Star Trek: Strange New World Series Revealed – Captain Pike is Back

Star Trek: Strange New World Series Revealed – Captain Pike is Back

Star Trek has had two TV series in the works for the past few years, with three more in the works. Now, another series has been added: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The upcoming CBS All Access show follows the adventures of Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise about 10 years before Capt. Kirk took command.

We don't know much about the series other than the fact that it will happen and feature fan-favorite guest stars from "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2. However, thanks to a short video teasing "Strange New Worlds," we can speculate a few key things about the show until an official announcement is made.

We learned about "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" from a video posted on the official Star Trek Twitter account:

In it, three of the show's main cast members announced the show and talked a bit about the basic premise. As a result, we learned that Anson Mount will play Major Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn will play First Officer Number One, and Ethan Peck will play Science Officer Lt. Spock. Fans may remember these characters from "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2 or the original "Star Trek" pilot from the 60s. Of course, they were played by different actors back then.

For those who missed Discovery Season 2, Major Pike came aboard the U.S.S. Discovery as acting captain, while Number One remained in command of the Enterprise. Spock appeared late in the season to resolve a plot complication. We see Number One singing Gilbert and Sullivan and Pike testing the loyalty of his subordinate officers.

Unfortunately, we don't know first hand when "Star Trek: A Strange New World" will be released. The announcement video did not give a date, nor did it tell us how far along the show's production is; with the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting so many television productions, assuming the show has not yet been filmed, it is probably a year or more away.

We will update as more details become available. For now, don't expect anything until at least 2021.

While we don't know the exact setting for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the three cast members have given us a few hints. First, it will almost certainly take place on their ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise, before Pike turned the ship over to Kirk in The Original Series. Strange New Worlds could theoretically take place before the Discovery, but I imagine it would make more sense to set it after the Discovery S2. Now that the Discovery has departed on a one-way trip to the far future, the Enterprise would have to return to the 23rd century to deal with the fallout.

The actors also hint that the show will channel the optimistic, united spirit of the original series rather than the darker, sometimes cynical tone of Discovery and Picard. This is something the "Star Trek" show has not had since "Enterprise" Season 2 in 2002. Of course, on-demand viewing could make the connection between episodes stronger than in the original series. Back then, if you missed an episode, there was no guarantee that you would see it again.

In any case, that's all we know about "Strange New World" so far. If you want to see more of Pike, Number One, and Spock, there is a "Star Trek Discovery" novel that deals with their backstories. You can also watch their adventures in the "Short Trek" "Q&A" and "Ask Not." Alternatively, one can see the characters first introduced in the original series episodes "The Cage" and "The Menagerie."

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