Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been one of the warmest-received shows in the franchise in some time, with a unique blend of classic Trek exploration and homages to the original series created by Gene Roddenberry. It’s also fresh, boldly pushing the story in new directions. Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger as the Enterprise crew faced the nefarious Gorn.
Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 below
Will we keep an emotional Spock?
One of the key plot points within the first two seasons has been a more emotional side to Mr Spock (Ethan Peck). Who retains his sense of logic and stoicism, but with a far more human side than fans might be familiar with. With Strange New Worlds set before the events of the original series, I wonder whether we’ll see a gradual shift towards the character first encountered in 1966.
His on-off relationship with Nurse Christine Chapel is a key plot point of the show, especially for events crucial to the second episode of season 3, which sees a meddling Vulcan trying to alter reality so Spock and Christine marry. The whole episode is built around trying to avert this and give the crew back their memories of the true realities.
While the wedding planner is defeated and Christine is no longer with Spock, his personality shift remains a mystery.
Will we see the Gorn again?
The Gorn are the main antagonists of the finale of season 2 and the opening episode of season 3, presenting a threat that the Enterprise struggles to overcome. They seemingly escape without too much damage, but I doubt that this is the last we’ve seen of them. If they don’t appear again this year, I’d expect we’ll see them in the confirmed fourth and fifth seasons of the show.
That’s because while the crew slowly recuperates in the second episode, Erica Ortegas, who was badly injured by the Gorn, appears to now have some sort of connection as we see a Gorn lingering in her mirror in the final shot.
Will we see further original series characters?
While Strange New Worlds is led by Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike, the show has featured original characters in both main and guest roles, with a recurring role for Paul Wesley’s James T Kirk.
Could this also mean we’ll also see the return of Bones or Chekov in this earlier version of the Enterprise? The series now has the addition of Scotty (Marty Quinn) in season 2’s finale, adding to the contingent of original series characters. Scotty is a key part of the opening episodes of this season, feeling like a natural addition to the crew and will no doubt prove key to the show moving forward.
Paramount
Will Pike and Batel get to have a more normal relationship?
Much of the show to date has been fixated on Pike’s knowledge of future events and potential injuries to himself. His long-distance relationship with Captain Batel has been awkward… to say the least. Will this season see the pair make more of a go at it, or will their commitments to their respective crews and Starfleet continue to get in the way?
Batel is gravely wounded by the Gorn in the opening episode, barely escaping with her life. Perhaps these events might be the push that the pair need to take their relationship more seriously.
Does this season have more genre homages in store?
One of the key discussion points around season 2 was the decision to include a musical episode brought on by a disturbance to reality. There have also been flourishes of horror within the show, so is there potential for more straight-up genre homages this season?
It would certainly be intriguing to have a buddy comedy or a western-themed episode, and given the show’s run to date, nothing is off limits with such a vast sandbox to play in.
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Author: Chris Connor, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Chris Connor is a freelance film, TV and music critic whose work can be found in NME. Radio Times, Metro, IGN and more. He covers everything from espionage fiction to Star Wars, blending huge franchise films and indie releases and is especially keen on world cinema.
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