We have new insight into the next TV show in the Star Trek franchise. In an interview with Variety, writer Akiva Goldsman talked about what the mandate is for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – more optimism and a lot more episodic stories a la the original series, but with progression for the characters.
They are really trying to sell me on this show. Everything Akiva Goldsman says here is exactly what I’d hoped Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would do. The last thing we need is an endless series of bottle episodes, so if I had to guess, the structure of this show is going to be far more like Hawaii Five-0, on which Kurtzman served as co-developer and executive producer. The serialized storytelling of Discovery and Picard is all well and good, but being able to tell mission-of-the-week stories is a far better way to build characters in my opinion. In addition, I’m really glad that the borderline nihilism that permeated the previous two series will not be present here, and Strange New Worlds will more strictly adhere to Gene Roddenberry’s ideals. My biggest question in all of this – aside from whether I can trust this – is how this retro tone will compare to Discovery, especially since Starfleet will be in a very different place during season 3. I feel like Strange New Worlds will serve as an interesting parallel to both of the other shows. I just hope Akiva Goldsman will maintain this mission statement as development on the show continues. For now, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Do Akiva Goldsman’s comments make you more optimistic, or are you still skeptical? Do you think a stand-alone structure will help the show, or do you prefer serialized storytelling? Let us know in the comments and stay safe and healthy as Geeks + Gamers continues to bring you more movie and TV news!