Star Trekfans are currently experiencing a new golden age, considering how many new shows have started airing in recent years. Three live-action shows and two animated ones are enough to provide a lot of content for those who have grown to likeStar Trekthanks to the older series or only recently discovered it.
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However, not every newStar Trekshow achieved the same number of positive reactions from the audience. Many people were quick to point out the things they didn’t like aboutStar Trek: DiscoveryandStar Trek: Picard. It seems that the latestStar TrekseriesStrange New Worldstook it to heart, and it does multiple things better than its two predecessors.
5The Case-Of-The Week Pattern
Even though some plot points continued throughout the first season (Spock’s relationship with T’Pring and Nurse Chapel, M’Benga’s sick daughter),Strange New Worldsfunctions as a case-of-the-week piece, with each story lasting only a single episode, two at the most. That’s a significant change fromDiscoveryandPicard,which had plot lines running for an entire season or more.
What this means forStrange New Worldsis that even if the fans don’t like the current storyline, they have a chance to enjoy the next one. However, if they hate the entire story of the first season ofDiscovery, then they might struggle with finishing the series. As a result,Strange New Worldsis more flexible and easily watchable than its two recent predecessors.
4The Favorite Heroes Are Back
It’s true thatPicardhas the fan-favorite Jean-Luc Picardback, alongside several other appearances from well-known characters, such as Seven of Nine. AndDiscoverybrought back characters such as Sarek and Amanda who also played a part, albeit a smaller one, in olderStar Trekshows and movies. But it wasn’t untilStrange New Worldsthat the old and favorite heroes truly came back.
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They might be wearing different faces and are portrayed by new actors, but they’re still recognizable as the original characters. As a result, the fans are already familiar with them when the shows start, and it’s easy to sympathize with the characters and understand where they’re coming from. What’s more, it’s fun for the fans to watch how the younger versions of their favorite heroes will act and what they will do.
3The Humor Returns
It’s true that the world ofStar Trekisn’t perfect. It faces the threat of war,many dangerous villains, as well as tension-filled relationships between the characters themselves. However, the primary spirit of the originalStar Trekseries was that of exploration and joy at discovering the universe and everything it has to offer. So even when the crew got in danger on a regular basis, there was still space for humor, joking, and light-hearted moments.
Strange New Worldsbrings this balance back, making it come across as more of a feel-good story thanDiscoveryandPicard. Both of these shows also had some humorous moments, but unlike in their cases, it’s not such a stretch to imagine that the future as shown inStrange New Worldsis something the fans might actually want to live in.
2The Relationships Between The Characters
Whenever two characters or more led a conversation inDiscoveryandPicard, it was usually something about the current threat they faced or even about the potential destruction of the ship/Federation/the entire universe. As a result, there wasn’t as much space for building natural relationships between the characters.Strange New Worldstakes the time to establish the bonds between the charactersoutside of danger and missions.
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The viewers of the show can see the crew members just hanging out together, talking, joking, cooking, eating, or even playing games. They simply do everyday things that help people grow closer and become true friends and family, not just a crew that happens to work together.Strange New Worldsisn’t the firstStar Trekshow that does this. For example, Kirk and Spock were seen playing chess together and the crew inStar Trek: Enterpriseregularly attended movie nights. ButDiscoveryandPicardforgot that life on a starship isn’t always about drama, andStrange New Worldsreminds the franchise of that.
1Everybody Gets The Chance To Shine
Something thatStrange New Worldsdoes even better than the originalStar Trekseries is that it focuses on multiple characters. Most of the major heroes get an episode centered on them, andno character is forgotten. Pike is a given, but there’s also an episode primarily about Spock, about doctor M’Benga, the first officer Una who’s hiding a secret from her friends, and the list goes on.
Considering how focusedPicardandDiscoverywere on their main storylines, they didn’t have the time to slow down and dedicate an entire episode to a single character. By doing this,Strange New Worldsmanages to better characterize its heroes and also makes it easier for the fans to decide who their favorite is going to be. Last but not least, it also gives the actors the chance to show what they can do when the attention is on their respective heroes, and not on the ship’s crew as a whole.
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