Ever since Anson Mount walked onto the bridge as Captain Christopher Pike on season two of Star Trek: Discovery, fans clamored for a series showcase for him. And in 2020, Trekkers everywhere rejoiced at the news of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a new show that would be just that. And at last, we have our first official teaser trailer for the Star Trek prequel series. Which is actually a sequel to Discovery. (Oh, how these Trek timelines can get confusing.) You can watch the brand new teaser right here:
So what can we glean from this brief teaser? For starters, it looks like Pike begins the series in retirement. He’s on a ranch and has a grizzled beard. Fans of the character’s first appearance in the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage” might remember that he had a ranch back home on Earth. And that he was questioning whether or not to remain in Starfleet. Looks like he leaves the starship life behind at some point after we last saw him in Discovery, only to be pulled back in again. We also see a lot of incredible alien vistas, with Rebecca Romijn’s narration as the Enterprise’s first officer, Number One.
Fan excitement is so high for Strange New Worlds because it’s the series that the original Trek pilot never received. Gene Roddenberry shot the first Star Trek pilot “The Cage” in 1964, starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike, and his future wife Majel Barrett as his first officer Number One. It was a totally different cast from the show that eventually began in the fall of 1966. With one big exception: Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. He was the only character to make the transition to the actual series. Now, that first 1964 pilot is “going to series,” as they say, almost a full sixty years later. We’re pretty sure that’s a record no one will ever beat.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds beams down to Paramount+ on May 5.