After the recent end of Picard season 3, Star Trek is back on Paramount Plus already. Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 is here, and it’s just as good as before.
Audiences have currently had the chance to watch the first two episodes of the latest season of the Star Trek series, while next week’s third episode promises to bring back Captain Kirk in what appears to be some time travel shenanigans. But, while the second episode had a big focus on Star Trek characters Pike and Una, fans were left shocked by their almost complete absence from the season debut.
In our conversation with Anson Mount and Rebecca Romijn, the pair explained the reasons behind their omission, its impact on the season, and the three words Mount wanted to add to the script for episode 2.
“My wife was going to have a baby slightly before we started shooting season 2. So I was like, ‘Guys, you’ve got to help me out here’,” shared Mount. “Otherwise, I think we probably would have started with the trial episode.”
Romijn then explained, “I think also in the grand scheme, the big picture, it paces out the serialized storyline nicely, actually, [and] Anson calls [the first episode] ‘the summer camp episode’ where the kids steal the car.”
Explaining what she meant, Mount said, “All we’re missing is a scene at the top of episode 2 with Pike and Spock, starting with Pike saying, ‘You did what?’”
Let’s be honest: he’s spot on. While Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 episode 1 gets things off to a good start, with Spock having to steal the Enterprise in order to prevent the start of a new Klingon war, the whole situation goes completely unaddressed in episode 2. Pike never mentions that his science officer disobeyed orders from Admiral April to lead a dangerous rescue mission.
But, while Mount’s suggestion would have been a lovely connecting thread, Star Trek fans are more than used to each episode starting from a blank slate and ignoring the events of previous ones. Still, there’s a chance the plot thread could get picked up on later down the line.
For all the latest on Star Trek, check out our Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 review. Or, read our explainers on Lanthanites and the Crossfield class before checking out our ranking of the Star Trek captains and our hopes for a Star Trek Legacy release date.