Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is often seen as the new flagship entity within the larger Star Trek franchise. It's the show that will set the pace for what's to come. It is the template, the blueprint, and the proof of concept for how Star Trek could and should work in the new era.
It's done a great job of reaching past the established fanbase and appealing to new fans, while also respecting the desires of those who have been here for years. The reason for that is pretty simple, they've found a good balance of the old and the new within one show.
On the one hand, characters like La'an Noonien Singh, Erica Ortegas, Hemmerr, and Pelia have added a new flavor to classic Star Trek that has really made fans happy. Yet, the show also balances the new with the old, bringing in characters from the original pilot and series, like Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley, Nyota Uhura, and Joseph M'Benga.
They have found a way to make those classic characters feel new and fresh, adding to the vibe of the show. One that works for both old and new fans alike. That's because this show didn't rely on nostalgic characters to carry the series, but instead found characters who needed to be expanded on. Characters who were one-note their first time in, like Christine Chapel or T'Pring.
We're not hurting for Spock's backstory, the lone exception for the series, but finding more out about Una or Pike has made them feel like brand-new characters. Yes, they were both created in the 1960s, so they're characters we've known about for decades but until recently they were characters we never truly knew.
That ability to add depth to classic ideas separates it from shows like Star Trek: Picard or Star Trek: Lower Decks, which really just used legacy characters to carry the show. Yes, Strange New Worlds does use characters like James Kirk, Uhura, Spock, and Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, but they're often not a major focus.
Save for Uhura, who never really got her due on the original show. So her budding storylines allowed her to feel fresh and dynamic. It's not like watching Jean-Luc Picard run around as a literal golem.
Strange New Worlds would be wise to continue farming ideas from older episodes of the franchise, allowing for and expanding on side characters and plot points that weren't exactly fully developed originally. In doing so, the series can further cement itself as a measuring stick for which all of Nu Trek is compared to.