Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Review

Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3All 10 episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+. Is it worth binging the entire series?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premiered in June 2025, two years after season 2. Strange New Worlds season 3’s production was delayed by 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and was scheduled for summer 2025 by Paramount+, months after filming wrapped.

Among Star Trek fans, word of mouth about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 wasn’t as effusive as the first two seasons. This bears out by Rotten Tomatoes, which gives Strange New Worlds season 3 a lofty 90% Fresh score but only a 53% audience score.

Certainly, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 has its admirers as well. Given the wildly fluctuating opinions on Strange New Worlds season 3, if you’re on the fence, here are the pros and cons, and our recommendation for binge-watching it.

Why You Should Press Play On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 continues the strong points of the prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series set aboard Captain Christopher Pike’s (Anson Mount) USS Enterprise. Season 3 also does a lot of heavy lifting to connect to TOS.

Season 3 doubles down on arguably Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ greatest strength: the talents of its expansive cast. Every actor in Strange New Worlds season 3 delivers a stellar performance. After 3 seasons together, it’s clear the main cast has brilliant chemistry and enjoys acting together.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 incorporates memorable performances by recurring guest stars like Cillian O’Sullivan as Dr. Roger Korby. Rhys Darby also delivers a fantastic turn as Trelane, bringing back an iconic villain from Star Trek: The Original Series.

Among the best episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 are “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,” which canonically makes James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) for the first time, and “Terrarrium,” the long-awaited showcase for Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia).

Perhaps the most Star Trek episode with a mind-bending science-based concept is “Through the Lens of Time,” another standout Strange New Worlds season 3 episode. Season 3 also has a strong season premiere and an emotional finale.

Why You May Want To Pass On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

Some hardcore Star Trek fans feel that Strange New Worlds season 3 fell victim to the infamous “the odd-numbered ones are bad” curse that was popularly believed to have afflicted the first 10 Star Trek movies. Strange New Worlds season 3 has been called the show’s first ‘bad’ season.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is episodic, but season 3 feels wildly uneven. Strange New Worlds season 3 is an exploration of different genres rather than new planets and new civilizations. It’s a season of “big swings,” warping from comedy to zombie horror to self-parody to documentary filmmaking to outright farce.

In particular, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 8, “Four-and-a-half Vulcans,” struck a nerve with a segment of Star Trek fans who objected to its farcical tone and its depiction (or, some feel, misunderstanding) of Vulcans. Some of the more serious accusations levied include the episodes being racist and demeaning to the autistic.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 mostly takes place aboard the USS Enterprise, and actually exploring ‘strange new worlds’ is minimal. Instead, the focus is on the characters and Strange New Worlds‘ actors stretching their talents by taking on different personas.

In season 3, Strange New Worlds eschews the format of traditional Star Trek and is more like a variety show. There is also a lot of dancing in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, the enjoyment of which is left to the eye of the beholder.

Binge Or Skip – Our Expert Recommendation

Strange New Worlds tends to be the standout among the new live-action Star Trek shows on the streamer. If you’re a dedicated Star Trek fan who embraced the new era of Star Trek on Paramount+, you have likely already binged and formed your opinion on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3.

However, if you’re still on the fence, here is our breakdown on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s binge-ability by category:

Bingeability	Mid – Some episodes are great examples of Star Trek, but fans may not find other episodes worth revisiting.
Performances	Strong – Strange New Worlds‘ cast brings their A game to every episode, often playing multiple characters.
Story	Mid – Strange New Worlds season 3 is uneven from a writing standpoint, perhaps because of the WGA strike.
Setting	Mid – Most episodes take place on the Starship Enterprise, with few visits to new planets, although those visits are memorable.
Perfect For Fans Of	Strange New Worlds’ cast and characters, comedy, different TV genres, and variety shows

Our Expert’s Pick: Binge It. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 may not be ‘traditional Star Trek,‘ but season 3 has fantastic performances, resonant character arcs, a lot of laughs (if you enjoy comedy), and many pleasing nods towards canon and Strange New Worlds‘ endgame of setting up Star Trek: The Original Series.

Although not every episode may work for each fan’s individual tastes, come in with an open mind, and there is plenty to enjoy if you binge-watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3.

Release Date: May 5, 2022
Network: Paramount+
Showrunner: Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
Directors: Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman
Writers: Onitra Johnson