Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Strange New Worlds Seasons 1 & 2, including the season finale. Spoilers are also present for Enterprise Season 3 and Picard Seasons 2 & 3.
Today we’re going to take a look ahead! There’s been a recent hint that Strange New Worlds might premiere at the end of July; a so-called “leak” from Sky in the Netherlands put the show’s broadcast date in Europe on the 1st of August, and with the 31st of July being a Thursday – Strange New Worlds’ usual broadcast day in its first two seasons – that could line up. I’d been working on the assumption that we’d see the show sometime in the late summer or autumn, so if Strange New Worlds runs for ten interrupted weeks beginning on the 31st, that would take it through August and September with the season finale airing at the beginning of October.
Whether or not that timeframe is anywhere close to accurate, though, it got me thinking about Season 3 and what I’d like to see whenever Strange New Worlds returns!
Strange New Worlds has been, for me, the absolute highlight of modern Star Trek. There have been a couple of episodes that weren’t as good as the others, sure, but the show’s episodic tone feels like a breath of fresh air after Discovery and Picard. Spending more time with Captain Pike has been wonderful, too, and I’m really hoping for a renewal announcement sometime soon to give the series a thoroughly-deserved fifth season. Perhaps there’ll even be some kind of celebratory episode in Season 4 to mark Star Trek’s sixtieth anniversary!
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little! What I’d like to do today is share some of my wishes for Strange New Worlds Season 3 – the things I really want to see, and perhaps one or two pitfalls that I hope can be avoided. Despite taking a long time to work my way through Season 2, I’m really looking forward to Season 3 and hoping for another outstanding batch of episodes!
Before we get into the wishlist, a couple of important caveats. First of all, this is just the subjective opinion of one old Trekkie. If I miss something that seems obvious to you or “wish” for something that you think sounds atrocious… that’s okay! There’s plenty of room in the Star Trek fan community for polite discussion and differences of opinion. Secondly, I’m not claiming that anything below will definitely be part of Season 3 of Strange New Worlds. I have no “insider information;” I’m just a random Star Trek fan sharing their thoughts!
So let’s talk about some of the things I’d like to see in this upcoming season.
Wish #1:
Keep the episodic format.
This has to be my biggest single wish for Season 3. As I said earlier, Strange New Worlds being a largely episodic show is one of the best things about it – and one of the best decisions that Paramount has taken with the Star Trek franchise in decades. It’s not just that Picard, Discovery, and even Prodigy have been pretty serialised affairs, but basically every sci-fi and fantasy show on TV is, too. In its heyday, Star Trek was an episodic franchise, and I can’t be alone in thinking it works better that way. Being able to visit different planets and meet new aliens every week is part of what makes Star Trek feel like Star Trek, at least for me, and it’s really been wonderful to see Strange New Worlds bringing this back.
There’s still room for characters to grow and evolve, as we’ve seen already in the show’s first couple of seasons. But with Season 2 ending on a cliffhanger – and a possible war with the Gorn breaking out – I’m a tad nervous that Paramount plans to focus on the Gorn storyline at the expense of others this time around. I really hope that won’t happen, because I really think it’d be to Strange New Worlds’ detriment.
Across just twenty episodes and two seasons, Strange New Worlds has had episodes in a diverse range of genres – from horror and war to comedy and even a musical. I really hope the show’s writers keep that wonderful mix of different stories going, because it’s a huge part of what makes Strange New Worlds so enjoyable. I also think it’s helping the show – and by extension, Star Trek as a whole – stand out in a streaming landscape that’s overwhelmingly dominated by serialised storytelling.
Episodic storytelling allows a range of characters to be in focus across the season, not just one or two primaries with a handful of supporting roles. Writing the show this way also gives us a lot more opportunities to meet different aliens, visit different planets and locations, and for the Enterprise’s five-year mission to genuinely feel like one of exploration. By keeping this episodic tone, Strange New Worlds can get back to Starfleet’s mission of seeking out new life – with detours, here and there, of course!
Wish #2:
Revisit Una’s Illyrian heritage.
After standing trial at the beginning of Season 2, we didn’t spend a lot more time with Una. Crucially, her Illyrian heritage – which caused such problems for her – wasn’t so much as mentioned again, and we never got to see her interacting with any other Illyrians. I hope that this genuinely interesting backstory won’t just be ignored in Season 3, because there’s a ton of potential to expand our understanding of Una as a character – and also revisit a faction we haven’t seen since Enterprise.
There are a lot of ways a story like this could go, and it wouldn’t have to be the main focus of an entire episode necessarily. Perhaps Una could be given a B-plot in which she has to return to her homeworld for some reason, or some of her relatives could come to visit her aboard the Enterprise. How would her surviving family members react to seeing her serving aboard a Federation ship? Are there any lingering ill feelings from the Illyrians toward Starfleet given their run-in with the NX-01 Enterprise and the Federation’s ban on genetic engineering? Those could be interesting angles to explore.
As we were just saying, Strange New Worlds is an episodic show – so after Una’s true backstory was revealed in Season 1, and she stood trial in Season 2, the show just had other things to do and other stories to tell. That’s totally okay; I don’t want a multi-episode arc where only the Illyrians are in focus! But it would be nice to call back to those earlier episodes and not just completely ignore this side of Una. Her Illyrian heritage is part of what makes her the Starfleet officer she is – and I think there are interesting and creative ways the show could approach the topic.
If we don’t get much of this in Season 3, then perhaps it can be included in Season 4 or 5 instead!
Wish #3:
Some kind of character growth for Scotty.
In my review of Hegemony, I noted how Scotty seems to have arrived in Strange New Worlds pretty much fully-formed. He’s confident enough to interrupt two captains when they’re having a private conversation, and he’s mechanically skilled enough to have built a Gorn transponder out of random pieces of equipment he found on a Federation science ship. So… where does that leave this younger version of the character? Is there any potential to see him grow and evolve now that he’s presumably going to be a recurring or even main character on Strange New Worlds?
Another element of Strange New Worlds that I’ve really enjoyed has been seeing how Spock and Uhura in particular started out at least somewhat different to how they are in The Original Series. Both of them have changed and grown over the course of the show’s first couple of seasons, and in Spock’s case, I’d argue that he still has a way to go to become the stoic, logical Vulcan that we’re familiar with. Even Kirk, though very much a secondary character, has room to grow in order to become the captain we know and love.
So I’d like to see Strange New Worlds show us, somehow, that Scotty isn’t perfect just yet! Maybe he’s not as confident as he seemed on Parnassus Beta, and he needs the mentoring of a senior officer like Pelia before he can become the “miracle worker” from The Original Series. Perhaps he’s mechanically skilled but inexperienced when it comes to working on a Constitution-class ship, and he’ll need some time to adapt. Or maybe he’s a bit socially awkward with people he doesn’t know very well, and it’ll take someone like Uhura to help him come out of his shell after he transfers to the Enterprise. Any or all of these could be interesting ways to give Scotty room to grow.
Part of the point of doing a prequel series, especially one that focuses on familiar characters, is to expand their backgrounds and show us how they became the people we remember. If Scotty arrives fully-formed, with perfect engineering skills and the same basic personality that we’re familiar with from The Original Series, it might well be fun to spend some more time with him… but it’ll also be a bit of a missed opportunity.
Wish #4:
Bring back Sarek to explore more of his feud with Spock.
I genuinely enjoyed James Frain’s take on Sarek in Discovery’s first two seasons. Strange New Worlds has already brought back Spock’s mother, Amanda, and she’s been a welcome addition to the show. Journey To Babel suggested that Spock and Sarek became estranged when Spock chose to study at Starfleet Academy instead of the Vulcan Science Academy, but I’ve always wondered if there might be more to it than that. I guess technically this would come close to treading on the toes of “canon;” Amanda told Kirk in The Original Series that Sarek and Spock have been estranged for eighteen years, and Strange New Worlds takes place ten years or so earlier. But I think it could still work!
In any case, it would be fun to see Sarek again, and even if we don’t learn a lot more about this feud and estrangement, seeing the awkwardness of Spock having to navigate the complicated situation could make for a fun or interesting episode. Perhaps the Enterprise could be called to Vulcan for an assignment, and Sarek and Amanda would come aboard – or Spock could be invited to their home.
Sarek and Captain Pike didn’t meet face-to-face in Discovery, but there could be a relationship there to build upon that we haven’t seen. And this could also be a way for Strange New Worlds to reference Discovery and Michael Burnham; I’m surprised that Spock hasn’t talked more about his adopted sister. There’s no reason for him to keep this a secret, and it could have implications for someone like Ortegas – a veteran of the Klingon war that Burnham had a role in sparking.
An episode featuring Sarek could also bring back T’Pring – Spock’s wife. The teaser clip from last year’s Comic-Con (and one set photo) seem to suggest a Vulcan story will be part of Season 3, so at least we know we’re going to get something to do with the Vulcans! As to whether Sarek will appear, though… I mean, why not?
Wish #5:
Cross over to the Mirror Universe and find Captain Lorca.
Trekking with Dennis asking for a Mirror Universe episode?! Has the world gone mad?! Seriously, though, despite my general dislike of the Mirror Universe as a setting (and its overuse in modern Star Trek), if there’s one good reason to visit Star Trek’s most famous parallel universe it’s this: rescuing the prime timeline version of Captain Lorca.
Lorca was a big part of Discovery’s first season, but the man we came to know was actually an imposter: he’d switched places with his prime timeline counterpart and sought to use Discovery and her spore drive to get back to his home universe. That seems to imply that the real Captain Lorca got stranded in the Mirror Universe, and despite Burnham and Admiral Cornwell thinking he’s dead, I can’t shake the feeling that Lorca might’ve found a way to survive!
We know that Pike is aware of the existence of the Mirror Universe; he said as much to Georgiou in Discovery’s second season finale. With Pike and Lorca having been Starfleet captains at the same time, it stands to reason that they know each other – and perhaps they’re even friends. Somehow, Lorca might be able to get a message across the divide between universes, leading Starfleet to send Pike on a particularly difficult rescue mission!
I think Spock would have to be kept out of this story – prime Spock, at least. It could be fun to see Mirror Spock, if only for a scene or two! Uhura and Scotty would also have to be left out, so as not to tread on the toes of Mirror, Mirror. Perhaps Captain Pike takes someone like Ortegas on a specially-modified shuttle, spends time in the Mirror Universe while he tracks down and saves Lorca, and then returns to the Enterprise. I think it’s a really fun idea, one that would connect Strange New Worlds back to Discovery while also allowing for a visit to a very different setting.
Wish #6:
Don’t introduce another character from The Original Series.
Spock, Uhura, Chapel, Kirk, and now Scotty – Strange New Worlds is filling out its main and secondary rosters with a lot of legacy characters! Some stories featuring characters we remember from The Original Series have been great and will continue to be great in Seasons 3 and 4, too… but as I said before Strange New Worlds premiered: I don’t want the show’s main focus to be on these people. It’s just as important to spend time with people like Pelia, Ortegas, and La’an – as well as Pike, Dr M’Benga, and Una.
So with all that in mind, let’s not introduce someone like Chekov, Sulu, or Dr McCoy this time! I think having yet another Original Series character would start to unbalance Strange New Worlds, tipping the scales in that direction a little too much. I already noted, in several of my Season 2 reviews, that Captain Pike seemed to be less present in what fans originally called “the Captain Pike show,” and I think there’s a real danger that the writers will choose to focus on legacy characters at the expense of the rest of the crew. A good mix of stories featuring legacy characters sometimes, new characters other times, and different pairs and groups working together is what I want to see going forward.
If the likes of Kirk and Scotty stick around – as I assume they will – and no one else is leaving the show or taking on a lesser role, there’s really not a lot of room in the cast for another legacy character. Season 3 is gonna be ten episodes long, and in order for the show to spend time with the growing group of characters it already has, there just won’t be time to do justice to someone like Dr McCoy or Sulu. Plus, if someone like that were introduced for a one-off story, there’s gonna be a huge temptation to keep them around and bring them back, as we saw with Paul Wesley’s Kirk. Now, I’ve found Wesley’s take on Kirk to be a ton of fun and I’m glad there have been episodes where he was included. But I’m also conscious of the fact that too many legacy characters could overwhelm Strange New Worlds and detract from what made it so appealing in the first place.
There’s a parallel here with Star Trek: Picard. That show introduced several new characters, but jettisoned all but one in between its second and third seasons, leaving character arcs incomplete, stories untold, and quite frankly, a bit of a mess in its wake. There was a mad rush to bring back Picard’s friends from The Next Generation for “one last adventure”… but that was never how Picard was originally pitched. As much fun as Season 3 was, there was also a ton of wasted potential in new characters that just never got a turn in the spotlight. I really hope Strange New Worlds won’t repeat that mistake.
Wish #7:
A major storyline for Ortegas.
For Season 2, actress Melissa Navia requested a reduced role, which explains why her character – Lt. Ortegas, the Enterprise’s pilot and helm officer – wasn’t a huge presence. Ortegas is probably the new character we’re least-familiar with at this stage, and I think it would be great if we could get at least one episode in Season 3 where we learn more about her, her history, or where she gets more of a central role.
It was fantastic to see Ortegas play a role in Hegemony, finally getting her wish to be part of an away mission and showing off her piloting skills. We also came to learn that she’d been a test pilot for Starfleet – harkening back to the early days of NASA and space exploration here in the real world, where many of the early astronauts were test pilots. Ortegas also served during the Klingon war, as we saw in Under the Cloak of War, so that could be another piece of her history to delve into at some stage.
As I was saying above, I’d really like to get to know some of the new characters created for Strange New Worlds. We’ve spent some time with La’an, Hemmer got a bit of development before his untimely demise, and we’re getting to know Captain Batel, too. I hope that the time is right for an Ortegas spotlight, giving her a significant storyline of her own in one episode next season.
If I had to create something, I’d want to go with a story all about piloting. We could flash back to Ortegas’ time at Starfleet Academy, perhaps, showing her testing out a brand-new type of shuttlecraft or fighter. And we could get a story akin to something like Drive from Voyager’s seventh season – an episode that focused on shuttle racing. At any rate, I’d like a storyline that really puts Ortegas in the pilot’s seat, and even if it was just a one-time thing that took up half of one episode, getting to spend a bit more time with her would be fantastic.
Wish #8:
A connection to a storyline from Enterprise and/or The Next Generation era.
If you haven’t read it yet, please check out my “pitch” for a Strange New Worlds episode that I’ve titled Cardassia Prime, because I go into detail about a hypothetical story that would bring together elements from across the Star Trek franchise. Click or tap here to check it out!
In short, I’d love to see an episode that brings together narrative elements from Enterprise or something from The Next Generation era – and ideally does both. There are many ways this could go, but I really like the idea of an older T’Pol meeting up with Spock, giving him advice on serving in Starfleet, and showing us a glimpse of her life a century or so after we last saw her. That could be a ton of fun.
Given that Strange New Worlds has also brought back the exploration side of Star Trek in a big way, I’d also like to see Pike’s Enterprise making first contact with a faction we’d come to spend more time with in the 24th Century. In my fantasy episode that I linked to above, I suggested that the Cardassians would be a great choice. First contact with the Cardassians has never been shown on screen, and if it didn’t go well it could foreshadow the conflicts that the Federation would have with the Cardassian Union in the 24th Century. Plus we’ve only seen the barest glimpses of Cardassians in modern Star Trek, despite how important they were in Deep Space Nine.
But really, this kind of story could involve any race or faction from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, or even Voyager – though the latter might be a bit tricky! Captain Pike could make first contact with anyone from the El-Aurians to the Breen, or we could even see the return of someone like the Xindi or Suliban. Strange New Worlds has done new and creative things with the Gorn, so maybe a faction that was only seen once – like the Sheliak or the Klaestron – could be ripe for further exploration.
Wish #9:
Captain Pike versus the Borg!
In my provocatively-titled piece “Ten Star Trek Storylines That Should Be Non-Canon,” I argued that Enterprise’s Borg episode – Regeneration – added an unnecessary complication to the already muddled history of Borg-Federation contact. I’ve also made the case that Star Trek has over-used the Borg in recent years – most notably in Picard, where the Borg were present in different ways in all three seasons. So why do I think a Borg story would work in the 23rd Century, then?
First of all, this is pure fantasy! I’m 99.9% sure that Paramount wouldn’t do a “Captain Pike versus the Borg” story under any circumstances, so let’s state that up front. But if I think about incredibly fun one-off episode ideas, bringing back the Borg for a battle with one of my favourite Starfleet captains in what I consider to be the best modern Star Trek show… I’d really like to see how creative Strange New Worlds could be with the Borg Collective. Would it be fan-servicey to a ridiculous degree? Probably. But would it be a ton of fun? I think so!
Star Trek exists in a multiverse, right? There are parallel universes beyond the ones we’ve seen on screen, so who’s to say there isn’t an alternate timeline where the Borg overran the Alpha Quadrant in the 23rd Century? Through some kind of space phenomenon, Captain Pike and the crew find themselves in this parallel universe, having to battle the Borg while also searching for a way home. Someone like Spock could even theorise that the cybernetic race that dominates this universe may not exist in the prime timeline, giving some justification for how this storyline could co-exist with what we already know of the Federation’s history with the Borg.
A parallel universe could also be a great opportunity to re-work and modernise the Borg. Although Picard’s second season quickly went off the rails, I stated in my review of the season premiere that the new depiction of the Borg Queen – with an updated design and new abilities – was genuinely frightening; by far the scariest and most intense the Borg had been in a long time. Strange New Worlds has dipped its toes in the horror genre already with episodes featuring the Gorn, so this kind of story could take on a similar tone. I think it would be a blast, anyway!
Wish #10:
Surprise me!
Alright, I guess this one’s just a big old cliché, but it’s my list so I’m keeping it! Strange New Worlds has, over the course of just twenty episodes so far, contained plenty of twists, turns, shocks, and surprises – and I hope we’ll get more of that this time around. There’s been a mixture of comedy, horror, exploration, adventure, and so much more, and most of the time I haven’t been able to predict what was going to happen or what kind of episode was coming up next. I’m absolutely in love with a show that can surprise me, and I really hope Strange New Worlds can continue to do so.
For example, I have no idea what’s going to happen to Captain Batel following the events of Hegemony. Batel was one of the characters featured in the Season 3 promotional posters… but does that mean she’s safe? Or is Paramount deliberately trying to mislead us? I genuinely don’t know whether Dr M’Benga and Nurse Chapel will be able to cure her condition in time, nor how Captain Pike would react if she passed away. It’s a genuine cliffhanger which is keeping me on my toes!
We’re obviously going to get at least one Gorn conflict episode at the beginning of the season, and there’s also at least one Vulcan storyline in the mix, too. But beyond that, I really have no idea where Strange New Worlds is going to take us in Season 3. Will there be an episode with the Klingons, perhaps? Or a deep cut to a random storyline from The Animated Series that hasn’t been mentioned on screen for decades? I like not knowing, and I like that Strange New Worlds is the kind of show that can take me on this kind of adventure!
This also ties back into what I was saying about episodic storytelling. Discovery and Picard both had season-long storylines – and while they could be mysterious and surprising in their own ways, they were also a lot more linear. Captain Pike’s crew encounter different aliens and visit different places every week, and that’s led to some genuinely unexpected storylines and episodes. As I said above, it just feels right for Star Trek.
So that’s it!
With Season 3 perhaps arriving in late July or early August, we don’t have that long to wait. Less than four months from now, Strange New Worlds could well be back on our screens, and I really can’t wait to see what the series has in store!
I hope this wishlist has been a bit of fun and maybe a little interesting, too. I’d love to see the show include everything we’ve talked about – but some are definitely firmly in the realm of fantasy! The most important thing for me is that Strange New Worlds remains a largely episodic series – albeit one with character growth and some of the other modern trappings that serialised TV has brought to the table. When each episode has a different planet or new alien race to encounter, it opens up a ton of storytelling options. Strange New Worlds has done courtroom drama, horror, comedy, and even a musical – and I’m really excited to see what’s going to come next.
When Strange New Worlds returns later this year, I’ll do my best to follow along with reviews. I don’t have the best track record – it took me a while to get caught up on Season 2! But I’d really like to follow along week-to-week this time if I can, so I really hope you’ll join me for that. Who knows, I might even craft a theory or two, too, if the series lends itself to such things!
Thanks for checking out my Strange New Worlds wishlist. If you haven’t seen my Season 2 episode reviews, you can find them all by clicking or tapping here. Earlier this year I also checked out the Section 31 TV movie, and you can find that review by clicking or tapping here. There’s more Star Trek content to come here on the website, but until then… Live Long and Prosper!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 will premiere on Paramount+ in countries and territories where the platform is available later in 2025. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream now and are also out now on DVD and Blu-ray. The Star Trek franchise – including Strange New Worlds and all other properties discussed above – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 