Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 21, 2026)
In 2022, a new Star Trek series called Strange New Worlds arrived. Set not long before The Original Series, Season One introduced us to Captain Christopher Pike and the Enterprise crew who operated the ship before Captain Kirk eventually took the helm.
2023 brought a second set of Strange New Worlds shows and it returned for a third season in 2025. This four-BD set includes all 10 of Season Three’s episodes, with plot synopses from the show’s official site.
Hegemony, Part II: “Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) leads a risky rescue behind enemy lines as the landing party flees a deadly enemy.”
After Season One debuted in May 2022, Season Two arrived quickly enough that it wrapped barely 15 months after S1’s first episode. However, fans needed to wait almost two years for Season Three to arrive.
Given that S2 ended with a cliffhanger, that span probably seemed even more annoying to viewers. Did “Part II” become worth the wait?
Probably not, as I can’t call this a great episode. Still, it concludes the Gorn saga that opened in S2 in a concise manner and becomes a reasonably appealing launch to S3.
Wedding Bell Blues: “At a Federation celebration, an uninvited guest disrupts Lieutenant Commander Spock (Ethan Peck) and the crew's reflections.”
Although S3 started literally where S2 ended, “Blues” finds the Enterprise crew three months down the road. This feels a bit like an excuse to give Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) their break from romance without actually taking Chapel away from the show for multiple episodes.
“Blues” leans toward a lighter vibe than the serious drama of the S3 debut. It looks at Chapel’s apparent new love interest and creates comedic shenanigans when an alternate reality emerges.
“Blues” manages to treat the romantic semi-triangle in a way that avoids treacle. Though it starts slowly, it finds clever twists.
Shuttle to Kenfori: “Pike and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) enter disputed Klingon space to find a cure for Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano). M'Benga's past resurfaces on a planet swarming with deadly creatures.”
S3’s first “away mission”, “Shuttle” gives us a tale that leans much more into horror territory than usual, as Pike and M’Benga essentially deal with zombies. A few decent curves occur but this turns into a weaker than usual episode because the genre choices don’t really suit the series.
A Space Adventure Hour: “When La'An Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) tests a prototype holodeck with a fictional case only she can solve, the consequences of failure get greater and greater, with the Enterprise hanging in the balance.”
Although that latter element adds some drama, “Hour” spreads into broad comedy way more than the average episode. It launches with a glimpse of The Last Frontier, a fictional TV series that resembles a much tackier Star Trek TOS.
This allows for some fun, as Strange New Worlds’ James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) gets to channel his inner Shatner and Mount enjoys the chance to play Gene Roddenberry.
We find a lively look at the origins of the holodeck and it seems clear the actors relish their chances to camp it up. Trek humor sometimes flops but “Hour” works.
Through the Lens of Time: “Nurse Chapel and Dr. Roger Korby's (Cillian O'Sullivan) quest to uncover the next step in human evolution leads the Enterprise to a planet where ancient ruins hide a deeper mystery and a terrifying secret.”
Wow – it sure seems coincidental that various romantic or semi-romantic couples end up on this particular away mission. And by “coincidental”, I mean “wholly contrived”, especially given the fact Spock and Chapel still show tension related to their breakup and her new attachment to Korby.
Wide-eyed young Ensign Dana Gamble (Chris Myers) comes along as well. He doesn’t wear a red shirt but… well, I’ll leave it at that.
All of this leads to a meh episode, one that goes down too many well-trodden paths. Though not a bad show, it lacks zing.
The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail: “Lieutenant Commander James T. Kirk's first day in the captain's chair of the USS Farragut takes a disastrous turn when the Enterprise is captured by a deadly scavenger ship.”
Given that it depicts Kirk’s initial stab at head honcho status, “Tail” can feel like fan fiction, especially when we see his interactions with folks we’d know as regulars of “The Original Series”. Still, “Tail” bounces back after the dreary nature of “Lens”, as it comes with good thrills and drama.
What Is Starfleet?: “The Enterprise escorts cargo to help a war-ravaged planet, but controversial truths about it cause Pike and the crew to come under the scrutiny of investigative journalist Umberto ‘Beto’ Ortegas (Mynor Lüken).”
This allows for a change of pace from the usual episode, as “What” comes to us as a “documentary”. This doesn’t become an original conceit, as other TV series have used it as well.
Still, I appreciate that “What” opts for something a bit different, and it uses the concept in a lively way. I wouldn’t want to see the format persist but it works for one show.
Aspect ratio footnote: because it uses an alternate “documentary” framework, “What” opts for 1.78:1 instead of the series’ usual 2.39:1.
Four-and-a-Half Vulcans: “After the Enterprise completes a mission requiring several of the crew to become Vulcan, new problems arise when it is time for them to change back into humans.”
If that sounds like an excuse for some Trek-style comic shenanigans, you interpret correctly. “Vulcans” uses the manner in which those four crewmembers adapt to their new status for humor.
Trek comedy can be hit or miss, but this show works pretty well, even if some actors “play Vulcan” better than others. Mount seems pretty awful, as he reads the lines like a computer and not a Vulcan.
Nonetheless, most of the episode entertains. Note that it comes with a post-credits sequence in which Spock educates a Vulcan (Patton Oswalt) about humans in an amusing manner.
Terrarium: “When Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Nevia) crashlands on a deadly toxic moon, where the chances of survival are slim to none, she finds herself stranded and forced to challenge her most closely held beliefs in order to survive.”
This means Ortegas needs to cooperate with an enemy species. That doesn’t offer a particularly novel premise, and as part of that genre, “Terrarium” seems decent but never especially compelling.
New Life and New Civilizations: “When an ancient and evil alien force resurfaces, Pike must make a difficult decision to stop it from spreading.”
“Life” caps S3 with a show that confronts the supposed origins of evil itself. That seems like a lot for one 55-minute episode to handle.
“Life” also confronts Pike’s “TOS” infirmity, though it does so in a manner that evokes 1994’s Star Trek: Generations. This reminds us how oddly tangential Pike seems in much of S3, as we see less of the series’ nominal lead than expected.
“Life” can feel like a feature chopped down to 55 minutes, and it also gives off a vibe that the producers thought they might not get to create another season. Until Seasons One and Two, S3 doesn’t conclude with a cliffhanger, and “Life” offers a vibe that those involved figured it could act as a series finale.
Though not a particularly satisfying potential conclusion, probably because it straddles the two attitudes. “Life” wraps matters enough to seem like a finishing point but it doesn’t do so in a manner that feels convincing in that regard.
As a whole, S3 follows that path. While individual episodes work, the season seems inconsistent and without great continuity or impact.
Which disappoints. S1 also seemed spotty but Strange New Worlds seemed to find its footing with S2 and I hoped S3 would continue that positive trajectory.
I don’t want to come down too hard on S3, as it maintains enough entertainment value to keep us with it. Nonetheless, the whole package doesn’t coalesce so this becomes an erratic set of shows.
