Paramount+ subscribers are fresh off an inaugural season that was highly acclaimed, so it’s no surprise people are already waiting for details on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2. I know I have a lot of questions about the second season, though I’m not sure whether or not they’ll be answered in the upcoming episodes.
The good news is that we do know some things about Season 2 that can better shape the expectations and queries we have about what's to come. Let’s dive in, and talk out some of the major questions we have about the next season.
How Will James Kirk Mesh With The Enterprise Crew?
After his unexpected appearance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 1 finale, Paul Wesley will return as James Kirk in Season 2. We know he’s not going to take Pike’s job, or even be a Captain yet, but we’ve learned that he’ll have interactions with Spock and potentially others of the Enterprise crew. The bridge crew of Strange New Worlds all meshed rather well, so I’m curious to see if Kirk impacts that in any way when he appears in the new season. Of course, that’s assuming we’ll get a lot of time with him and he’ll work with all the characters, which isn’t a guarantee.
Will Una Return To The Enterprise?
Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ended with Una being arrested by Captain Batel after Starfleet learned about her being an Illyrian. She’s presumably off to face Starfleet, and possibly go on to serve out some punishment in a penal colony. Pike already indicated he’s not going to let that happen, but there are probably a few Star Trek fans wondering if this is ultimately the last we’ll see of Una on the Enterprise. After all, we know she isn’t around when Captain Kirk takes command, so I think there’s a chance she may leave.
Will Pike Use His Foreknowledge Of The Romulans In Any Way?
“A Quality Of Mercy” gave Pike another look into the future, only this time, he looked at a world where he successfully avoided his debilitating injury. He got a great lesson for why he shouldn’t try and prevent that fate, and also a good look at a species Star Trek won’t canonically see for the first time in several more years: the Romulans.
Pike now has some foreknowledge of the look and psychology of one of Starfleet’s biggest enemies of the era, but will he use it? The temptation would, no doubt, be strong for Pike to give Starfleet every advantage he could. At the same time, Pike learned from his future self from an alternate timeline just how fearsome the Romulans are, and how re-igniting the violence would result in bloodshed on an unfathomable scale.
Who Will Be The New Chief Engineer?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds lost Hemmer when he had to sacrifice himself in order to prevent Gorn hatchlings from picking off more of the Enterprise crew. They lost one of the most brilliant minds on the ship and will need to replace him in Season 2. Now, we know that Montgomery “Scotty” Scott will eventually become Chief Engineer, and we even got a brief (voice-only) cameo from him in the alternate future during the Season 1 finale. Co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers already confirmed to Syfy though that Scotty won’t be the incoming chief engineer, so we’ll just have to wait and see who ends up in the role.
Will Spock And T’Pring Grow Further Apart?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds featured some relationship struggles between Spock and his betrothed, T’Pring, but in the end, they emerged from the season stronger than ever. With that said, fans know that in TOS, T’Pring ultimately had an affair and hoped to end her obligation to Spock because he was away far too often for Starfleet. That’s still years from now, but we did get a glimpse at the Vulcan she takes as a lover, Stonn, in “The Serene Squall.” It’s possible we’ll learn exactly how long that affair went on before Spock learned about it years later in the episode “Amok Time.”
What’s Going On With The Klingons?
Star Trek: Discovery got a fair amount of references in Season 1 of Strange New Worlds, which has me wondering if Klingons will appear in Season 2. L’Rell, Ash Tyler, and the Klingon species played a pivotal role in the early seasons of Discovery, but when the show jumped ahead in time, those characters were left in limbo. SNW has an opportunity to revisit these characters and check in on them, and I’d certainly like to see that happen even if it’s a one-off episode. I’d love to see Mary Chieffo’s L’Rell back in the universe again, especially if she’s still in a position of significant power amongst the Klingons.
What's Next For La'an?
La’an really went through it in Season 1, and had to relive her trauma of being a survivor of the Gorn, and face it twice in a short amount of time. La’an ultimately took a leave of absence towards the end of the season to attempt to reunite a survivor of the Gorn with her family, and the verdict is out for what’s next for her. The alternate future teased she eventually left the Enterprise and joined the Farragut. We also know that more legacy characters will appear on Star Trek, though it’s hard to imagine we’ll get a cameo from her infamous ancestor, Khan. All I know is I want to see more of La’an, and hopefully, Season 2 will deliver.
Will Angel Free Sybok From Prison?
Pirate captain, Angel, was one of the most exciting new characters introduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and that’s thanks in part to their connection to Spock’s half-brother, Sybok. The Paramount+ series took a big swing bringing in Spock’s brother and the villain of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and it paid off. I'd love to see Angel successfully free Sybok in Season 2, but not at all sure what happens after that. Obviously, that's not my job, so hopefully the writers of the show have some ideas!
What Other Legacy Characters Will Appear?
We know Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will feature more legacy characters down the line, but we’re not sure at this time when or where to expect them. Obviously, Season 2 is another opportunity for it to happen, though we don’t have any clear signs that someone else besides James Kirk is on the way. It would be nice to see others we haven’t seen make an appearance in future seasons, like Bones or Chekov, and see what they were like before their time on the Enterprise. I also wouldn't mind seeing Rainn Wilson’s Harry Mudd appear, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is returning for Season 2 at Paramount+. Luckily there are new Trek shows on the way before then to make the wait a little shorter for fans, so be sure to hold onto that subscription!
