I'm impressed by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode, but I'm concerned that it will lead to a season 3 that's more meta. Since season 1, I have loved seeing the adventures of the USS Enterprise before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner and Paul Wesley) took command. Strange New Worlds has done an excellent job of telling new stories while maintaining the classic Star Trek canon. The Strange New Worlds musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody," was innovative, while "Ad Astra Per Aspera" was a trial episode on par with Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Measure of a Man."
In April 2025, Paramount+ released the first teaser trailer for Strange New Worlds season 3, and there is already a lot to unpack. From what looked like a Klingon zombie to a noir-murder-mystery episode directed by Jonathan Frakes, it seems like the 10 episodes of SNW season 3 should be full of genre-bending episodes that continue Captain Christopher Pike's (Anson Mount) journey. But, if I am being honest, some scenes from the teaser trailer make me a little worried that Strange New Worlds season 3 may get too meta for its own good.
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In particular, the teaser trailer showed a very flamboyant science fiction bridge with bright colors and levers, that almost looked like a parody of Star Trek: The Original Series. Furthermore, the trailer opens with Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) saying, "We want to give audiences a reflection of their own world through the lens of fantasy. You know, science fiction," and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) asking, "All of that with weekly space adventures?" All this to say, the team behind Strange New Worlds season 3 clearly knows what they're doing, and they are being intentionally self-referential.
This is not to say Star Trek can never be self-referential or include nods to its impact on science fiction. Indeed, one of the best parts of Star Trek: Voyager are Lt. Tom Paris's (Robert Duncan McNiell) adventures of "Captain Proton.” But while "Captain Proton" is somewhat reminiscent of TOS, it’s ultimately closer to 1950s science fiction television and radio dramas. I’m worried the new episodes of Strange New Worlds will be a send-up of The Original Series itself, and that could pull the show in a direction that is far too meta for its own good.
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...so far, Strange New Worlds has been a drama with a good sense of humor, rather than a comedy.
That worked in Lower Decks because it was clearly a Star Trek comedy, but so far, Strange New Worlds has been a drama with a good sense of humor, rather than a comedy. I would love it if the show continued playing to its strengths. Ultimately, however, I have been really impressed with the past two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and I think the creative team will be able to strike the right balance between meta humor and new stories in season 3.
