An accident with an experimental quantum probability field causes everyone on the Enterprise to break uncontrollably into song.

At the start of this season, all signs pointed towards the Lower Decks crossover episode as being the highest concept episode of Strange New Worlds’ second year. How wrong we were, because after nearly 60 years, Star Trek has its first musical episode, and a lot of fun it is too.

A naturally occurring fold in space could triple the speed of subspace communication in the sector, offering real-time communication across thousands of light years, but the first dozen experiments have yielded no results. Maybe music is the answer, and before you can hum Anything Goes, a song is bounced across the anomaly and reverberated back to the Enterprise.

Bear with me here. The ship has now become tethered to an improbability field (no, not the Infinite Improbability Drive), meaning that the crew burst into song at any given moment, which is a security risk given the personal nature of feelings typically expressed in song. But even more of a concern is the expansion of the field across the sector, which has angered the Klingons.

Yes, it’s a nonsense scenario, and for a show in only its second year, it might be seen as an unnecessary risk to devote an hour to such a shark-jumping format. But fear not, because the Enterprise crew has a lot of musical talent, from Celia Gooding Rose (Broadway performer) to Christina Chong (she’s releasing her first EP next month) to recording artist Rebecca Romijn.

The ten new songs by Tom Polce and Kay Hanley cover a range of musical styles, pairing up lovers (estranged or unspoken) and delivering big production numbers. I guarantee at least one big belly laugh and a smart joke for the fans.

Verdict: ‘I need to say this before it comes out in the form of a 17th Century sea shanty.’ It’s a musical Star Trek episode, and even if you’re not convinced, it’s far more fun and less cringey than you might fear. 7/10

Nick Joy