As the Gorn prepare to launch a full-scale attack on the Alpha Quadrant, only the Enterprise can save the day.

It’s been nearly two years since Hegemony concluded Strange New Worlds’ sophomore year, leaving us with a cliffhanger reminiscent of The Best of Both Worlds. And that comparison is compounded with this conclusion which, like its TNG stablemate, ties up enough threads to avert the crisis, while still leaving the threat in the background. By the end of the hour, the belligerent reptiles are… ahem… Gorn but not forgotten.

And for this Star Trek fan, that familiarity of well-used tropes is part of my enjoyment of the show. If Section 31 tried (unsuccessfully) to take the franchise in a different direction, Strange New Worlds is a reminder of what we enjoyed about TOS, fused with a bit of TNG.

Inevitably, shields are at 50% and dropping, the brilliant minds on the bridge come up with new ideas that might be fatal but worth the risk in the face of no other choice, and the visual effects are of the excellent standard that we’ve come to expect.

Verdict: Old school Star Trek that delivers what it promises, and then some. 9/10

Nick Joy