Last week, Paramount+ released the first trailer for the upcoming second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Because this was a teaser, and because the show is episodic, the trailer offered a wide variety of moments showing the crew of the USS Enterprise having different adventures. We have pored over the trailer and pieced the big highlights together, adding context along with some educated guesses.
Una sets the stage
Even with the frantic pace of quick moments in rapid succession, there is a bit of a theme holding the trailer together, summarized in a voice-over from Una:
In the mystery and vastness of space, we come together. So many crew members from so many planets, everyone on their own journey.
Una’s trial
Season 1 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Una “Number One” Chin-Riley arrested for hiding her genetically engineered past as an Illyrian. The character appears back in uniform throughout the trailer, so this issue likely gets resolved early on in the season. The only hints of this are a couple of shots of a courtroom bell being rung, the same kind used by Starfleet in the TOS episode “Court Martial.”
DETAIL: In one shot next to the bell, a PADD displays Una’s “Classified” Starfleet record.
Home base
Possibly related to Una’s trial, there are a few shots of the Enterprise around Starbase 1, located in the Sol system. This base was seen a few times during season 1 and was first featured in the series premiere.
The Enterprise warps away from Starbase 1.
Klingons… and a prison break?
Perhaps the most noteworthy thing in the trailer was the appearance of Klingons. Spock can be seen celebrating with Klingon Warriors and drinking Klingon bloodwine.
Strange New Worlds is a spin-off from season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, which updated the different look of the Klingons featured in the first season. No Klingons have been seen since, neither in seasons 3 and 4 of Discovery nor in the first season of Strange New Worlds. The hair, makeup, and costumes for the Klingons in this trailer is more in line with traditional designs from the Next Generation era.
Later in the trailer, Captain Pike and La’an can be seen surveilling what looks like a Klingon outpost, although it appears to feature an emblem for Starfleet. This could possibly be a prison holding Starfleet officers from the recent Klingon War. The snowy conditions could even reveal this to be Rura Penthe itself.
Later, there is a shot of a Klingon D-7 battle cruiser. The updated design for the classic TOS ship was first seen in season 2 of Discovery.
Kirk goes time traveling with La’an
Paul Wesley appeared in the season one finale as James T. Kirk from a future alternate timeline, and he is back in season 2. Wesley can be seen beaming onto the USS Enterprise.
Kirk is greeted by Number One and La’an, and Kirk and La’an share a look.
Number One notices, saying to La’an: “You have an energy.” When a flustered La’an says “What?” Una replies, “It’s making me sweat.” Season 1 ended with La’an taking leave for a personal mission so it’s possible she got to know Kirk between the two seasons.
The trailer wraps up with La’an and Kirk, showing them in a 21st-century retail store (shot at a Roots store in Toronto). This reveals the season will feature some time travel, something co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers hinted at a convention last year.
La’an mocks Kirk, asking “Never seen a revolving door before?” to which he replies, “I’m from space.” This is a spin on Kirk’s comment in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home when he tells Dr. Gillian Taylor, “I’m from Iowa. I only work in outer space.”
DETAIL: In the 21st-century setting. Kirk is wearing a different badge, possibly for the USS Farragut. He also has captain’s rank (as he was in the future depicted in the season 1 finale); however at the time of season 2, he would likely still be a lieutenant.
Carol Kane is the new engineer
Academy Award nominee Carol Kane is joining Strange New Worlds in the recurring role of Pelia, the ship’s new engineer, replacing Hemmer who sacrificed himself in season 1. We get a glimpse of her in the trailer, first as she looks over her shoulder, holding a PADD.
DETAIL: The PADD she is holding says “WARNING.”
Pelia doesn’t say anything in the trailer, but she’s been described as “highly educated and intelligent” and someone who “suffers no fools. Pelia solves problems calmly and brusquely, thanks to her many years of experience.” Later in the trailer, Pelia shares a laugh with Spock.
Again with the Gorn
The Gorn were recurring adversaries in the first season and the trailer shows they will be back in season 2. There is a shot of La’an (or possibly Una) face-to-face with one of the lizards.
Gorn ships can also be seen in the background around the saucer of a destroyed Starfleet ship.
Spock and Chapel (in spacesuits) can also be seen inside the ship.
Pike returns to Rigel VII
A clip released last year revealed a visit to Rigel VII, a planet Pike visited in the first TOS pilot “The Cage.” That clip showed Pike, La’an, and Dr. M’Benga having to take a shuttle down to the planet in native costume. Issues with the atmosphere were going to require “incredible skill” to pilot the shuttle, and the bit from the trailer shows them having trouble.
The trio can later be seen traveling on foot, still in their native garb.
Uhura visits a Shuttle crash
Later Uhura visits a shuttle crash in a field with signs of civilization in the background, which would rule out Rigel VII.
Later in the trailer, a shuttle flies low over a green planet, which could be the same shuttle from the crash.
More strange worlds
The series is all about visiting new worlds and civilizations, and there are quite a few trailer shots showing the crew visiting some alien locations. This includes Spock, La’an, and Spock on a desolate world (or moon).
And Christine Chapel checking out an alien chamber.
There are also a couple of aerial shots of alien worlds…
Ortegas gets fancy
Early in the trailer, Captain Pike asks Ortegas, “Ready for some fancy flying, Erica?” and she replies “You know I’ve got this” as we cut to a shot of her and her workstation warning of a proximity alert.
The scene cuts to the ship spinning and cutting through an asteroid.
Cut into the space shots is Spock giving Ortagas a bit of side-eye as she is enjoying herself—but note Pike is no longer in the captain’s chair, so this section of the trailer is likely taken from a different scene in the show.
The Doctor is in
Dr. M’Benga pops up in a few places in the trailer, paired up with different characters. Here he is with Ortegas, sharing a laugh over a meal.
He and Nurse Chapel share a fist bump.
Later, the pair can be seen in a more tense moment.
M’Benga trains with La’an. (Actor Babs Olusanmokun is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu.)
And M’Benga can be seen in anguish.
Character fun
There are quite a few more character beats from the trailer, like this one of Una, La’an, and Uhura sharing a laugh.
Ortegas shows some off-duty style in the lounge.
Ortegas (now in uniform) watches as Sam Kirk and Chapel toast.
Uhura does a little bow on the bridge.
Spock has a moment alone to play his Vulcan lute.
Danger!
There are a couple of other out-of-context moments showing some dangerous situations. One features an explosion that pulls a crewperson out into space.
A couple of vials of green liquid fall and break open, likely releasing something dangerous.
Spock’s big moment
The trailer wraps up with Spock in the captain’s chair as Ortegas prompts him for his order, noting “Everyone in the chair has their thing.”
After much build-up, he simply says, “I would like the ship to go… now.”
Watch it again
Season 2 will premiere Thursday, June 15 on Paramount+ in the U.S, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The second season will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in South Korea, with premiere dates to be announced at a later date. Following the premiere, new episodes of the 10-episode season will drop weekly on Thursdays.
Check out the trailer. [international version at startrek.com]
Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the U.K., Latin America, Australia, South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. It airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
source: trekmovie.com