According to IGN, the complete first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now available to stream on Youtube via Paramount+’s channel. You can check out the first episode here:

We don’t know if this will be available indefinitely, but it might get a lot of audiences ready to subscribe for Paramount+ by the time June 15 comes along.

With Discovery, Lower Decks, and Picard telling their own contained stories, Strange New Worlds is a comeback to the classic Original Series Trek formula which is kind of an ‘adventure-a-week’ format. A lot of praise has been said about the Discovery spinoff, and the second season promises to bring even more familiar faces including James Kirk as well as the live-action debuts of Lower Decks’ ensigns Boimler and Mariner.

Here’s the official description for the second season of Strange New Worlds:

In series two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories, and encounters new life and civilisations. The crew will also embark on personal journeys that will continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies.

Watch out for the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when it premieres in Paramount+ on June 15.

Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome are set to guest star as Ensigns Boimler and Mariner from Star Trek: Lower Decks, and we have our first look at them thanks to the latest trailer for the second season of Strange New Worlds. Watch this:

Here’s the official description for Strange New Worlds 2:

In series two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories, and encounters new life and civilisations. The crew will also embark on personal journeys that will continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies.

It’s actually curious how Boimler and Mariner appear in Strange New Worlds since Lower Decks takes place after The Next Generation, which happens way after The Original Series. My guess is they could find their way into the Enterprise via time travel, and it’s possible they know all about the stories of Pike, Kirk, and Spock long after they’ve retired.

Then again I’m just speculating. Lower Decks is just a fun little variation to the Trek formula, and I’m happy to see Boimler and Mariner get some more attention. It would be great if we got to see the rest of the Cerritos crew in live-action, even if just for a little bit.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount+ on June 15.

During the Trek panel at SDCC 2022 (via Entertainment Weekly), Lower Decks stars Tawny Newsome (Ensign Mariner) and Jack Quaid (Ensign Boimler) revealed that they would be reprising their characters for Strange New Worlds.

Newsome said about the crossover, “We’re gonna stress them out… We’ll see you guys in outer space.”

The reveal also comes with the trailer for the third season of Lower Decks:

While we don’t have a trailer for the second season of Strange New Worlds, we do know that Mariner and Boimler will be making their guest appearance in the second season. I guess it’s also worth noting that the episode they’ll be starring in will be directed by series veteran Jonathan Frakes (Riker from The Next Generation). Let’s hope this episode of Stranger New Worlds will be just as wacky as we can expect an episode of Lower Decks to be.

With Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) on trial following the Season 2 finale, Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Tendi (Noël Wells), Boimler (Jack Quaid), and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) are in for a host of new adventures–including a trip to Deep Space 9.

No release date has been set for Strange New Worlds 2, but Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 airs on Paramount+ this Aug. 25.

Check out the new trailer:

Though this series takes place in the same realm as Discovery, it looks like Strange New Worlds is going to be having a different overall tone when it comes to the series. Like Kirk, Pike seems to be kind of aloof and cocky, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s not a good captain. Besides that, it looks like we’re going to be having another look at the Vulcan time of mating (or Pon farr) as we see a more intimate and sexual version of science officer Spock.

If The Orville has taught Trek fans anything, it’s that the Trek franchise is best known for its core humanitarian themes rather than its hard science fiction—that’s what allows any audience member to just jump in on the show. While I expect Strange New Worlds to still have an overarching story, I think the lighter mood in the trailers seems to be what sets this series apart from Discovery.

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series will feature fan favorites from season two of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY: Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series will follow Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Catch Start Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+ when it premieres on May 5.

Check this out:

https://twitter.com/StarTrekOnPPlus/status/1503853547208646660

With the second season being renewed last January, it’s possible that we won’t be meeting Kirk at all this first season; but what are the odds that he could be teased somewhere near the finale. The series already has Spock and Uhura, so it’s only a matter of time before we meet other TOS fan-favorites like Sulu, Scotty, or Chekov.

Though Kirk is the most popular captain of the USS Enterprise, a lot of fans who know the Trek lroe know that it was Christopher Pike that commanded the ship before Kirk took over. That’s something the 2009 Trek built on, and it looks like Strange New Worlds will also be doing the same.

Seeing that Pike has a more tragic story in the original show, it’s possible that this series could give him a more dignified ending. After all, Anson Mount is pretty great in the role, and it was his popularity in Discovery that actually helped give Strange New Worlds the greenlight in the first place.

With the poster and Kirk revealed, it could be a matter of time before we get the first official trailer for Strange New Worlds. Hopefully it manages to have a tone that sets itself apart significantly from Discovery.

The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds comes to Paramount+ on May 5.

This was shared by Mount himself:

Key art just dropped. pic.twitter.com/qfWxb65uEr

— Anson Mount (@ansonmount) February 1, 2022

Just like the title suggests, we should expect Strange New Worlds to follow the format of the original series, in which we have a new planet and new story with every episode. While we should expect some kind of serialization with these modern shows, an anthology-type format would make the series easier to get into for anyone who is unfamiliar with the series.

Besides Mount’s Captain Pike, the show will also include Ethan Peck as Spock, Rebecca Romijin as Number One, and Celia Rose Gooding as a young Cadet Uhura. Christina Chong has also been cast as La’an  Noonien-Singh, a possible descendant of one of Captain Kirk’s fiercest villains—Kahn Noonien-Singh.

Though it’s admittedly taking a while for Trek to come back to the big screen, the franchise has seen a new renaissance when it comes to television. Besides Discovery, we have spinoffs like Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy. We don’t know yet how Strange New Worlds will manage to set itself apart, but it’s great to see more variety when it comes to the officers at Starfleet.

Catch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when it premieres on Paramount+ on May 5.