Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 just got a lot more important, as the ongoing writers’ strike will likely delay further live action Star Trek projects. Technically a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, Strange New Worlds season 1 was met with critical acclaim as it returned the franchise to its episodic, “planet of the week” roots. New versions of classic franchise characters like Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) have been well-received, and the show’s future seems bright.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was successful enough to earn a season 3 order before season 2 even aired, but the reality of the ongoing writers’ strike means production on season 3 has been delayed indefinitely. This is bad news for essentially everyone involved; Paramount+ will be without one of their most popular series for at least a year and potentially much longer. The delay also unfortunately overlaps with a shift in Paramount+’s content strategy with the goal of cutting costs; that new strategy has been widely credited as the reason Star Trek: Discovery was abruptly canceled. Needless to say, Strange New Worlds needs to make a big splash with season 2.
Why Strange New Worlds Season 3’s Delay Makes Season 2 More Important
Paramount+ has offered a pretty robust and consistent lineup of Star Trek series since it rebooted the franchise for the small screen in 2017. The streamer has a number of other popular original series, but Star Trek plays a significant role in keeping the lights on at Paramount+. The double whammy of Paramount’s cost-cutting and the writers’ strike likely means the streamer is going to be without new live-action Star Trek for the longest stretch in its young history to date. The wait between Strange New Worlds seasons 1 and 2 was approximately 11 months, but the distance between seasons 2 and 3 could now be even longer.
All of this puts tremendous pressure on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 to deliver something special. Expectations had already been raised by the fantastic Star Trek: Picard season 3, as well as the continued high quality of animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy. The irony of the situation is that the Star Trek franchise is in a pretty strong position creatively right now, yet outside factors could potentially hamstring several projects in the coming years. Strange New Worlds season 2 needs to make enough of an impression on viewers to convince them Star Trek is a franchise worth waiting for.
Strange New Worlds Season 2 Is The Last Live-Action Star Trek In 2023
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 is the last remaining live-action Star Trek series that will air in 2023. The only other live-action franchise entry on the horizon is Star Trek: Discovery season 5, the show’s last, which is set to air sometime in 2024. The Star Trek: Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh is in early pre-production, and while fans have been vocal about their desire for the proposed Star Trek: Picard spinoff Star Trek: Legacy, there’s been no official word on it becoming a reality. The writers’ strike figures to complicate both of those projects to varying degrees.
Viewers will still be able to get their Star Trek fix through the franchise’s impressive animated series. Both Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy are due to debut new seasons in 2023. That said, for whatever reason the animated shows simply don’t have the same cultural impact as the live-action series, putting the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Captain Pike and friends. Luckily, if any show is up to the task, it’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 premieres Thursday, June 15 on Paramount+.
