Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, "New Life and New Civilizations" | Season 3, Episode 10

With our coverage of Strange New Worlds' third season coming to a close, a taste of Zack's review of the finale for all subscribers—if this is what might entice you to join the ranks of our Regular Viewers, a reminder that our yearly subscription drive ends on 9/30. Find out more here.

I sometimes make noises while I watch TV shows. I laugh at good jokes, of course, and I might sigh or tear up if something is particularly moving, but I also have an involuntary response when I see something I find particularly egregious. Something like, oh, I dunno, lazy storytelling. You won’t be surprised that I’ve made some noises throughout this season, and I made several noises watching “New Life and New Civilizations.” I can only hope that my roommates will forgive me. 

This is a deeply frustrating, extremely lazy episode. I’m not sure if it’s the worst hour the show has produced thus far, but it is quite likely the most disappointing; even after a season of disappointments, this one hurt. It’s one thing to do an over-the-top gimmick that coasts on the charisma of the ensemble (and the consistently gorgeous effects and design work of the behind-the-scenes crew). It’s another entirely to try for some galaxy spanning, eons-in-the-making conflict between good and evil, and end up with a plot that seems to be constructed out of Mad Libs. 

That’s the fundamental problem with this one, at least for me. Strange New Worlds isn’t a show I come to for airtight narrative structure, but I do at least expect a basic level of craftsmanship, and for whatever reason it’s been in short supply this season. But even the emptiest episodes before this one pale in comparison to “M’Benga is a child of prophecy” or Marie’s “I have all the components to be the ultimate warrior!” or “We have this race, and we’ve decided it’s evil, because every culture has a story about evil.”