The Critics Have Their Say About Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered this week and the reviews are in. Critical reception has been very, very positive, with the show’s Average Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes (which represents the percentage of positive critic reviews) maintaining 100%. Let’s take a look at some of the reactions from various other sources which have reviewed the series premiere.
TrekNews.net
As Kyle Hadyniak of Treknews.net made note in his review of the series premiere, “this show has tremendous heart, generated in no small way from Pike’s character-building existential crisis, but also from its diverse supporting cast and the show’s architects’ awareness of what makes not just good science fiction, but what makes good Star Trek. If ‘Strange New Worlds’ is indicative of the quality this show will bring to Star Trek fans, we’re spoiled, indeed.”
The 7th Rule Podcast
In a live episode of their Star Trek podcast The 7th Rule released on Thursday, Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) and Ryan T. Husk (producer of the upcoming Voyager documentary To the Journey: Looking Back to Star Trek: Voyager) – weighed in on the premiere of Strange New Worlds . Both men enjoyed the series premiere and both agreed that the feel was definitely in line with the older Star Trek series. Lofton thought it seemed to be potentially the beginning of a great Star Trek series, and chalked up most of that praise toward Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike.
Den of Geek
Lacy Baugher weighed in on the website Den of Geek with her review of the premiere of Strange New Worlds. She stated in her article, “Yes, the premiere episode ‘Strange New Worlds’ has an awful lot of set-up to do, but the series’ introductory hour never drags or feels bogged down by its expository duties.”
TrekMovie
TrekMovie’s managing editor Anthony Pascale took on the task of writing a review of the series premiere. He concluded his article by stating, “Strange New Worlds is a breath of fresh air and just what Star Trek needed. This series opener presents us with an intriguing new canvas that has a lot of potential. The story was a bit too familiar, the solution overly simplistic with a heavy-handed message, but those elements really weren’t what this episode was all about; it’s really about these characters. In just a short time, we care about them and want to see where they’re all headed.”
The Ringer
For the website The Ringer, writer Ben Lindbergh weighed in on Strange New Worlds and even threw in some shades at Picard, too, even though his focus was on the former. However, he stated, “CBS seems to have decided that the best way to defuse the tension within Trek fandom was to go not-that-boldly back in time and content to where multiple series have been before. Star Trek doesn’t necessarily need to be static; it could and should be a Changeling that adapts to its times and challenges its audience, and future Trek incarnations may perfect the model that Discovery and Picard pioneered. But gosh, it feels good to know that the old Enterprise’s mission is ongoing again.”
TrekCore
Writer John Concagh provided the TrekCore review article about the premiere episode of Strange New Worlds. He concluded his article on it by saying, “As a premiere, ‘Strange New Worlds’ isn’t perfect, but it’s a fun, interesting and enjoyable episode (with a moral message you could probably see from space). This first episode is a clear mission statement about the show’s pacing, style, and message, how much this homage to The Original Series isn’t going to go over the same ground: it’s ready to give us new lessons.”
SubSpace Chatter
Dan Leckie’s SubSpace Chatter Star Trek podcast – formerly known as The Scotch Trekker – did a review of the premiere of Strange New Worlds. The reactions to the premiere were generally positive, appreciating many elements of the episode, including how it merged newness with a sense of nostalgia for continuity.
Trek Central
The Star Trek fan site Trek Central did a video review of the first episode of Strange New Worlds, hosted by Jack Trestrail. In the video, he remarked that, while the series premiere did not fully push the show into the final frontier, it does feel like a warm and funny welcome to the show.
NPR
NPR host Eric Deggans did a short three-minute review for the show All Things Considered. In it, he talked about how the premiere gave him a sense of old-school Trek and how much he had actually missed it in the other modern Star Trek shows.
IGN
IGN’s Scott Collura gave a glowing review for the series premiere as well, concluding: “Funny, inspiring, and kind of amazing, Strange New Worlds is, so far, the best new Trek in years.”
The full reviews are available at the links above, and they are relatively safe from spoilers. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now streaming on Paramount+ in the US and on other networks around the world.
Wes Huntington has been a Star Trek fan since he was born, thanks to his parents (both of whom are still very much alive and are big Trek fans themselves). He lives in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, with his wife and cat. He is also a co-host of the Twin Cities Trekkies podcast, which launched in February 2021 and talks about all things Star Trek. You can find Twin Cities Trekkies via Facebook, Instagram, or anchor.fm/twincitiestrekkies.
Thank you for compiling all these reviews Love reading so much positivity! Star Trek fans are a crotchety bunch of folks but very loyal. I have been waiting for this premier for THREE YEARS. The casting is perfect. Love the humor which will only get better as we get to know this new & younger cast! #TeamPikeRules
awesome to have positive critiques, but positive or not… THIS is the Star Trek many fans wanted and longed for…thank you Paramount and the powers that be! Love Strange New World’s and hope for a LONG run!!!