Strange New Worlds Really Needs to Fix Some Things

See Also

Suddenly Shipping Scotty and Uhura

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & My Evolving Perspective

When Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck first showed up on Star Trek: Discovery, my first thought was, "They need their own show. They need their own show NOW."

It wasn't just the perfect casting and chemistry of the actors, it was the simple fact that I always like Jeffrey Hunter (the original Captain Christopher Pike) better than William Shatner, and like many fans, I spent years wishing we'd gotten to see his story play out. Decades later, we finally got our wish.

But did we though...?

Suddenly Shipping Scotty and Uhura

Previously: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & My Evolving Perspective

Listen, when the Scotty/Uhura relationship was revealed in The Final Frontier, I was annoyed. As far I was concerned, that Uhura was supposed to end up with Spock, not randomly thrown with Montgomery Scott, who was destined to suddenly disappear and then reappear years later in the TNG episode "Relics" (like seriously, was there a novel about this? Were he and Uhura still together, and if so, how did she handle the loss?).

But then...this week's SNW Season 2 finale revealed 29-year-old Scottish actor Martin Quinn as the new Scotty and it got me thinking.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & My Evolving Perspective

Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura

I was born in the early Eighties, and grew up watching every version Star Trek from the Sixties up through the Nineties (my dad was a massive Trekkie). One of my earliest memories was thinking about how incredibly beautiful Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) was. I still think that. In fact, I thought she was gorgeous right up until her death at 89--she was that fine.

In 2009, when the JJ Abrams version dropped, I was in my twenties and I was (briefly) thrilled about a Star Trek revival. That's also when I began shipping Spock and Uhura, because if Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman did one thing right, it was finally putting those two together. They unveiled that romance with their whole chest, and despite everything else, I still commend them for that.

Fast forward to the late 2010s, Ethan Peck showed up in Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, as the latest version of Spock. He had the height, the looks, and most importantly, that voice. Despite the questionable story choice, my initial hesitation disappeared. So when Strange New Worlds was announced, I was thrilled. And when Celia Rose Gooding was announced as Cadet Uhura, I was over the moon.

Shipping Claire and Isaac of The Orville

So I recently became a huge Orville fan. I spent years putting off watching the show despite people telling me over and over again that as a Trekkie, I would absolutely love it. I think I originally had the wrong impression of the show; I thought was going to be a super-goofy parody and I wasn't ready for that. I kept waiting for the new wave of Trek shows to just give me what I wanted: 1990s Star Trek, but with better special effects.

After Strange New Worlds restored my faith in modern Trek, I decided to give Orville a try. It was not at all what I expected. First starters, the studio spared no expense when it came to the budget. So everything from the set, to the lighting, to the special effects is nothing short of astounding (now if they would just do something about those Tyler Perry wigs...).

I Am Not Okay

...but I will be.

While I am so very grateful this character is getting a second chance on TV, I'm still frustrated that Nichelle Nichols, a woman of incomparable grace and beauty, never got to portray Uhura to her full potential. For over a half a century, Nichols and her fans were horribly robbed.

This does not lessen her legacy, of course. She will ALWAYS be the trailblazer, the symbol, and the inspiration. She will always be the original babe of Star Trek. And she will always have deserved so much better.

Rest now, goddess.

Star Trek is BACK!!!

Celia Rose Gooding

You know how some people don't like to say "I told you so"? *shakes head* Not Trekkies.

Episodic, non-vulgar storytelling about humanity working towards the best version of itself is the blood and bone of Star Trek. And...*shrug*...we told you so.

I would have said something sooner, but I really wanted to make sure Star Trek: Strange New Worlds didn't disappoint. Four episodes in--with a really entertaining sneak peek at Episode 5--and it hasn't.

I have seen mostly rave reviews from die-hard fans, myself included. What I find amusing, however, is the surprise from critics that Gene Roddenberry's original style of storytelling still holds strong to this day, over half a century later.

I don't understand why it's so surprising, though. After all, the older the form of storytelling, the longer it seems to endure.

Beginning with the 2009 reboot (which I choose to no longer acknowledge), some people were upset that we went back into the past, and at first, I was too. After the infuriating way Voyager ended, and the abomination that was Enterprise we should've just picked up where Janeway and her crew left off.

The First Ones

 

The First Ones is a fan-fixtion inspired by a really shitty episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It takes place 35 years after the episode (this a dream cast and is currently just a thought).