It’s a been a bumper few years for Star Trek. Discovery and Picard have each explored different corners of the Trek universe, and now CBS All Access has just confirmed that they’re going to be joined by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This new show – which We Got This Covered first told you about months ago – will focus on the adventures of Captain Pike, Spock and Number One, continuing their stories after season 2 of Discovery and apparently taking them almost to the point where The Original Series begins.
The show was announced via a video from Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romjin in which they explain how excited and honored they are to continue playing their characters as they explore the titular ‘strange new worlds.’ Ordinarily, a new show like this would probably be announced with great fanfare at a convention, but for obvious reasons, those aren’t going ahead this year. Acknowledging the strange times we live in, the cast explains that the ethos of Star Trek is more important than ever right now and that they’re looking forward to delivering “a classic Star Trek show that deals with optimism and the future.”
That’ll be music to the ears of Trek fans who criticized the first season of Discovery for being too downbeat and cynical. Picard, with its vision of Starfleet corrupted from within, also faced similar complaints that it was straying from the utopian philosophy at the heart of the series. So, here’s hoping that Strange New Worlds lives up to its promise and captures some of the humanist idealism that separates Star Trek from so much other science fiction.
CBS All Access Head of Programming Julie McNamara talked up the new show earlier today, saying:
“Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck’s portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on Star Trek Discovery last season. This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to Star Trek.”
Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman also chimed in, stating:
These iconic characters have a deep history in Star Trek canon, yet so much of their stories have yet to be told. With Akiva and Henry at the helm, the Enterprise, its crew and its fans are in for an extraordinary journey to new frontiers in the Star Trek universe.”
No word yet on when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may head into production, but let’s hope they’re raring to go before the cameras as soon as the COVID-19 lockdowns can be lifted.