Strange New Worlds Season 2 of Star Trek has come and gone in the blink of an eye, leaving fans with mixed feelings. While the season featured bold format changes and character arcs, it also suffered from the limitation of only 10 episodes. The decision to focus on the larger ensemble cast allowed lesser-known characters to shine, but left fans of Captain Pike feeling a bit neglected. Despite this, Anson Mount’s portrayal of Pike remains delightful to watch. One standout episode, “Among the Lotus Eaters,” takes the crew to a forgotten Trek planet and provides intriguing continuity info.
While the season had many strengths, including clever and intriguing concepts, it had a weak start and a lackluster finale. The premiere, “The Broken Circle,” saw Spock and the crew making questionable decisions with no real justification. The season finale, “Hegemony,” was essentially a retread of the previous season’s conflict with the Gorn, lacking the same emotional weight. However, each episode had its merits, such as Spock’s spacewalk rescue and La’an’s realization of the true nature of her time-travel mission.
One notable aspect of the season was its willingness to take risks. The crossover episode with the animated series Lower Decks was a success, blending the zaniness of the comedy with the live-action format. Additionally, the season featured a dark war episode and even a musical episode, albeit a little late to the party.
The strength of Strange New Worlds lies in its characters. The evolving relationships between Chapel and Spock, as well as La’an and Kirk, provide captivating storylines. The bond between M’Benga and Chapel, forged during the Klingon War, is a standout. Overall, the cast is exceptional, making it one of the best-cast Trek shows since Deep Space Nine.
As fans eagerly await the next season, there are lingering questions and hopes for the future. Will we see the characters Angel and Sybok in Season 3? The arrival of Scotty in the finale means we have now met nearly every Original Series crewmember. However, there hasn’t been much exploration of strange new worlds lately, leaving fans wondering when the Enterprise will discover new planets. The addition of Carol Kane as chief engineer brought a unique twist, but she hasn’t quite matched the impact of Bruce Horak’s Hemmer from the previous season. Speaking of Horak, his return as a singing Klingon in “Subspace Rhapsody” was a delightful surprise.