We’re just eight days removed from the of Star Trek. Strange New Worlds season four finale and I’m already feeling the Star Trek withdrawal. In order to pass the time, I decided to go back to each of the shows four seasons and rank their episodes from 10 to one.
Right out of the gate, season one of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds lived up to its promise of a return to form for the storied franchise: self-contained planet-of-the-week episodes that balanced episodic storytelling with some longer-term character arcs. When SNW is good, it is very good. Even the lower-ranked episodes aren’t “bad” as much as they’re simply “less good.”
Here is my countdown from 10 to 1, ranking every season one episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds:
10. Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach – Not necessarily a bad episode, just my least favorite of the season. Pike has to decide if he’ll save a child from a planetary ritual sacrifice.
9. The Serene Squall – The USS Enterprise deals with a raid by pirates. Likewise, not a bad episode; it’s just that there are others that were much better done.
8. Spock Amok – The first of many “shenanigans ensue when T’Pring visits” episodes. The opening is a great homage to TOS’s “Amok Time.”
7. Children of the Comet – The Enterprise has to stop a comet from colliding with an inhabited planet. A good stand-alone hour of Trek, but didn’t do much to move characters or their stories forward.
6. The Elysian Kingdom – I’m not big on the fairy tale backdrop, but the episode concludes the arc with M’Benga’s daughter in tear-jerking fashion.
5. Ghosts of Ilyria – When a virus runs rampant across the Enterprise, Number One must confront a secret from her past. Great development for the cool, calculated first officer.
4. All Those Who Wander – The crew encounters the Gorn in an old-fashioned sci-fi suspense tale. And I wasn’t ready for the end of this episode.
3. Strange New Worlds – Easily the best series premiere of the Paramount+ streaming era of Star Trek—also known as Nu Trek. This great stand-alone episode establishes most of the series regulars as well as setting the tone for the series.
2. Memento Mori – SNW’s first great submarine-style starship battle. It’s a test of will between the Enterprise and some Gorn raiders in the great Star Trek tradition.
1. A Quality of Mercy – The season 1 finale. Pike comes to terms with his knowledge of the future, but not before living out a possible future that pays tribute to TOS’s “Balance of Terror.”
Looking back from where the franchise stands now, it’s wild to remember just how electric that first season felt. SNW arrived as a massive breath of fresh air after years of serialized binge-watching, carrying the weight of being the true torchbearer for modern Trek. While the road ahead would hit some turbulence, Season 1 remains a high-water mark of what this era could achieve.
All four seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are currently streaming on Paramount+
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
Today’s post is inspired by the WordPress Daily Prompt. While I’ve taken the topic in my own direction for the Road beyond 1,000 Days, you can find more responses to today’s prompt HERE.
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like 👍, comment and subscribe below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media and check out my recent posts!
- Rob Ranks: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1
- The Genie, the Garage, and the Budget
- Rob Reacts… The Botched Executions of Christa Pike
- Blissful Ignorance vs. The Incontrovertible Truth
- Knowing when to walk away 
AI art created by Google Gemini
The article “Rob Ranks: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob
Leave a Reply