leadership.

Even though production was wrapped before Discovery was canceled (with additional shooting after that announcement to tie up loose ends), Season Five feels like a finale from the very beginning. A few characters are moving on with their lives, pursuing new interests and relationships. There are more fun, non-intrusive callbacks to Treks past than in the last two seasons, which makes it feel a bit like a victory lap for the streaming era’s flagship show. Above all, there is a sense of ease, as if the cast and crew have finally got their engine running smoothly and can cruise to the finish line. It’s the energy a series possesses at its peak, a point to which fans will often look back and say “They probably should have stopped there.” Barring a significant misstep in its final six episodes, Star Trek: Discovery will never be past its prime, and that’s a distinction its creators can wear with pride. 

• SEE ALSO : Hank Azaria On What It Takes to Change

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