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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)

User reviews 1K

• Aug 16, 2023

Technical specs

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

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Meghan mccain criticizes drew barrymore for kamala harris interview: “have some f***ing respect”, breaking news.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Releases Official Trailer And Key Art For New Paramount+ Series

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Paramount+ is locking phasers in advance of the latest new series in the Star Trek saga, releasing the first official trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which debuts next month on the streamer.

The series follows Captain Christopher Pike and the USS Enterprise crew in the decade before the original Star Trek series time frame.

The new series will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ in the US, Latin America, Australia and the Nordics on Thursday, May 5. Following the premiere, new episodes of the 10-episode-long season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays in the US.

The series stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. Also in the cast are Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, and features recurring guest star Bruce Horak as Hemmer.

The series premiere was written by Akiva Goldsman, with the story by Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners, with Goldsman directing the premiere episode. Goldsman, Kurtzman and Lumet serve as executive producers in addition to Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Aaron Baiers. The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

The series has already been picked up for Season 2. Watch the trailer above.

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star trek: strange new worlds (2022)

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

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It’s a tantalizing start to the story — undercut a little by the smash cut back to the frozen fields of Bear Creek, Montana… where an off-duty Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is spending his shore leave making pancakes, watching The Day the Earth Stood Still on repeat, and enjoying the intimate company of fellow Starfleet captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano).

Captain Pike, in his full beard and phone-call avoiding glory, is still reluctant to return to space after being shaken to the core by the vision of his future imparted upon him back in  Star Trek: Discovery’s “Through the Valley of Shadows” — something entirely off-limits to share with Batal, thanks to the super-secret classification surrounding all things Discovery .

She encourages him to get back into uniform, telling him he’s “got better places to be” — and Starfleet Command seems to agree, as soon Admiral Robert April (Adrian Holmes) tracks down the wayward Pike to order him up to the  Enterprise.  Pike’s hesitant to follow April’s directive, even after he learns Una’s been captured during a first contact mission that’s gone wrong — “You can quit when you get back,” April tells him.

From the winter snow to the sands of Vulcan, we head next to check on a nervy Spock (Ethan Peck) sharing a meal with T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) on the anniversary of their betrothal. It’s an odd scene: they’re clearly both deeply attracted to each other, but it’s still a little disjointed, especially when T’Pring goes from dismissing his Starfleet career as “gallivanting around the galaxy” one moment to proposing to him in the next.

Retconning “Amok Time” is a risky move, no matter how you do it — but I don’t think it’s the worst idea. If anything, having the pair start off as being so close and committed to each other makes T’Pring’s treatment of Spock in “Amok Time” even crueler. We’ll see more of this pair together later this season, and presuming T’Pring continues as a recurring character beyond Season 1, there’s plenty of time for the show to portray the decline and ultimate collapse of their relationship.

As for Spock’s own statements on their relationship: can we really trust a person who has never told a truth about his personal life — ever? I’m cautiously optimistic. They’ve got time to try and get us from A to B, even if they’ve given themselves a lot of distance to cover.

Eventually both Pike and Spock return to the Enterprise — the captain arrives by way a rather glorious shuttle trip up to Spacedock — and after catching up on some ship’s business, we get a very poignant moment where the two reflect on the loss of Michael Burnham (along with the rest of the USS Discovery crew) just a few months earlier.

It’s really satisfying to see Strange New Worlds treat the series from it was spun off seriously — as we’ll revisit later in the episode — when it really had no requirement to do so (beyond vague references to how Pike received a vision of his future). Taking the time to allow these character to contemplate the effects of their Discovery encounter is a welcome component to the story, even if it’s not critical to the series as a whole.

We are quickly introduced to our new Enterprise crew as the ship prepares for departure: Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) at the helm; young “prodigy” cadet Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) at communications, and stern-faced Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) assigned as an interim ‘Number One’ filling in for Una. The nice moment of Pike’s return to the bridge is, however, marred by his own second-guessing… made more apparent by the hallucination of his future disfigurement reflected in his armrest console.

Eventually, Pike opens up to Spock about the vision seen on Boreth, and how it’s changed him — or, more clearly, how he doesn’t yet know how it will change him. Pike’s fixation on his injury and the feeling that it represents the “death of the man [he is]” is a bit disappointing. Sure, it’s a great plot beat, and the character of a man who knows how his life will end and must face what that knowledge does to him is great — but Pike’s life doesn’t end with that accident.

We know that much, even if he doesn’t and I think by now we should have moved past the 1960s ableist views around disability. I can understand why they didn’t do that; Pike facing the certainty of his death is tonally perfect with the message of this episode, and perhaps the whole series — but it could’ve been handled a lot better.

At the very least, Spock’s advice to the captain  — to use his knowledge to improve himself and his ability to command — is sensible. Pike is going to have to live with his knowledge and learn from it, and that core theme is key clear throughout the episode. Arrival at Kiley 279 kicks off a classic Star Trek prime directive mystery, with an empty starship and strange sensor readings quickly being interpreted as a threat by La’an.

The sparring between her and Spock, which quickly turns into an agreement on the danger, was rather fun and a nice demonstration of La’an’s determination. An attack from the surface confirms Spock’s theory that the Kiley can’t have a working warp drive… but instead, they have something much worse: a “warp bomb.”

Spock’s further conclusion — that the planet is not ready for first contact — means that they must find a way to rescue Una and her crew (all 2 of them, which… doesn’t seem like a lot to run a starship) without causing any more cultural damage.

The next stop is sickbay, where the gregarious Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and his new nurse, Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) proceed to “mess with their genomes” — providing a fun backstory for the myriad of alien-design disguises we’ve seen many a Trek hero wear. La’an’s refusal to be sedated for the procedure is a mildly overdone moment about how determined she is to always be alert, but it fits — barely.

What follows is almost textbook. After beaming down and knocking out some scientists (thanks La’an’s quick suggestion to nerve-pinch the locals), the trio are outfitted in local garb to infiltrate the Kiley base — though their task becomes classically complicated by difficulties with Spock’s disguise. The solution, to build a more stable disguise from the genes of the two Kiley scientists who were beamed aboard, is stymied when the one they need escapes.

The day is saved by Cadet Uhura, who calms the panicked Kiley down by talking to him about the local sport “tagball,” a nice callback to future-Uhura’s ability to quickly digest the media of planets, as seen in episodes like “Bread and Circuses.”

Spock’s disguise holds up long enough for the team to make it to Una’s cell, despite a curious Kiley scientist spotting his fluctuating ears in an elevator. Number One’s rescue delivers two bombshells: first, that she and La’an are well acquainted, and secondly, that the Kiley developed a warp bomb because of Starfleet… after watching the space battle between Control and the combined Starfleet/Klingon/Kelpien armada in “Such Sweet Sorrow” which ended with  Discovery flying through a wormhole to the future.

It’s a clever plot twist — acknowledging that there can always be unintended consequences of our actions, no matter how noble they might be — and feeds into the ways in which Strange New Worlds won’t let us forget where it came from.

With this revelation, Pike decides to throw caution (and General Order 1 ) to the wind and reveals himself and Spock — whose disguise has now rather painfully worn off — to the Kiley. Their leader is unimpressed with Pike’s explanation of his mistake, and only really deigning to listen to his pleas for unity after the captain orders the Enterprise into low orbit to show her “who has the biggest stick.”

We’ve all thought about a scene like this, and it works, somehow, if just for the shots of the Kiley staring in awe at the starship that hangs in the sky — but even with the Enterprise’s intervention, talks between the government and the opposition factional are still breaking down. Pike is spurred into action, however, by a cursory remark from La’an, and returns to the planet to bring an important warning in the form of Earth’s own history… and his own, personal future.

Pike’s speech — in all its on-the-nose moral-message-of-the-week glory — is, quite frankly, wonderful. It’s uncompromising about the state of our world, and the “power of possibility” to change it. Mount’s delivery, especially of lines like “right up until the end, life is to be worn gloriously,” is brilliant; he sells the classic captain’s speech in just the way you’d expect. It’s a demonstration of how much Strange New Worlds is taking the emotional maturity of Discovery and marrying it to the moral certainty of the Original Series.

Sure, parts of it will certainly aggravate a certain collection of people — using contemporary news footage of the January 6 US Capitol siege is more direct than Star Trek has ever gone before — but there’s nothing more in line with the franchise’s point of view than  beating the bigots over the head with a message until they get the point. Pike’s message, illustrating how in Earth’s history that violence escalated all the way into a world war, sinks in with the Kiley society at large — even if it has apparently ruffled a lot of feathers in the Federation Council.

It’s a nice, round-up ending,  even if Pike and La’an’s discussion about trust and growth is a bit contrived. The character stuff around La’an feels a little off in this episode. I’m not sure it was unnecessary, or poorly executed; Christina Chong sells La’an’s detached, bitter-but-determined personality well, but considering the focus on Pike, it seems a little distracting.

The final reveal of Lieutenant Samuel Kirk (Dan Jeannotte) — who’ll later die on Deneva — joining the Enterprise crew feels even more contrived, especially as someone who’ll report to Spock, but it makes up for it by being a fun twist. We end with a rejuvenated Captain Pike, ready to return to the stars; it’s a triumphal, if expected, ending.

CAMP NONSENSE OF THE WEEK

There was a lot of classic camp nonsense in this episode, but this week the award goes to Pike’s exasperated “Why is it always an alley?” meta comment after the Enterprise trio beams to the surface. It’s always an alley, Chris, and I don’t know why. No one does.

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

• Like the  Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 finale, this episode is dedicated to the late April Nocifora , post-production supervisor on Discovery who passed away in 2021.  
• 1951’s The Day The Earth Stood Still was directed by Robert Wise, who also directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The climax of that film mirrors the climax of the episode well, with the alien alliance imploring a warring world to lay their arms down and join them in stars. (Also: does this mean that Robert Wise is canon in the  Trek universe?!)  
• The shuttle which brings Pike up to the  Enterprise is named for  Star Trek: Discovery scientist Paul Stamets.  
• The USS Archer (NCC-627) is the first one-nacelled ship seen in the 23rd century (not counting the Kelvin in that alternate reality ); it seems to be inspired by Franz Joseph’s Saladin or Hermes- class designs.

• Chief Kyle (André Dae Kim) works some wonders with the Enterprise transporter; first equipping the landing party with new clothes and gear in mid-beamdown, then materializing a medical solution onto the surface of Spock’s eye.  
• The fact the Kiley are all dressed in clothes similar to mid-20th century Earth — fedoras and all — is a nice touch.  
• La’an’s mention of the Gorn — and their rather bloodthirsty nursery planets — represents the first mention of the species in this era; while Terran refugee Lorca kept a Gorn skeleton in his lab aboard Discovery , the species is still generally unknown to the Federation at this point in Trek history.  
• From her personnel record, La’an Noonien-Singh’s parents were named Sa’an and Ronu, with a brother named Manu. She is the sole survivor of the  SS Puget Sound , rescued as a child by then-ensign Una Chin-Riley of the USS Martin Luther King, Jr.

• The development of General Order 1 into “the prime directive” is a nice nod to the nebulous nature of the rule in Captain Kirk’s time. Kirk’s less-than-strict adherence to it fits with it being somewhat loosely-enforced prior to the 2260s.  
• Originally located “100 AUs from Earth” (as of “The War Within, the War Without), Starbase 1 now seems to have been relocated to a near-Jupiter orbit following its near-destruction during the Klingon War; domes filled with forestry and other Earth-sourced nature preserves have also been added since we last saw it in  Discovery’s first season. (The Jupiter location feels like an homage to the classic science fiction film Silent Running. )  
• It took me a minute to figure out that Sam Kirk wasn’t just Paul Wesley in a moustache.  
• While this is his first live-action appearance, Robert April was named-checked twice in  Star Trek: Discovery display graphics — as one of Starfleet’s most decorated captains (“Choose Your Pain”) and as Pike’s predecessor on the  Enterprise (“Brother”).

• Nurse Chapel is a civilian on the series (though outfitted in a Starfleet uniform with rank cuffs, questionably); she’s on leave from “ Stanford Morehouse Epigenetic Project.”  
• Thanks to his half-Vulcan physiology, Chapel injects Spock with her medications in a different location than the human Pike and La’an.  
• M’Benga’s sickbay features an “emergency medical transporter” pad.  
• Pike’s video presentation includes stock footage of Starfleet Command from  Star Trek: Discovery as well as the Starfleet Museum seen in the  Star Trek: Picard series premiere.  
• In  Star Trek history, Pike explains that a second US civil war expanded into the Eugenics Wars, then into World War III.   While the Original Series indicated the Eugenics Wars took place in the mid-1990s,  Star Trek: Picard Season 2 took great pains to note that historical records of the early 21st century were extremely fragmented after the devastation of World War III — allowing the current  Trek production team to shuffle the Eugenics Wars up into the late 2020s era — but keeping Khan’s creation set in 1996 ( as seen in this week’s finale ).

I’m still unsure about how the writers are treating Pike’s disability. They are admittedly backed into a corner by both “The Menagerie” and “Through the Valley of Shadows,” but there was room for a better narrative here – one about living life to the fullest with a disability, with a less fatalistic (and outdated) perspective. On the other hand, this is just the first episode — they have time to address this more fully, and frankly, I’m willing to give it to them.

As a premiere, “Strange New Worlds” isn’t perfect, but it’s a fun, interesting and enjoyable episode (with a moral message you could probably see from space). This first episode is a clear mission statement about the show’s pacing, style, and message, how much this homage to the Original Series isn’t going to go over the same ground: it’s ready to give us new lessons.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns with “Children of the Comet” on Thursday, May 12 on Paramount+ in the United States, Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics, as well as on CTV Sci Fi Channel in Canada.

Additional international distribution has not yet been announced.

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More than four years after the U.S.S. Enterprise first shocked fandom with its appearance in the closing seconds of Star Trek: Discovery ’s season one finale, the ship and her crew are back in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , a show that – at least judging by its pilot – is shaping up to be a love letter to old Star Trek fans and an exciting introduction for new ones.

Fans surely remember Captain Christopher Pike’s ( Anson Mount ) horrendous experience in “ Through the Valley of Shadows ,” where he learned that at some point in his future, he suffers a horrible incident that leaves him crippled and non-communicative. The weight of this revelation is heavy on the captain, and “Strange New Worlds” starts with him in self-isolation as he processes this ordeal and debates whether he can command the Enterprise effectively given his compromised emotional state.

His self-isolation ends abruptly as he gets an assignment from Admiral Robert April ( Adrian Holmes ). April reports that a Starfleet ship, the U.S.S. Archer , and its captain, Una Chin-Riley ( Rebecca Romijn ), have gone missing while on a first contact mission. It seems only the safety of a close friend is enough to draw Pike out of the Montana wilderness, and he enlists Spock ( Ethan Peck ), who is otherwise occupied with his brand-new fiancé, T’Pring ( Gia Sandhu ), to get back aboard the Enterprise to launch a rescue mission.

Even from the first act of this episode, it’s clear Pike is haunted by images of his own disfigured body. Can you imagine what a weight that must be for him? Knowing this backstory adds so much context to every decision and action Pike does not only in this episode but surely in future episodes. But to his credit, even with this shadow hanging over him, Pike still manages to be a compassionate, empathetic, and inspirational leader. Considering the burden this man faces, and the care with which he commands his crew, we won’t be surprised if Mount’s Pike rises quickly on fans’ list of best Star Trek captains.

After getting aboard the Enterprise, cutting short repair operations, and leaving before a new crew can come onboard (including Pike’s incoming chief engineer and one Lieutenant Kirk), Pike leads his crew to Kiley 279, the planet where the Archer lost contact. On the way there, Spock approaches Pike about the captain’s change in personality since the latter’s experience on the Klingon moon, and Pike confesses he knows how and when he is, for all intents and purposes, going to die. It’s a decade away, which suddenly seems like no time at all. Spock, ever the logical one, suggests that Pike’s knowledge of his death will end up making him an even better captain. This at least gives Pike something to ponder.

When the ship arrives, however, the warp signature the Archer first reported isn’t exactly what it seems. Instead of a warp engine signature coming from the planet or nearby space, which would normally indicate a civilization is ready for first contact, it’s actually a warp bomb signature. As Spock explains, this is a highly unusual event; in every first contact case, civilizations use warp technology to travel faster than light first, not to build weapons. In fact, the people of Kiley 279 are seemingly decades away from building warp technology naturally. Clearly, something is amiss here.

To rescue Una and her fellow Archer officers, Pike, Spock, and La’an Noonien-Singh ( Christina Chong) beam down in a genetically altered state to appear native to the planet, a well-worn trope in Star Trek . They find the citizens of the planet in a state of civil unrest, which makes the threat of a warp bomb that much more dangerous. Clearly, Kiley 279 and its angsty people appear much like humans and Earth in the 21 st century – “shades of Old Earth,” as Pike observes.

The trio makes their way to the underground bunker where Una is being held, although complications arise when Spock, whose half-Vulcan/half-human nature causes painful issues with his disguise. After a brief tussle, the away team finds Una, who tells them how and why the people of Kiley 279 have warp technology even though their civilization is far from discovering it naturally: the Federation is responsible for giving them the tech.

As Una explains, the battle with Control in Discovery ’s season two finale took place not far from Kiley 279, and being so close to “Zero Point” meant the people of this world were able to observe the conflict through their space monitoring technology. Through this observation, they were able to reverse engineer the technology needed to create a warp bomb. So, Starfleet has already indirectly altered the natural development of this civilization, which means General Order Number One, the rule that states the Federation can’t get involved in the development of pre-warp civilizations, has gone out the window. This makes it easy for Pike to rationalize further involvement by him and his crew to try and calm the situation on Kiley 279 before the warp bomb is used to disastrous effect.

We are huge fans of “Strange New Worlds” linking to Star Trek: Discovery in this way. This is a smart hook that not only shows the rarely discussed direct and indirect consequences of interstellar action, but it’s a neat callback to the season that originated Pike and crew’s presence in the new Star Trek era. To its credit, this episode doesn’t labor on recapping the season finale of Discovery season two, but it’s just enough to remind viewers about that pivotal event, and that the Enterprise was there.

Pike is resolved to calm the tension on Kiley 279, and he requests he and Spock be taken to one of the warring side’s leader. When he comes face to face with the leader ( Samantha Smith ), he explains the situation, but it isn’t enough to persuade her to not use the warp bomb and get the planet’s unrest under control. Pike, who realizes he, as commander of a massive ship in orbit around the planet, can influence the entire population of Kiley 279, quickly makes a show of force by having the Enterprise descend through the clouds and hover over the wide-eyed populace below. The revelation to the public about the existence of powerful extraterrestrials is enough to get leaders from both sides of the conflict in the same room to begin negotiations. But it is enough to ensure that the warp bomb and any future conflict is disarmed for good?

Pike, back on the Enterprise , has an impromptu heart-to-heart with Noonien-Singh about the nature of life and death, and how “not thinking you are going to die is what gets you killed.” The captain realizes the Kiley 279 people need another catalyst for change. They need to know what happens to a society if conflict is allowed to run rampant. Of course, Pike has a good example of this: Earth itself.

In a final address to Kiley 279’s leaders and its people, Pike uses Earth history, and no small measure of self-reflection in the face of his own horrifying future, to illustrate the terror planet-wide conflict can bring. He mentions how Earth suffered greatly in the 21 st century, first with a second Civil War, the Eugenics Wars, and then World War III. He uses imagery from the latter conflict to drive home the horrors of planet-wide war.

Finally, Pike offers a hand in friendship to the Kiley 279 people. He asks them to join the Federation and move past this destructive part of the society’s history. This presentation is enough to convince the planet’s leader to do just that, and a montage at the end of the episode shows how the people of Kiley 279 are adopting the Federation’s values, knowledge, and spirit of friendship. Moreover, by Pike using knowledge of his future to help persuade the leaders of Kiley 279 in this way, he is resolved to continue captaining the Enterprise .

“Perhaps somewhere all your ends are written as indelibly as mine. But I choose to believe your destinies are still your own. Maybe that’s why I’m here: to remind you of the power of possibility. Maybe that’s the good in seeing my future.” Pike to the people of Kiley 279

In terms of re-introducing audiences to Pike’s leadership style and wits, “Strange New Worlds” does this extraordinary well. By bringing an entire planet to the galactic stage, even when they were introduced to it via an ill-timed, third-party conflict, Pike’s negotiation skills and presence of mind seem to be second to none. This episode, perhaps more than anything, is a prime introduction for its main character and the values and skills he brings to the table. Moreover, using Earth’s history as another world’s catalyst for change is prime Star Trek commentary. Clearly, this show’s writers know and respect the Star Trek ethos well.  

The episode wraps up with a poignant note between Captain Pike and Noonien-Singh. Over the course of the episode, Noonien-Singh hinted at a brutal past, as she and her loved ones were captured by Gorn and subject to horrible treatment. As the Enterprise remains docked at Station One in orbit around Jupiter, Noonien-Singh, who filled in as Pike’s first officer while Una was captured, shares with Pike that Una was actually the one to rescue her from Gorn’s entrapment. It is this backstory that allows Noonien-Singh to unknowingly relate to and inspire the ill-fated Pike. “Strange New Worlds” shares more about Noonien-Singh than we were expecting, so the relationship between Pike and Una will be one we’ll be watching closely during this first season.

The episode ends as the Enterprise and its crew is ready to go explore strange new worlds, complete with Captain Pike addressing the crew with an inspiring speech that takes language directly from that famous opening monologue. The episode has one last wink to the audience in-store, as Pike finally welcomes Lieutenant Kirk to the bridge. But this is Samuel Kirk ( Dan Jeannotte ), not James Kirk. Samuel is sporting his standout mustache, which as The Original Series fans know is a trait the character had as he appeared (played by William Shatner) in “Operation – Annihilate!”

Having Samuel Kirk show up is not only a neat reference to The Original Series , but it has a deeper meaning. By expecting to see James Kirk and instead of giving us his brother, Strange New Worlds is telling the audience that this show is not supposed to be some kind of reboot or reimagining of The Original Series . Instead, it’s a similar but markedly different approach to episodic Star Trek storytelling, a show that justifies its existence on its own terms beyond its various references and callbacks to that first Star Trek show. In our eyes, having (the ill-fated) Samuel Kirk in this episode, even if it’s just a one-time appearance, was a smart call.

While we’ve focused on Pike, Spock, Number One, and Noonien-Singh in this review, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how the other cast members seem to be excellent additions to Strange New Worlds . Celia Rose Gooding brings enthusiasm and quiet confidence to Cadet Nyota Uhura, and we all share her excitement at the end of the episode when she reacts to Pike’s “strange new worlds” speech. Jess Bush ’s energetic Nurse Christine Chapel will seemingly offer a pleasant counterweight to Babs Olusanmokun ’s more reserved Doctor M’Benga. Melissa Navia , meanwhile, brings a fiery and assertive personality to the bridge crew as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and we’re looking forward to how she rounds out the various other personalities on the bridge. Completing the main cast is Bruce Horak as Chief Engineer Hemmer, the Enterprise ’s late arrival along with Samuel Kirk. We only see a glimpse of Hammer arriving onboard the ship in “Strange New Worlds,” so we’ll need to see more of him to get a sense of what he brings to the table.

Ultimately, “Strange New Worlds” makes us super-excited for this show. Visually, it offers some of the best cinematography and production design we’ve seen yet from the new era of Star Trek , enough to make us seriously consider if this show is taking up the flagship status hitherto enjoyed by Discovery . ( Strange New Worlds certainly seems to be using the famed AR wall to great effect.) More importantly, this show has tremendous heart, generated in no small way from Pike’s character-building existential crisis, but also from its diverse supporting cast and the show’s architects’ awareness of what makes not just good science fiction, but what makes good Star Trek . If “Strange New Worlds” is indicative of the quality this show will bring to Star Trek fans, we’re spoiled, indeed.  

Stray Thoughts:

• At the beginning of the episode, Pike is watching the classic science fiction movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”
• Robert April was previously seen in animated form in The Animated Series episode “The Counter-Clock Incident.” He is also seen pictured in the Star Trek: Encyclopedia (where the writer of that book photoshopped Gene Roddenberry’s face onto the character ).
• The Archer is a single-nacelled Federation ship, much like the pseudo-canonical Saladin-class , a vessel first introduced in the Star Fleet Technical Manual in 1975. The Apollo-class from the video game Star Trek: Legacy was also a single-nacelled vessel. At this time, we don’t know exactly what class of ship the Archer is listed as.
• The USS Archer is undoubtedly named after Captain Jonathan Archer, played by Scott Bakula in Star Trek: Enterprise . It’s technically possible Archer was alive during the commissioning of his namesake ship, as he was born in 2112, and would therefore be 146 years old around the time of this episode (assuming this episode takes place near the date of Discovery ’s season two finale), and the Archer was obviously commissioned before then.
• We’ve seen T’Pring before, played by Arlene Martel in TOS’ “Amok Time.”
• Good for T’Pring for being as headstrong as she is about Spock’s duty to Starfleet. She isn’t willing to wait around forever for him, and isn’t shy about making her needs and wants clear.
• On the shuttle to the Enterprise , Pike is reviewing Noonien-Singh’s personnel file, which details her reported first contact with the Gorn, a story she elaborates on in this episode.
• The production designers have really nailed The Original Series design language in this show’s props. Just consider how similar the ship’s consoles and away team equipment is to what we saw in TOS , without feeling dated.
• Among the many familiar names seen during Spock’s presentation about first contact is the Argus Array from TNG , the Talos System (from “The Cage”), and various DS9 callbacks like Bajor, Cardassia Prime, and Chin’toka.
• How did Chief Kyle do the impossible and beam the solvent directly into Spock’s eye?
• In a wink to the audience, Pike jokes that calling General Order Number One the “Prime Directive” would never stick, which clearly isn’t true.
• As far we can tell, this episode contains the first reference in Star Trek to a Second American Civil War. Great.
• WARNING: STAR TREK: PICARD SPOILERS: Put on your tin foil hats, because here’s something to think about: Pike lists, in supposedly chronological order, three major events in Earth’s past that ultimately led to planet-wide destruction: the Second Civil War, the Eugenics Wars, and then World War III. Star Trek canon established the Eugenics Wars (and Khan’s rise to power) happening in the 1990s, and WWIII as happening between 2026 and 2053. The Second Civil War seemingly happened around the 2020s, based on the imagery Pike showed the people of Kiley 279. Indeed, the Second Civil War is likely meant to reflect America’s current political and social angst. Does that mean one of the wars in the Eugenics Wars happens in the 2020s or later? This theory may hold some merit based on the season two finale for Star Trek: Picard , which shows Adam Soong returning to an ominously named Project Khan. Does Adam reignite the Eugenics Wars between the Second Civil War and WWIII? Let’s just say we won’t be surprised if a Eugenics Wars show or book was announced soon.

Strange New Worlds streams Thursdays on Paramount+ .

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Prodigy , and more.

You can follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .

Kyle Hadyniak has been a lifelong Star Trek fan, and isn't ashamed to admit that Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek: Nemesis are his favorite Star Trek movies. You can follow Kyle on Twitter @khady93 .

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The first 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' trailer is here with a cowboy Pike

The new Trek spinoff beams in May 5 on Paramount Plus.

The first teaser trailer for the next live-action "Star Trek" spinoff, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," has beamed in from Paramount Plus and it looks to be a cowboy adventure to the stars. 

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, the first captain of Trek's iconic USS Enterprise starship (before Kirk was even out of Starfleet Academy) and will warp on the Paramount Plus streaming service on May 5.  The new series will focus on Pike's days in command of the Enterprise and include Rebecca Romijn star as Number One, the ship's first officer, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.  

All three characters (and their actors) debuted in season 2 of "Star Trek: Discovery." Check out our Star Trek streaming guide to see where to watch "Discovery" online to catch up on the characters in "Strange New Worlds." 

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Based on the teaser , "Strange New Worlds" is bringing some cowboy action to the Star Trek franchise. It opens with Pike on horseback, galloping across a snow-covered ranch dotted with windmills as a shuttlecraft arrives. 

"Chris, I need you back, Captain," a voice says, hinting that Pike's been retired (his bushy, gray beard is a big clue) but apparently there's a Federation problem only he can solve. 

We then see a series of flashes of tantalizing alien planets — including some of the "strange new worlds" Trek is known for — as we hear Romijn's voice read out: "No matter how many stars there are in the sky; no matter how many galaxies swirl beyond our own; no matter what the mathematical probabilities, or the number times we say we are not alone in the universe; our first visit from the stars is always the province of children's stories and science fiction — until one day, it isn't."

The trailer closes with quick looks at the Enterprise crew in action. They beam down to a planet in spacesuits and walk around, then view shifts to a lush planet where a crowd has gathered and see a paper cutout of the Enterprise transition into the starship itself. The final view is of Pike himself as he gazes into space out a viewport. 

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"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is the third new live-action spinoff to join Paramount Plus's Trek TV revival, which began with "Discovery" (now in its fourth season). It follows "Star Trek: Picard" (which just returned for season 2) and also two new animated shows: "Star Trek: Lower Decks," a comedy for adults, and " Star Trek: Prodigy," a series for kids produced with Nickelodeon. 

"Strange New Worlds" will bring some new characters into the mix alongside old favorites, who've been recast. Celia Rose Gooding will portray a young Cadet Nyota Uhura (the character originated by Nichelle Nichols on Trek's Original Series in 1966), while Jess Bush will portray a new version of Nurse Christine Chapel (who was portrayed by Majel Barrett) and Babs Olusanmokun) as Dr. M'Benga. 

We'll also meet Hemmer, an Andorian (Bruce Horak); Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navias); and La'An Noonien Singh (Christina Chong), who sounds like a relative of the fan-favorite Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh from the Original Series  and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" will beam to TV screens, exclusively on Paramount Plus , starting on May 5.

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Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network . To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik .

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Everything We Know About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds So Far

Set phasers to hype and increase speed to maximum warp, because "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is getting closer and closer to premiering with each passing day and we couldn't be more excited to see it. Through its ups and downs, "Star Trek: Discovery" has successfully accomplished its mission of introducing fans to a whole new crew to fall in love with as we follow along on their journeys through space (and, in its most recent seasons, time).

What CBS and Paramount may not have anticipated, however, was just how quickly and vocally fans took to the supporting appearances of Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck's younger version of Spock (and adopted sibling of "Discovery" main character Michael Burnham), and Rebecca Rebecca Romijn's Number One in season 3. The love and support for the trio of actors embodying such "Trek" royalty has ultimately led to a spin-off show of their very own that is shaping up to be even more inclusive, proving that sometimes fandom can actually be a force for good.

When and Where to Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

As part of CBS and Paramount's focus on strengthening the "Trek" brand in this age of franchises and IP, "Strange New Worlds" is set to follow in the footsteps of recent new shows and release through the Paramount+ streaming service. Though no specific release date has been set to this point, we do know that production has officially wrapped  on the first of (hopefully) many seasons. Anson Mount assured fans that we're in for a trailer ahead of the series premiere, which is scheduled for sometime in 2022. With anticipation high and the fourth season of "Discovery" set to arrive later this month, it's likely that CBS will carve out space to unveil "Strange New Worlds" in the second quarter or so of next year.

What We Think Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Will Be About

"Strange New Worlds" promises to be something of a modernized throwback (if that makes sense) to the spirit of adventure first established through "The Original Series" back in the 1960s. The series has already been hinted to be more episodic than modern "Trek" has had a habit of adhering to, with creator Akiva Goldsman stating that:

"There's a great thing that episodic television does, and 'Star Trek' did it greater than most, which is to teach while, as my late wife would have said, sugaring the pill, not letting the audience know that what we're doing is telling a story with a moral. 'Star Trek' came, not incidentally, in the late '60s, at a time where we could really have used a lens on our behavior, our society, our hopes for the future and the present we were living in. It's not particularly different today, sadly."

Taking place before the events of "The Original Series" but after season 3 of "Discovery," "Strange New Worlds" has an intriguing window in the canon to chart its own course entirely and create all sorts of new adventures that doesn't necessarily need to have universe-spanning ramifications. Giving us new layers to this crew of both familiar and new faces could be just the change of pace that the franchise needs to remain fresh and relevant.

What We Know About the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Cast and Crew

As mentioned, the biggest draw for "Strange New Worlds" is the ensemble cast led by actors Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn. But that's not all in terms of familiar faces, as they'll be joined by Celia Rose Gooding as a young Nyota Uhura, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga, all of whom will be portraying characters who originated from "The Original Series." The rest of the cast includes Christina Chong as the mysteriously-named La'an Noonien-Singh, Bruce Horak as a member of the Andorian race, and Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas. On the other side of the camera, Akiva Goldsman returns as creator after serving the same role on "Discovery," along with Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet.

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‘star trek: strange new worlds’ drops action-filled trailer with dashes of nostalgia.

The series is set to premiere May 5 on Paramount+ for a 10-episode first season run.

By Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker

Former Senior Reporter

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds dropped a new trailer on Sunday, highlighting that the Paramount+ series will be packed with eye-popping sci-fi action and dashes of nostalgia.

The two-minute preview gives another look at the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise. Pike was captain of the iconic Starfleet ship before Capt. James. T. Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series . The new Paramount+ series also stars Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley, the ship’s first officer, and Ethan Peck as Spock. The three actors are reprising their roles from Star Trek: Discovery .

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes place during the decade before Star Trek: TOS . Paul Wesley was recently cast in the Kirk role for the second season. Star Trek icon William Shatner wished him well on Twitter.

The Paramount+ series also features Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, and features recurring guest star Bruce Horak as Hemmer.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  is set to premiere May 5 on Paramount+ for a 10-episode first season run.

Watch the new trailer below.

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Where Is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Filmed?

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ adds another feather to the ever-expanding ‘Star Trek’ universe. Created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet, the science fiction series follows Captain Christopher Pike and the motley crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as they embark upon a sprawling intergalactic journey, charting the ends of the universe. Based on the characters and the original show envisioned by Gene Roddenberry, the show acts as a prequel to the original series, even retaining the episodic nature.

Following its release on Paramount+, the series garnered much praise, owing to its enticing visuals and adherence to the original charm. Most of the story unfolds in strange and futuristic cities, the offices of Federation Starfleet, and in far-flung galaxies and planets, with scenes aiming for a breadth of vision. However, you must be wondering where and how the epic ambiance of the show is created. If you are dying to know the locations where the series is filmed, allow us to guide you to the places.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds Filming Locations

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ is filmed in the US and Canada, especially in Ontario and New Mexico. Principal photography for the first season commenced in February 2021 and concluded by July 24, 2021. However, additional filming took place in late 2021. Filming for the second season started in February 2022 and wrapped up by June of the same year. Both seasons 1 and 2 were seemingly filmed under the working title ‘Lily and Isaac.’

Production began during COVID-19 restrictions when the Enterprise set was not entirely built. The team bypassed this mishap by filming the pilot in two parts — in the early days of the production schedule and towards the end of the production of season 1. Magdalena Górka (‘ Doom Patrol ,’ ‘You Get Me’) and Glen Keenan (‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ ‘ Lucifer ‘) jointly handled the camera department. At the same time, Jonathan Lee, the art director of ‘Stealth’ and ‘XXX,’ joined the team as a production designer. Let us now lead you to the specific locations where the series is filmed.

Toronto, Ontario

The production team of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ heads to Toronto to film several exterior sequences. Due to its pivotal location by Lake Ontario and a generic urban landscape, Toronto has become one of the major global production hotspots, earning the moniker ‘Hollywood of the North.’ A significant filming location for the show is the landmark Royal Ontario Museum. Located at 100 Queens Park in downtown Toronto, it is Canada’s largest repository of historical and cultural artifacts. The area outside the museum, particularly Bloor Street West, is where several scenes of season 2 were shot.

@TOFilming_EM There’s a production called “Lily & Isaac” being filmed in front of the ROM on Bloor St W, i think its the new Star Trek show? pic.twitter.com/ieioFRD8CB — cami 💐 busy (@LovclyMikkelsen) March 5, 2022

Filming for the second season also went underway on several other streets in the city. In March 2022, the cast and crew headed to the Financial District, the city’s central business district. The authorities co-operated with the production team by closing down traffic on Bay Street, Jordan Street, and Wellington Street.

#startrek #StrangeNewWorlds aka #lilyandisaac is filming 🎬 in downtown Toronto 🇨🇦 on a very snowy and cold March day. ❄️ Bay Street, Jordan Street and Wellington Streets are closed, just west of Yonge. @TOFilming_EM pic.twitter.com/qQXxVJgwfc — Anita Windisman (@AnitaWindisman) March 13, 2022

Filming also takes place on Yonge Street, a central arterial avenue connecting Lake Simcoe to Queens Quay. Multiple scenes are filmed in the area, especially in the iconic Yonge-Dundas Square. Located at Yonge Street and Dundas Street East in downtown Toronto, it is a vibrant public square characterized by large banners and neon-lit signs. Around the same time, the cast and crew were spotted filming a few segments near CF Toronto Eaton Centre, a famous shopping mall located at 220 Yonge Street.

Mississauga, Ontario

A significant chunk of the filming takes place in a studio in Mississauga, a vast Canadian metropolis by Lake Ontario, only about 28 kilometers southwest of Toronto. While the cast and crew lens most of the exterior sequences in and around locations in Toronto, most of the interior scenes of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ are filmed inside the comfort of a studio.

CBS Stages Canada, a CBS branded production facility at 1850 Matheson Boulevard East in Mississauga, facilitates the filming unit. Since its inception in 2019, the multi-use production facility has been busy catering to in-house productions, like ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and ‘In The Dark.’ Equipped with six soundstages, production offices, and auxiliary services, the studio has further added to the growing film industry of Ontario.

While most of the filming takes place in Ontario, the production team of the space-themed show is not limiting themselves to the north. For the purpose of filming, the cast and crew occasionally venture out of their comfortable territory to visit New Mexico. According to reports, the second filming unit may take care of the filming in Mexico, allowing the first unit to continue filming simultaneously in the studio.

As per the New Mexico Film Office announcement, the team utilizes New Mexico’s untapped landscape for visual effects. The southern state features a broad range of dramatic landscapes, ranging from mountains and jungles to dunes. By using these backgrounds and employing the AR wall “virtual set” technology, the crew of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ creates a believable atmosphere within the studio.

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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.

Here's Where Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is Really Filmed

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is one of those shows that, because of its fantastic setting, could be filmed almost anywhere. Of course, that's the case with most "Star Trek" shows. Even when there's a scene taking place on Earth, it's so far in the future that set designers and location scouts need not worry too much about making sure that the scenery looks like, say, current-day San Francisco or Los Angeles ("Picard" Season 2 notwithstanding).

For this reason, it comes as little surprise that most "Star Trek" shows were simply filmed at studios in and around Los Angeles. For most of its run, "The Original Series" was filmed on Stages 31 and 32 at the Studios at Paramount, right smack in the middle of Hollywood (via Discover Los Angeles ). "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager," and "Enterprise" were also shot at the Studios at Paramount, while a great many of the outdoor scenes were simply filmed among LA's many canyons and hills.

Given how much of a throwback "Strange New Worlds" is — between its return to an episodic format , its use of so many classic characters, and its retro look  – you would think that it, too, films in the LA area. But in fact, you would be wrong.

Strange New Worlds films in Toronto, Canada

Most exterior scenes for "Strange New Worlds" are filmed in Toronto, Canada (via The Cinemaholic ). Toronto is, of course, a popular filming destination due to its high urban density and proximity to one of the largest lakes in North America (not to mention those sweet tax credits). The home of the production, however, is actually CBS Stages Canada, the first branded studio from an American entertainment company to be opened in the country (via The Hollywood Reporter ), and it is located in Mississauga, a city of nearly 800,000 people located just 17 miles southwest of Toronto (via World Population Review ). "Strange New Worlds" began filming there in February 2021 (via Daily Star Trek News ).

Many of the backgrounds used in "Strange New Worlds" are shot in New Mexico, whose dramatic desert dunes, mountains, and other bizarre landscapes are often the starting point for CGI and other special effects. Other exterior scenes for "Strange New Worlds" have been shot at York University, a large public university on the edge of Toronto whose angular Brutalist architecture makes it an appropriate choice for anything futuristic (via LatLong.net ). "Star Trek: Discovery" also shoots in the Toronto area, though most of its interior scenes have been shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios (via MovieWeb ). "Star Trek: Picard," meanwhile, filmed its three seasons primarily in Greater Los Angeles (via IMDb ).

‘Discovery’ and ‘Strange New Worlds’ Studio Honors Iconic Franchise With the ‘Star Trek’ Stage

Pinewood Studios has named one of their Toronto soundstages after the long-running sci-fi franchise.

The Big Picture

• Star Trek has a strong bond with Toronto; Pinewood Studios stage renamed to honor franchise's connection with Canada's largest city.
• Discovery 's final season filmed in Toronto; Strange New Worlds is currently shooting in the city.
• Paramount+ executive producer thanked Toronto for hospitality; future Star Trek productions are planned in the city.

Star Trek has called Toronto, Ontario home since the launch of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, and now one of their studio homes has been renamed to commemorate the long-running science fiction franchise's bond with Canada's largest city. One of Pinewood Studios Toronto's soundstages has been renamed the Star Trek Stage. On Discovery , the 18,000 square-foot stage is used for both the USS Discovery 's ready room and for the United Federation of Planets' space station headquarters; several other stages are used for the ship's other locations, while many outdoor scenes are shot on location in the greater Toronto area.

The stage was officially renamed during the filming of Discovery 's fifth and final season . In a statement, Paramount+'s Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman expressed his gratitude for the city's hospitality to Trek's cast and crew: "Pinewood Toronto Studios has become a second home for our Star Trek family, and we’re grateful that they’ve named a stage in honor of the franchise. In addition to the amazing stage space, we’ve benefited from working with the talented artists in front of the camera and behind the scenes and look forward to our partnership in Toronto on future series."

What Other 'Star Trek' Series Are Shot in Toronto?

Despite the impending end of Discovery 's five-season mission, Star Trek in Toronto isn't going anywhere. Discovery spinoff Strange New Worlds , which was recently renewed for a fourth season , is currently filming its third season in the city. Additionally, the newest series Starfleet Academy is slated to shoot there later this year . The Paramount+-original movie, Star Trek: Section 31 , also filmed in Toronto, and wrapped production earlier this year . While Toronto and its environs are typically called upon to represent alien worlds, the city did get a chance to play itself in the second-season Strange New Worlds episode " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ", in which La'an Noonien-Singh and James T. Kirk had to foil a Romulan plot in the Ontario capital.

Star Trek: Discovery 's fifth and final season has the crew chasing the ancient secret behind all life across the galaxy, even as they try to outrace a new pair of implacable foes. In her review , Collider's Samantha Coley deemed it "well-paced and well-structured, with each episode offering a satisfying piece of the puzzle."

Star Trek: Discovery 's fifth and final season is now streaming on Paramount+ ; Strange New Worlds ' third season is currently filming in Toronto, and Starfleet Academy will film there later this year. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Star Trek: Discovery

Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

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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.

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery just did a secret strange new worlds crossover.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 brought Captain Burnham to the Mirror Universe's Starship Enterprise. If the sets look familiar, it's because they are.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 was a crossover with Strange New Worlds' Enterprise sets.
• Captain Burnham found the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space.
• The two Star Trek series share sets in Toronto and they have filmed on each other's sets before.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors," was a secret crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 sent Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) into interdimensional space in pursuit of Moll (Eve Harlow), L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and the next clue to the ancient treasure of the Progenitors. Burnham never expected to find the derelict ISS Enterprise from the Mirror Universe within the dangerous wormhole.

Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 4, "Mirror, Mirror", introduced the Mirror Universe and the ISS Enterprise , the alternate reality counterpart of the USS Enterprise. The ISS Enterprise hadn't been seen since, but Star Trek: Discovery revealed refugees attempted to flee the Mirror Universe aboard the Constitution Class ship. The passengers, including Science Officer Dr. Cho, abandoned the Enterprise in interdimensional space and made it to Star Trek 's Prime Universe. Later, Dr. Cho returned to hide her clue to the Progenitors' treasure aboard the ISS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery season 5 filmed on strange new worlds’ enterprise set, discovery and strange new worlds film on adjacent sets in toronto.

Although no characters from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds appeared in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 - which makes sense since the two series are set over 930 years apart in Star Trek 's timeline - "Mirrors" was filmed on Strange New Worlds ' USS Enterprise sets which doubled for the ISS Enterprise. Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds shoot in Toronto on adjacent soundstages and both shows have access to each other's sets. In an interview with Screen Rant , David Ajala confirmed that Discovery filmed its scenes in late 2022 after Strange New Worlds season 2 wrapped production.

Sharing sets is a Star Trek tradition going back to the 1990s Star Trek series.

This type of 'crossover' between Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has happened before . Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2 , "Ad Astra Per Aspera" shot its courtroom scenes for Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley's (Rebecca Romijn) trial in Discovery 's Federation headquarters set. Sharing sets is a Star Trek tradition going back to the 1990s Star Trek series when Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would film on each others' sets as a cost-saving measure.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country redressed Star Trek: The Next Generation 's 10 Forward set to become the office of the Federation President (Kurtwood Smith).

Can Discovery & Strange New Worlds Have A Real Star Trek Crossover?

It's unlikely, but not completely impossible..

Star Trek: Discovery season 1's finale and season 2 can be credited as the first Star Trek 'crossover' of the Paramount+ era when the USS Enterprise, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One joined the show. The trio proved so popular, fans clamored for them to receive their own spinoff set aboard the Starship Enterprise, which became Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . Star Trek: Discovery then jumped forward to the 32nd century, and it was a one-way trip that left the Enterprise and the 23rd century permanently behind. But can a Discovery and Strange New Worlds crossover still happen?

Yet there are possibilities for a Discovery and Strange New Worlds crossover.

There won't be a crossover with Star Trek: Discovery season 5 outside of Burnham, Book, Moll, and L'ak occupying the ISS Enterprise in "Mirrors" . Discovery season 5 has long since wrapped production and the hunt for the Progenitors' technology doesn't leave room for any time travel to see Strange New Worlds' characters . Yet there are possibilities for a Discovery and Strange New Worlds crossover. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is in production and the series is renewed for season 4. Perhaps a way could be found to have Captain Burnham see Captain Pike and Spock one more time. Or both show's characters may meet on neutral ground through various sci-fi means on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy . Where there's a will, there's a way to still crossover Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

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Star Trek Discovery Cancellation Ruins Strange New Worlds Crossover?

Posted: April 29, 2024 | Last updated: April 29, 2024

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery has been filled with fan service, including the entire season’s mystery arc being based on the beloved TNG episode “The Chase.” We’ve gotten callbacks to the Dominion War and a cameo by a Soong-type android. But one of the most ambitious bits of fan service was Discovery encountering the abandoned hulk of the Mirror Universe vessel ISS Enterprise.

We later found out its crew rebelled from the Terran Empire and escaped into the Prime Universe, but it’s my belief this episode was meant to set up a Strange New Worlds crossover we will never get.

Star Trek: Discovery Setting Up Strange New Worlds?

How, exactly, could Star Trek: Discovery have been setting up a crossover with Strange New Worlds? It may seem unlikely, especially with SNW taking place in the 23rd century and DSC now taking place in the 32nd century.

However, there are various ways for the show to explain how a vessel could time-travel to the future (something that the Discovery crew knows all about) or just get stuck in a timey-wimey space phenomenon.

Star Trek: Discovery “Mirrors”

In the Star Trek: Discovery episode “Mirrors,” Captain Burnham and Booker board the ISS Enterprise in search of the criminals Moll and L’ak as well as clues about the Progenitors. These ancient aliens who created many major races in the galaxy and whose technology could be used as a superweapon.

Our heroes eventually discover that this ship fled the Mirror Universe after Spock became the Terran Emperor and was executed for trying to usher progressive reforms into a regressive empire.  We later find out they safely made it into the Prime universe despite the ISS Enterprise getting stuck in the wormhole.

Didn’t Know Fifth Was Last

Here’s my speculation: we know that the Star Trek: Discovery cast and crew did not originally know the fifth season would be their last. After the show’s surprise cancellation, however, Paramount allowed new scenes to be shot to help wrap the season up and make it feel more like a finale. 

Many fans (myself included) assumed these new scenes would mostly be added to the season finale to help wrap up the series. However, seeing the ISS Enterprise makes me think the show had an ambitious Strange New Worlds crossover planned for a future season and a new scene was added to quickly resolve things.

Trying To Find Clues

In Star Trek: Discovery, we learn that the ISS Enterprise crew rebelled against the Terran Empire and fled to the Prime Universe, with the ship getting stuck in a wormhole.

At first, what happened to the Mirror crew was a mystery. Later, though, Captain Burnham happily reveals that everyone safely made it to the Prime Universe in the 23rd century. The one fleeing Terran, Dr. Cho, became a Starfleet branch admiral who researched the Progenitors and left the clue Burnham and Book are trying to find.

Strange New Worlds Mirror Universe?

My theory is that Star Trek: Discovery was originally going to leave the fate of that crew as a mystery so that in future seasons, we could find out they escaped into the future and get cameos from Mirror Universe versions of Strange New Worlds characters.

Mirror Pike, for example, could basically be an anti-Lorca: a captain from the evil universe who is actually a good guy and not just putting on an act. The crossover between Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks proved very popular, and this would have been a chance for Paramount to engage in more of that sweet, sweet brand synergy.

Adding New Scenes?

Furthermore, I believe that after Star Trek: Discovery was canceled, the conversation where Burnham tells Booker the crew all survived and settled in the Prime Universe was later added as a new scene.

Think about it: that scene is just two characters talking on a very small set. That’s not exactly a smoking phaser when it comes to my theory, but this would have been a lot easier to add as a new scene compared to something like a major ensemble scene on the Discovery’s bridge.

Future Crossovers Could Still Happen?

We may never definitively know if Star Trek: Discovery was setting up a Strange New Worlds crossover, but I’m trying to embody what Burnham said about the rebel Enterprise crew. “They had hope…despite impossible odds.”

In my case, I hope that Paramount hasn’t fully given up on ambitious plans like crossovers in favor of just playing it safe with Starfleet Academy, an upcoming show aimed at teens so aggressively that it might as well be called Stardate 90210.

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