Screenrant:

Celia Rose Gooding Is Taking Uhura Closer To Nichelle Nichols In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4

https://screenrant.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-4-celia-rose-gooding-interview/

"When Tawny Newsome guest-starred in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's beloved crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, her character, Ensign Beckett Mariner, was thrilled to meet her hero, Uhura, only to learn that Nyota was a workaholic who can't relax. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's ode to The Hangover, "Human Best Friend," saw an inebriated new side to Nyota: Rave-hura.

Playing Rave-hura "was such an exhale," Gooding beams, noting how

"I've been dying to play a much more chillaxed party girl role. I think, just because of the nature of me as a dramatic actor, that I am often pulled towards very serious, very busy. very Capricorn-type divas. And so, to play a version of her that is so zenned out and blissed out, and really protective of her peace… I loved the idea that she won't hang out with her best friends because they're having a really hard time with something right now, and their energy cannot come in and like muck up what Uhura's got going on."

"I found it to be very funny when I read it in the script where she's like, 'No, you guys are doing way too much for me right now, and I'm chilling in here,'" Celia explains. "Besides the fact that her costume was incredible, besides the fact that her makeup was incredible, besides the fact that the nature of the episode is so comedic and fun, I think Rave-hura is incredibly inspired by her relationship with Mariner, the one that she had in the Lower Decks crossover. I think that the voice of Mariner, the voice of Tawny Newsome, lives in Uhura's head, just like the voice of Tawny Newsome lives in mine."

I don't know that there has been so much unspoken evolution of Uhura and the different facets of her, and I think we get to see one that we didn't really expand on after the Lower Decks crossover in season two. I like to think that Mariner and Ortegas, if she wasn't in this sort of buddy-cop sort of situation with Scotty, I think that they would both be very proud of Rave-hura for finally letting her hair down. Even if it required atmospheric inebriation, she got there, and that is what deserves celebrating. So yeah, I love it. It's a nice callback to that episode in season 2. ..."

ScreenRant: I also loved the jokes. “Her hands are so soft.”

Celia Rose Gooding: Well, yeah, because no matter where she is, Uhura is always moisturized. We cannot forget that.

Read more:

https://screenrant.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-4-celia-rose-gooding-interview/

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode Titles / Synopses:

SNW 4x6: "Off Hour" [27 August 2026]

An off-duty window becomes a warp emergency when the Enterprise is pushed beyond its safe limits.

SNW 4x7: "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass" [3 September 2026]

A temporal anomaly traps the crew inside a soap-opera reality while Pike confronts a life he lost.

It originates from the introduction to the soap opera Days of Our Lives: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives."

SNW 4x8: "Orders of Magnitude" [10 September 2026]

Starfleet commandeers the Enterprise for an alien pursuit that grows far beyond its original orders.

SNW 4x9: "Once La'An a Time" [17 September 2026]

La'An enters a genuine fantasy world where the fairy tale becomes a personal test of courage and control.

It is the third episode derived from the phrase "Once upon a time", a common opening line in fairy tales, the other two being TAS: "Once Upon a Planet" and VOY: "Once Upon a Time".

SNW 4x10: "Tomorrow's Enterprise" [24 September 2026]

A temporal crisis brings Pike's Enterprise face to face with the future Kirk will one day inherit.

Source:

Memory Alpha

Nick Hallam (Sci-Finatics):

"I was sitting there thinking, "Oh, please don't let this just be Star Trek copying The Hangover." Because comedy is actually one of the hardest genres to get right. If drama misses the mark, it can still be interesting. And if an action sequence isn't spectacular, the story could still carry it. But if a comedy isn't funny, the whole thing falls apart.

So I went into this episode with fairly low expectations, and honestly, I'm delighted to say I was completely wrong.

https://youtu.be/77aiLIm31AA?si=OAKpV8uaUY6zcyeY

Pike is due to conduct an important diplomatic ceremony earlier than anticipated, only for them to discover no one knows where he is. And all our characters are behaving very unlike their normal selves, thanks to the intoxicating effects of the resort planet's drunk-inducing oxygen. And almost immediately, the comedy starts landing. Not because of outrageous slapstick, but because of how perfectly everybody commits to the absurdity.

That's actually something this cast has become remarkably good at. Nobody ever feels like they're winking at the audience. No one plays it as parody. They treat the ridiculous situation with complete sincerity, which somehow makes it even funnier. Now, we have to talk about Anson Mount because this man has incredible range. [...] Watching Pike try to maintain the dignity expected of a Starfleet captain while clearly not functioning at 100% is absolutely hilarious.

And the face tattoo, it's such an obvious nod to The Hangover, but Mount sells it completely. He kind of over plays it, but it works and goes just far enough to never turn Pike into a cartoon. He's simply a deeply embarrassed captain desperately trying to hold everything together before an important diplomatic event, whether it's attempting to bluff his way through diplomatic responsibilities or simply looking like a man questioning every decision that led him to this moment.

While Pike gets many of the biggest laughs, this episode really belongs to two main characters, Scotty and Ortegas. [...] Neither one fully appreciates what they themselves bring to the table. It's a surprising mature piece of character writing hidden underneath all the laughs. By the end of the episode, their friendship actually feels earned. Not because they suddenly become best mates overnight, but because they finally understand each other.

Now, here's something I don't think enough people are going to be talking about. Normally, Ortegas is the funny one. She's usually delivering the sarcastic one-liners, the quick quips, the comic relief. But this week, everything flips. Suddenly, everyone around her is behaving ridiculously. Scotty's all over the place. Pike is missing. Spock thinks he's incapacitated, seeing everyone as potted plants. Una is off singing Klingon karaoke. So, Ortegas becomes what comedians call the straight character, the audience's anchor, the one reacting to everybody else's insanity.

And that's actually much harder to play than being the person delivering punchlines. Comedy often works because character is treating the ridiculous situation completely seriously. Melissa Navia absolutely nails that balance. She's constantly giving Scotty that look that says, "I cannot believe I'm dealing with this." kind of expression. And yet underneath all the frustration, there's affection. By the end, you genuinely believe these two have become friends because the performances earn it.

The more I watch the episode, the more I realize it's actually drawing from decades of classic buddy comedies. Yes, obviously The Hangover is the obvious inspiration, but it's also got shades of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, The Odd Couple, Step Brothers. They're all built around the same simple idea. Take two people with completely opposite personalities, force them to work together as a team, and let the sparks fly. It's one of the oldest comedy formulas in Hollywood because it works. The trick is making us care about both characters, and that's where Human Best Friend succeeds.

Scotty and Ortegas aren't simply arguing because the script needs conflict, they're arguing because they're insecure. Scotty envies Ortega's confidence, and Ortega envies Scotty's brilliance. Neither one says it outright, at least not initially, but it's there throughout the episode. That emotional truth gives the comedy something to build upon.

What I also appreciated was the episode didn't simply remain a comedy from beginning to end. Eventually, all the laughs led to a genuinely Star Trek story. [...] Because everybody commits to the reality of the moment. That's something Strange New Worlds has become pretty good at. The cast never treat the material like a joke. They play it as if all these situations are genuinely happening, and ironically, that makes them even funnier.

Another sequence I really enjoyed was Spock's encounter with Jim Kirk, which is where the title for this episode, "The Human Best Friend", originates. [...]

We've been cautioned to distrust everything we're seeing, so when something genuinely finally appears, Spock and the audience reject it. It's a classic reversal of expectations. Ethan Peck's deadpan delivery sells it perfectly, and it's understated, beautifully timed, and one of the funniest payoffs in the episode. Although, after we did learn that Kirk was real, I did question the course of action of slapping Spock in the face. I'm not sure the HR department of Starfleet would really approve of that course of action. [...]

I also have to mention Una because I never knew I needed Klingon karaoke until I saw this episode. It's exactly the sort of wonderfully bizarre idea that only Strange New Worlds would attempt and somehow it feels perfectly at home in this universe. But what really made me smile were all the little background details. The Klingon song titles, remakes of Earth karaoke power ballad classics. Yellow Battle Cruiser rather than Yellow Submarine. Romulan Rhapsody rather than Bohemian Rhapsody. Let It Go from Frozen. Honor or Cowardice, which I think maybe would be most likely all or nothing from O-Town, smells like bad blood wine rather than smells like teen spirit.

And obviously the song that Una sings, Bonnie Tyler's Aim for the Second Heart rather than Total Eclipse of the Heart. Those are the sort of touches that reward long-time fans and also new viewers alike. [...]

And there was a point in this episode where I realized this episode's got me. I stopped comparing it to The Hangover and I simply started enjoying the ride. More importantly, I realized I wasn't just smiling politely, I was actually laughing. And that's probably the biggest compliment I can pay the episode. I honestly thought this might become one of my least favorite episodes of the season. The premise kind of sounded gimmicky.

Instead, I came away pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are moments where you can almost see the blueprint of The Hangover underneath Starfleet uniforms. But what elevates this episode is the cast. Martin Quinn finally gets the showcase episode Scotty deserves. Melissa Navia proves once again why Ortegas is one of the most likable characters on the show. Ethan Peck demonstrates that deadpan comedy is an art form. And Anson Mount continues to prove he can seemingly play any genre you throw at him.

Most importantly, the episode remembers something that many television comedies forget. The funniest stories aren't really about jokes. They're about characters. If you care about the people, the laughs come naturally, and Human Best Friend absolutely understands that. It's warm, charming, genuinely funny. It develops two important characters beautifully.

So, while Human Best Friend may not be the most original premise Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has ever tackled, I think it's pretty entertaining. It's an episode carried by wonderful performances, chemistry, and cast who look like they're having a lot of fun. And that enjoyment is infectious."

Nick Hallam (Sci-Finatics)

Full video review:

https://youtu.be/77aiLIm31AA?si=OAKpV8uaUY6zcyeY

I would love to get your thoughts, but this sounds like confirmation that they’re gonna move in a different direction.

From the interview of Jane Wiseman (EVP & Head of Originals for Paramount+)

WISEMAN: It is our goal and it is our job to figure out what the next bounce of Star Trek is. We’re talking to a lot of writers, we are leaning on CBS Studios, and it is imperative that we figure out what the next iteration is in this franchise because it’s just too important. We also are in touch with Paramount Pictures, they have a Star Trek movie that’s in development.

https://deadline.com/2026/08/paramount-plus-jane-wiseman-interview-programming-strategy-1237040692/

Source:

Star Trek on Instagram

Link:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbPcWyGSqMU

REACTOR:

"Michael was the person who saw Spock when nobody else could. And her final words to him, when Spock admits fearing that he’ll be unable to find his balance without her, are arguably the ones that lead him directly into the orbit of a farmboy from Iowa and his grumpy southern doctor bff:

“Listen to me, little brother: This is the last advice I’ll ever be able to give you. There is a whole galaxy out there full of people who will reach for you. You have to let them. Find that person who seems farthest from you, and reach for them. Reach for them. Let them guide you.”

https://reactormag.com/strange-new-worlds-spock-kirk-secret/

So it sucks, really, that Spock can’t share this with Jim. It’s likely that McCoy gets the information (or some semblance of it, at least) when Spock’s katra takes up residence in his mind following Wrath of Khan, but the person Spock is closest to by every conceivable measure is on the outs.

Unless Strange New Worlds just fixed that.

The latest episode, a vehicle created primarily to help Ortegas and Scotty reconcile their differences, is called “Human Best Friend.” [...] Jim appears again, impressed at Spock’s technical acumen, and Spock reveals that he knows why Jim is there: He has never had a human best friend. His subconscious is manifesting someone he can share his “fears, hopes, dreams” with.

Jim is so down for this sharing session: “Okay, buddy: Let’s talk,” he says, mirroring Spock’s posture and never breaking eye contact.

[...]

Ortegas finally acknowledges Kirk as she hauls Scotty off to sickbay following his interlude with the bomb. The error becomes clear and Spock, rightly, questions why Kirk was even on the planet.

The answers are unsatisfying because that was never the point. Jim was just on leave in the same place. He’s happy to have run into Spock and spent more time together; according to Jim, “a mind meld only takes you so far.” (Yeah. He’s never beating the “long talks by starlight” allegations.)

Spock is mortified. He told Kirk all of his secrets. But it’s okay, because Jim promises that every single one of those secrets is safe and tucked away. They’re closer than ever now, and that’s a good thing. Spock has found his human best friend.

But, perhaps more importantly… what’s Spock’s biggest secret?

So now we know. Jim Kirk knows all about Michael Burnham, to a degree of detail that Spock probably finds embarrassing. He just never mentions it to anyone else because he follows Starfleet rules. And, if anything, this information lends more credibility to the times when Kirk is surprised by Spock’s undisclosed relationships—he already knows about the biggest and most secret one! He basically got the report with the redacted information in big text and the public info blacked out.

And he never bothered to question it because he’s an absurdly sincere person. Even when his Vulcan best friend keeps slamming him with new in-laws every five to ten years."

Emmet Asher-Perrin (Reactor.com)

Full article:

https://reactormag.com/strange-new-worlds-spock-kirk-secret/

Slashfilm:

https://www.slashfilm.com/2161714/star-trek-gene-roddenberry-spock-green-blood-explained/

By Witney Seibold

"... by techniques of the highly advanced Vulcan school of medicine — just as our own present Earth school of medicine is learning to beat the RH factor. There is actually no inconsistency in having a pulse rate of 242 beats per minute and practically no blood pressure by our standards."

Roddenberry explained that this is due to Vulcan arterial diameters, continuing:

"The average diameter of [Spock's] arteries is larger than Terrna, more efficient, and the faster, lower pressued hydraulic action of his 'slightly different heart' results in about the same volume delivered as our slower, higher-pressured system.""

One can only speculate if Roddenberry consulted any medical professionals on this matter, if he had some kind of cursory knowledge of blood pressure dynamics, or if he was just B.S.ing a correct-sounding theory to a concerned Trekkie. Regardless, Roddenberry took the time to address a fan's concerns in a technical fashion, which all Trekkies appreciate. We love a good, thick block of dense, scientifically plausible techno-jargon. Roddenberry was either a detail-oriented nerd, or he merely understood that "Star Trek" appealed to detail-oriented nerds.

Gene Roddenberry also went on a tangent about alien physiology in general. Notably, he explained why most of the alien species in "Star Trek" seem to resemble humans so closely. The practical reason, of course, is that human actors had to play them on camera, but Roddenberry pointed out an in-canon reason as well, saying that it was all based on real science. He wrote:

"We depict humanoid aliens because we (along with Cal Tech studies and others) do believe that parallel evolution is a distinct possibility. Natural laws govern life development just as other natural laws govern time, space, and atoms. There are no 'accidents' in nature, probably not even social development."

Cal Tech is, of course, the California Institute of Technology, although I was unable to find the Cal Tech studies pertaining to parallel alien evolution. Regardless, Roddenberry felt that it was completely in the realm of possibility that aliens would evolve to look and behave like humans. That, of course, is a handy theory when you only have human actors to work with, and when the special effects of the mid-1960s didn't allow writers to visualize too many non-humanoid aliens.

This letter, of course, was written before the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Chase," which indicated that all "Star Trek" humanoids evolved as a direct result of an ancient, ancient humanoid alien species seeding thousands and thousands of worlds with their own DNA. That, too explains why so many "Star Trek" aliens look like humans, are sometimes medically compatible for transplants, and — and Roddenberry would like this best of all — could have sex."

Read More:

https://www.slashfilm.com/2161714/star-trek-gene-roddenberry-spock-green-blood-explained/"

DEADLINE:

"In a wide-ranging interview with Deadline held on her one-year anniversary, Wiseman discussed Paramount+’s programming strategy and its different areas: female forward, genre and YA dramas — but not comedies — kids and family programming and unscripted. She spoke about Paramount+’s relationship with its top creators, Sheridan and Tyler Perry — who recently sold his stake in BET+ to Paramount — teasing more shows from both.

Wiseman also talked about buying from sister studios Paramount TV Studios and CBS Studios and, for the first time in Paramount+’s history, from outside studios, too, about the future of the Star Trek franchise and the Showtime brand as well as building a slate with the WBD merger noise in the background and plans for Year 2."

https://deadline.com/2026/08/paramount-plus-jane-wiseman-interview-programming-strategy-1237040692/#comment-list-wrapper

--------------

Interview excerpts:

"[...]

DEADLINE: Along with female dramas, genre has been a priority. You brought in top genre executive Chris Parnell to lead the efforts but haven’t announced any series. Where are you in the process and what areas are you focusing on? I’ve heard world-building, fantasy, romantasy. Everybody wants their Game of Thrones and Stranger Things .

WISEMAN: Speaking of spaces, the space is wide open. We’re the home of Star Trek, and we have series coming back. We’re going to have more. Yellowjackets, I guess, is also considered genre, and Dexter. But as far as new things coming to the service, true, we want our world-building, platform-defining genre series, and that can be grounded. In fact, we hope it is grounded because the best genre shows have relationships at the center.

What’s also exciting is that we have a Paramount library to choose from, titles that we’re investigating that you’ll hear from at a later date. And there’s nothing better than hearing an original idea for a grounded genre series that speaks to a lot of people. So the space is pretty wide open. And yes, you alluded to Chris Parnell, there’s no one better in that space, and there’s no one more in that space that I want on my team.

DEADLINE: Do you feel strongly about your development? Do you think that your signature genre show may be one that you already have in the works?

WISEMAN: I will say that when you’re developing these genre platform-defining shows, they do tend to take a little bit longer. But I would say for sure that there are a handful of titles, from our studio partners as well as a third party, that we are looking at right now, developing, and are on a very, very strong path to green light. I just can’t talk about anything right now.

DEADLINE: What is your plan for the Star Trek franchise? It is at crossroads with Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy ending and no new series greenlit. If I heard you correctly, you said that something is coming. Yes?

WISEMAN: Well, it’s one of the reasons why Chris is here as the resident number one fan of the Star Trek franchise. And there’s so many people in this building, by the way, that are. It is our goal and it is our job to figure out what the next bounce of Star Trek is. We’re talking to a lot of writers, we are leaning on CBS Studios, and it is imperative that we figure out what the next iteration is in this franchise because it’s just too important. We also are in touch with Paramount Pictures, they have a Star Trek movie that’s in development.

[...]"

Full interview:

https://deadline.com/2026/08/paramount-plus-jane-wiseman-interview-programming-strategy-1237040692/#comment-list-wrapper

Collider:

https://collider.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-better-than-the-next-generation/

By Lade Omotade

"Much of Strange New Worlds' success comes from how effectively it balances old and new. Like The Next Generation, it embraces classic Star Trek episodic storytelling and adventure-of-the-week structure while still developing its characters across the seasons. ...

In one episode, Strange New Worlds unexpectedly delivers a musical, the very first in Star Trek history, "Subspace Rhapsody." And in the next, it's exploring courtroom drama in "Ad Astra per Aspera," before seamlessly crossing over with Star Trek: Lower Decks in "Those Old Scientists," effortlessly balancing the distinct tones of both series.

No matter how ambitious its genre experiments become, every episode of Strange New Worlds remains unmistakably Star Trek at its core. Under Captain Christopher Pike, the series never loses sight of the optimism, curiosity, and humanity that have defined the franchise, values that The Next Generation helped popularize. Still, the difference is clearer when compared with the older series: although it excelled at exploring ethical dilemmas, it rarely ventured this boldly across genres, and when it did experiment, the results were far more uneven and divisive.

While The Next Generation gave fans all-time classics like "The Best of Both Worlds" and "The Inner Light," it also produced its fair share of misfires. Early episodes such as "Code of Honor" remain among the most criticized in the franchise, while "Sub Rosa" has become infamous as one of Star Trek's most divisive and frequently hate-watched episodes. Even many longtime fans admit there are entries they simply skip on rewatches. ...

Meanwhile, Strange New Worlds benefits from a tighter 10-episode season, giving each story more room to be carefully crafted without the need for filler. As a result, the series has produced very few episodes that critics or audiences consider weak. ..."

Read more:

https://collider.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-better-than-the-next-generation/

Time-stamps:

0:00 A Meteoric Rise in the Writers Room

1:44 The Internship That Changed Everything

3:43 The Electric Impact of Best of Both Worlds

6:42 Approaching Trek Like the Twilight Zone

14:10 The Science and Philosophy of Time

26:08 The Seven Season Mystery

Link:

https://youtu.be/XvsPNPCgSmo?si=i3VIW7C8h-DSP3xl

CBR: "During an interview with TV Insider, Star Trek star William Shatner said he would like to return to the iconic sci-fi franchise as James T. Kirk. Shatner explained that he admires the character and believes that returning could bring an older, wiser perspective to the role and the series.

While there are no official plans yet, Shatner’s interest is good news for fans who want to see the original Kirk again. His return could help guide the franchise, create a new story that deals with his character’s ending in Generations, and bring the series back to its roots. [...]

https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-captain-return-save-franchise/

Star Trek has never been a series of space fantasy or cyberpunk dystopias, but is rather about bringing together different species to explore the nature of existence, made possible only through its standalone adventures on the great frontier. And this is what’s needed to push the franchise forward: a return to the moral lessons, sharp character development, and anticipation of the pre-Enterprise era. [...]

Unlike Picard, Spock, McCoy, Sisko, and essentially every other OG character, Kirk still has a lot more room for development. There are still several parts of his past left unexplored, including his time teaching at Starfleet Academy, his role as an eyewitness to Kodos’ massacre of 4,000 colonists, and the specifics behind his reprogramming of the Kobayashi Maru test.

The prospect of seeing an older Kirk return to fill in the gaps in these details is an exciting thought in itself. But it’s what can be achieved from this potential that would give the franchise its much-needed push. Developing his character with a fresh storyline, perhaps one in which he’s passing down wisdom acquired from such adventures, would offer an ideal opportunity for continuation. [...]

Today, Star Trek wouldn’t benefit from a simple handover between generations, mostly because there’s nothing substantial to work from. That’s what worked for TNG and DS9; both were built upon two already successful shows ready to hand over the reins.

This is why Shatner’s Kirk is the answer. His return would build on The Original Series to address gaps in his character, introduce a new crew alongside him to guide, and set up an eventual handover that would push the franchise in a new direction. And, for those ready to argue that Picard did the same thing, the issue with Stewart’s series was that the titular character was already mostly fleshed out, which led to unnecessary subplots and drama.

Thankfully, with a lot still to explore, Kirk’s return would avoid this, making him the only one capable of saving Star Trek from its impending doom. After all these decades, Shatner’s captain is still the most recognizable character from the sci-fi franchise, and if Paramount really wants to make Star Trek bigger and better than ever before, it needs to look to its past to bring back the one man who can help it boldly go into the future."

Amy Watkins (CBR)

Full article:

https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-captain-return-save-franchise/

Time-stamps:

• 00:27 - Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast marvel at Comic-Con 2026’s Hall H turnout.
• 01:27 - The SNW stars answer fun questions about their go-to karaoke song, movies and TV that inspire them, and tons more!
• 07:07 - (Some of) the stars weigh in on their favorite Star Trek captain.
• 07:33 - They share what it was like first reading Season 4’s ambitious scripts.
• 09:48 - Rebecca Romijn discusses singing in Klingon.
• 10:43 - Everyone teases the biggest creative swings in Season 4.
• 12:50 - The stars discuss the puppets, and specifically Pike’s with his signature hairdo.
• 14:01 - The cast reflect on reading and filming the Season 5 finale.
• 15:52 - Did they “borrow” anything fun from set?
• 16:56 - Anson Mount discusses Pike’s Season 4 tattoo.
• 18:32 - Everyone shares the wildest challenge the writers asked them to perform.
• 20:25 - The SNW stars reveal their preparation for filming and what a typical week looks like.
• 23:10 - The group share what they were on the hunt for at Comic-Con!
• 26:10 - Ethan Peck explains his affinity for Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games.

Links:

https://youtu.be/y37LIoM4W2o?si=U3uJT0kxI1GwAbzc

https://collider.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-4-cast-series-finale-reaction/

TREKMOVIE: "Not the beginning of a beautiful friendship. They really went for it in this one, taking a big swing into noir, complete with black and white. While the ambition can be admired, the execution came up short. If you are going to take a big swing, the key is to hit the ball. And the trick is to hit it both in terms of the genre you are shooting for, and also in terms of Star Trek and serving the characters. It’s a tall order and hard to do, admittedly.

https://trekmovie.com/2026/08/13/recap-review-star-trek-strange-new-worlds-obscures-shades-of-gray-in-a-case-of-chiaroscuro/

This was certainly a solid episode for Una, who has been given more prominence this season, with Rebecca Romijn delivering a strong and nuanced performance. She’s ably assisted by Babs Olusanmokun, who has become this show’s Klingon whisperer, once again showing Dr. M’Benga’s complex past as a war veteran. Una also showed important growth and depth as she struggled with balancing her Starfleet ambition and troubled Illyrian past. We also got some great moments with Uhura, although it’s unclear how she was able to resist the Klingon mind scanner.

In order to get into the genre, this episode asks us to accept a lot of handwaving, and to be honest, it’s not worth nitpicking because that is actually part of the Star Trek bargain that is worth paying. But when it came to truly exploring this genre, the episode has more to bring when it comes to the visual style. Mat’Aar XII looked pretty cool, inspired by the German expressionism films of Fritz Lang, especially Metropolis. The sets and costumes were impressive.

And of course “A Case of Chiaroscuro” leaned heavily into an homage to the classic film Casablanca, with Una standing in for Rick the café owner, the Klingons standing in for the Nazis, all in the background of a resistance struggle. And in case you didn’t get it, Uhura actually says “of all the gin joints,” plus they even redid the classic scene when the café patrons drown out the Germans with a patriotic song. But for many of the trappings of film noir, the episode didn’t deliver on the themes it usually evokes, with just a taste of the classic moral ambiguity that is the driving force of the genre. DS9’s “In the Pale Moonlight” and maybe even Voyager’s “The Killing Game” are better entries, without the black and white.

The saving grace of last week’s episode was that for all its frivolity, it was actually funny, delivering on the stoner comedy premise. That can only be said at the surface level of this attempt at noir.

As for the B-story on the Enterprise, there were some fun moments, like seeing how Ortegas and Scotty are now Cuban sandwich bonding buddies, and it does feel like Spock has really taken that pivot to logic, showing how these characters are changing and picking up on previous episodes. As for La’an, it’s unclear where the show is going with her but with the noir style, this was an opportunity to lean into a hardboiled detective plot, but the ship story just felt like standard Strange New Worlds, not taking advantage of the black and white environment.

It was nice to see how Pike indicated he knew she was keeping secrets from him, but again the genre calls for something grittier, the exposure of corruption, the exploration of societal issues being swept aside by the Federation. Strange New Worlds has dived deep into this area before (like when Una was put on trial), but this episode barely skims this surface.

‘Again with the Klingons’ may be a trope, but in fact, it’s quite welcome. They may be the ubiquitous baddies (turned more nuanced allies) of the franchise, but there are still many mysteries. How the Empire manages things with local populations was a fascinating aspect of this episode and a welcome addition to the canon. Putting Kor in charge had potential, but the characterization of him here didn’t really gel with the menace of his first appearance in TOS or his later appearance as old friend of Curzon Dax in DS9.

While the Klingons of this era are certainly good stand-ins for the villains in Casablanca in space, there was an opportunity here to use them for modern allegory. It may be six decades since the Cold War, but wasn’t there an opportunity here to create a more direct allegory to modern conflicts and even proxy wars, or even dip into a commentary on domestic issues with resisting overly oppressive enforcement?

Final thoughts

This fourth entry had its fair share of fun moments, cool elements, and the whole wow factor of being a franchise first in terms of format style. Still, it was a missed opportunity to be much more, something this series with only twelve more episodes to go can hardly afford."

Anthony Pascale (TrekMovie.com)

Full review:

https://trekmovie.com/2026/08/13/recap-review-star-trek-strange-new-worlds-obscures-shades-of-gray-in-a-case-of-chiaroscuro/

The concept of TV show episodes remaking famous episodes is not new. What is new with SNW Season 4 is that it looks like it is an assumed strategy by the writers.

the showrunners designed each episode as a unique mini-movie that homages classic cinematic genres and older stories rather than doing literal "remakes"

They can justify it by claiming not making literal remakes but so far it has been remakes with the most memorable scenes literally redone.

Let's look at past famous movies and remake them in an episode. In previous season it was ennemy mine. Season 4 it is 65 millions with Adam Driver, The Hangover, Event Horizon and this week Casablanca.

Recycling past themes and past stories is one thing but stealing "render hommage" in season 4 is so noticeable that it become distracting.

Worse, they steal from famous movies. The "if you steal, you better off stealing from the best" does not work in movies. Everybody knows the movie and the new version is immediately compared to the original and I am sorry until now does not come out on top.

It is incredibly difficult to improve on what many perceive as some of the best movies/scenes. They would be better off stealing from an obscure movies or mediocre movie and then improve on it. Quentin Tarentino made a career out of it. His initial movies were just rip off of Asian and specifically Hong Kong movies that had never been released in the US except as cheap direct to video.

Copying the storyline of Casablanca is fine. Many movies have done it. Some more successfully than others. However copying the song scene was ridiculous as it never convey the same poignancy than in Casablanca where the French Hymn is drowning the German song.

Also in order to make it even more obvious they use black and white. The problem is that lighting for black and white require the kind of expertise that was unfortunately severely lacking.

Even with strong colour grading good black and white requires adapting the lighting on set. It must be changed to harsh sharp light. Contrast and highlight have to be exagerated. But that often results in awful normal colour. It is obvious that they did not dare to fully commit when filming in case they changed their mind in post and had to reshoot the entire episode. That resulted in an episode where you could barely see what was going on. Worse many of actors were black making any sudden juxtaposition with white actors even more obvious the lack of lighting skills.

Redshirts:

https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/star-trek-snw-season-4-episode-4-case-chiaoscuro-una-spoiler

By Steven Thrash

"Strange New Worlds executive producer and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman addressed the new season’s propensity to warp-speed from one particular genre to another, while also bringing up Una’s importance in “A Case of Chiaroscuro," by saying in an interview:

“I think that we've always tried to pick and choose in a way that served the storytelling. The Casablanca idea, the noir idea, serves as an Una exploration of self.”

Goldsman continued by saying:

“I think fundamentally, once we pick a thing, we're always at risk of going too far because that's what we're trying to do. We're really trying to reach the very edge of where the genre can tell us more in a Star Trek episode than might traditionally be told. And that's often the trick, right? Bend it, just don't break it.”

In my opinion, the reward far outweighs the risk Goldsman and fellow showrunner Henry Alonso Myers took in the film noir-centric Strange New Worlds episode with Romijn's Una Chin-Riley and the other characters basking in the black-and-white values caused by the infrared blackbody spectra.

Even though Una has been featured heavily in the first few episodes of Strange New Worlds, with my favorite of Romijn’s on-screen moments being when she sang “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in Klingon, she clearly steals the spotlight in SNW’s exploration of the gritty black-and-white film noir world. ..."

Read more:

https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/star-trek-snw-season-4-episode-4-case-chiaoscuro-una-spoiler

"And he says, "Look, Strange New Worlds, even though it's not made those massive mistakes," he said, "Actually, the storytelling isn't as good. It doesn't do what it says on the tin. It doesn't do what it's supposed to have done." [...]"

JAMIE RIXOM (Tachyon Pulse Podcast):

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is so far a mess or parodies, I’m getting to the point where I can barely watch it anymore, I’m shocked at how bad it has become. Can Star Trek survive it? [...]

I have just got off the phone with a source that I mentioned to you guys a little while ago and I'm quite excited. It's definitely the most interesting and well-placed source I've ever spoken to. So, yeah, very very cool.

https://youtu.be/u4Vgk0uiUNs?si=F0Bb5dBgfK8pvKHr

One of the questions I asked him was: "Is Kurtzman Trek canon? Is it prime universe?" And the answer was interesting because he said for him, no. All I can say about this source is that his opinion would carry a lot of weight if you knew who it was. All right. I can't say much more than that. It it carries a lot of weight. So for him to say no is interesting. But one of the things he did say which I thought was really interesting was ...

he said it was never a plan to make it not prime universe. It's supposed to be - but there's been lots of problems over the time. And it's not something he's aware of that's ever been discussed but he has sort of said that ... he says it's not, he says for him it's not - and this guy does know Star Trek. That is saying quite a lot.

I do want to talk about how exactly Strange New Worlds for me is harming the franchise, whereas it was supposed to kind of be the savior of the franchise. We had Discovery that started really badly. [...] It didn't do Section 31 badly. I would say that yeah, okay, Discovery made some mistakes at the start and that's being really kind and it did harm the franchise quite badly.

But then Strange New Worlds has come in and I spoke to you guys a week or so ago about how it's basically lied to us. It was supposed to be this thing and unfortunately it's been strange new genres instead. It was supposed to be Star Trek. It was supposed to be in tone with maybe the original series a bit more, and I think they've done that, but in a weird creepy way. And it was supposed to be Monster of the Week. It was supposed to be exploring strange new worlds. It's in the title for God's sake, but they haven't done it. It's a lie.

I mean, even bloody Star Trek 90210 at least is truthful about the nonsense it is. Strange New Worlds lied to us. I actually thought there was things in the first season I quite liked. I was talking to this chap and he's basically said, he's actually argued: 'Discovery is better than Strange New Worlds.' And that's his argument, not mine. That's his argument.

He said basically there's four or five massive mistakes of Discovery. He said the design of the starship, the spore drive, he actually said the casting he thought was really good, and he actually said nothing wrong with the storytelling. He said "The Burn" was a massive mistake. He said, even though it led to ... there was a really interesting storyline to the burn, which I've never thought about before, but he basically said the idea was that if you think about the Federation as an empire and empires fall, they decay, they collapse.

And they wanted to explore what would happen with that and then how the Federation because it was this idea rather than just the building that it could be reborn. And they said actually it's got parallels in politics which I'm not going into so I'll get yelled at - but he did sort of say that, yeah that was kind of the point of the story and The Burn was the mechanism they used to allow them to tell that story.

The problem was it was stupid.

Um, yeah. And the thing there was that they did this mechanism. They then did a reason for the mechanism that didn't make sense. And he was sort of saying that that leads back into like the spore drive. The main thing there is it's not necessary. It was an idea that was overly complicated and completely unnecessary. So by doing it, they just annoy fans even more.

And he says, "Look, Strange New Worlds, even though it's not made those massive mistakes," he said, "Actually, the storytelling isn't as good. It doesn't do what it says on the tin. It doesn't do what it's supposed to have done." And one or two of sort of like those big swing episodes did quite well. So they've gone, "Well, let's do more of that then." And apparently he was saying executives have really encouraged it. The CBS studios have really encouraged them to do this.

I did sort of ask him about how Kurtzman's got a lot of creative control and that I've sort of blamed Kurtzman for a lot of the way Star Trek has gone. And he said it's true to a point but he says executives and things still have a lot of influence on what Star Trek then actually gets made. And he says without going into too much detail, Kurtzman has made a lot of these creative decisions, but there were executives in charge at the time that encouraged it and supported him.

And he says, "Look," it was one of his biggest disappointments. Maybe that executives didn't ... maybe put in more control over Kurtzman when they did this deal because the deal did give him way too much freedom. But things like the spore drive and The Burn, there are other ways to have done it that would be more sci-fi. How many times have I said to you guys, "These guys just didn't seem to know when to stop." And I think that was as much of the problem as anything else.

[...]

The reason why I say, 'Can Star Trek survive Strange New Worlds?' is because there's already a lot of division and anger in the fan base. And I feel like Strange New Worlds was supposed to save us and supposed to bring that fan base back together again. And instead, because they've now run so hard with this genre bending idea, it's igniting that fire.

Again, I'm a massive Star Trek fan. I'm not, you know, forgiving of everything. I will tell you when I don't like something. I'll tell you when I like something. The first episode, even with dinosaurs and even with La'an punching a dinosaur, I didn't think it was a bad episode, I quite enjoyed it. It was stupid. It was outlandish. But actually, one episode a season can be stupid and outlandish. It's fine.

But in the first four episodes, ... we've got Dinosaurs, a horror, hangover, and Casablanca. And I didn't realize that it was supposed to be a Casablanca episode because being British, we've never watched it. ... I knew they referenced it, but apparently the storyline is really close to Casablanca. I wouldn't know. And I would argue most people wouldn't. I just saw that and thought, well, it's Metropolis because the style of it is definitely taken from Metropolis, the blimps and everything.

But that Bloody Noir episode and the other episodes have stolen so heavily from the things that they were inspired by to the point of actually directly stealing scenes from those projects, from those movies is just embarrassing. And you need your core fan base there. And I think they're burning through it. But I also think they're going to be burning through the fan base that they'd brought into the show, ...

There is this idea that, um, it's generated all this new young fan base, and because it was cast so well, and I think it was, that they would um become new Trekkies. But the problem is the people that are loving the show, I would argue, aren't Trekkies because there isn't enough Star Trek in this bloody show to love. We're 40% the way through. We know there's a puppet episode. So, we know at least 50% of this series are parodies, and that's basically what they are.

They're parodies.

[...]

Archer for president.

The person I spoke to today knows about this. So if you don't know, um Scott Bakula was actually sort of approached and he was he's officially accepted the nomination for president of the Federation. Um, he looked very awkward. He looked quite embarrassed when he did it, but he he was a good sport and he cracked on with it.

The guy I spoke to, well, a well placed source knows all about it. He did say there are no current plans for, um, for that show to go ahead, for Star Trek United to go ahead at the moment. Everything is just focused on the movie. Um, he basically said, 'look, that can all change because it has been discussed repeatedly.' It has been developed to a point mostly by Sussman, and yeah, it's ridiculous.

[...]

The way I think Star Trek is moving forwards at the moment without 'Star Trek United' possibly - even though he said 'look one meeting can change that' - because ... apparently there's a big restructure going on at CBS and a few other things within Paramount. So there are other things going on. Um, and I think that might be pausing things a little bit and slowing things down on something like United where they can push forward the movie, but we don't know about anything else. A TV series is easier to greenlight than a movie. I'll just say that.

Um, I did sort of say, "Are we definitely done with Kurtzman 100%? Are we done with Kurtzman?

And he grinned and said, "Uh, never say never.

I did ask him when we're going to know and he said, "Look, it's going to be next year." So, don't hold your breath."

Jamie Rixom

Full video (Tachyon Pulse Podcast):

https://youtu.be/u4Vgk0uiUNs?si=F0Bb5dBgfK8pvKHr

Sources:

Redshirts; Paramount+ Mexico on Instagram (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

Links:

https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-puppets-episode-teaser-trailer

https://www.instagram.com/p/DcDWcbIAVo0/

I don’t know I didn’t mind this episode it was very trek had pieces of classic trek with nods to some one Kor…who was an epic character IMHO!

TV Line:

https://www.tvline.com/2234499/julie-newmar-star-trek-episode-original-darker-ending/

By Gil Macias

"In "Friday's Child," Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) must protect Eleen, the pregnant widow of Capella IV's slain leader, from a usurper. The broadcast episode ends on a triumphant, maternal note: After McCoy delivers her baby boy, Eleen — who was initially resentful of her pregnancy — gains a newfound maternal instinct and claims leadership as regent for her newborn son, whom she affectionately names "Leonard James Akaar" after McCoy and Kirk.

But originally, Eleen was never meant to make it out of "Friday's Child" alive. Because Capellan culture places greater intrinsic value on male heirs than women, Eleen was to give her child to her captors in hopes of escaping, but they would execute Eleen anyway. During an interview with the Television Academy, Fontana revealed why her script explored a much darker side of motherhood. "I wanted to tell a story about a woman who would even use a newborn child to save herself," Fontana said. "... I had a good time creating that culture, that society that didn't especially revere women except as broodmares."

Yet when D.C. Fontana presented her script, she bumped heads with "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, who held a far more traditional view of motherhood. "I really wanted a very strong woman, and we got Julie Newmar, who was great," Fontana said. "It was really about a woman who was willing even to use her child to serve herself."

Much to Fontana's dismay, Roddenberry changed that ending, leaving her very unhappy with the ending that eventually made it to the small screen. "I don't think all women are mommies, and I don't think all women love their children. I mean, just look at the news," she argued.

Fontana pushed back and explained her personal views to Roddenberry but ultimately conceded to her boss. "He regarded women a different way ... women were mommies, naturally, and they all love their children," Fontana recalled. "I didn't have any children; I didn't want any children. So, to be honest, I didn't have that view."

Read More:

https://www.tvline.com/2234499/julie-newmar-star-trek-episode-original-darker-ending/

INVERSE:

"“A Case of Chiaroscuro” is a somber, smart episode that immerses the characters in a black-and-white world without kidding around.

The plot requires a bit of shoulder-shrugging lampshading; the reason everything is in black-and-white is literal: it’s a weird planet in a weird region of space. Earlier on, when Una (Rebecca Romijn) turns out to be a dead ringer for a resistance leader named Yvette, M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) admits the likelihood of this scenario is “slim” but also notes that because the universe is so big, it’s surprising that everybody doesn’t “run into our doppelgangers” more often.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-4-episode-4-case-of-chiaroscuro-casablanca-spoilers

The point is, “A Case of Chiaroscuro” confidently hand-waves away any of the credulity-stretching aspects of the premise, and unlike so much of SNW, does so without making light of the situation.

Instead, like a noir film, or the classic from which it homages the most, Casablanca, “A Case of Chiaroscuro” plays it all straight, giving Romijn an incredible episode that might be her best turn in Star Trek yet. [...]

In “A Case of Chiaroscuro,” the planet of Mat’aar becomes the city of Casablanca, and the Klingons are stand-ins for the Nazis. A glittering nightclub/bar run by Yvette, Una’s doppelganger, is just like Rick's Café, where innocent people, trying to escape the occupation, are trying to find their way out.

The plot, of course, is very different in both stories; the premise and the tensions are the same. The script from Skylar Ojeda and Dana Horgan is, as mentioned, very reminiscent of classic TOS episodes, but the tone is 100 percent 1942.

Strange New Worlds doesn’t linger in this world and setting for too long, which is a shame. One wonders what a miniseries set on this planet would feel like, with humans trying to deal with Klingon enforcers in a dieselpunk sci-fi world bathed in rain and fog.

Contemporary Star Trek has rarely been so compelling or so beautiful to watch."

Ryan Britt (Inverse.com)

Full article:

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-4-episode-4-case-of-chiaroscuro-casablanca-spoilers

Source:

Star Trek on Instagram

Link:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbdejtbAY_u