Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is More Than Just a Nostalgia Trip

As a wave of reboots, remakes, and multiverse-oriented properties attempt to capitalize on a collective yearning for what came before, it can sometimes feel as though evoking nostalgia has become the primary goal of modern blockbuster media. While this trend isn’t exactly new, things have felt particularly dire in recent years, with mega-properties strip-mining halcyon memories for all they’re worth. Remember Michael Keaton’s take on Batman, what if he was in The Flash? Remember Luke, the farmhand turned empire-slaying warrior, what if he appeared in the latest Star Wars show (as a CGI-generated monstrosity) to save the day? Remember the ‘80s, like, in general, what if there were far too many flicks and programs exaggerating that particular period with cloying preciousness?

Although nostalgia has become an overbearing flavoring heavily dolloped on too many modern media offerings, that doesn’t mean that the past should remain entirely ignored. One iteration in a long-running series that has found a balance between the old and the new is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a prequel that thoughtfully wrestles with the sci-fi landmark’s hefty legacy. On its face, several elements of the show seem like they would result in the same type of shameless pining for yesteryear we see elsewhere. For instance, it is set right before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, which makes frequent callbacks unavoidable, fan-favorite characters such as Spock and Uhura are front and center, and its storytelling structure harkens back to the franchise’s roots with a largely episodic format.

But the difference between Strange New Worlds and most other properties that obsessively drudge up their highlights is that this one is interested in exploring the intricacies of this world instead of shallowly alluding to its most memorable moments. Many of its references aren’t simply easter eggs planted by superfans, and instead are jumping off points to do the things Star Trek has always done best: use its sci-fi backdrop to explore moral, societal, and cultural issues through a (mostly) optimistic lens.

For example, this show doesn’t just allude to important in-universe events, but instead uses them to explore the ideology of its cast. “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” a standout episode from Season 2, follows as the Star Fleet officer Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) is put on trial for concealing her Illyrian heritage. Many Illyrians are “augmented,” meaning they’ve had their genetic code re-written, which is a problem because Star Fleet regulation forbids anyone who’s been augmented from enlisting. This policy exists because centuries ago, a devastating conflict called the Eugenics Wars broke out on Earth as a group of augmented people attempted to purge the planet of those who hadn’t been genetically modified. While this event is frequently alluded to throughout Star Trek canon, as these atrocities preceded humankind slingshotting back from the brink of self-destruction into a post-capitalist utopia, this episode offers a unique perspective on the after-effects of this war.

We see that, despite the scars of this struggle, these across-the-board sentiments against anyone who has been augmented are unfair. As Una explains, Illyrians (who were completely uninvolved in these struggles on Earth) frequently modify themselves so that when they colonize planets, they can alter their own bodies to survive these environments instead of obtrusively terraforming their surroundings. During her trial by Star Fleet, she details how prejudices against augmented people living in the Federation were so stifling growing up that she frequently feared for her life. This sequence not only portrays the sociological impact of past events but also conveys Una’s emotional realities, capturing how her surroundings caused her to internalize these bigotries and destroyed her relationship with family and friends. Throughout the trial, she forces the Federation tribunal to understand the injustice of their policies.

Another big moment in the canon that Strange New Worlds dwells on is the Federation-Klingon War, a frequently-alluded bloodbath that hangs over every future encounter between these factions. Several members of the Enterprise’s crew fought in this conflict, and this comes to a head in the episode “Under the Cloak of War,” when a former Klingon general-turned-peace ambassador, Dak’Rah (Robert Wisdom), ends up on the ship. Specifically, we mostly follow medical officer Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and head nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), who served as medics during some particularly gruesome skirmishes in the war, as they’re forced to relive the horrors of what they went through. We witness the hardships they experienced via flashbacks, as well as their unresolved rage over Dak’Rah’s direct involvement in war crimes that he never answered for. Throughout the episode, M’Benga and Chapel grapple with the loss, guilt, and fury of a pointless conflict made more violent by a man who is now an esteemed guest on their vessel. Olusanmokun’s performance as M’Benga keys in on this lingering pain with gravitas, forcing us to contemplate if he ever could or should forgive his former enemy.

While many other stories would either name-drop these conflicts as a wink and nod towards long-time fans or play them out as a collection of idealized action scenes, here we delve into the after-effects of these influential time periods in intimate detail, demonstrating how they affect the beliefs and lived experiences of the crew. Una’s trial reveals the lingering bigotries of a society that generally prides itself on acceptance and open-mindedness, while M’Benga’s crackling fury over the things he’s seen transforms a pertinent but distant event into a living, breathing memory.

This same degree of thoughtfulness extends to its treatment of these younger versions of The Original Series characters, namely Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Spock (Ethan Peck). Although they both have a lot in common with their later incarnations, these depictions break from what we know in interesting ways. This version of Uhura is still fresh on the job, and even though she’s already a brilliant linguist, she’s unsure about continuing to serve in Star Fleet. We learn about her traumatic backstory, and witness as she forges a found family with the crew. Similarly, while Spock is still defined by Vulcan logic, he also grapples more directly with his human side. In a particularly affecting episode, he comes to fully realize the hardships his mother faced due to living as a human on Vulcan. These renditions of these characters feel less like idealized recreations and more as though we’re being presented with new dimensions of who they are.

This approach to its cast is mirrored in “Those Old Scientists,” where Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid), a character from the animated show Star Trek: Lower Decks, is sent more than a hundred years into the past to meet the crew of the Enterprise. Although initially starstruck by the prospect of meeting his heroes, he quickly finds that these people are defined by complexities that his hagiographic perception of these trailblazers glossed over. Boimler essentially acts as an audience surrogate here, and this tale playfully alludes to the dissonance between how fans lovingly remember their favorites and sometimes want them to be portrayed, and the more nuanced depictions that Strange New Worlds delivers. This episode gets to have its cake and eat it too, nerding out over its premise while also making cogent points about how our simplified perceptions of history don’t always conform with the truth.

Admittedly, there are times when the show feels a little trapped by its status as a prequel and the inevitability of canon. Those in the know may see that certain character arcs are a feint, or that specific relationships inevitably won’t work out, given what occurs down the line. There are simply limitations on where this story can go due to the necessity of relatively tidily fitting into established events. However, even here, the series finds ways to play with this restriction, such as when Captain Pike is tempted to change his fate after seeing a glimpse of the future.

Although Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a deeply referential series that emulates the episodic structure that its previous incarnations were known for, it finds ways to breathe life into this format, delving into established canon while it weaves overarching storylines across its one-off tales. It’s familiar, but finds fresh perspectives that recontextualize what we thought we knew. And it maintains the kind, inquisitive, and occasionally goofy ethos that Star Trek is known for as it modernizes its brand of progressive sci-fi. If it’s inevitable that many more sequels, rehashes, and remakes are waiting for us on the horizon, it would be nice if even a fraction of them shared Strange New Worlds’ well-considered reevaluations of what came before.

Elijah Gonzalez is an assistant TV editor for Paste Magazine. In addition to watching the latest anime and prestige programming, he also loves videogames, movies, and creating large lists of media he’ll probably never actually get to. You can follow him on Twitter @eli_gonzalez11.

For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.