‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Teaches Us That Humanity Is The Final Frontier

For new fans, Star Trek appears daunting to jump into. Not only is there six decades’ worth of television shows, movies, books, comic books, and video games to sift through, but there are also numerous characters, races, and timelines to experience.

Where do you start in what feels like an endless volume of encyclopedias? While Star Trek: Strange New Worlds might not be the starting point in the overall storyline, it’s certainly the easiest one to grasp. It doesn’t unravel all the decades of storytelling and characters, but it captures the soul of the franchise. Sure, it’s still about exploration and discovering new worlds, but most importantly, it’s about realizing that humanity is what matters most in this universe.

Captain Pike is the leader everyone wants in their corner

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike possesses a fabulous head of hair in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. In fact, he may only be rivaled by Frank Grillo in terms of who has the best male hair in Hollywood. Yet, Pike isn’t only a handsome dude with killer locks, but he’s also one of the greatest leaders in the USS Enterprise‘s history.

You know all those LinkedIn bros who preach about empathetic leadership but will sell you out for an AI tool that turns them into a cartoon beetroot in a heartbeat? Pike actually applies empathy to everything he does; he isn’t just all talk. He understands how the mechanisms of bureaucracy often aren’t practical in life and death situations as they hinder rather than enable action. Of course, he knows that he and his crew serve an organization, but he never forgets that an organization is a faceless and soulless entity. He puts people first – always – no matter what the consequences.

There have been multiple times in which Pike has defied his superiors in the show, often using their own branches of bureaucracy to get out of trouble later. In Season 2’s “Ad Astra per Asper,” he puts his full backing behind Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), who is accused of going against the Starfleet’s anti-genetic modification laws by not revealing that she’s a genetically modified Illyrian. Pike knows this is a dumb rule, because he believes Una’s character speaks for itself, so he hires a lawyer to represent Una. In the end, Una’s acquitted and rejoins the Starfleet, thanks to Pike choosing to back her rather than ignore the problem.

To get behind someone like Pike is easy, because you know he has everyone’s best interests at heart. He isn’t the type of manager who’ll harp on about family and culture then lay you off so he can get his profit share and an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland. Instead, he’s someone you’ll follow to the ends of the galaxy, because he earned your trust and proved that good, selfless leaders do exist.

Spock’s journey holds a symbolic meaning

Another key member of the Enterprise is Ethan Peck’s Spock. The character is an MVP of the franchise, but viewers get to see a younger version of Spock in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 

Spock is half-Vulcan and half-human. The two parts grapple with each other, as the Vulcan side of him values stoicism and logic over his human side’s propensity for emotion. Spock tries to suppress the human part of himself at the best of times. However, the longer the series goes on, the more he learns that emotion isn’t a weakness – it’s a gift that empowers him with a high level of empathy and compassion for others.

Spock’s character arc in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds acts as a metaphor for current times. The world tells us that being emotional is a bad thing, and that we should try harder to suppress feelings and not show too much of ourselves to others. Through Spock, we realize that everything is about balance. Yes, there’s a need to be emotionally intelligent – not overreacting to everyone, everything, and every situation – but it’s also okay to embrace your human side and to feel. Show empathy, anger, love, and disappointment. It’s what proves that we’re alive rather than just breathing.

Being good is what’s most important in ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

In each episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the Enterprise‘s crew travels to new places, meeting the inhabitants or visitors of that world. While it’s fascinating to discover the details and elements of these people and places, there’s one thing that never changes: the empathy displayed in solving every challenge. The crew might not always get the outcome they desire, they may even feel heartache and disappointment at what happens next, but regardless, they refuse to lose their belief in kindness above all. Who knew that humanity – not space – would turn out to be the final frontier?

Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+.