Just as Captain Pike thinks he’s figured out how to escape his fate, he’s visited by his future self, who shows him the consequences of his actions.

Time travel has always been a regular device on Star Trek, the latest season of Picard being a case in point, but Strange New Worlds has used it here in its season finale to create a ‘what if…’ future that completes the first year on a high.

This episode is best approached with no more knowledge than that shared in the opening sentence of this review, though inevitably there will be more shared once it’s streaming. It’s not spoiling anything to say that this is squarely Anson Mount’s episode, and he continues to hold both the gravitas and playfulness that he has displayed from the beginning. We were reminded in the season opener that he has nightmares about his prophesied debilitating accident, and as fans we know this even has to happen… or must it?

I’ll say no more about the episode, except that fans of Star Trek will find plenty to enjoy, from subtle Easter eggs to very on-the-nose legacy references. It ends with a very clear purpose for season two, and I can’t believe that the ten weeks have passed so quickly.

Has there even been a more confident opening season of a Star Trek show? We can’t ignore the fact that it arrived with three of its leads already established in their roles, but the rest of the cast (if not the characters they play) are new and have slotted into place within no time. Of the ten episodes, there’s only two that I felt didn’t hit the high standards of the others – but what a batting average.

Verdict: Absolutely the show that we wanted it to be, Strange New Worlds completes its first season with a corker. 9/10

Nick Joy