As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, the review embargo for Star Trek: Strange New World Season 4 has lifted, offering fans a better idea of what to expect from the show's penultimate season.
In Season 4 of the Paramount+ Original Series, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise - led by Captain Christopher Pike - embarks on a series of thrilling and emotional adventures across the stars.
As they journey to strange new worlds, they will battle inner demons and external threats, encounter colourful new characters, reunite with familiar faces and confront terrifying aliens. Through it all, they strive to embrace a bright, hopeful future.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has long drawn comparisons to The Original Series, and it sounds like die-hard Trekkies will find plenty to love when the show returns. The 10-episode season, while by no means perfect, according to this first wave of reviews, does have a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, arriving on the aggregator at 100% based on 14 verdicts.
For comparison's sake, Season 1 has 98%, Season 2 was awarded 97%, and Season 3 sits at 88%. All three seasons are "Certified Fresh."
Among the reviews is Slashfilm's, which notes, "Not every episode is a total success (and those different flavours of fan will react differently to each of them, one imagines), but each wild swing is always appreciated."
Screen Rant writes, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns for a penultimate season that's more episodic and endearingly chaotic than ever before," with RogerEbert.com explaining, "Season 4 continues mightily, in a crop of episodes as exhilarating as they are frustrating."
"Season 4 is certainly worth watching, especially for Star Trek fans who will enjoy looking for Easter eggs and exploring the titular concept," promises Collider, "but fans looking to go deeper than that will have to use their own imagination."
Inverse adds, "Season 4 becomes a charming synthesis of modern TV sensibilities and the magic of 1990s era Star Trek," with Tom's Guide pointing out, "For viewers who've been following the show since the beginning, this is another highly enjoyable season, with a slight course correction for past missteps."
Finally, we hear from ScreenAnarchy. "It's a very good collection of stories that are told in the style of strikingly different genres, which also serve to spur the characters along their individual paths. The new season feels reinvigorated," the site points out.
You'd be forgiven for reading the excerpts and not thinking it sounds like a series that's been awarded 100% on the Tomatometer. Well, therein lies the problem with Rotten Tomatoes. Critics can only rate a movie or TV show "Fresh" or "Rotten," and a 3* review, for example, could fall into either category. Still, for Star Trek fans, this is good news.
Season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun and Martin Quinn, along with guest stars Carol Kane and Paul Wesley.
Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers serve as co-showrunners. Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Aaron Baiers, Dana Horgan, Alan McElroy, Robbie Thompson, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Chris Fisher, Anson Mount, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as season four executive producers. CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment produce the series.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 premieres globally on Thursday, July 23, on Paramount+. New episodes will be available weekly on Thursdays through September 24.