Season 1 Highlights from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a series that took me by surprise. It has a natural, old-school Star Trek feel to it. It’s as compelling as it is visually stunning. Every actor breathes life into these familiar and new characters, fitting right into the Trek universe. Strange New Worlds reminds us why Star Trek is still one of the most creative, influential sci-fi franchises out there, immersing us in an exciting exploration of the far reaches of the galaxy. 

As we boldly go into season 3, I want to highlight my favorite aspects of season 1 with our fave Enterprise crew.

Warning: Spoilers lurk here, even beyond Federation space. Proceed at your peril, Trekkies. 

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Uhura and Spock Singing to C/2260-Quentin, aka M’Hanit 

Firstly, Celia Rose Gooding and Ethan Peck are pitch-perfect in their portrayals of Uhura and Spock. Before watching this show, I was most excited to see what they would bring to the table regarding these two incredibly well-known Trek characters, and they do not disappoint. I love a good sci-fi series that isn’t afraid to think outside the box and get weird. Star Trek blazed a trail with its innovative narratives. For example, Uhura discovers that a comet harboring an ancient alien relic responds to musical notes and uses this to help divert it from crashing into a nearby planet.

While this moment is fun because of how Uhura connects the dots to solve this puzzle, it’s more so her arc in “Children of the Comet” and how Spock helps her find her footing aboard the Enterprise. The cadet gains confidence in her abilities despite not knowing whether she will remain in Starfleet after training. (Of course, we know she inevitably sticks around. Otherwise, that would render decades of Uhura appearances as non-canon.)

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Una Taking Charge During the Contagion on the Enterprise

Una Chin-Riley is a badass Number One; make no mistake about that. When everyone aboard the Enterprise is infected by a contagion carried over from the abandoned Illyrian colony Hetemit IX, Una is the only one immune to it due to being an Illyrian herself. Of course, her revealing this information to Captain Pike turns out to become her undoing as she’s arrested in the season finale for concealing her identity from Starfleet.

It’s fun watching Rebecca Romijn own this role. Seldom do we see a middle-aged woman partake in combat, so kudos to Strange New Worlds for embracing that. 

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La’an’s Backstory

La’an Noonien-Singh is an entirely new character in the Star Trek franchise, played beautifully by Christina Chong. Few characters have been created solely for this series (Erica Ortegas is another original creation). La’an’s tragic backstory is the lifeblood of a handful of episodic narratives in season 1. It provides invaluable insight into how she operates. While most of the crew believe she’s a no-nonsense lieutenant who doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “fun,” I’m pretty sure I’d also be perpetually solemn if I lost my entire family to the Gorn and was sent out into space on a raft as part of a “ritual.” 

Her trauma is handled with care and tenderness, especially in “Memento Mori” when La’an incessantly sees her brother’s ghost, who died trying to save her from the Gorn. The outing brilliantly builds on the formidable, terrifying, and bloodthirsty nature of the Gorn without showing them (which pays off spectacularly in the penultimate episode) as the Enterprise brainstorms how to evade them. Spock utilizing the mind meld on La’an to dig deeper into her pain allows her to move forward and begin healing.  

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Spock’s Freaky Friday/Una and La’an Break the Rules

If there’s one thing inherently Trek, it’s the ability to get silly. “Spock Amok” finds Spock and his fiancée T’Pring undergoing a Freaky Friday situation as they switch bodies. The fun comes from them being so similar in demeanor that it’s difficult to tell who’s who. But Peck and Gia Sandhu have such a deep understanding of the nuances of their characters that you can discern the differences between the two, however slight. It’s a delightful respite from the previous episode’s heavier themes.

Meanwhile, Una and La’an participate in a friendly game of Enterprise bingo, which includes them playing good cop/bad cop to scare a couple of ensigns and walking on the outside of the ship without suits courtesy of a force field. Here are two characters who, at that point, we hadn’t seen genuinely blow off steam, so it’s fun to see that lighter side to both. Additionally, it develops their already close bond and adds new layers to it. (After all, Una was an ensign on the ship that saved La’an.) 

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When It All Gets Goofy in “The Elysian Kingdom”

Classic Trek knows a thing or two about goofiness, and “The Elysian Kingdom” capitalizes on that. According to many, the hotly contested episode is the weakest of the season. While it’s not my favorite, I enjoy it for the pure campiness of it all. Christina Chong gets to break free of La’an’s severe nature and fully embraces her silly side. Bruce Horak also has a blast as Hemmer, while Anson Mount plays against type as the bumbling coward Captain Pike, the opposite of his character outside of this episodic narrative.

There’s so much freedom and flexibility in science fiction for plots like these. The genre easily lets you inject goofy fantasy plots and even musical numbers into the storylines. Just chalk it up to an alien entity that’s controlling the story! Goofy comes with the sci-fi territory.

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M’Benga’s Arc

Piggybacking off “The Elysian Kingdom,” the end of M’Benga’s story with Rukiya in that episode made me tear up. As a daddy’s girl, his endeavors to cure Rukiya of cygnokemia tugged at my heartstrings. Plus, Babs Olusanmokun brings such tenderness and vulnerability to M’Benga. It’s hard not to be moved by his performance, especially in “The Elysian Kingdom.” He makes the tough decision to let Rukiya become part of the alien consciousness that thrusts the Enterprise into the plot of a children’s fantasy book. At least she’ll be cured of the aggressively fatal disease.

M’Benga’s arc is essentially about letting go. Rukiya is happy and cygnokemia-free while living with Debra (the alien entity Rukiya named after her mother). The thematic crux of this season encourages us to let go of what’s no longer serving us, from M’Benga realizing his daughter is happier without a physical body to Pike accepting his fate after seeing his future. Spock lets go of the notion that his human side is “weak.” La’an frees herself from the pain of her past. I love it when multiple character arcs are emotionally connected.

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The Horror Elements in “All Those Who Wander”

“All Those Who Wander” rips a page out of Alien‘s book by finally introducing us to an updated version of the Gorn. It channels these horror elements into a truly scary, bloody good time. The outing keeps its finger on the pulse of the narrative action, maintaining steady momentum from beginning to end. Plus, the Alien-esque scenes are pretty damn gory. This horror fan is a, well, fan. 

The episode is also part action-adventure, with La’an, in particular, getting the chance to be Ripley and save the day while confronting the monsters responsible for killing everyone she loved. It’s catharsis for her. However, the emotional heft of “All Those Who Wander” belongs to Hemmer, who sacrifices himself to save the crew after being sprayed with the Gorn’s venom. It’s a heroic end for one of the show’s best supporting players. 

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Uhura and Hemmer’s Friendship 

Uhura and Hemmer cultivate a beautiful friendship throughout season 1, from the second episode when he and Spock lightly “hazed” Uhura into thinking she offended Hemmer to the latter’s sacrifice in episode 9. Ultimately, Hemmer’s death catalyzes Uhura’s decision to stay in Starfleet after she finishes her cadet training. It’s interesting to look back at Uhura’s decades-long arc and see Hemmer’s influence through that lens.

The series methodically develops the bond between Uhura and Hemmer, which makes his departure even more keenly felt. I’ll miss their conversations, their banter, and his wisdom.

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Nurse Chapel and Spock’s Chemistry

Speaking of fun character dynamics, Nurse Chapel and Spock boast excellent chemistry. I’m usually not the “shipping” type unless a pairing connects really well onscreen, but I’m a fan of these two. We know his marriage to T’Pring is later annulled. Even though there’s a good chance we won’t see a Spock/Chapel romance (I can’t picture Spock cheating on T’Pring), their will-they-won’t-they is enough to sustain me. Jess Bush and Peck know how to allow their easygoing connection to shine through without forcing it. Bush, in particular, has naturally expressive eyes. You can see everything she’s feeling.

But even Spock, who endeavors to resist his human side and remain full Vulcan, shows us how much he cares about Christine Chapel via subtle character beats. I’m curious to discover where the future takes them.

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“A Quality of Mercy” as a Whole 

The Strange New Worlds season 1 finale is its best episode thus far. It’s a thrill ride from beginning to end, bringing Captain Pike’s grappling with his bleak future full circle from the pilot. When he attempts to alter the course of his fate, his future self shows him how his actions have consequences. Folks, those repercussions aren’t pretty. In every timeline, Spock dies. In this alternate future, we meet Captain James T. Kirk, played by Paul Wesley. Side note: Wesley does a serviceable job, although we don’t see too much of Kirk’s innate charm … yet.

Pike navigates the possibility of a full-scale war between the Federation and the Romulans while one officer suffers Pike’s initial fate in a fiery explosion. I love the subtle changes to this alt timeline. However, one thing remains the same: Una is arrested for concealing her Illyrian identity from Starfleet. When Pike returns to his time, he finds his lover Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano) conducting the arrest. 

It deftly sets the stage for season 2 as Pike vows to bring Una back, safe and sound. There’s action, comedy, romance, and plot twists aplenty. I love watching Kirk interact with Spock and Uhura through the perspective of knowing they all share a future on the Enterprise. “A Quality of Mercy” is unadulterated Star Trek, through and through.

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What are your highlights from season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? What do you hope to see in season 3?

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