Why SNW could strengthen the Star Trek franchise

Strange New Worlds could be what Star Trek fans are waiting for

With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wrapping filming, fans are anxiously awaiting the next release in the franchise, especially with series star Anson Mount tweeting that old school fans are going to be very excited. This isn’t just good news for old school fans, though, as recent rumors of potential cancelation for Star Trek: Discovery and other shows have shaken the fan community. Even though those rumors have been disputed, Star Trek fans haven’t been as united as they were many years ago when The Next Generation and the other shows were still on the airwaves.

SNW, though, is taking the franchise back to the original format used in the early years of the franchise with the Enterprise voyaging to strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations. Along with introducing us to new aliens, SNW is also giving us the benefit of character development, providing us opportunities to see the characters change and grow over the course of the series which we didn’t get to see in the 1960s version. This has already set SNW on a firmer foundation with many fans.

 Star Trek fans want the comfort of the familiar

From 1987, when The Next Generation debuted, to 2005 when Enterprise was canceled, fans had eighteen years of knowing what to expect when they tuned in to a new episode every week. Granted, some weren’t particularly thrilled with every episode and certainly not with every series, but the pattern was relatively the same which usually involved a mission with aliens or an on ship/on starbase situation that had to be resolved. Those missions weren’t always critical, but they were enjoyable, and the crew wasn’t always facing catastrophic events practically every episode.

Some of the best episodes of the older series were those that didn’t involve space battles; they involved issues of the heart and character. The Original Series had episodes like “The City on the Edge of Forever” and The Enemy Within while The Next Generation’s “The Inner Light” and “Measure of a Man” were standout episodes.  Not everything has to be life or death on an excellent series.

That’s why Strange New Worlds, if it truly is going back old school, can be the stalwart the franchise needs right now. As much as we love the edge-of-the-seat, thrilling adventures, we also love to see humans and aliens thriving together, to see different worlds with unique cultures, and the exploration of the galaxy with internal conflict as well as external.

I realize opinions differ, but I would be surprised if every Star Trek fan doesn’t have hope that Strange New Worlds will reignite the franchise and take us back to the past in a way that honors it.