Paramount+ Releases Opening Titles, Extended Featurette For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is almost here. The first episode of the new "Star Trek" series is set to premiere on May 5, 2022 on Paramount+, and will follow the exploits of the U.S.S. Enterprise before the events of the original "Star Trek" series from 1966.
"Strange New Worlds" stars Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, Ethan Peck as Spock, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, and Babs Oulsanmokun as Dr. M'Benga, bringing back a number of characters from the original series with fresh young faces, some of whom are reprising their roles from "Star Trek: Discovery". To get Trek fans excited to check out the latest iteration of the franchise, Paramount+ has released the series opening credits and an extended featurette hosted by Wil Wheaton that digs into the process of boldly going back to a series pitched 55 years ago, and making it work for a modern audience.
Going inside the series
The behind-the-scenes featurette has Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and has remained a life-long Trek fan, chatting with Mount, Gooding, co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, and main theme composer Jeff Russo. Goldsman reveals that COVID-19 delays led to them filming the pilot with an unfinished Enterprise set, while Mount shares his disbelief that he was really the Captain of the Enterprise, and there's much more.
Through brief interviews with the rest of the cast, the featurette also gives fans a taste of what "Strange New Worlds" brings to the Trek table, setting it apart from other contemporary Trek shows like "Picard" and "Discovery." One big factor? Each episode is self-contained and wraps up the conflict before the credits roll, just like "Star Trek: The Original Series." Each episode will take them to some "strange new world," and the original exploration element of the original series will be embraced. Goldsman explained that the creators also really want to embrace the franchises' themes and get back to Roddenberry's original mission:
"'Strange New Worlds' will unite fans new and old with the experience of commonality, and with adventure, and of joy. Because ultimately, 'Star Trek' is at its heart optimistic and foot-forward when it comes to the future."
In addition to the featurette, Paramount+ shared the official opening credits sequence on Twitter, giving fans a tiny taste of just how much "Strange New Worlds" is drawing from "The Original Series" while also making something totally new. The opening credits are reminiscent of "Star Trek: Voyager" and its opening trek across space, but with a throwback score and Mount's smooth voice reading the well-known voice-over introduction. Check it out:
That opening score, Mount's voice, and seeing "U.S.S. Enterprise" across the ship gave me chills. If you're not excited for "Strange New Worlds" by now, you may never be excited. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" debuts on Paramount+ on May 5, 2022.