If you thought Strange New Worlds season 3 was a bit rough, you're not alone. But, the producers of the Star Trek series are sharing how season 4 can improve.
Strange New Worlds season 3 took two years to finally reach viewers. For the most part, it was received well in some good stories, especially episode 9, which was hailed as one of the best of the series. It also delved into the characters more and boosted Kirk (Paul Wesley) to a more prominent role.
At the same time, the season could be divisive for fans. It was only 10 episodes, yet it took a lot of the “creative swings” of a show with longer seasons. That included a story involving a young version of Trelane, a holodeck mystery, an episode filmed like a documentary, and the wild episode where several crew members turn into Vulcans and a guest appearance from Patton Oswalt as a Vulcan who made Una tongue-tied.
That led to criticism with complaints from some fans of the show wasting time on these tales. As it happens, the showrunners seem to agree and promise that season 4 will correct those swings a bit.
Strange New World season 4 will take more chances, but producers had 'more time' to complete the fourth season with fewer interruptions than season 3
Speaking to Trek Movie, showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers discussed season 4, which is already completed, with filming on the fifth and final season set to begin this fall.
The pair confirmed that there will still be the “big swings” of past years, including the teased story involving puppets. When it came to season 3, Goldsman admitted a major issue was the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes, which delayed production. By the time they were finished, the showrunners were pressed for time to craft the year and held back by only 10 episodes. They’re thus hopeful season 4 will be better.
“We just had more time [for season 4]. Just had more time, more continuous time. We didn’t have staffing changes. We didn’t have a strike. The strike caused change. Those things are real. And starting up and shutting down and starting up again is complicated.”
Strange New Worlds isn’t the only show to have been shaken up by the strikes, as several likewise had to shift direction from being interrupted or delayed by the months-long stoppage. Rushing a production, especially in writing, is never a good thing, and that contributed to some of the issues of season 3.
So far, cast and crew have talked in glowing terms of season 4, promising more drama as the Enterprise explores several newly discovered star systems. It sounds like the occasional experimental episode with more classic Trek adventures focusing on the characters.
Season 3 wasn’t terrible overall, but rather uneven in terms of episode quality. Hopefully, season 4 can correct it as a reminder of how good Star Trek can be.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+.