AUGUST 12, 2022 - Star Trek fans are some of the most die-hard fans They’ve gone through the good times, (Star Trek II The Wrath of Kahn) as well as the bad times, (Spock’s Brain) and every time, they have come back for more. However, in 2009, when a ‘reboot’ of Star Trek and a recasting of our beloved characters was announced, many of those fans, to quote another favorite franchise, ‘felt a great disturbance in the Force.”

Why? Well, simply put, we were told, “This isn’t your father’s Star Trek,” and many agreed with those comments. The comradery and strategic thinking that we saw our heroes use to overcome insurmountable odds, was replaced with shiny surroundings, lens flares, explosions, and lots of action sequences. It was unfamiliar to many longtime fans, and in return, we were labeled ‘too old for Nu-Trek.’

The modern series, Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard have likewise followed a new format. No longer episodic, but rather more of a space ‘soap opera’ with season-long story arcs that many fans have lamented. in addition, they seem to have several ‘filler’ episodes that slowly drag the story along, without significantly adding to it, just to hit the episode count. And then a new (actually an old) approach was taken with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It was decided that this show would return to an episodic format. Now, each week, the Crew of the USS Enterprise will land on different planets, interact with different alien species and face different adventures. It was a gamble that paid off.

According to IndieWire, the results have been made clear: Paramount+ has their biggest hit yet with SNW. This has been the most-watched ‘Star Trek’ series debut ever for the streaming service, as well as being one of the top two most-watched original series in the UK. Several in-universe characters were used in this series, which is a prequel to Star Trek The Original Series, like Captain Pike, First Officer “Number One”, Science officer Spock, and a young cadet named Uhura. And let’s not forget that at the end of season one, we saw a red sleeve that was revealed to belong to someone with a thick Scottish Brogue, hand something to an officer in an equally familiar engineering access port.

Sure, we’ve already had a couple of silly episodes, “Spock Amok” (body swap) and “The Elysian Kingdom” (fairy tale world) But Star Trek: The Original Series also gave us the aforementioned “Spock’s Brain” and “Shore Leave”. But hey, for a well-balanced meal, you need an occasional piece of cheese to go along with the steak and potatoes.

Beyond the return to an episodic format, what else does this Trek have that its current siblings don’t? First off, not as many tears so freely flow from its commanding officer. But digging deeper, it has, as a series, returned to getting to know the officers and understanding their drives and motivations that has seemed to be lacking from the other new shows. We see them in their downtime, appreciating each other’s company, not just a quick pep talk in a corridor on their way to the next exploding (Insert object here).

Let me finish off with this. On the other new shows, do you think you’ll ever see Burnham or Picard cooking breakfast for their crews? Spending their downtime together in pure, simple, mutually enjoyed camaraderie? This, of course, is only one journalist’s opinion on why SNW is the “best of the new,” and it does not necessarily reflect the views of DSTN, its staff, or other contributors. Strange New Worlds may still not be my father’s Star Trek, but it does feel more like mine.

For more on the article of why it works so well, warp on over and read the full article at IndieWire. And to get caught up on every episode of season one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, follow the link above to Paramount+.