TL;DR – While it didn’t land everything it set out to do, you could not help but get caught up in the drama somewhat.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service used to view this series.

End Credit Scene – There is an end-credit scene.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

As this season of Strange New Worlds has progressed, I am finding myself agreeing with Seán Ferrick from TrekCulture in wondering what is the vibe for this season? This has been a series that always has had its statement episodes; this season has been nothing but that. It has led to a dramatically inconsistent season, of which we see another example today.

So, to set the scene, Pike (Anson Mount) wakes up in sickbay with a bandage wrapped around his head. He had been in a terrible shuttle accident. Something is very wrong: his memory is fuzzy, M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) keeps talking off into the distance, the lights are too bright, everyone is speaking with dramatic pauses, and was that a musical cue in the background that Pike can hear? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Are We Back in the Musical?

What makes this episode work as well as it does was the choice to make Pike the straight man in the chaotic world. That point of conflict is what drives the drama, so having someone on the outside is a good juxtaposition for the narrative. It also helps sell that uncanny valley feel to what is going on by letting Pike be the fish-out-of-water. Thankfully, the episode is not played completely for silliness’ sake; there is a real emotional touchstone under the surface. Of course, that emotion comes from a very sci-fi place as Pike recalls the dream family from New Life and New Civilizations. Something that Trelane (Rhys Darby) could not have predicted, and it makes sense as the touchstone that keeps Pike disconnected from the soap opera reality that has been constructed.  

General Starship

This week’s episode’s theme is very much harping on the soap opera genre, and thankfully, unlike last week, they are wearing their influences on their sleeve. The title is a reference to Days of Our Lives; everyone is acting like they are wondering if they left the oven on at the end of each sentence, and Deidre Hall makes a guest appearance, whose soap opera character has the notable distinction of having been possessed by the devil twice, one of which I remember watching when I was home sick from school. I did quite like the parts of the soap opera that Pike was involved in. La’an (Christina Chong) breaking Sybok (Ethan Peck) out of prison to save Spock (Ethan Peck) was also a camp delight. The rest of the soap opera-ness of the episode was a bit hit-and-miss with the storylines. I didn’t mind the overarching Trelane narrative framework, but it could not work out how meta it wanted to be, and they are really leaning in hard with the Doctor Who allegations with the costuming this week.   

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? It was a perfectly fine episode that let Anson Mount and some of the cast stretch their emotional range into the ‘drama’ space. Another example of this very experimental season, this is one of those episodes that I liked when watching, but I don’t think there is anything here that would have me come back to it again. Have you seen Star Trek: Strange New Worlds yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Directed by – Anna Dokoza
Written by – Dana Horgan, & Bill Wolkoff
Created by – Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, & Jenny Lumet
Based On – Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
Production/Distribution Companies – CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, Weed Road Pictures, HMRX, Roddenberry Entertainment, & Paramount +
Starring – Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Martin Quinn, & Rebecca Romijn
With – Deidre Hall, & Rhys Darby
And – Diana L. Johnstone, Alex Kapp, & Anna Mirodin