Star Trek: Strange New Worlds formula isn't hard to replicate

Why has Star Trek: Strange New Worlds soared when other Star Trek series have not? The answer isn't completely easy to suss out, as there are many variables. It's the perfect combination of new lore and established nostalgia. It gives fans a taste of the old, like Captain Christopher Pike, Number One, and the Gorn, but because those aspects have been so underdeveloped in the franchise lore, that it feels new.

That said, Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery had successful final seasons, so it's not just the perfect combination of old and new, as Discovery is mostly just the new, and Picard was mostly just the old. They clearly found some niche of their own. Strange New Worlds, unlike Picard or Discovery, never hit the same lull.

Why?

Well, it could be due to how it's formatted. Unlike the other shows in the franchise, Strange New Worlds is largely episodic, containing each plot to a single story and giving some sort of clear and concise closure with the role of every set of credits.

Star Trek legend Jonathan Frakes believes that's exactly the case, as he told Cinema Blend's Mick Joest;

""I think that the fact that they are stand-alone episodes has made this, arguably, the favorite Star Trek since Next Gen, probably.""

He's not wrong. It's a major reason why and anyone paying attention will see why. There's so much to watch and engage in today, that people don't have the same time to watch 12 interconnecting episodes of a show, let alone 22. People aren't going to see movies because we don't have two and a half hours anymore to spend on one thing.

At least not when you're out and about. Films and shows are too long, and while everyone was binge-watching during the pandemic, we now know how unhealthy such practices are. Not only for our physical health but our mental health. Watching 12 hours of shows in one day is just not sustainable.

A show like Strange New Worlds, which gives fans a 42-minute outing once a week is exactly what fans want. It's why it's so popular. It's not being shoved down our throats for a two-week run where we're having to keep pace with other people who have less going on in their day-to-day lives and can in fact watch the whole series when it drops.

That's not the situation we're all in, and Strange New Worlds caters to the crowd with more going on. since that's most people these days, it's the perfect offering.