Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 20, 2023

It's perhaps somewhat ironic that this show is titled Strange New Worlds when it is in fact the least strange of any of the recent Star Trek shows. Between the uneven Discovery, the tonally wayward Lower Decks, the curiosity that is Prodigy, and even Picard, Strange New Worlds is the most fundamentally Star Trek of them all, engaging audiences with a show that really feels like it would be The Original Series if it were made today. Whether it would be exactly to Gene Roddenberry's standards is anyone's guess, but it feels like it would be, and certainly more so than any of the other concurrently running shows. Strange New Worlds delighted with a wonderful first season and here in season two builds on the first season with a number of standalone, yet still interconnected, storylines that cover a lot of familiar Star Trek territory while also pushing forward through original content and new ideas, all bridging the gap between Pike's Enterprise and Kirk's Enterprise, slowly but surely bringing in the players who will eventually become the familiar TOS crew while still building up the core Strange New Worlds and Pike-era players established in The Cage and of this show's own making.

Official synopsis: In season two of 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,' the crew of the U.S.S. 'Enterprise,' under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories and encounters new life and civilizations. The crew will also embark on personal journeys that will continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies. Facing friends and enemies both new and familiar, their adventures will unfold in surprising ways never seen before on any 'Star Trek' series.

Season two dives into some very familiar Star Trek territory. A key courtroom drama episode early in the season resolves a cliffhanger from the first season's finale. It ranks as one of the better such episodes in Trek, though of course it faces some lofty competition in what is truly one of the great subgenres in the franchise and cannot approach the finest in the history of Trek, "Measure of a Man." Episode three sees the show return to the not-so-strange worlds of time travel (setting the stage for one of the season's quasi-romantic subplots that eventually allows the season to push towards some of the information revealed in The Wrath of Khan). Another episodes explores the Star Trek staple of the Prime Directive and cultural contamination.

But the season is more than just regurgitations of old standby ideas. The season almost lulls audiences into a sense of security with these early episodes and then hits the afterburners by throwing a lot of new ideas into the fray in the season's second half. In what may be the best episode of the season ("Under the Cloak of War"), a Klingon emissary arrives on the Enterprise to help usher in a new era of peace between the recently warring factions, but several crewmembers who fought in the war resent his arrival. It is particularly difficult for Dr. M'Benga whose PTSD drives him to a dark place that hasn't been visited so intensely and powerfully since some of the darker moments in Deep Space Nine. For as deep as this episode may be, and as dark as the cliffhanger season finale ("Hegemony") plays, there are some wonderfully lighter moments and episodes in the season, including "Charades" in which Spock becomes human and must pretend to be Vulcan (and seems to be setting the narrative background for Spock's more "human" side as seen in "The Cage"). Then there is "Those Old Scientists" in which some of the animated characters from Lower Decks time travel to the Enterprise and appear as real flesh-and-blood. Finally, the unexpected, and unexpectedly fun, musical (yes, musical) episode "Subspace Rhapsody" is both narratively deep and outwardly fun. This season has it all, and it's easily one of the best 10 episode runs in the history of Star Trek.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount releases Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two to Blu-ray with a commanding 1080p transfer. There's nary a problem to be found here. The image is crisp and efficient with high end details that push the format to its limits. Viewers will appreciate the density of facial features which show pores, freckles, hairs, and lines with striking accessibility and complexity. The Starfleet uniforms show every seam of complex assembly and fabric detail. The ship is luxuriously smooth, readouts are crisp and legible, and support props are clearly defined. Colors are bold, especially, of course, the core three uniform hues but also various digital screens and readouts. The white surfaces on the ship are beautifully pure, and black levels are wonderful. Skin tones look perfect as well. There is very minimal noise while encode artifacts are next to nonexistent. This is a wonderful release.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a hearty listen throughout the season. Music plays with precision clarity and superb placement, primarily along the front but definitely finding some wonderful back-channel engagement as the situations warrant ("Subspace Rhapsody" really sings here, literally and figuratively alike). Action elements offer superior placement and movement, yield wonderful zip to phaser fire, heft to explosions, and the like. "Under the Cloak of War" delivers consistent surround extension as various explosions surround the stage and phaser fire rips through the listening area, both nearby and oftentimes in the distance. Ambient support is wonderfully integrated, especially on the bridge and around the ship where the slightest support cues deliver rich and "realistic" environmental ambience. Dialogue is clear and centered for the duration.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two contains extras on all four discs, with the bulk appearing on disc four.

Disc One:

• Extended Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "The Broken Circle" (1:52) and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" (2:15).

Disc Two:

• Extended Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "Charades" (0:45) and "Lost in Translation" (4:49).

Disc Three:

• Extended/Deleted/Alternate Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "These Old Scientists" (0:55), "Under the Cloak of War" (3:17), and "Subspace Rhapsody" (2:09). (4:49).

Disc Four:

• Producing Props (1080p, 10:46): Looking at Spock's lute, various Vulcan props from "Charades," and Spock's ears.
• The Costumes Closet (1080p, 13:21): Costume designer Bernadette Croft explores some of the less familiar and some of the more familiar costumes and costume elements seen throughout the season.
• The Gorn (1080p, 15:37): Looking at Gorn in the show, including creature design, costumes, animatronics, digital elements, and more.
• Singing in Space (1080p, 22:14): A deep look inside "Subspace Rhapsody."
• Exploring New Worlds (1080p, 46:30): A lengthy look into each episode, character arcs, new idea, returning characters, developing themes, and much more.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's been a banner year for Star Trek on Blu-ray and UHD, and Strange New Worlds -- both seasons -- has taken point and, now, is closing out the year with one of the year's best releases. This is the stuff of a Star Trek fan's dream. From the whimsical and whacky to the serious and sobering, this is a wonderful season that sees Star Trek at its best certainly in decades and standing as one of the finest seasons, and series, in its decades-long run. Season two's Blu-ray delivers high yield video and audio and a nice assortment of extra content. Very highly recommended.