Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Review: Filling the Doctor Who Shaped Hole in My Heart

In the age of shorter and shorter seasons, so many shows forgo the classic “self-contained” episode in favour of more serialised plots that take up the whole season, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, now in its fourth season, remains a brilliant example of the necessity of weird, fun, one-and-done plots, while also showing that doesn’t mean sacrificing strong and consistent character arcs across episodes. Each of the first 6 episodes of Strange New Worlds S4 is something entirely different from the last, diving into entirely different genres, while never shying away from the classic Sci-Fi, Star Trek-feel.

Strange New Worlds is no stranger to the genre shift and has never felt afraid to explore something completely different and new before, like the murder mystery episode of last season or the musical of Season 2, but never has the show felt as committed to doing new things as this. One of Strange New Worlds S4’s greatest strengths is how good they’re getting at entwining those twists with the classic Star Trek feel instead of just relying on some holodeck disaster or sci-fi disaster to shift them into something strange (although we get that too). Episode 4 is a great example of this, a Noir-inspired mystery that hits all the tropes while still being grounded in the show’s reality.

We start the season with one of my favourites of the season, probably the most “classic Trek” of them all, in a fun adventure that also digs deep into the Federation and its role within the Galaxy and their relationship with violence. It’s a more critical lens than the show usually takes to its supposedly Utopian future, and an interesting examination of how Utopian that future can be while also having the excitement of firing photon torpedoes every now and then to keep things exciting. All this comes in contrast to two new civilisations the Enterprise meets, caught in a constant war that seems inevitable will wipe both out. Anson Mount’s Captain Pike gets the spotlight in this episode as he too is forced to reckon with Starfleet’s mission when contrasted with a harsh reality. This is probably the most CGI heavy episode of the season too, with some really stellar effects work on some creatures that may be a little familiar…

The second episode is my actual favourite of the bunch, as the Enterprise stumbles upon an abandoned ship and La’an, Spock, and Kirk investigate. The biggest problem that Strange New Worlds has ever faced is that they cast the coolest, most likeable guy ever as Captain Kirk, but they have to show restraint in how they use him for continuity. It’s an absurd problem for a show to face, and that restraint does probably contribute to how likeable he continues to be, but Paul Wesley remains an absolute delight with every appearance. He gets to explore a different side to Kirk here than the usual amicable captain as each member of the crew is isolated and forced to explore their individual demons, on a ship where those demons may in fact be real.

Introducing vague fantasy elements onto shows that try to be strictly sci-fi has long been a favourite of mine, and this episode is a great example of it. Spock and La’an in particular shine this episode with fantastic performances from Ethan Peck and Christina Chong, both in entirely different ways as La’ans typical stoicism is broken and Peck manages to show incredible depths while not breaking that classic Vulcan straight face. It’s an episode reminiscent of the kind of Doctor Who episodes that made me fall in love with the genre, telling a truly spooky story in a way that remains “family friendly” in a “hiding behind the cushions” sort of way.

I mentioned already that this season is full of constant genre shifts, none more apparent than the one between episodes 2 and 3, as we go from a horror episode to an absolutely hilarious Hangover riff. When watching S3 last year, it took me a moment to remember that Martin Quinn’s Scotty wasn’t part of the original cast, he was such an instant fit everyone else. After a brief rivalry this season, episode 3 pairs him with Melissa Navia’s Erica Ortegas, who had a great spotlight episode last season, as the two seek to solve a series of mysteries like: what dragon did Ortegas defeat, where are the shuttle keys, and where can I buy a shirt just like Scotty’s? It’s one of the funniest episodes of television I’ve ever watched and Navia and Quinn sell the rivalry between the two brilliantly. Every main crew member gets at least one moment to shine on this bizarre planet where everyone’s a little drunk.

I don’t want to dive too deep into the rest of the episodes to leave plenty of surprises, but each offers something bold and unique, from Noir mysteries to more comedy surprises to a ticking clock in one of the tensest, most emotionally heavy stories the show has told. I will spotlight some fantastic performances though, with each of the three having at least one standout. While Rebecca Romijin’s “Number One” is a constant presence in the show, she rarely gets a chance to stand on her own, so episode 4 is a refreshing change as we get to see her with some unusual pairings, and gets to give a really strong performance, especially separate from Pike, whom she’s usually paired with. 

If I had one complaint about the show after seeing episodes 1-5, it was the lack of Jess Bush’s Nurse Chapel. Much like Number One, Chapel has been in nearly every episode of the show but her rare spotlight has been largely focused on her romantic interests. That’s not to undercut how great she has been in those episodes, especially with her chemistry with Ethan Peck, but episode 6 gives her the rare opportunity to dive deep into the character on her own and really demonstrate how good a performer Bush is.

While the show has never had a real low point, so I would hesitate to call it a “return to form”, S3 suffered a little from the writers strike split and a more serialised plot, and S4 may well be a new peak for the show. It offers a little for everyone, and while still entwined in Star Trek lore, each episode could be someone’s first with no trouble. As said before, this show reminded me of Doctor Who at its peak, complete with a few outright references, while still having its own unique identity thanks to its fantastic expanded cast, all of whom get a chance to shine here. With only one season left after S4, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this wonderful cast, and I really hope the end of Strange New Worlds only means the end of Pike’s time in the Captain’s chair.