REVIEW: Star Trek: Strange Worlds Season 1 Is Light On Special Features, But Is It Still Worth the Money?
The cast of STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Image: Paramount+.
MARCH 21, 2023 - Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 beamed onto home video today, with the release of the 10-episode pilot season on Blu-ray and DVD. It was a hotly anticipated product, and there is, I’m sure, much rejoicing in Trek fandom. But is the release worth the money? How does it stack up against other Star Trek home video releases? Would you really want to spend $30 - $35 on the release, when you can just stream the series with your Paramount+ subscription? Well, friends, I’m here to answer your questions, so let’s dive right in!
Story and Production
These days, Star Trek fans have choices. Not every series will appeal to every viewer, and that’s fine. Infinite Diversity and all that. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seems to be the Trek show that can break those barriers. I’m not suggesting that every fan of the franchise likes the show, but SNW does seem to appeal to a wider demographic than any of the other series.
The production team manages to give the show an Original Series aesthetic while at the same time making it feel modern. That’s not easy to do. Not only that but their updates of characters we’ve known and loved since the 1960s honor the writers and performers that breathed life into them originally, giving them more context without breaking canon.
The writing is spot-on, the acting is excellent, and the special effects are breathtaking. If you haven’t watched the series yet, you should really take the time to do it. You won’t be disappointed.
Packaging
The packaging for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is pretty typical. We received the standard Blu-ray release, containing 3 discs. One of the discs had popped out during shipping, but again, that’s typical and there was no damage. However, consider this a warning that when you open the packaging you should take extra care, in case one or more of the discs are floating around in there.
A Steel-Book version of the season, with a 4k transfer, will be released in May. We expect the packaging to be typical of such a release, and sturdier than the plastic encasing of the standard version.
Audio and Video
SNW season 1 on BD is presented in 1080p High Definition with a choice of English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or French 5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitle options are English SDH or French.
Again, as is typical with Trek Blu-ray releases, the transfer looks and sounds terrific. I’ll be interested to get my hands on the 4k transfer and compare them in a couple of months, but my guess is if you don’t have a 4k television or don’t really take note of such things, you’ll find this version (which is about $30 cheaper than the 4k will be) to be good enough.
Special Features
The special features offered in the set felt a little light, especially compared to the recent Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery Blu-Rays, but the quality was excellent.
Commentary: “Strange New Worlds” - The only commentary track in the set, featuring co-creator Akiva Goldsman and actor Anson Mount (Pike) sees the guys talking through the pilot episode. Sometimes commentaries can get a little silly, but while they were having fun and displaying their sense of humor, this commentary was very interesting and informative, as well, giving the viewer some insight into the genesis of the series.
Pike’s Peek - Mount took films of his work during SNW season 1, beginning with being released from quarantine, all the way through the final episode. It’s an interesting and entertaining little piece, showing a “day in the life,” so to speak.
World Building - A look at a fascinating new tool in the filmmaker’s toolkit: the AR wall.
Exploring New Wotlds - A 50-minute documentary covering the show as a whole and, more specifically, every regular character.
“Balance of Terror” - One of Star Trek: The Original Series’ most classic episodes, and a personal favorite of mine. This one ties into the final episode of SNW season 1, “A Quality of Mercy,” and it’s a great addition to the set. While the episode is easily found on Paramount+ or on the dedicated TOS home video releases, being able to watch it immediately followed by “Mercy” is a real treat and highly recommended.
Deleted Scenes and Gag Reel - Standard fare for a home video release these days. Nothing particularly noteworthy or surprising.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1 was terrific, and the Blu-ray set lives up to the show’s high standards. Sure, it may be a little light on specialy features, but what it does contain is interesting and entertaining all at once. Having said that, not everybody cares that miuch about the behind-the-scenes stuff, needs to know about Mount’s love of horses, or know why Celia Rose Gooding’s (Uhura) audition made her mother cry. For those who are indifferent about such things, streaming the series on Paramount+ is the way to go.
But for those who like to dig deep into the episodes, uncover never-before-seen moments that were left on the cutting room floor, or understand why the writers crafted a story about Doctor M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) visiting a fantasy world, or if you just like to collect physical copies of your favorite shows, this set is worth every penny. You can order it y clicking the Amazon link to the right.
T is the Managing Editor for Daily Star Trek News and a contributing writer for Sherlock Holmes Magazine. He may have been the last professional Stage Manager to work with Leonard Nimoy, has worked Off-Broadway and regionally, and is currently the union Stage Manager for Legacy Theatre, where he is currently working with Julie Andrews.
