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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike.

• Akiva Goldsman
• Alex Kurtzman
• Jenny Lumet
• Anson Mount
• Christina Chong
• 1K User reviews
• 38 Critic reviews
• 9 wins & 32 nominations total

Episodes 31

• Captain Christopher Pike …

• La'an Noonien-Singh …

• Lt. Erica Ortegas …

• Una Chin-Riley …

• Nurse Christine Chapel

• Nyota Uhura …

• Dr. M'Benga

• USS Enterprise Computer …

• Lieutenant George Samuel 'Sam' Kirk

• Jenna Mitchell

• Captain Batel …

• Admiral Robert April

• Captain James T. Kirk …

• T'Pring
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Bruce Horak , the actor who plays Hemmer, is legally blind, just like his character's species, the Aenar, who are also blind.
• Goofs There are some rank insignia mistakes. Number One is introduced as "Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley" yet she is wearing the rank insignia of a full commander: two full stripes. A Lieutenant Commander's rank insignia is a full stripe under a thin stripe (in TOS it is a full stripe and a staggered stripe). It is not uncommon for a ship's first officer to be a Lt. Commander if they have not been in the position long. Spock at this point is a Lieutenant but he is wearing Lieutenant Commander's stripes; a Lieutenant just has one stripe. La'an is the ship's chief of security and the ship's second officer. She is also wearing Lt. Commander stripes but is addressed as a Lieutenant, but it would make more sense for her to be a Lieutenant Commander. Either way both of their rank insignia are not matching the rank they are addressed by. Ortegas is addressed as a Lieutenant but is wearing Lieutenant Commander's strips. A Lieutenant Commander may be addressed as a Commander or Lieutenant Commander but never as just a Lieutenant, so either her rank insignia or the manner she is addressed by the rest of the crew is in error.

[opening narration]

Captain Christopher Pike : Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

• Connections Featured in Nerdrotic: Woke Hollywood is FAILING, and That's a Good Thing (2022)

Technical specs

• Runtime 52 minutes
• D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ drops its ‘Lower Decks’ crossover early

‘those old scientists’ is available to watch right now..

Ever since Strange New Worlds’ second season was announced, the big draw has been the crossover episode with animated sitcom Lower Decks . It would see Tawny Newsome (Mariner) and Jack Quaid (Boimler) taking their until-now animated characters into live action. Following an early screening at Comic-Con, the episode is now available to watch on Paramount Plus.

The following article contains spoilers for “Those Old Scientists.”

There’s an SNL sketch where William Shatner, as himself, exhorts a room full of Star Trek fans to “ Get a Life! ” It’s clearly intended in jest, given Shatner’s barely-suppressed smile and a twist where Phil Hartman’s manager forces him to instantly recant his rant. Depending on who you ask, the sketch was either taken in the spirit it was intended, or with outrage amongst fans who felt mischaracterized, and misunderstood. But it’s this dichotomy, between the legend and the truth that’s mined for laughs in “Those Old Scientists,” the crossover episode between Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks . Well, that and an affectionate elbow in the ribs suggesting that we could all do with being a bit less obsessive.

The (animated) beta shift is making a routine survey of a long-dormant time-travel portal, while Boimler and Tendi argue about who discovered it. Boimler brags it was found by Starfleet, but Tendi says it was Orion scientists, once again trying to dispel myths that all Orions are pirates. While messing around Boimler is standing on the portal when Rutherford accidentally sets it running, throwing him back in time. When he arrives on the other side, he’s now in the live action world of Strange New Worlds , and is greeted by Spock, Una and La’an. And with that, we’re into an animated version of the title sequence, complete with nacelle-sucking alien.

On the Enterprise, Boimler can’t help but express his shock, surprise and generally fanboy out in front of his heroes. He gets lectured by La’an about not polluting the timeline and, thanks to her adventure in “Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” not getting attached. But, since this is the Boimler we know and love, he can’t help but throw spoilers out left, right and center. Not to mention his insistence on pointing out the difference between the history as he knows it, and the storylines as they’re presently unfolding on Strange New Worlds . For instance, he’s mightily disturbed by the fact that Spock – happy in a relationship with Chapel – is laughing, smiling and generally acting like he’s in love. After all, the Spock he knows – his Spock – isn’t this outwardly emotional, because that’s what the legend tells us. It’s almost as if he’s a stand-in for the sort of obsessive fan who tries to police the borders of what Star Trek is, instead of enjoying the journey.

At the same time, the Enterprise has to deal with an Orion vessel with undetermined intentions which then steals the time portal. Boimler urges Pike to be diplomatic, but winds up forcing him to trade a supply of much-needed triticale grain to get it back. Pike sees this – and the forced relocation of a planet-full of starving colonists – as preferable to having this guy on his ship any longer. When the portal is active and back in position, the Enterprise crew ready to get rid of this purple-haired irritation, Mariner leaps through, bravely declaring that she’s coming to the rescue. Except, the hardware had power enough for just one trip, and there’s not a fuel source available anywhere else in the quadrant. Leaving an eye-rolling Pike with the unwelcome possibility that they’re stuck with the Cerritos’ pair for good.

Boimler and Mariner wind up spending some time with their heroes, until they eventually realize that the Enterprise itself has a supply of fuel. Thanks to the naval tradition of using a component from the previous vessel in the construction of the next one, they can refine a chunk of NX-01 into fuel which can be used to send the pair home. (But not before the Strange New Worlds crew can reveal that they, too, are secretly as nerdy as a bunch of fans of their predecessors from Enterprise as Boimler is for this era.) They meet with the Orions again, and Pike pledges to claim that the Orions discovered the portal, giving their burgeoning science ship a small chunk of credit. And when Boimler and Mariner leap back to the future, the Enterprise crew drink an Orion cocktail that, in the closer, renders them all as animated characters.

“Those Old Scientists” is as pure a dose of fan service as Star Trek has ever produced, and I mean that as both a compliment and a criticism. Plenty of the elements, including the animated title sequence, reached straight into the lizard part of my brain and left me grinning like a loon. The screenplay, credited to Lower Decks ’ executive story editor Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkloff, is crammed full of great gags. It helps, too, that Strange New Worlds has enough comic talent in its ranks to play an episode like this, and Carol Kane steals the show with the best gag in the episode.

But, and there is a but, the episode is a bit like cotton candy in that once the initial hit of sugar leaves your tongue, there’s little else here. We get a lot of scenes of Boimler and then Mariner telling the Enterprise crew how great they are, or are seen as such, by their successors. Most of these scenes take place sitting around desks, bars or lounges – telling rather than showing. I know that this is Strange New Worlds , and so the narrative will always belong with this crew rather than its guest stars. But the lower deckers are rendered passive observers in a narrative that could, or should, really have enabled them to demonstrate the dynamism they have in their own show. In the moment where Boimler and Mariner try to solve things on their own, they’re instantly shut down by La’an and Uhura and told to sit back on the bench. The worst served by this is Tawny Newsome, who is absent a major chunk of the episode and has little to do when Mariner does finally arrive in the past.

That cotton candy metaphor is probably the best way to sum up “Those Old Scientists,” a goofy snack between meatier meals , or episodes, either side. The fact it exists at all is a joy, even if it’s not as wonderful as it could have been, and I’d love nothing more than to see more forays into the real world by the Lower Decks crew. At the very least, with Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks in production at the same time, it’s a great time to be a Star Trek fan.

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ and ‘Lower Decks’ Set Crossover Episode

Boldly going where no “Star Trek” series have gone before, the casts of the live-action “ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ” and animated “ Star Trek: Lower Decks ” will meet on a crossover episode of Season 2 of “Strange New Worlds.”

“Strange New Worlds” concluded its first season in early July as the best received “Trek” TV series of the 21st century, so its Comic-Con panel could’ve been effectively a victory lap for the show.

The panel included Anson Mount (Capt. Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Paul Wesley (Lt. James T. Kirk), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh), and Celia Rose Gooding (Cadet Nyota Uhura), as well as executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Rod Rodenberry, and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers.

During the “Strange New Worlds” panel, “Lower Decks” stars Tawny Newsome (Ens. Beckett Mariner) and Jack Quaid (Ens. Brad Boimler) crashed to reveal that Mariner and Boimler — whose characters exist in the “Next Generation” period of “Trek” — will step onto Capt. Pike’s Enterprise in an episode directed by Jonathan Frakes.

“Lower Decks,” the first animated comedy in the franchise’s history, also debuted the final trailer for its third season, which is set to debut on Aug. 25. The panel included Newsome, Quaid, Noël Wells (Ens. D’Vana Tendi), Dawnn Lewis (Capt. Carol Freeman), as well as executive producer and creator Mike McMahan and executive producer Rod Rodenberry.

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Season 2 of “Lower Decks” ended on a cliffhanger, after Capt. Freeman (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) — also Mariner’s mother — is arrested by Starfleet and removed from command of the USS Cerritos. The trailer hints at how Mariner attempts to solve that problem while tossing in some choice “Trek” jokes — the best of which involves “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” On the panel, McMahan said that the titular space station will play a part in a Season 3 episode.

“”It feels like one last walk through Deep Space Nine. It’s a really great episode. I can’t wait for you to see it,” he said.

You can watch the “Lower Decks” Season 3 trailer below:

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'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Episode 7 Recap: Meeting Your Heroes Rocks

In the highly anticipated 'Strange New Worlds' and 'Lower Decks' crossover episode, Mariner and Boimler get to meet their heroes on the Enterprise.

They say never meet your heroes, but Lower Decks ensigns Beckett Mariner ( Tawny Newsome ) and Brad Boimler ( Jack Quaid ) might disagree! In the highly anticipated Strange New Worlds crossover episode with Star Trek 's adult animated series, the two young ensigns of the USS Cerritos travel back in time for an unforgettable adventure aboard the USS Enterprise with Starfleet legends like Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ), Number One ( Rebecca Romijn ) and Spock ( Ethan Peck ). While things appear to go a bit sideways for Boimler for a bit, and their heroes are not exactly how they imagined them, the episode brings everything full circle in an emotional, heartwarming hour of television that'll have audiences grinning from ear to ear.

The opening credits for this episode have also been reimagined in the animation style of Lower Decks , bringing the Enterprise to the second dimension for the first time in decades. “Those Old Scientists” is directed by Star Trek legend Jonathan Frakes and as always with his episodes there’s an extra layer of warmth in the performances delivered within. The episode is truly a joint effort from the SNW and Lower Decks teams written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff . While Strange New Worlds fans can enjoy this episode without having seen Lower Decks , the experience is certainly richer for those who follow both shows, and audiences who've only seen one or the other will certainly be tuning in to both afterward.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Musical Trailer Queues Up Romance and Joy

Boimler Gets a Blast to the Past in 'Strange New Worlds'

The episode opens with the crew of the USS Cerritos on a routine mission to scan a portal and take readings of the no-longer-functioning device discovered by Captain Pike and the original crew of the Enterprise. Mariner naturally makes fun of Boimler's geeked-out excitement for the device that reportedly hasn't functioned in over 120 years, but they're both pretty stoked about standing in the footsteps of legends like Uhura and "Numuro Una." Naturally, Rutherford and Tendi are along for the ride, and Boimler is slightly green with envy when he learns that Mariner is in charge of the mission given that she doesn't care nearly as much as he does.

When they arrive on the planet to run their scans, Tendi tells Boimler that the device was actually found by an Orion science vessel that her grandma was on board. Boimler is pretty sure it was the Enterprise, but Tendi insists that not all Orions were pirates, even back then. Rutherford and Tendi pick up traces of heronium which hasn't been around for about a century, and Boimler remarks that they used it in the original Enterprise — Archer's Enterprise. He hops up on the platform of the portal and is in the middle of doing his best Spock impression when suddenly it comes to life, sucking him through and into the past, dropping him off right in front of Una, Spock, and La'an. The portal shuts off before Mariner can follow him through.

On the way to Sickbay, Pike and Una examine Boimler’s comm badge, noting that flipping their retro model open is "the best part." When Boimler wakes, he first assumes he’s in a holodeck program but when the Starfleet officers surrounding him don't disappear, he swiftly realizes that he is in fact aboard the USS Enterprise. They tell him that they already know he's from the future so he doesn’t have to pretend not to be, but when Una arrives to give him back his comm badge he scrambles off the biobed away from her with a sheepish look upon his face. As La’an escorts him out, Una wonders what he could possibly know about her future that would send him fleeing in terror.

As a fellow time traveler herself , La'an takes the opportunity to fill Boimler in on some crucial advice for his time here. He can't interfere with past events or share knowledge of the future — he swears on Worf's honor immediately breaking rule number two. Finally, La'an urges him not to make any personal attachments, which isn't an official rule, but rather her personal advice as she's still grieving what happened to Kirk during "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow." It gets the point across though as Boimler realizes that he could possibly destroy his own timeline if he isn't careful.

In Pike’s office, Boimler takes in all the magic of being aboard the Enterprise, pulling a Riker maneuver to sit atop Pike’s saddle. While he's goofing off, Uhura comes in to work and Boims is star-struck on behalf of Mariner. Before he can say anything else about how cool she is he’s beamed down to the surface with Spock and M’Benga. Boimler can't stop geeking out over little details like the tricorder and being in the presence of these officers. When he tells Spock that he thinks getting sent back was dumb luck, he makes the typically stoic Vulcan laugh , which is extremely out of character for what he knows about the one-day legendary figure.

When another ship approaches, the away team beams back up and Pike and company prepare for a run-in with Orion pirates — Boimler knows that Tendi’s grandma is aboard and as he adjusts to being on the bridge of the Enterprise he realizes he needs to do something if he wants to make sure Tendi exists in the future. Against his better judgment, he pulls up the Orions on the view screen and refrains from stopping them with force. Unfortunately, they beam up the portal and leave before Pike can do anything about it. If they want to get Boimler home, they need to go after them.

Timelines Are Muddled as Pike Tries to Find the Most Peaceful Solution

Pike later admits to Una that he may have made a mistake in listening to Boimler — because the young ensign was so excited to meet him, for a moment he thought his future might be brighter than it's expected to be . In the bar, Boimler becomes the subject of Nurse Chapel and Lt. Orgetas’ hilarious machinations as they decide to prank him and ask him about the future. He’s once again star-struck to be witnessing the golden age of exploration, and reveling in the experience of living the dream of every Star Trek fan. When Chapel and Ortegas invite him to movie night, he accidentally reveals that Friday night is actually Pike’s birthday — in fact, it’s a holiday in the future.

When Spock appears in the doorway, his smile freaks Boimler out to the point that he thinks he broke him. Boims chases Chapel into a turbo lift to admit that he’s worried he broke the future, but he ends up realizing that it’s been Chapel who's been making him smile so much. It's a double-edged sword, though, as she realizes that she doesn’t exactly leave a mark on the Spock of the future.

On the bridge, they can't figure out how to track the Orions, but Boimler knows how to do it, and he simply suggests that maybe they just don’t look while he does it. They catch up to the ship and Boimler begs them to not harm the Orions because he doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize Tendi’s future. He urges Pike to lean into his many strengths , one of which happens to be diplomacy, and while he insists that Boimler stop "helping" he ends up making a trade of crucial cargo for the portal, as the offering is taken as a sign of respect by the Orions.

Two Time Travelers for the Price of One on 'Strange New Worlds'

They’re prepared to send Boimler back, but when it powers back on Mariner comes flying out, and it immediately shuts off, leaving the Enterprise with not one but two time travelers. Pike begrudgingly beams them all back onto the ship. On board, Boims and Beckett bicker about getting stuck here and revel in how hot young Spock is in classic Lower Decks fashion. Uhura has locked herself in her quarters to work on translating the portal, and Mariner jumps at the opportunity to help out and meet her hero. In turn, she sets Boimler up with an opportunity to work with Spock again, but he’s actually upset that she did it because he’s so not into embarrassing himself in front of his hero… again. When Una walks up on them in the hallway and once again Boimler runs away, she asks Mariner if everyone from the future seems to think she’s doomed, but Mariner says that’s just Boims — he’s intimidated by her because he has a poster of her pinned up in his bunk. A hilarious miscommunication unfolds as Una assumes that there’s a sexual reason behind his feelings about her, but Mariner doesn’t indicate that’s what’s happening. Before she can explain, Una walks away saying she doesn't want to know anymore.

In Uhura's quarters, Mariner realizes that her hero is still just beginning her own journey. It's a beautiful moment as Mariner realizes that she has the opportunity to influence one of her favorite people in the entire universe, encouraging her to find ways to have fun while still kicking ass at her job. In the bar, Mariner whips up some Orion hurricanes and Ortegas calls her a "good bad influence." Together they crack the language, unlocking exactly what Uhura needs to complete the translation.

In the science lab, Spock confronts Boimler about his comments about his future and Spock deduces that in the future his emotions must be minimized. However, Spock also comes to the logical conclusion that he can't let this knowledge influence how he behaves right now, swiftly asking Boimler if he feels lucky while they perform an extremely dangerous attempt to create the heronium they need to send Boimler back. Unfortunately, it explodes.

As Boimler worries that he may have messed everything up, Pelia ( Carol Kane ) arrives just in time to give him her own special brand of pep talk. She doesn’t soften the fact that he did in fact mess things, up but rather than telling him what he already knows she imparts some of her lanthanite wisdom. The cure for imposter syndrome isn't to suddenly believe that you have no flaws, but rather to lean in and pretend to be the person you want to be until you actually become that person. Inspired by her words, he heads into the shuttle bay to get the cargo back from the Orions and help people in the present instead of worrying about his own future. However, before he and Mariner can complete their subterfuge they're busted by La'an.

Pike brings them both to his quarters for what they assume is a dressing down, but what he really wants is to ask them to stop encouraging the crew to throw him a surprise party. Boimler not so subtly encourages him to celebrate because he doesn't know how many birthdays he has left, but Pike reveals that he already knows about his fate. His reason for not wanting a birthday party is that he’s mourning his father and though they didn’t get along, he would give anything to argue with him just one more time. This time, Boimler delivers some poignant advice: if he knows how his future ends , why not embrace the people around him now who will miss him when he's gone?

In the process, Boimler realizes that he knows how they can get home. He and Mariner deliver a clever plan in the ready room revealing that there's a piece of heronium already located on the ship. As they extract it, Uhura and Ortegas geek out over Enterprise legends Mayweather and Sato, and realize that being a total nerd over your heroes is pretty much a prerequisite to joining Starfleet.

Una Has a Bright Future in Starfleet

As Boimler and Mariner prepare to go home, Mariner makes sure to clear up the confusion about Boimler's reaction to Una. She reveals that she is actually the future poster girl for joining Starfleet. In absolute awe, Boimler approaches and explains that "Ad Astra Per Aspera" was a significant part of why he joined in the first place . Audiences may be moved to tears as Una reels from knowing what a positive impact she has on the future. Spock sends them off with a classic "live long and prosper," completing the ultimate experience for Boimler.

When they beam down to the portal, however, they're stopped by the Orions from before as Boimler did manage to get the message out before they were caught. As much as they've already muddied the timeline, Boimler and Mariner go ahead and admit that they're time travelers and reveal a better future for the Orions where they can be more than a negative stereotype. It works, and Boimler and Mariner travel home, though it's clear that they were always meant to be a part of history.

Later, Boimler thanks Mariner for coming back for him, joking about the "TOS" era standing for "Those Old Scientists." First officer Ransom, voiced by Jerry O'Connell , rolls in and comments on Boims' poster of the "hottest first officer in Starfleet history," playing on the real-life fact that O'Connell and Romijn are married. While he's there, he also reveals that Mariner actually fought for this mission because she knew how much it meant to Boimler, solidifying that they may just be the best buddies in all of Starfleet . Back in the past, the crew of the Enterprise gets their own turn in 2D at Pike's birthday party as he embraces celebrating with his friends. They drink real Orion hurricanes and the episode spirals out with some truly delightful meta jokes about their experience in animation. "Those Old Scientists" leaves the audience with a laugh and the lesson to live in the moment and never stop striving for a better, brighter future.

The next episode of Strange New Worlds Season 2 will be available to stream on Paramount+ this Thursday.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Recap: Strange Visitors From Another Dimension

Star trek: strange new worlds.

“Those Old Scientists” is now available to stream now via Paramount+ after an advance screening at San Diego Comic Con.

First, it’s probably worth taking a moment to appreciate the level of difficulty at work in this episode. That Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome bear more than a passing resemblance to their   Star Trek: Lower Decks  characters certainly helps make their transition from animation to live-action believable. But  Lower Decks  and  Strange New Worlds  are shows with extremely different tones and performance styles. The difference should be so jarring to make any merging of universes impossible.

The solution: “Those Old Scientists” leans into the clash. That Boimler (Quaid) and Mariner (Newsome) don’t fit in on the  Enterprise  is the gag that undergirds the entire episode. They talk too loud. They make, as Una points out,  weirdly  specific references to  Star Trek  lore. Quaid runs like a cartoon character. Newsome even keeps Mariner’s mischievous grin as her character’s default facial expression in this new environment. It’s undoubtedly hard to make all the pieces fit together, but “Those Old Scientists” makes it look pretty effortless.

Anyone who doesn’t know what’s coming might at first think they’ve tuned into the wrong show. The episode’s animated opening is set on the  USS   Cerritos , the underachieving California-class starship the  Lower Decks  characters call home. It also opens in familiar  Lower Decks  fashion, with Boimler nerding out over a mundane assignment for reasons tied to Federation history, and Mariner making fun of him for it as Tendi (Noël Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) get excited over the mission’s scientific potential. And, also in  Lower Decks  tradition, things quickly start to spin out of control. After Boimler and Tendi disagree as to whether the portal was discovered by the  Enterprise  or Orion scientists (“They weren’t all pirates,” you know, Tendi reminds him) and Boimler expresses a desire to live in the past, the portal activates and grants his wish.

This, naturally, comes as a surprise to the (long-ago, from Boimler’s perspective) members of the  Enterprise  who greet him on the other side. Though they quickly figure out Boimler’s a harmless (and wildly enthusiastic to be among his heroes) traveler from the future, his presence is a real problem. Like any visitor from another time, he could screw up history. And as a student of Federation history with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge about the  Enterprise  and its crew, he could screw it up in one specific way: by letting them know what’s coming. To prevent this from happening, he’s handed over to La’an, who briefs him on “temporal protocols,” including an admonition not to form any attachments. It’s La’an’s own addition and one she understands all too well.

Then again, history isn’t always right. Mariner knows Uhura for her ability to enjoy life and not be on duty all the time. That doesn’t quite square with the Uhura we know from  TOS  or the   movies (who can relax, but not to the point where it’s her defining trait), and it  really  doesn’t square with the Ensign Uhura of  Strange New Worlds  who works all the time, to the point it worries those around her. Boimler discovers this firsthand when he meets her for himself and gets a brush-off that suggests she’s too busy for his nonsense.

But it’s Boimler’s encounter with Spock that  really  weirds him out. Returning to the portal with Spock and M’Benga, Boimler makes Spock laugh, then barely has time to process this moment before an Orion ship shows up (though it will haunt him later). Are they pirates? Pike assumes they are before Boimler tips him off that  this  Orion vessel might be peaceful. But the line between science and piracy gets a little blurry when they steal the portal and take off, seemingly stranding Boimler in the past forever.

At least he’s making friends. After some ribbing from Chapel and Ortegas, he gets an invitation to join them for movie night, then accidentally lets slip that (a) Pike’s birthday is coming up, and (b) it’s a holiday in his era. A party strikes Chapel and Ortegas as a good idea, even if Boimler worries it could change the future. Then he  really  puts his foot in it. Following Chapel to the turbolift, he expresses his concern that his joke may have broken Spock, whom he knows as an unsmiling, joke-averse historical hero. He goes on to tell her he’s read every book about Spock available to him, and they don’t mention this. And that, Chapel realizes, means they don’t mention her.

The note of melancholy La’an sounds when she warns Boimler about forming attachments sets the stage for other such moments to come. Pike has spent the entire series coping with the knowledge that he’ll meet his end in less than a decade, and nothing Boimler tells him suggests otherwise. But Boimler knows what awaits other characters too, just as we do. As fun as it is to watch their relationship and as much as they seem to be enjoying it, whatever’s going on between Spock and Chapel won’t last without some disruption of the continuity. “I never assumed that I would get to influence him forever,” Chapel says through tears. Sometimes it’s best not to know where you’re going.

After using some future tech to put the  Enterprise  on the trail of the Orions (with the ship’s crew looking the other way lest they learn something they shouldn’t), Boimler urges Pike (and his “really great hair”) to find a peaceful solution. They do, though it means giving up some grain badly needed by some hungry   colonists. And with that, they gain the ability to send Boimler back to his own time. The end.

Or it would be if the attempt didn’t result in Mariner traveling through the portal and joining them. For Mariner, this is no problem at all (especially if she gets to meet Uhura). But for Pike and the others, it means their troubles have doubled. Pike decides to put the new arrivals to work, sending Boimler off with Spock and letting Mariner hang out with (and fan out over) Uhura. But Mariner’s admiration for Uhura and her future accomplishments only stresses Uhura out more. Mariner’s suggestion, perfectly in keeping in character, is to slack off. Joined by Ortegas, they kick back with some improvised Orion Hurricanes, and, in the process, they figure out how to decipher the symbols that surround the portal.

Meanwhile, Boimler discovers that Spock has figured out what’s troubling him, having spoken to an upset Chapel. Even though she didn’t go into details, Spock correctly deduces that it’s his displays of human emotion that trouble Boimler because these moments don’t match up to history. But logic also suggests to Spock that he just needs to roll with it. If he tries to be less human after speaking to Boimler, that itself will alter history. Whatever will end his relationship with Chapel, it’s not this.

One pep talk from Pelia later, Boimler joins Mariner on a shuttle with the intention of reclaiming the grain Pike previously traded away. It’s a short-lived plan, thanks to La’an discovering them before they can take off. Busted, they’re taken to Pike’s quarters, who’s mad but softens when he hears that Boimler once dressed as him for Halloween. (“He had to contour the hell out of the jawline,” Mariner notes.) But what’s really annoying him is the rumor that Boimler has encouraged the crew to throw him a birthday party, not so much because he doesn’t think he has many birthdays left but because this is the year when he outlives the father with whom he had a difficult relationship and, frankly, he’d planned to spend it drinking alone. But ticked off as he was when the conversation began, Pike comes around to Boimler’s way of thinking when the time traveler suggests that if his years are more limited than he’d like, Pike might want to spend some quality time with his friends.

With the mention of Captain Archer’s original  Enterprise , Boimler hits on a plan that will allow them to reactivate the portal using the alloy they need to fire it up again, which can be found on a piece of the older ship encased in the new one. One “Live long and prosper”’ from Spock later, they’re on their way home. Or they would be if there weren’t Orions in the way. Fortunately, they arrive at a compromise by letting the Orion scientists take credit for the discovery. (Tendi was right after all! Sort of.) After stepping through the portal and back into  Lower Decks ’ animated world, they’ve left some of it behind on the  Enterprise . Pike’s party is fueled by genuine Orion Hurricanes, which seem to have the ability to alter reality, temporarily rendering them two-dimensional (and weirding them out as the episode cuts to the credits).

This was a fun one, and fun in the same self-aware-but-not-too-self-aware style of  Deep Space Nine ’s “Trials and Tribble-ations.” And while it’s a lark of an episode, it also takes the ongoing story arcs of several characters quite seriously. Chapel’s moment in the turbolift is heartbreaking, made even more so by the way she steels herself after she absorbs the implications of what Boimler tells her. This is a character who has learned not to expect too much but who’d begun to believe that maybe she’d get what she wants anyway. But mostly it keeps it light, even more in the second half, which plays at times more like a  Lower Decks  episode than  Strange New Worlds . Here’s hoping this becomes a tradition, no matter how tricky it is to pull off.

• The animated credits are a nice, unexpected touch.

• Memorable lines: “But flipping it open’s the best part.” “Funny captain. What’s happening?” “I was thoroughly unprepared for how hot Young Spock was going to be.”

• The running, and developing, gag about Boimler’s reverence for Una and the poster he has pinned up (but which is not a pinup) was fun and touching, and having Ransom (voiced by Rebecca Romijn’s real-life husband, Jerry O’Connell) admire it was the perfect button for it in this self-referential episode.

• Pelia’s quote — “I always pretended to be someone I wanted to be until finally I became that someone, or he became me” — comes from none other than Cary Grant. Now  there’s  a potentially fun time-travel episode.

• “Thanks for going back to the  TOS  era.” It’s a clever title in a couple of ways, isn’t it?

• This episode was written by Kathryn Lyn, who has previously written for both  Strange New Worlds  and  Lower Decks , and Bill Wolkoff, who’s been with  Strange New Worlds  since its first season. In an additional behind-the-scenes crossover, it’s directed by Jonathan Frakes.

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Den of Geek

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 7 Review – Those Old Scientists

The highly anticipated Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks crossover is everything we could have wanted it to be.

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This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds review contains spoilers.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 7

It’s official: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds really can do anything . Look, most of us probably snorted at the announcement last summer that the show had plans to do a crossover episode featuring characters from Lower Decks. After all, not only is Lower Decks an animated series, but its events also take place 120 years after those depicted in Strange New Worlds, when names like Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley, Nyota Uhura, and Mr. Spock had already become the stuff of Starfleet legend. The shows are wildly different in tone and content, and it’s challenging to imagine figures like Brad Boimler and Beckett Mariner existing in the world of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

But I’ve got to stop doubting the folks behind this show. “Those Old Scientists” is one of the best episodes of the season, a ridiculously fun and funny time travel-based old-school adventure that shouldn’t work at all, but absolutely does, largely because it fully embraces the heartfelt and hopeful ties that bind these two very different threads of the Star Trek franchise. 

Directed by Jonathan Frakes, everything about this hour feels like a love letter to the Trek universe writ large, from entertaining commentary about the evolution of tech like comm badges and tricorders to multiple generations of Starfleet crewmembers geeking out about those who came before them (Jonathan Archer shout out!). That the episode title is a sort of in-universe explanation for where The Original Series gets its name and a reference to a Lower Decks season 1 episode is just the icing on the cake. Plus, the animated opening credits are beautiful .

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The hour begins as though it’s an episode of Lower Decks , in full animated style. The U.S.S. Cerritos are conducting a routine check on a dormant portal—famously discovered by Captain Pike over a century earlier—when they somehow manage to activate it, blasting Boimler back to a past in which Spock, La’an, and Number One just happen to be investigating the same artifact. (And turning him into a live-action character played by Jack Quaid in the process.) 

At this point, Pike and his crew are weirdly familiar with people getting sent to or otherwise experiencing other timelines, so they’re less surprised about this than you might expect.  As the crew tries to figure out how to reactivate the portal to send Boimler home, a live-action version of Mariner steps through it, played by Tawny Newsome, and the Enterprise’s problems only get worse from there. 

Quaid has perhaps never gotten the praise he deserves for his voicework as Boimler on Lower Decks , but he is utterly charming playing his live-action counterpart, full of fanboy glee at experiencing the history he’s only read about in books and meeting the Starfleet heroes he’s idolized for so long. Newsome, to her credit, is as much a fast-talking wrecking ball here as she is in cartoon form, as Mariner ogles young Spock and provides surprisingly sage advice over cocktails. Yet, the presence of the lower deckers is about more than just jokes, although there are plenty of those as the pair stumble through trying not to give away enough knowledge to irrevocably alter the future they left behind. They also manage to provide a much-needed reminder for many of the Enterprise crew about why what they’re doing matters.

Pike’s birthday is an official holiday. “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” the phrase that encapsulated Una’s desire to join Starfleet in the first place, adorns recruitment posters. Spock…well, we all know the many necessary things he will go on to do, in this universe and others. Their adventures—triumphs, struggles, and all—will long outlive them. That’s the sort of knowledge that is…possibly a threat to the fabric of reality, but mostly it’s a gift, a broader exhortation to keep pushing forward to one day create the future that Boimler and Mariner now inhabit. 

However, “Those Old Scientists” also deals with more immediate concerns, in ways that will likely continue to play out over the rest of season 2. Strange New Worlds season 2 hasn’t really dealt much with the looming specter of Pike’s dark destiny this season —the last time the topic even really came up was the season 1 finale “A Quality of Mercy” . Pike, flattered by Boimler’s obvious adulation of him, begins to wonder if his regard is somehow evidence that his future isn’t necessarily as dark as he’s been promised. 

It’s a stark reminder of the painful foreknowledge Pike still has to live with day in and day out, even when the show doesn’t explicitly mention it or when he himself seems as though he’s not haunted by the knowledge he carries. But thanks to Boimler’s intervention—and insistence that Pike allow his crew to throw him a birthday party—it’s also a strangely hopeful moment. Perhaps the fact that he does know exactly how much time he has left will push him to put as much as he can into the relationships he has now , rather than worrying about things in days past or yet to come. 

There’s a similar subplot going on with Spock, though it’s not tied up nearly so neatly. Both Boimler and Mariner are taken aback by how human Spock seems when they arrive in the past: he’s laughing at jokes, smiling, and clearly being flirty with Christine Chapel. For them, this is obviously distressing. They know all the crucial things Spock will go on to be and do, and the version of him that does these things is the extremely Vulcan version that has chosen to suppress most of the sorts of emotion this incarnation is clearly displaying. But when Boimler confronts Chapel about how weirdly Spock is behaving, he awkwardly realizes she’s the person who’s been influencing him to indulge his human side more openly. 

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Jess Bush is generally great as Chapel, but her brief scenes this week are some of her best yet, particularly her absolutely gutted expression when she realizes what we all already know—that she and Spock have no future, not really, no matter how much she might want to believe otherwise. Has Boimler inadvertently planted the seeds of their break-up before the Spock/Chapel relationship is even fully off the ground? 

At the end of the day, “Those Old Scientists” is a sillier, lighter hour than many we’ve seen from Strange New Worlds in the past. The rapid-fire humor and ridiculous situations may not work for every viewer, and it’s possible to argue that the final coda, which sees the Enterprise crew themselves turned into animated figures after sampling some real Orion hurricanes at Pike’s birthday bash, is a bit ridiculous. (I am not one of those people, however, I want The Animated Academy Adventures of Christopher Pike right now .) But no matter how you feel about the arrival of Boimler and Marinier in the quote-unquote “real world” of Star Trek , we should all take a second to celebrate the fact that not only is Strange New Worlds a series that’s bold enough to take risks like this in the first place but to make them really work within the confines of the show we’re watching. Because that only means even greater things are in store in its future

4.5 out of 5

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

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Published Dec 16, 2023

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Begins Production on Season 3

Hailing frequencies are now open.

StarTrek.com

Production is officially under way now on Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , with the first image shared from set below.

The third season of the hit original series was announced earlier this year for 10 episodes ahead of the release of its second season, which featured a crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks and a franchise-first musical episode .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the  U.S.S. Enterprise . The series features fan favorites from Season 2 of  Star Trek: Discovery — Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Una Chin-Riley (Number One) in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the  U.S.S. Enterprise , as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  also stars Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners. Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet serve as executive producers in addition to Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Aaron Baiers.

Watch the first two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds now!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

'Strange New Worlds' season 2 episode 7 features a wild crossover with 'Lower Decks'

It's the biggest 'Star Trek' crossover since DS9 met The Original Series in 'Trials and Tribble-ations.'

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Strange New Worlds" Season 2, episode 7

San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) may have suffered a little bit this year, mostly from factors way beyond its control, but at least Paramount put on a half-decent show, with a whole heap of announcements ... and even a surprise showing of episode 7 of the second season of "Strange New Worlds." And while that might not sound like much, this was The One Everyone Was Waiting For — the much anticipated crossover with "The Lower Decks." 

This on its own isn't all that unusual, as studios often give convention crowds, especially SDCC, exclusives as a way of saying thanks — but that's the thing, they're exclusives . Paramount actually simultaneously dropped the episode on its streaming channel, so everyone could watch it, which means we've had three episodes in the space of just seven days. 

And boy, oh boy, this one is really all about fan service, so no doubt it sent fans in Hall H into a Beatlemania-style screaming frenzy. The single biggest question when word first dropped about this crossover was, how the blazes is this going to work? And the answer, of course, is with a portal. Always the portal. Anything is possible with a portal. 

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial  

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

During last year's Star Trek Day event in Los Angeles, creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks" Mike McMahan remarked on how he thought it was a shame that news had already broken of the planned crossover event, adding that he would've much preferred it if, immediately after the normal "live action" opening credits, the show cut straight to the opening scene but with the animated characters from "Lower Decks."

For starters, there's absolutely no way on Earth that secret could've been contained until the time of airing. It's a scientific impossibility. A zero percent chance. Statistically speaking, there's a higher probability of entering the Neutral Zone during the Starfleet Academy Kobayashi Maru test and having the crew of the attacking Klingon battlecruiser beam over for tea and bakewell tart. 

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Which is a pity. Because this episode is, to all intents and purposes, is tailor-made for the super-nerd end of the fanbase spectrum. It is, actually, arguably, the perfect episode to show to a capacity crowd of 6,700 drooling "Star Trek" devotees gathered in the legendary Hall H at San Diego's waterfront Convention Center. 

However, this fun installment of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is basically an episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," so you'd better enjoy the "Archer"-esque bombardment on the senses, the constant shouting and the excessive referencing to all things past Trek, otherwise you might not enjoy this. And that's not in any way shape or form to say that we don't like "Lower Decks," quite the contrary, we love it ... but it's very much like a sugar crash.

The humor is more or less all based on meta observations of the two quite different sub-genres. "Have you noticed how slow everybody talks? Yeah, and quietly" and My eyes feel huge. Do my eyes look huge?" and so on. It's well observed, well-written and most importantly, fun. In fact, the episode title, "Those Old Scientists" is a play on the acronym TOS, which also stands for "The Original Series." There are, naturally, hundreds of other subtle in-jokes, references, nods, homages and Easter eggs.

Which is great, it's always nice to see when a show doesn't take itself too seriously, but in all honesty, season two of "Strange New Worlds" feels like it should all have been folded into the first season. Because, so far, there hasn't been an even distribution of action, adventure, drama and space battles — of which there were plenty in the first season, with just the episode " The Elysian Kingdom " (S01, E08) representing the return to trademark Trek tomfoolery. And this is the problem with a 10-episode long season, compared to, as we've mentioned before, say 20-odd episodes that we used to enjoy not that long ago . 

In other news, "Star Trek: Prodigy" writer and producer Aaron J. Waltke announced on Twitter this week that all 20 episodes of season one "are available again digitally on Amazon, Apple, Google, etc." He also said, "And I can OFFICIALLY confirm the BluRay for episodes 11-20 is coming September 26th loaded with extras!"

 —  'Strange New Worlds' S02, E04 refers to an incident from the TOS pilot

 — The Chapel-Spock-T'Pring love triangle takes a turn in episode 5

 —  'Strange New Worlds is suffering from an episode order affliction

According to StarTrek.com , the two-disc set includes three new in-depth featurettes with more than 45 minutes of content revealing how "Star Trek" heritage shapes Prodigy’s characters, story and settings. It will include a review of the second half of the season with the director, producers and cast, together with a look at creating the different worlds of "Prodigy" and how the design, music, writing and show elements come together to create environments essential to the story. And finally, a look at the evolution of ship design in "Star Trek" and how its rich heritage influences the design of the USS Protostar and the Borg ship

"Strange New Worlds" and every episode of nearly every "Star Trek" show currently airing streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US. Internationally, the shows are available on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream exclusively on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks stars enter the world of live action in first look at Strange New Worlds crossover

Tawny Newsome's Mariner and Jack Quaid's Boimler have arrived!

The Lower Decks crew have entered live-action!

The new trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, premiering on Paramount+ this June 15, brings with it our first look at the big crossover event. Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome , who voice the animated characters Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler on Star Trek: Lower Decks , will embody their characters in live-action form.

"Surprise!" Newsome's Mariner tells a perplexed Captain Pike ( Anson Mount ) and Spock (Ethan Peck), alongside a noticeably purple-haired Boimler.

Quaid and Newsome will appear in a season 2 episode directed by Jonathan Frakes , a.k.a. Captain Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard . The hour will also feature animation in addition to the actors' live-action performances.

Quaid previously teased the television event to EW by saying, "Ethan Peck and I have a bromance for the ages. We call it Spoimler: Spock and Boimler. It's amazing, but that whole cast is so friendly and welcoming and cool. We just had a ball, and we got to be directed by Jonathan Frakes. So what could be better?"

The trailer teases that Spoimler bromance with Spock giving Boimler the Vulcan salute as he's about to beam off ship. "Live long and prosper, Mr. Boimler," he says.

The footage also gives fans a fresh look at Paul Wesley 's James T. Kirk and new addition to the cast Carol Kane , who will portray the recurring role of Pelia.

Returning are Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La'An Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M'Benga.

Episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will drop weekly every Thursday starting June 15. Watch the trailer above.

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Strange New Worlds Actors Reveal Cut Star Trek Musical Finale Moment & Why Spock Dances

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode concludes with a grand finale showcasing the power of unity and camaraderie among the crew.
• Lt. Spock's logical decision to dance in the musical finale helps boost subspace rift's 'improbability levels,' aiding the crew in saving the galaxy.
• A bonding moment between Uhura and La'an highlights the ensemble's support for each other, showcasing a sense of solidarity and friendship, but it was cut from the episode.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' Celia Rose Gooding and Christina Chong reveal a cut moment from the finale of the first-ever Star Trek musical, and Ethan Peck explains why Lt. Spock decided to dance in the closing musical number, "We Are One." Strange New Worlds season 2's acclaimed musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody," was written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff and directed by Dermot Downs. All of the songs were composed by Kay Hanley and Tom Polce from Letters to Cleo. The musical required the entire cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to sing and dance, and everyone embraced the musical with gusto.

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode, a subspace rift created a reality defined by the rules of musicals that threatened to engulf the entire galaxy. Meanwhile, aboard the USS Enterprise, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew unwittingly express their deepest feelings and emotions through songs. Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) deduced that to close the subspace rift, the crew of the Enterprise needed to perform a grand finale, and every single person aboard the starship joined in for the big finish musical number, "We Are One."

Star Trek Strange New Worlds Musical Episode Ending Explained

Star trek: strange new worlds' musical cut a moment from the grand finale, celia rose gooding explains a missing moment from the musical episode..

In an interview with TV Insider, Celia Rose Gooding and Christina Chong reveal that there was a bonding moment between Ensign Nyota Uhura and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh that was cut from the final version of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical episode 's finale number, "We Are One." Read their quotes below:

Celia Rose Gooding: La’an and Uhura had a little handshake moment that we made up on the spot. Christina Chong: We did! Celia Rose Gooding: We did, but that didn’t make it. But in my mind, there was something so beautiful about that after we finished the song. Our instinct was first to just celebrate one another, and then get back to work. I think that is such a nod to our routine as an ensemble to just check on each other and really boost each other up because we’re doing something that some characters are not super comfortable with and that isn’t their instinct to burst out into song. And so that final moment of camaraderie - of course, it had to be shrunk down for the nature of TV - but in my perfect world, there’s an edit of five minutes of everyone just giving each other compliments.

"We Are One" was a catharsis for the crew of the Starship Enterprise. For La'an, the Strange New Worlds musical's finale reaffirmed her decision to be more open with her feelings, even after her confession that she is attracted to Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) didn't go as she had hoped. Meanwhile, Uhura realized that her role in keeping the crew of the Enterprise connected was a gift, and it empowered her to save the ship. Both La'an and Uhura shed their old inhibitions and took steps forward to becoming happier people .

Watch the full TV Insider interview with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' cast below:

Why Spock Dances In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Musical Finale

Ethan peck knew spock would only dance when it was logical to dance..

Ethan Peck also explained Lt. Spock's decision to dance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' grand finale, "We Are One." Peck, who understands Spock like Leonard Nimoy did , needed a logical justification for Spock to dance , and he found out. Read Peck's quote below:

Ethan Peck: There was a moment there in that finale where life really imitated art. I mean, that happens so frequently, but never so closely together as in that moment. Spock doesn’t get to participate because, obviously, he doesn’t want to be dancing. I spoke with Dermot, the director, about it. How would Spock dance? Well, I guess he has to to get that meter maxed out so we can break out of the musical reality. And he would do it for that, and so he joins in for the very end of it. So I felt like kind of an outsider. I join in at the very end of that whole sequence. And then Chapel and Spock are sort of on rough terms, and I remember its ending. We had this joyous moment, and then we have kind of a broody look to each other. So my experience was a little bit different from some of the other cast members.

Lt. Spock dancing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical finale did boost the subspace rift's 'improbability levels ', and helped put the Starship Enterprise crew over the top. Unlike Uhura and La'an's moment, the final cut of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' musical included the awkward moment between Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) after the couple ended their relationship through song. What happens next between Spock, Chapel, and the crew of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 remains to be seen, although it won't include another musical episode. (At least not in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3.)

Source: TV Insider

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is available to stream on Paramount+

Cast Bruce Horak, Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush, Melissa Navia, Ethan Peck, Babs Olusanmokun, Rebecca Romijn, Paul Wesley, Christina Chong, Anson Mount

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Bill Wolkoff, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers

Directors Amanda Row, Valerie Weiss, Jonathan Frakes, Chris Fisher

Showrunner Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers

Where To Watch Paramount+

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Prep Begins For ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Finale; Cast And Directors Share BTS Images

| April 25, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 15 comments so far

Work on the third season of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  continues to move swiftly in Toronto and looks to be set to wrap up next month. We have some fun bits from the set shared by the cast and a couple of directors, as well as some details on the production.

2 more episodes to go

First up, a selfie from director Jordan Canning, who previously directed the season 2 episode “Charades.” The image posted earlier this week shows the director with Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn and has the message, “Always happy to be the redshirt between these two.”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jordan Canning (@jjhcanning)

TrekMovie has confirmed that Canning directed episode 8, which has wrapped. Filming for episode 9 has already begun, with Andrew Coutts directing. This will be the directorial debut for Coutts, a co-producer and editor on the show. The 10th and final episode of the season will be directed by Maja Vrvilo, a Paramount+ Trek veteran who has directed episodes of Discovery , Picard , and Strange New Worlds . Earlier this week, she posted an image of her office door, indicated prep work for her episode had already begun.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Maja Vrvilo (@majavrvilo)

Anson has a challenge for cosplayers

There have also been a couple of fun recent social media updates from the cast. First up, Anson Mount posted on Twitter/X that season 3 will require cosplayers to bring their “A-game” as he shared some creative fan costumes.

I will say this about season 3 of #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds : Cos-players, you better be ready to bring your A-game. #Cosplay @StarTrek @StarTrekOnPPlus pic.twitter.com/mZ9gMmIhsL — Anson Mount 🖖 (@ansonmount) April 16, 2024

One new look for cosplayers to try is an armed Nurse Chapel, as seen in this short video from Jess Bush showing off her phaser holster.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jess Bush (@onejessa)

Finally, on the day of the big eclipse, some of the Strange New Worlds team took a moment to check it out. Bush shared an Instagram story with herself and co-star Melissa Navia rocking their eclipse glasses. (They had 90% totality in Toronto.)

Last week brought big news for Strange New Worlds: It’s been renewed for a fourth season. Paramount+ recently confirmed season 3 will debut in 2025.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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I LOVE holodeck dude in cosplay!

I’m curious how long their entire season shooting period actually is.

Usually 5 to 6 months. This one started just before Christmas.

I know I’ll end up watching it, but I’m just not excited for the next season. Season 2 was all over the place, in my opinion. For every episode like Those Old Scientists or Ad Astra Per Aspera, there was rubbish like The Broken Circle and Under the Cloak of War and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I like the cast, but the quality isn’t there- and for all the talk of “big swings” and pushing the envelope- Season 2 was almost painfully generic.

Same here. I’ll be tuning in, but it’s not up there on my ‘must-see right away’ list. I feel like overall, the storytelling floundered during S2, legacy characters written badly, and a distinct corny popcorn feel to it. Both Spock and Pike were reduced to bumbling sidekicks. Hoping S3 has a bit more gravitas to it. Like you said, not the fault of the cast. All blame goes back to the writer’s room. I’m more than happy to consider this show as existing in its own separate timeline, as has been confirmed.

I still can’t get over how *boring* the finale was. It felt like it went on for hours and yet nothing actually happened besides a super-quick and appallingly shot fight in zero-g. Season Two really dropped the ball.

I agree. I don’t even remember what happened in the finale, except Pike at the end hesitating like a scared junior officer when the situation called for fast decisive action. As for the season in general, it feels empty, like nothing really happens in the episodes. I hate the way they turned Spock into a moron. There are better ways if the writers wanted to put some humor in… I’m sure the 12 year olds found it funny but adults are watching too…

They seem to be testing the water for the Academy show with teen romances also. Spock, Chapel / La’an, Kirk and Pike, Batel were all shallow romances and just really boring that took up way too much time in the season. They seriously need to get back to writing some good sci fi stories or this show will go down as one of the worse Star Trek series for me. It seems more of a comedy starship show than the Orville at times. And season 1 had so much promise as well.

The SNW writers room has a chalk board titled Gimmick Board only they misspelt it Big Swing Board. Hopefully they can’t destroy Spock’s character anymore as they have already scraped the bottom of the barrel with their writing of his character.

So relieved I’m not the only one who felt this way. I hear “game changer” and “big swing” and I think “great, they’re effing with my show again to bring in the non-Trek fans”!

Yes, to them “big swing” means having the characters do things completely out of character and turning Star Trek into a Broadway play. Sure the musical was original and unexpected, but really out of place, and I will never be able to get the K-Pop Klingons out of my head.

I didn’t mind the musical episode (probably because I love musicals!) but on the whole, the season felt soulless and devoid of anything interesting to say (outside of Ad Astra Per Aspera). It’s as though the entire season was written by committee and was deathly afraid of offending the fandom by doing anything even slightly controversial.

I’ve had this feeling since the first season. Anson Mount is a wonderful lead, but they’ve completed destroyed the character that we got to know in Season 2 of Discovery. And they need to do something with Spock besides him being a complete and utter pig to women.

I’m absolutely giddy for this next season. Season two was fantastic and I cannot wait for this next season.

I really wish studios would get it together. They used to be able to turn out twice the number of eps or sometimes more every year without year-long pauses between seasons.

Star Trek Adventures’ Second Edition adds playable Klingons, Romulans and Strange New Worlds this summer

Boldly roll where you’ve gone before.

Star Trek Adventures, the tabletop RPG set in the universe of the venerable sci-fi series, will release its second edition this summer. A refreshed core rulebook themed around recent The Original Series prequel show Strange New Worlds will polish up the game’s 2d20 system, as well as introducing expanded character creation options, while staying compatible with older supplements.

Star Trek Adventures first released back in 2017 as the latest tabletop adaptation of the long-running science-fiction franchise. Powered by publisher Modiphius’ twin d20 gameplay rather than the likes of Dungeons & Dragons 5E’s d20 system, Adventures sought to put players in the cockpit of Kirk, Picard and other Starfleet captains and officers as they explored strange new worlds and encountered new life and new civilisations.

In the seven years since, Star Trek Adventures has seen the release of supplements and campaigns inspired by the many iterations of Star Trek, from The Original Series and The Next Generation through to animated adult comedy Lower Decks.

Those expansions have also included the release of dedicated rules for solo roleplaying in last year’s Captain’s Log and a separate core rulebook dedicated to making Klingons a playable species , with the original rulebook having relegated the faction of tradition-upholding warriors to NPCs. At the time, Modiphius claimed that The Klingon Empire marked the first time a dedicated Klingon tabletop RPG had been available in over three decades.

Klingons will see an even greater presence in Star Trek Adventures: Second Edition, with the species confirmed to be an option during character creation in the new core rulebook. Joining them will be Romulans, who were similarly included in a basic form in the first-edition rules rather than offering a fully fleshed-out playable option for players. Modiphius said that “other [species] present across the franchise” would also make an appearance in the second-edition rules, expanding further beyond the original RPG’s focus on Starfleet.

“Since Star Trek presented a diverse setting from the very beginning, I felt it important the core rulebook present a more diverse spread of character possibilities beyond just the Federation,” said project manager Jim Johnson. “You’ll see a selection of fully playable non-Federation species in the core, expanding your group’s gameplay possibilities right from the start.”

The new core rulebook will be based on recent TV series Strange New Worlds - a prequel story following Captain Christopher Pike, his Number One Una Chin-Riley and Spock from The Original Series in the decade before Kirk took the helm of the USS Enterprise - with artwork inspired by the latest addition to the setting.

Star Trek Adventures’ Second Edition core rulebook will release at US convention Gen Con at the beginning of August, with a starter set planned to follow this autumn. The second-edition rules will support supplements and expansions released for the first edition, with Modiphius confirming its plans for more expansions in the future - including books based on Strange New Worlds and kids’ cartoon Star Trek: Prodigy.

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Screen Rant

Star trek: strange new worlds season 4 needs another lower decks crossover.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is confirmed and the best chance to see Star Trek: Lower Decks when the animated show ends with season 5.

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 needs to have another crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks.
• More opportunities for the casts to meet include Lt. Spock meeting fellow Vulcan Lt. T'Lyn.
• Strange New Worlds season 4 is the best chance to see the Lower Decks cast again in a further mix of animation and live-action.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 needs another crossover episode with Star Trek: Lower Decks . Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7, “Those Old Scientists, ” saw Lower Deckers Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) time travel to encounter Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the USS Enterprise crew in the 23rd century. The exciting and emotionally resonant Star Trek crossover was lauded by fans of both shows and provided important character and narrative development.

The renewal of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for season 4, alongside the news that Star Trek: Lower Decks will not be renewed after season 5, is a bittersweet reality check for fans but may also present an opportunity to capitalize on the success of the first crossover between these two shows with another one in Strange New Worlds ’ season 4. The growing prominence and influence of Tawny Newsome over Star Trek’ s modern shows and Strange New Worlds showrunners’ interest in further collaboration suggests that another crossover may be a possibility .

Tawny Newsome is a writer on Paramount+'s upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series as well as voicing Mariner on Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Strange New Worlds Season 2 Cast Guide — Every New & Returning Star Trek Character

Strange new worlds season 4 needs another star trek: lower decks crossover, star trek: strange new worlds season 2, episode 7 - "those old scientists".

Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Tawny Newsome says there's no crossover episode in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, but the possibility of reuniting the USS Enterprise and USS Cerritos casts remains open. Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler visited the Starship Enterprise in Strange New Worlds season 2's crossover, but a sequel could see additional USS Cerritos officers’ involvement or even fully bring the live-action USS Enterprise crew into the world of animation, allowing fan-favorite characters like Lt. D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) and Lt Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) to interact with other Star Trek characters .

Imagine Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) meeting Star Trek: Lower Decks ’ Vulcan Lieutenant T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz).

Imagine Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) meeting Star Trek: Lower Decks ’ Vulcan Lieutenant T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) or a live-action Dr. Migleemo (Paul F. Tompkins) showing Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) the finer points of food-metaphor psychiatry. The dynamic between characters like Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Lt. Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore), and Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman) could also create engaging storylines, allowing options for additional animation. With the success of the first Strange New Worlds crossover and both shows’ strong fan base, another joint-venture episode in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ’ season 4 seems a natural progression , continues important character developments, and, most importantly, allows for a continuation of Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Strange New Worlds Season 4 Is The Best Chance To See Lower Decks Again

Strange new worlds can bring the enterprise and cerritos crews back together..

When Star Trek: Prodigy was canceled by Paramount+, an online fan campaign successfully saved the show, with Netflix acquiring it for a second season. This suggests a similar option exists for Star Trek: Lower Decks to continue with a new streaming provider. However, with Lower Decks having already completed a five-season run and fans not responding with the same umbrage and passion that saved Star Trek: Prodigy from cancelation, the likelihood of this happening remains uncertain. Nevertheless, there are still avenues – and interest – for the USS Cerritos crew to embark on new adventures.

Star Trek: The Next Generation icon and Commander William Riker actor Jonathan Frakes directed the Strange New Worlds & Lower Decks crossover episode, "Those Old Scientists."

A second crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds offers the most promising chance to see Lower Decks again after it ends with season 5. Given how well-received Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7 , “Those Old Scientists" was, there is scope and precedent for further development of this collaboration. Strange New Worlds season 4 presents the best chance for Star Trek: Lower Decks to make a triumphant return . Both Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks' diverse creativity and genre-blending offer numerous possibilities for an engaging and innovative second crossover, including the potential for a multiple-episode story arc.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star trek: strange new worlds.

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Lower decks' cancelation: is star trek is afraid to bodly go to new frontiers.

With the rise of adult animation, such as Rick and Morty , on streaming services, it may surprise many Star Trek fans that their adult animated show has been canceled by Paramount +.

However, there is some good news about the show.

Season 5 will still be released, the show's final season.

Many fans of the show and Star Trek fans do not understand why Paramount + has decided to cancel the show as the Star Trek universe seems to be on the rise.

We'll explore why.

What is Star Treks: Lower Decks Animated Show?

Before we examine why the Star Trek: Lower Decks animated show was canceled, let's talk about what it is about and how it fits into the whole Star Trek lore.

Star Trek: Lower Decks takes place in the year 2380, around ten years after the Next Generation series ended in the Star Trek universe.

It's named after one of the episodes from Star Trek: The Next Generation and focuses on one of Starfleet's least essential starships, the USS Cerritos.

The USS Cerritos was a 24th-century Federation starship that was a second contact and support ship. Captain Carol Freeman (Daenn Lewis) was the ship's captain. 

Star Trek: Lower Decks focuses on the support crew of the USS Cerritos.

There is Ensign Marniner (Tawny Newsome), Ensign Brad Boilmer ( Jack Quaid ), and Engisn Tendi (Noel Wells).

The show follows the crew as they deal with anomalies and situations but with more adult humor.

It also has well-known Star Trek actors such as George Takei, Wil Wheaton, Marina Sirtis, and Jonathan Frakes .

There are also other quite famous guest stars and recurring voice actors who join the list of characters on the deck of the USS Cerritos throughout the show.

Why Was 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Canceled?

Even with the star-studded list of voice actors and guest stars lending their voices to the show, Paramount+ will cancel it after the next season.

This cancelation from Paramount+ may follow the trend of networks and streaming services canceling adult-themed cartoons for various reasons. 

Adult animations or adult-themed cartoons used to be edgy with witty and adult-geared humor that distanced themselves from kid cartoons .

These shows presented more opportunities for more imagination with fewer budget restrictions. 

For example, an entire armada space battle is far easier to animate than produce with live-action. 

So, why was it canceled? 

If you look closely at the animation style of these shows, such as Lower Decks, Inside Job, Solar Opposites, and Hoops, they all copy or are influenced by Adult Swim's Rick and Morty Show.

This may be because studios know fans are familiar with the art style, and clearly, it's a popular option. 

You can also see this trend in other successful adult cartoons that copy the Simpsons, like Family Guy and American Dad.

The reason for cancelation for the cancellation also encompasses these other tender points. 

Firstly, Star Trek: Lower Decks is a departure from other Trek shows of the past, which were monologue-heavy and had serious tones, like Deep Space Nine. 

This animated show is more slapstick, like Rick and Morty. 

Secondly, much of the fan base is older. With Star Trek being a legacy brand, its fan base is primarily adults who had difficulty connecting with the show's ADHD-esque presentation.

The animated series didn't grab critics attention like other shows, even though the reviews it did receive were good. It has a 92% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, lackluster viewing times and a fan base who were not ready for this new Star Trek show surely helped along its cancellation.

Star Treks: Lower Decks was a big step forward for the franchise to tread some new ground -- a step that Paramount+ and Star Trek fans didn't want to take. 

Star Trek's Future in Animation

It is not all doom and gloom regarding Paramount+ and animated shows.

The studio may be afraid to continue its adult-style animated show, but it has a second animated Star Trek show on Netflix.

The show is called Star Trek: Prodigy and is meant for kids. This may be great for some older fans, but it can feel slightly weird watching children-themed shows as the storylines are very basic and very much for kids.

Even Star Trek: Prodigy, which started on Nickelodeon, had a tough time finding its footing before its move to Netflix.

You can not fault Paramount+ for taking the risk of making an adult-themed Star Trek show.

But it is safe to say the Star Trek universe is in safe hands with the current set of heavy-hitting albeit live-action shows such as the now-completed Picard series, Strange New Worlds, and the upcoming Starfleet Academy show.

But it would be nice to get a new, more mature, animated Star Trek show to enjoy. It doesn't need to be a show about vulgar topics; it just needs to have a bit more mature and adult comedy in it.

So whether you are upset or not about the cancelation of Star Trek: Lower Decks animated series, it can also allow other new Star Trek shows to come out.

Plus, who knows if Paramount+ may bring back the show if it sees a demand.

What do you think? Was the streamer right to cancel Lower Decks? 

Jason Collins is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow him on X .

Boimler: Romulan whiskey is against regulations! Mariner: Yeah, because it's awesome. Permalink: Yeah, because it's awesome. Added: August 05, 2020

First contact is a delicate, high-stakes operation of diplomacy. One must be ready for anything humanity is interacting with an alien race for the first time. But we don't do that. Our specialty is SECOND contact. Still pretty important. We get all the paperwork signed, make sure we're spelling the name of the planet right, get to know all the good places to eat... Boimler Permalink: First contact is a delicate, high-stakes operation of diplomacy. One must be ready for... Added: August 05, 2020

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