Episode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the best thing to happen to Star Trek in a long time, standing as a testament to what a little inspired casting and the power of social media can do. When Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn stepped into the respective roles of Christopher Pike, Spock, and the enigmatic Number One during the second season of Star Trek: Discovery back in 2019, the notion of another series set aboard the Enterprise of yore seemed like a fever dream. But when fans took to social media to voice their support for the casting choices and the characters, CBS quickly greenlit a spin-off. With Star Trek undergoing a bit of a renaissance via streaming services, did the world really need yet another iteration of the prestigious science fiction series? The answer, it would seem, from audiences and critics alike, is a resounding, “Yes!”

The height of irony is this: one of the most traditionally anti-religious television series out there has found as its most compelling lead a man who embodies one of the most nuanced portrayals of Christlikeness in modern storytelling. There are few heroes today who navigate the modern world with a strong sense of morality and right and wrong, but Pike certainly does his best despite an ugly future. And Christians (especially young ones) who find themselves caught between the siren and the sage in their day-to-day existence, hunted by the sheepskin-wearing wolf with “identity” stamped on one ear and “politics” stamped on the other, could do far worse than looking at how Pike navigates the parables and allegories of Strange New Worlds as a starting point for navigating the conflicts of today—with a clear sense of morality, unsentimental compassion, selfless sacrifice, and no small dose of grace.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned Way​”. **Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.** 

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