If you’ve never watched Star Trek, start with Strange New Worlds

I didn’t grow up as a Trekkie.

I first got into it as a teenager, around the time of the Chris Pine reboot in 2009; it made me want to go back to the beginning.

I can see why Star Trek wouldn’t necessarily be for everyone. As a jumping-off point into the sci-fi genre, Star Trek it is not newcomer-friendly: there are 12 iterations of the show to date (and more in development) plus 13 films in the franchise.

The three 90s shows (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager) have over 500 episodes between them, plus spin-offs and feature-length adventures.

Coming aboard for the first time can be a daunting prospect.

This is where Strange New Worlds – the third season of which launches today – comes in. For anyone wanting to dip a toe into Star Trek’s deep space exploration, this is where you should start.

It might seem counterintuitive to suggest beginning with anything other than the original 1966 series, famously starring Willian Shatner as James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock on board the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, however, is a prequel to that show. And after launching on Paramount+ in 2022, it has been one of the best-received in the franchise in some time, thanks to its sweet-spot blend of Gene Roddenberry nostalgia and originality.

It encapsulates what the franchise is all about and is constantly engaging, all while pushing it in new directions.

In Strange New Worlds, we follow a slightly earlier version of The Enterprise and her crew, led by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and we meet earlier versions of familiar faces including Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) as they go about their five year mission seeking out new life, boldly going where no one has gone before.

It could easily have fallen into being a straight-up homage to the Shatner original. There are numerous references to the original tone and aesthetic and there is a similar focus to the original concept of the crew’s primary goals.

Instead, Strange New Worlds embraces Star Trek’s inclusive traditions and history in a way that helps push the narrative forward.

When well-known characters are introduced, it’s done in a manner that feels tasteful and purposeful, rather than as a crass gesture to hardcore fans.

The show also dabbles in genres like horror and musicals, which makes it unique, but its emphasis on the classic Star Trek roots of exploration makes it a great diving-in point for new fans – in a way the franchise has not been of late.

Because you may well ask: Does Star Trek even matter in 2025? Audiences arguably have shorter attention spans and with so many more options and a wealth of streaming platforms, devoting so much time to one franchise, might seem formidable.

I think it does matter. Even early series were balanced in terms of gender and race and had more diverse lineups on screen than their contemporaries – the multiracial crew on the Enterprise included George Takei’s Sulu and Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura.

Star Trek also broke numerous boundaries over the years: it was the first to show an interracial kiss on television and it influenced countless other sci-fi shows like Babylon Five, Red Dwarf and The Orville while remaining a quality benchmark of its own.

I’ve come to admire its sense of optimism and scope, and its values and messages of humanity, equality and social justice hold up nearly 60 years later.

Plus, like the very best sci-fi, it has offered me countless hours of escapism. Strange New World’s episodic storytelling and structure stands mostly on its own.

With notably few episodes per series, it’s less bogged down in franchise lore than other iterations, explaining a lot of the basics and offering what early Star Trek gave those who first encountered it in the 60s: fun.

There is great interplay between the Enterprise crew throughout the show and the crossover episode with animated Star Trek series Lower Decks is a particular gem. The ‘fun’ element is something more franchises could learn from – they are too often overly serious with heavy backstories to keep track of.

I can’t wait for the recently announced fourth and fifth seasons of Strange New Worlds to continue the show’s journey, and for it to keep going from strength to strength.

If you’re put off by the effects of the original show or the length of some others, then Strange New Worlds is the perfect place to start your journey into deep space, and it’s just as appealing to die-hard Trekkies like me.

Its blend of old and new Trek delivers a show I didn’t know I needed, but I’m so grateful we have.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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