“Star Trek” fans worldwide have been waiting to hear when and if “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” will be released and streamed on the Paramount+ network. For viewers who are not familiar, “Strange New Worlds” will be the story of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Spock (Ethan Peck), and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise — before Kirk took over.
In many ways, “Strange New Worlds” will be the show that Gene Roddenberry wanted back in 1964, as it will feature Pike and not Kirk. Roddenberry’s original attempt at a “Star Trek” pilot episode, known as “The Cage,” was famously rejected by NBC. Roddenberry and crew went back to the drawing board to write and film “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which was less cerebral and featured more action.
Among the changes were that William Shatner was brought in as Captain James T. Kirk. That meant that Pike (played by actor Jeffrey Hunter) was written into the canon as an earlier captain and used in the two-part episode, “The Menagerie.”
Mount came onto “Star Trek: Discovery” as Pike during the show’s second season. The audience reaction was such that CBS and Paramount decided to give this version of the original Trek show a second shot.
‘Strange New Worlds’ to debut on May 5, 2022
Thanks to a story on StarTrek.com, fans know that the release date of “Strange New Worlds” will be May 5, 2022. The announcement also comes with the news that “SNW” has been renewed already for a second season.
Also, in the release, fans know that “Star Trek: Discovery” was renewed for a fifth season; Season 2 of “Star Trek: Picard” will premiere on Thursday, March 3, 2022; the animated “Star Trek: Lower Decks” will get a 10-episode-long Season 3, which will air Summer 2022.
That is a massive transmission of “Star Trek” for fans, meaning that the new Trek will essentially air interrupted from the present until this summer.
‘SNW’ on ‘Star Wars Day’
This is interesting because that date is usually reserved for a different franchise. As for the past few years, fans of “Star Wars” have been wishing each other well by saying, “May The Force Be With You.” That sounds like “May The Fourth” to many people, and thus the informal holiday was born.
Much like “Star Trek Day,” which is September 8 — after the television premiere of “The Original Series” back in 1966 — Disney and Lucasfilm use “May The Fourth” to release news about upcoming projects.
It could be a quirk of fate, or it might be clever marketing from the folks at Paramount+, but the most highly anticipated premiere of a new “Star Trek” title could overshadow Disney’s yearly “Star Wars Day” celebration.
‘Trek’ vs. ‘Wars’ = NFL vs. NBA
This bold move should not surprise anyone, as angling for attention between massive media companies happens frequently. One powerful firm which does this type of thing all the time is the National Football League. As the most popular and profitable televised sport in the United States, the NFL uses its events to squash competitors. An excellent example of how they flex their muscles is event scheduling.
The NFL used to hold their annual players’ draft in April, but they have hosted their draft in March for the past few years. This new date happens to coincide with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, known as “March Madness.” The NFL has its own “March Madness.” The NFL Draft is watched by millions of fans and certainly draws eyeballs away from the basketball tournament.
The NFL has also started scheduling games on Christmas Day, which used to be the National Basketball Association (NBA) territory. The NFL is now dominating on that day as well.
“Star Wars” and “Star Trek” are worlds away from professional sports. The NFL, NBA, and Trek are all forms of entertainment. Having “Strange New Worlds” debut the day after “Star Wars day” might signal a new challenge to “Star Wars” dominance in popular culture.
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