For 60 years, “Star Trek” obstinately refused and firmly to be only one thing. Ask three fans what they cherish on the science fiction universe of Gene Roddenberry and you will probably get very different answers, probably delivered to long length. This is the kind of world that has been built to inspire a deep passion – it is wide enough to get lost, deep enough to fascinate continuously and incoherent enough for everyone to complain and get used to it only true lovers.

The beautiful and inspiring thing about “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” is the way it puts on the needle. Yes, it is a series of prequelles which takes place in a specific moment and place and must bend continuously backwards to adapt to the established cannon, but it does it with a grace so soft and easy to live in that new arrivals can benefit without problem. At no time does it not seem too strong to call on fans and beginners of the old, even if it does with APLOMB. It is a series devoid of flop sweat. It is rare to watch any television show and feel a feeling of pure and exuberant joy. Not only above the narration and the characters, but to the pure intelligence of the way he respects and adores the universe in which he is defined. This is a show designed to please these three fans described above to an equal measure.

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season 3 does not take a break or does not stumble even a second, taking the momentum of the second astounding, funny and invigorating and sprint in front with the confidence of a show which knows that it is as good as it is. The previous seasons have established this as a better “Trek” series since the 90s (with all the respect due to the wonderful “Star Trek: Lower Decks), and season 3 is like a seasoned athlete at the top of his match. Damn, it is good, and too charming and humble to even hate from a distance.

As expected, “Strange New Worlds” must conclude the dramatic cliffhanger of the final of season 2 before returning to do what it does best: to say to the unique space adventures that vary in tone and in a kind of episode to episode, offering the same type of cervical boost which has always been a decisive feature of “trek” since childhood. Season 3 savor the opportunity to whisk the public from one direction to another. Intense war stories focusing on the action give way to a playful and idiotic comedy. Dark Tales ethical dilemma tales to go home led to the restructuring of the meta comments on the very nature of the series we are watching. And after all that, why not A giant dose of horror of cosmic space powered by enough dread to get HP Lovecraft out of his grave?

A spectacle that plays so fast and loose with the tone could be total chaos (sometimes “strange new worlds” is deliberately chaotic), but it wisely centers all its biggest oscillations around its extraordinary, charming and yes, extraordinary photogenic distribution. Captain of Anson Mount, Christopher Pike, given a new surprising layer this season which will shock some fans of “Trek”, continues to be one of the best meters that the series has ever seen, with its “Business Casual” behavior and a positive masculinity offering a unique flavor that differs wildly from the tastes of Kirk and Picard while complementing them at each stage. As a young Spock, Ethan Peck continues to do the impossible by continuously reminding us why everyone loves Leonard Nimoy while traveling his own path. Not all actors can capture the impassive humor and ironic delivery that makes the best vulcan characters come to life, and Peck is up there with the best of them.

The rest of the distribution continues to shine, with Rebecca Romijn, Christina Chong, Jess Bush, Celia Rose Gooding and Babs Olusanmokun all strengthen that it is a bridge team that deserves to be celebrated (and yes, your fan-fiction and your cosplay efforts). And after two seasons to be widely allowed to exist (colored and happily) in the background, season 3 finally gives Melissa Ortegas Navia the projector of the season she had desperately needed.

As much as I want the days of the seasons of 26 episodes, it is undeniable that “Strange New Worlds” is a series that savoring putting every penny on the screen during its shorter seasons. Decades after Kirk and Spock stumbled in cardboard caves and fought monsters in blankets, the smooth production values ​​of this series never cease to impress, especially when they recreate the familiar. Starfleet uniforms have never been so beautiful, the company has never been so cool, and each extraterrestrial and creature, whether it is carried out practically or by digital effects, is a joy to see. I will never get used to it for “Trek” by seeming to cost real money, but the mixture of standing sets and virtual horizons is completely successful, and generally feels more convincing and tangible than the average episode of “The Mandalorian”. (What, was I, a fan of “trek”, will not take at least a blow to distinguished competition?)

But perhaps the most exciting element of season 3, now that the show is so clearly at ease to be what it is, is the way it kisses the new one. Without entering the spoilers, the series continues to use the inherited bad guys (some frightening, some hilarious), but it also introduces a new threat as disturbing as everything we have ever seen in “Trek”. At the risk of hyperbole, it feels that the show finally found its borg or domination, the new threat which could, if it could give the show a very new antagonist completely scary to call hers. Even if he looks back, “Strange New Worlds” is looking forward to.

The criticisms were provided with the first five episodes of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” for examination, and when I finished, after having looked deliberately once a day to make them last, I was bored that I no longer have any “Star Trek”. It’s good, and maybe even the best problem, for any show. “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season 3 is full of hope and funny and exciting and silly and thoughtful and frightening and strange and charming … and I can’t wait to look more.

/ Film assessment: 9.5 out of 10

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season 3 will be presented with two episodes on July 17, 2025 on Paramount +.