16th September, 2022.
It’s Friday, 16th September, 2022.
And … ?
Home-made chips — or, at least, chip shaped bits of potato — are burning in the oven.
Fish?
Is distinctly undercooking on a shelf above them.
And my nephew?
Has posted more videos … !
Which is possibly beside the point.
Unless you’re Jude, of course.
At any rate? It’s Friday: and, as I’ve had something of a break?
I wanted to watch some TV: then tell you about it, tomorrow night.
Frankly?
I’m curious about Star Trek Strange New Worlds: and thought the first episode of the recent first series would be a good place to start.
Episode 1 — Strange New Worlds — opens with an alarm: showing us a base on a planet that seems very Earthlike.
But isn’t.
A planet facing a civil war, and an alien ship in orbit.
Whilst this is happening … ?
We hear the voice of an officer called Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) narrating a log entry on exactly how difficult first contact can be.
The scenes shifts to Bear Creek in Montana and the home of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount): currently cooking breakfast for he and Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano), whilst watching a classic movie in the background.
After sharing pancakes? Batel leaves: and Pike heads for out out for a horse ride on his ranch.
Only to be interrupted by a shuttle: piloted by his superior officer, Admiral Robert April.
April needs both Pike, and the Enterprise to rescue Number One — Una — after a first contact mission has gone wrong.
~≈🖖≈~
Post-titles?
We met Spock: back home on Vulcan and having dinner with soon to be fiancée, T’Pring (Gia Sandhu).
Just as she asks him to marry her?
Is when Spock’s CO, Captain Pike, gets in touch: the USS Enterprise is heading out.
Which is where the pair meet: discussing events when they last worked together*, whilst heading for the Bridge, and its newly rotated crew.
Spock is Science Officer: and joined on the bridge by (temporary) First Officer and Security Chief La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Helmsman Lt Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), and Cadet Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding).
With both bridge crew and ship ready?
The USS Enterprise has to rescue the crew of the USS Archer, after it found signs of a warp engine.
A warp engine on a planet that’s shown no other signs of creating such advanced technology.
The planet?
Kiley 279.
The Enterprise has a little job to do.
Preferably without tripping up over the rules …
~≈🖖≈~
Now … what did I make of this episode?
First things first?
Let’s go slightly sideways, shall we?
I’ve come to this series a few weeks after having seen the fourth series of Star Trek Discovery, the fourth series of Stranger Things and the second series of Star Trek Picard, having taken time off to rest.
Frankly? I was getting square eyes: and needed a break!
With that break taken?
I’ve come back feeling refreshed: and happily prepared to tell you about a TV show I’m watching.
That show is Star Trek Strange New Worlds.
For those of you who don’t know?
The series is a spin off of Star Trek Discovery, and set on the USS Enterprise, the ship from the original series: before the Enterprise is captained by James T. Kirk.
Its first episode, Strange New Worlds, is the one I saw last night.
Now … you’re going to ask me what I thought of Strange New Worlds — the episode — aren’t you?
I have to say, this is a great introductory episode: one that doesn’t rely on having seen any other episodes in the rest of the franchise.
Granted: we see Spock and Pike talking about Michael Burnham.
Granted: Dr M’Benga, Christine Chapel, T’Pring, George Kirk and Robert April are all minor characters who appeared in the original series. As is Pike, himself.
And granted: the various different species in this episode — Hemmer, the ship’s Aenar Chief engineer, makes a brief appearance at the end of the episode — may be confusing.
But never unexplained: the episode makes a point of showing us what we need to know: in a very digestible way.
And without long exposition.
As an example, the scene between Spock and T’Pring shows us Vulcans are a restrained people: but also that the couple have issues!
Another? Introduces us to many on the bridge, when Captain Pike introduces himself to new members of the crew and hands out orders.
It’s a fantastic introductory episode: one that’s very well made.
One that’s so well made, that I’ll be watching episode 2, Children of the Comet, on Friday, 23rd September.
And tell you what I thought on Saturday, 24th.
I’ll see you then.
Strange New Worlds.
★★★★
* Pike, Spock and Number One are key characters in Star Trek Discovery’s second season. Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) was adopted by Spock’s parents.
This is a list of my reviews;
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