Paramount has made the first six episodes of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ season 4 available to members of the media in advance of Thursday’s premiere. The following has minor spoilers, and as per usual, TrekMovie will post extensive recap/reviews and podcast discussions for each individual episode, starting on Thursday, July 23.
They come out swinging
Following the mixed reception season 3 of Strange New Worlds received, showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have been keen to reassure fans that season 4 would feel more like traditional Trek, with fewer big swings than we’ve seen previously. At least in regard to the six episodes available, that’s pivot is not fully evident. The season premiere does kick off with a strange world, but for the most part, the first six episodes are packed with more genre-bending than ever, with dinosaurs, horror and, yes, puppets, as well as a few more surprises we won’t reveal here.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, Trek has always had a more out-there side, whether it’s throwing in tribbles, Sherlock Holmes, Rumpelstiltskin, Abraham Lincoln, or the occasional Western. (Side note: What you see in the clip released yesterday is pretty much it for the cowboy stuff). The difference is that these out there dalliances used to be the exception rather than the rule in Trek. Of the six episodes previewed to the media, only one — possibly two — are what you’d call “traditional” Star Trek episodes. The rest are the show at its most Strange New Worlds-y, experimenting with different genres and styles… with mixed results.
(L-R): Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
While it’s undoubtedly fun seeing the crew get turned into puppets (and yes, they really do go there, and bring some interesting ideas along for the ride), others, such as the horror episode (being previewed this weekend at SDCC) feel largely pointless, becoming an exercise in style over substance, dominating the story instead of supporting it. Traditionally, when Trek has explored genre extremes and high concepts, there has been a reason for it. Take the musical “Subspace Rhapsody,” which gave voice to characters’ inner thoughts and allowed us to see a side of them we wouldn’t normally be exposed to, or “What is Starfleet?,” which used the setup of a documentary to ask questions about Starfleet’s purpose and ethics and watch our characters struggle with them. Historically, one of TNG’s biggest swings, “Rascals,” turned some of the crew into children and used it to explore Ro’s inability to embrace her childlike side after having grown up in refugee camps, Picard’s thoughts about the second career he could’ve had, and the tragedy that would happen to the O’Brien family if things weren’t reversed. (Still, many dismiss that episode because the premise is so unscientific and the solution gets very silly.) And “The Trouble With Tribbles”…okay, sometimes you can just have fun with a concept (and an aggrieved Starship captain).
The trouble here is that the genres (or big swings) seem to be the rule rather than the exception. There’s a sense that the writers started with “what if we did this?” and then worked backwards to try and build a story around it. As a result, the show often seems lightweight, sometimes dipping into intriguing topics and moments but leaping out before we really get a chance to explore. Modern Trek has tended to move away from the franchise’s traditional allegorical storytelling to focus more on character drama. At a time when there’s a lot to say about the state of the world, this feels somewhat off-brand for the franchise. (That said, they’ve also had to learn when that doesn’t work, like a whole season of Discovery about uncertainty, rooted in our communal experience during the Covid pandemic, dragged on despite thematically echoing what was happening in the real world at the time.)
For those who want to know what swings to expect:
401 – Dinosaurs and pointy-shouldered aliens (“Valles Marineris”)
402 – Horror (“The Griffin Incident”)
403 – A romp (“Human Best Friend”)
404 – Film Noir (“A Case of Chiaroscuro”)
405 – Puppets (“Level-Five Transporter Accident”)
406 – Disaster movie (“Off-Hour”)
The season premiere, dinosaurs or no, feels like a regular Star Trek episode with its twists & turns, striking visuals, moral quandaries, and lots of talk about what makes the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet so important, even though it doesn’t fully dig into the nitty-gritty of the moral dilemma at the heart of the episode.
Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas in season 4, episode 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Character moments coming through
Star Trek has always had strong, investment-worthy characters, and Strange New Worlds keeps that tradition going. That said, the character growth and drama sometimes feels like it’s happening offscreen or fluctuating between episodes, and we see the results but not the process. Character drama is high, but development feels short.
Some characters do explore new territory: La’an in particular seems headed down a specific path, one tied into her background and giving her more to deal with than just her romance with Spock, which has migrated into cute couple territory by the beginning of the season. And we’re seeing Pike navigate a post-Batel world, adding to the weight he already carries, knowing his beeping chair fate. But others are still all over the place. Ethan Peck always delivers when it comes to Spock, but his path has been far from linear and it’s sometimes hard to calibrate where he is on his path toward logic.
(L-R): Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh and Ethan Peck as Spock in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
There’s at least one new and fun relationship developing: the one between Scotty and Ortegas. It’s not romantic (and that’s good, as we had too much of that last season), but it’s an entertaining thread that runs through multiple episodes, starting off with some fun pilot v. engineer feuding, slowly transforming along the way. It also seems to be offering an explanation for the classic sounds of the TOS bridge, humming, beeping, and blinking to let the crew know everything’s in working order. There may be a method to that madness after all. It’s still not entirely clear how Pelia and Scotty divide the workload, and the same goes for M’Benga and Chapel; more clearly defined professional roles would help.
There are also a few guest stars worth noting. Gia Sandhu returns as T’Pring and really delivers (without giving clarity to exactly where Spock is at, romance-wise), and Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio) gets to play a weird and wacky character in episode 4. (This isn’t his first appearance in the franchise; he previously voiced a character on Lower Decks.) Some TOS characters will pop up too, no surprise, but they may not be the ones you’d expect.
(L-R): Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk and Dan Jeannotte as Sam Kirk in season 4, episode 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Looking good
As always, the show looks beautiful. The sets, the ships, the VFX, the costumes, and makeup are all creative and attention-getting, and we do indeed get to to some strange new worlds with different environments and inhabitants. And if you like pointy shoulder costumes and old-school sci-fi vibes, you’ll enjoy the aliens in the season premiere. They also seem to be much more confident and adept at using the AR wall. And yes… there are dinosaurs. And yes, they look great!
(L-R): Rebecca Romijn as Una, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, and Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas in season 4, episode 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Style, with occasional substance
If you are looking for something deeper, the episodes we’ve seen so far come up short. There are decisions, moments, and revelations that aren’t given enough screen time while the focus is elsewhere; this happens as early as the the first episode of season 4, where the story ends and there’s at least a full minute of (admittedly beautiful) VFX work after it’s over. It looks beautiful, but that time was really needed in other scenes to dig into, like Captain Pike wrestling with a massive decision and some moments of revelation that would have been fun to see play across our characters’ faces.
On the positive side, there are some surprises, including the long-awaited puppet episode. Is it a gimmick? Sure. Does it make as little sense as the premise in TNG’s “Rascals”? Yep. But once we’re there, it digs into the whole idea of being puppets from a human(oid) perspective and you’re soon buying in and along for the ride. Not every episode is as successful at this. Perhaps the biggest issue, and one that comes up every season, is the short episode count. With only 10 of them in season 4, every minute feels precious, so doing extended, sillier scenes “just for fun” means not enough story exploration, less character development, and lowered investment from the viewer… at least this one. The big question, after a genre swing, is “why,” and this season, the “why” can be elusive.
Ethan Peck as Spock in season 4, episode 3, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Any long-running franchise needs to constantly reinvent itself in order to stay relevant. It’s just a little odd that, at a time when television is a more prestigious format than ever, Strange New Worlds has gone in the opposite direction. In 60 years of Star Trek, the franchise has never felt more lightweight. It’s also odd that with the more YA-centric Starfleet Academy also airing, Strange New Worlds feels like the more immature of the two current shows.
We’ve been promised that, as the show moves towards its conclusion in the truncated final season, it will feel more like the Star Trek we know and love. Based on what we’ve seen so far of season 4, it’s got a long way to go in a short space of time, but we’ve also heard that it’s the second half of the season where that journey really kicks in. For now, it does feel like an extension of season 3.
All of that said, those in tune with Strange New Worlds’ unconventional approach will have an absolute blast. The cast remains excellent, and the production values continue to ensure the whole thing looks and sounds stunning. There are interesting ideas, strong moments between characters, lots of humor, and loads of weird adventures, some of which are more like comic book stories than TV ones, so if that’s your thing, you are in luck.
(L-R): Martin Quinn as Scotty, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, and Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas in season 4, episode 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Season 4 incoming with TrekMovie
This early review has tried to avoid spoilers so if you want to get into the weeds, we will have our weekly detailed recap/reviews, starting Thursday morning for the season premiere, followed by analysis every Friday on the All Access Star Trek podcast.
We also have interviews coming up, including the cast and episode 1 director Chris Fisher. We will have more interviews coming up as the season progresses as well. To get you started, last week we a new interview with Melissa Navia. We also have more previews and updates on the new season coming pretty much every day, so check out our dedicated SNW category for more.
You can listen to our supplemental podcast (with just Tony) previewing season 4 along with audio of our interviews with Melissa Navia and writer/EP Bill Wolkoff. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or via the embed below.
And TrekMovie will be at SDCC on Saturday and cover the SNW panel and any other news coming out of the big event.
Badge Art for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds at San Diego Comic Con 2026. Photo credit: Paramount+.
ICYMI: Latest Trailer
The fourth season debuts Thursday July 23, and we anticipate the fifth season coming along in 2027 along with the second and final season of Starfleet Academy.
Here’s the latest trailer for SNW season 4.
Keep up with everything to do with the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
