Culture Cinema & Tv Show reviews

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season two

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season two | Show review

Season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the USS Enterprise, a decade before the events of the original Star Trek series. As the title suggests, the starship’s crew explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilisations and boldly go where no one has gone before.

While this second season has a lot for Star Trek aficionados to sink their teeth into, exploring new sides to familiar faces and settings, the show also does a great job at remaining accessible to newcomers, demonstrating the appeal of the iconic universe effectively and enthusiastically. The first episode here is a perfect capsule of Trek: intergalactic politics, character drama, spaceship dogfights and more, providing an ideal gateway for people curious about the franchise.

The writing also effectively balances all the essential ingredients for a good Star Trek story, juggling complex character dynamics, politics, action and comedic chops with an impressive editorial hand, giving each component the space (no pun intended) to properly land without overcrowding the narrative. This solid material is helped greatly by excellent performances across the ensemble cast, with each member of the Enterprise bouncing off the next in really compelling ways and facilitating the program’s various moving parts. The first episode in particular allows Ethan Peck to really flex his acting skills as Spock, showcasing the character’s unique range and going from riveting emotional scenes to deadpan comedy at the drop of a hat.

Overall, season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is off to a very strong start, building from what has come before while taking the franchise to new and exciting places, and doing so with confidence and more than a little style and flair. If the rest of the series can follow suit, hardcore Trekkies and Star Trek newbies alike are in for a fantastic TV experience.

Umar Ali

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season two is released on Paramount+ on 15th June 2023.

Watch the trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season two here:

More in Shows

The Morning Show season four

Antonia Georgiou

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

Antonia Georgiou

Sentimental Value — Joachim Trier returns with intimate family drama starring Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård

The editorial unit

Tape

Andrew Murray

Happyend

Christina Yang

“There’s a long discussion about Sydney Sweeney”: Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller on Platonic season two

Christina Yang

Islands premiere: On the red carpet with Jan-Ole Gerster, Sam Riley and Jack Farthing

Ezelle Alblas

“It brings a great sense of warmth and comfort”: The cast and creatives on Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale

Ezelle Alblas

The Girlfriend

Antonia Georgiou