Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Review: The Best Trek In Decades Doesn't Miss A Beat

For 60 years, "Star Trek" has stubbornly and steadfastly refused to be a single thing. Ask three fans what they treasure about Gene Roddenberry's science fiction universe and you'll likely get very different answers, probably delivered at great, rambling length. It's the kind of world that was built to inspire a deep passion — it's wide enough to get lost in, deep enough to continuously fascinate, and inconsistent enough to keep everyone complaining and nitpicking as only true lovers could.

The beautiful and inspiring thing about "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is how it threads the needle. Yes, it's a prequel series that's set in a specific time and place and has to continuously bend over backwards to fit established canon, but it does so with such gentle, easygoing grace that newcomers can enjoy it without issue. At no point does it it seem to be trying too hard to appeal to old school fans and newbies alike, even as it does so with aplomb. It's a series devoid of flop sweat. It's rare to watch any TV show and experience a sense of pure, exuberant joy. Not just over the storytelling and the characters, but at the sheer cleverness of how it respects and adores the universe in which it is set. This is a show designed to appeal to those three fans described above in equal measure.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 doesn't pause or stumble for even a second, taking the momentum of the staggering, funny, and invigorating second season and sprinting forward with the confidence of a show that knows it's as good as it is. Previous seasons established this as a best "Trek" series since the '90s (with all due respect to the wonderful "Star Trek: Lower Decks"), and season 3 is like a seasoned athlete at the top of his game. Damn, he's good, and too charming and humble to even remotely dislike.

As expected, "Strange New Worlds" needs to wrap up the dramatic cliffhanger from the season 2 finale before it get back to doing what it does best: tell one-off space adventures that vary in tone and genre from episode to episode, providing the same kind of whiplash that has always been a defining trait of "Trek" since its infancy. Season 3 relishes the opportunity to playfully whip the audience from one direction to another. Intense, action-driven war stories give way to playful, silly character comedy. Dark tales of ethical dilemmas coming home to roost lead to canon-restructuring meta commentaries about the very nature of the series we're watching. And after all that, why not a giant dose of cosmic space horror powered by enough dread to make H.P. Lovecraft rise from his grave?

A show that plays so fast and loose with tone could be total chaos (sometimes "Strange New Worlds" is deliberately chaotic), but it wisely centers all of its biggest swings around its steadfast, charming, and yes, extraordinary photogenic cast. Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike, given a surprising new layer this season that will shock some "Trek" fans, continues to be one of the best leads the show has ever seen, with his "business casual" demeanor and positive masculinity offering a unique flavor that differs wildly from the likes of Kirk and Picard while complementing them at every step. As the young Spock, Ethan Peck continues to do the impossible by reminding us continuously of why everyone adores Leonard Nimoy while carving his own path. Not every actor can capture the deadpan humor and wry delivery that makes the best Vulcan characters come to life, and Peck is up there with the best of them.

The rest of the cast continues to shine, with Rebecca Romijn, Christina Chong, Jess Bush, Celia Rose Gooding, and Babs Olusanmokun all re-confirming that this is a Bridge crew worth celebrating (and yes, worth your fan fiction and cosplay efforts). And after two seasons of being largely allowed to exist (colorfully and joyfully) in the background, season 3 finally gives Melissa Navia's Ortegas the season-long spotlight she's so desperately needed.

As much as I long for the days of 26-episode seasons, there's no denying that "Strange New Worlds" is a series that relishes putting every penny on the screen during its shorter seasons. Decades after Kirk and Spock stumbled through cardboard caves and fought monsters made of blankets, the slick production values of this series never cease to impress, especially when they recreate the familiar. Starfleet uniforms have never looked this good, the Enterprise has never been this cool, and every alien and creature, whether realized practically or through digital effects, is a joy to behold. I'll never get used to "Trek" looking like it cost actual money, but the blend of standing sets and virtual backgrounds is wholly successful, and generally feels more convincing and tangible than the average episode of "The Mandalorian." (What, was I, a "Trek" fan, not going to take at least one swipe at the distinguished competition?)

But perhaps the most exciting element of season 3, now that the show is so clearly comfortable at being what it is, is how it embraces the new. Without going into spoilers, the series does continue to utilize legacy villains (some frightening, some hilarious), but it also introduces a new threat that is as unsettling as anything we've ever seen in "Trek." At the risk of hyperbole, this feels like the show has finally found its Borg or its Dominion, the new threat that could, if allowed, give the show a brand new, utterly chilling antagonist to call its own. Even as it looks back, "Strange New Worlds" is looking forward.

Critics were supplied with the first five episodes of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" for review, and when I finished, after deliberately watching them once per day to make them last, I was annoyed that I ran out of "Star Trek." This is good, and maybe even the best, problem for any show to have. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 is hopeful and funny and exciting and silly and thoughtful and scary and strange and lovely ... and I can't wait to watch more of it.

/Film Rating: 9.5 out of 10

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 will premiere with two episodes on July 17, 2025 on Paramount+.