Strange New Worlds Season 3 Already Guarantees A Classic Star Trek Event

An early behind-the-scenes look at Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 already promises a classic Star Trek moment. Production on Strange New Worlds season 3 just began on December 11 after being delayed several months due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Although Strange New Worlds season 3 may premiere on Paramount+ later than originally planned, it looks like the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the USS Enterprise will resume with a bang.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 ended on a heart-pounding cliffhanger, as Captain Pike found himself facing an impossible choice. With several of his crew members prisoners of the Gorn and Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) infected with Gorn eggs, things were looking bleak for Pike and his crew. The Gorn have become significantly more frightening since their introduction in the classic episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, “Arena,” and they don’t seem like the type of aliens who can be reasoned with. While not much has been revealed about Strange New Worlds’ upcoming third season, producing director Chris Fisher offered a hint about what’s to come in a recent Instagram post:

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Strange New Worlds Season 3 Set Photo Guarantees A Classic Star Trek Event

Starship consoles are known to boldly explode.

Chris Fisher’s Instagram post shows a console from the bridge of the Enterprise with a sign that reads: “Caution Loaded Pyro.” This means that that particular console will explode at some point during Strange New Worlds season 3’s premiere. Dramatically exploding consoles have been a Star Trek staple since the early days of Star Trek: The Original Series, and the modern Star Trek on Paramount+ series has continued this tradition. Throughout Star Trek’s long history, many Starfleet officers have been injured and even killed because their consoles exploded, often sending them flying across the bridge.

The first episode of Strange New Worlds season 3 will likely pick up where season 2 left off, as Pike and the Enterprise face off against the Gorn. While it’s likely the Gorn are responsible for the exploding console, it’s unclear from the photo just who that particular console belongs to. Celia Rose Gooding, who plays Ensign Nyota Uhura, may have offered a hint about the console’s owner in the comments of Fisher’s Instagram post. She replied to say: “That looks familiar!” While she could simply be referencing the familiar look of the Enterprise bridge, she could also be hinting that her console is the one that explodes. Could this mean Uhura will be injured in the inevitable battle with the Gorn?

What Strange New Worlds Season 3’s Premiere Will Resolve From Season 2’s Cliffhanger

What call will Captain Pike make?

The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 cliffhanger, “Hegemony,” left several lingering questions that season 3’s premiere will need to answer. Captain Pike faces his own version of the Kobayashi Maru, as he must choose whether to retreat and abandon some of his crew to the Gorn or fight and endanger everyone else. It seems like an impossible decision, though it’s possible Pike or someone on his crew could come up with a last-minute third choice.

Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte) end “Hegemony” as captives of the Gorn, with no clear means of escape or rescue. M’Benga and Kirk, at least, must survive because both characters are alive by the time of Star Trek: The Original Series. While some characters’ survival may be guaranteed, that does not mean that everyone will make it out alive or uninjured. Captain Batel remains infected with Gorn eggs, a fate very few, if any, have managed to survive. Captain Pike will have a lot to deal with when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns for season 3, but he’s gotten out of worse scrapes than this. Right?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is available to stream on Paramount+.