And I bet fans are going to have mixed reactions.
One of the smartest things Star Trek: Strange New Worlds did in the time-traveling season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” was to include an unforgettable tradition established even further ahead in the future.
Yes, 24th century poker, which was enjoyed over and over again by the crew of the USS Enterprise-D during The Next Generation made its way onto the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) in SNW’s final episode of 2026.
So, ostensibly, in what might be one of the most genius (or controversial, depending on the fan) moves by Strange New Worlds showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, the Star Trek prequel series has officially retconned the origin of playing poker aboard the Enterprise. Now, instead of beginning with TNG’s crew, it began with Kirk, Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and company.
For those who haven’t seen the Strange New Worlds season 4 finale yet, check out a clip from “Tomorrow’s Enterprise” below, courtesy of Star Trek’s official Instagram account. And in the footage, you’ll see Kirk breaking down poker logically for his friend, Mr. Spock, near the beginning of the episode.
Fans can also check out a photo from the Enterprise's poker night featured in Strange New Worlds below.
Regardless of the Strange New Worlds' retcon of poker in Star Trek, I will always associate Kirk and Spock with the game of three-dimensional chess and The Next Generation’s crew with poker.
Now, while TNG’s series finale “All Good Things…” was the first episode to include Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the game, my favorite poker moment came at the end of Picard during “The Last Generation.”
Not only do the core seven characters from The Next Generation get to sail off into the sunset while playing another friendly game of poker, but the actors were allowed to improvise for 45 minutes — leading to one of the most memorable scenes in all of Star Trek history, as far as I’m concerned. Picard showrunner Terry Matalas spoke about filming that iconic moment (per ScreenRant):
“They’re maniacs, that cast. Anytime you call ‘Cut!,’ they're singing, they're dancing, they're joking, they're blah-blah-blah. They're doing all the things that they tell you to do. And this isn't a movie set where you have the time built in to let them do that. It's television, you're like, ‘We gotta go!’ Except for this scene, I let them improvise for 45 minutes.”
Matalas added during the same roundtable: “Those jokes, those smiles are all real. And I wanted the audience to feel that for a few minutes before we said goodbye.”
So, what did you think of Strange New Worlds going all in on The Next Generation’s poker tradition? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And all four seasons of Strange New Worlds are now streaming on Paramount+
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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