Strange New Worlds Season 3 Season Review

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Strange New Worlds Season 3
Season Review


Overall Impressions

Uneven would be one word to describe this season, especially the first half, with a serious episode, followed by a lighthearted episode, followed by a serious episode, followed by a lighthearted episode, followed by a serious episode.  The back half of the season is more consistently serious (except of course for the Vulcan episode).  On the whole though, some pretty decent trek.  This season seemingly ended the Spock-Chapel arc and replaced it with the Spock-La'An arc, mainly to put Chapel with Roger Korby (originally established in TOS "What are Little Girls Made of". the season also expanded on and eventually wrapped up the Pike-Batel arc by adding a Batel-Gorn subplot first established in season 2's finale Hegemony, in this seasons finale New Life and New Civilizations.  As an audience member and having seen TOS, the foreknowledge that Pike will end up with Vina in TOS "The Menagerie part 2" makes Batel seem "extraneous".  I am really liking seeing pre-Enterprise captain James Kirk as a younger officer and how he is becoming the Captain Kirk we know from TOS.  

Strange New Worlds tries to combine the story of the week episodic format of TOS and TNG with the ongoing character arcs, relationships and character growth B plots of DS9, VOY, and ENT.  Although at time it gets pretty heavy into character building and relationships, SNW usually does a pretty good job balancing that and plot.   


Criticism

Strange New Worlds tends to overuse the "previously on" recaps, especially when they are not needed.  Epecially on episodes like Terrarium which could have benefitted from not having the recap, there by preserving the reveal of the Gorn and New Life and New Civilizations, which would have been a little better with out the recap spoiling the connection the connection to "Through the Lens of Time".


Observation

we have not seen engineering (the engineering AR wall set from seasons 1 and 2) at all this season.  In contrast nearly every episode has used the new science lab/engineering lab set.  Seems like they're really milking that new set.


Things I would like to see in season 4 (and 5)

More Scotty!  More Kirk-development (in moderation, this is still Captain Pike's Enterprise).  More Jim Kirk-Sam Kirk scenes.  More working with or encountering other Starfleet ships (not just the Farragut).  A little less relying on TOS lore just for the sake of doing it (Trelane, the rec room/holodeck, the Metrons).  Less Gorn as well, as I feel like that's kind of played out at this point. 


Best episodes: The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail and Terrarium

Worst episodes: Wedding Bell Blues and Four and a Half Vulcans

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