The sequence is constructed round earlier USS Enterprise captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), who after all would meet an unlucky destiny in the course of the authentic sequence (the precise product of a passed-over TV pilot, however by no means thoughts). Right here, Pike is alive, properly and in command, together with his First Officer (Rebecca Romijn), younger science officer Spock (Ethan Peck, the grandson of Gregory Peck) and newly minted cadet Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) amongst these becoming a member of him on the voyage.
Different acquainted names, if not faces, move via this “Trek’s” orbit, from Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) to a few of the alien threats to even Spock’s supposed mate T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), with whom he and Captain Kirk had a memorable run-in over these unorthodox Vulcan mating rituals.
Whereas the characters construct a bit over the 5 episodes previewed, “Unusual New Worlds” goes again in time in additional methods than one, partly by using an episodic format that largely hinges on dealing with particular person threats which can be resolved inside every installment. It is a departure from the serialized template of one thing like “Picard,” which is wrapping up its second season and, whereas each bit as immersed in “Trek” nostalgia, hasn’t actually improved from its rocky begin.
Viewers wholly immersed in “Star Trek” lore will certainly discover some swoon-worthy facets within the throwback strategy and loving references to the Nineteen Sixties granddaddy of all of them, in addition to amusing wrinkles like Uhura, as a beginner, being playfully pranked by her crewmates.
Nonetheless, “Unusual New Worlds” is so enamored with these callbacks as to considerably restrict its enchantment, not less than amongst those that cannot determine particular person episode titles or thrill to extra obscure references, like remembering Chapel’s crush on Spock.
Launched as Pike in “Star Trek: Discovery,” Mount is an earnestly likable model of a contemporary starship captain, graced with a welcome of humorousness to go along with a square-jawed presence that permits him to snap off traces like, “You let me fear about Starfleet.”
Paramount, for its half, would not seem to have any worries about saturating the “Trek” market, though maybe it ought to, because the service continues utilizing new sequence iterations as an apparent means to assist energy its streaming enterprise.
From that perspective, “Unusual New Worlds” is mainly mistitled. As a result of whereas it affords a reputable and polished extension of this venerable model and higher publicity to totally different elements of the “Trek” universe, as a result of its mission depends so closely on constructing off of the unique sequence, there’s not a lot that is unusual or new about it.
“Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds” premieres Could 5 on Paramount+.
