Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is off to a hugely successful start, but the future of the franchise rests with Star Trek: Picard season 3. While Picard and Star Trek: Discovery have been somewhat polarizing shows among both audiences and critics, Strange New Worlds season one was largely met with praise, notably for its embrace of the classic Star Trek: The Original Series premise of space exploration and its character of the week structure reminiscent of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Most Star Trek shows have struggled somewhat in their debut seasons, but Strange New Worlds understood exactly what it wanted to do from the very first episode.
While not as controversial as the iconic Star Trek: Discovery, the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard have been met with a decidedly mixed response. Whether it be the surprisingly violent deaths in season 1 or the Europa Mission plot that didn't always make sense in season 2, Star Trek: Picard has not enjoyed the same level of adulation that Strange New Worlds has to this point. Regardless, it would be a mistake to assume the future of the ever-expanding Star Trek universe will be built around Strange New Worlds and not Picard.
Why Strange New Worlds Is A Narrative Dead End
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gets so much right about the final frontier that it's easy to assume the franchise will build around it. But there's a harsh reality about the series that there's simply no avoiding, Strange New Worlds is a prequel where the fates of most of its characters are already known. Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike is a revelation, but he must inevitably give way to James T. Kirk and the events of TOS. Ethan Peck's iteration of Spock is fascinating, but it will never be able to match the original version played by Leonard Nimoy over six decades.
Not only do the characters of Strange New Worlds largely have set futures, but the show is set in an era of Star Trek that has been well covered by multiple projects. Part of the reason Star Trek: Discovery left the 23rd century behind in season 3 was to break free of the narrative shackles that held it back by virtue of being a prequel set so close to the events of TOS. Part of the charm of Strange New Worlds is the fact it embraces the aesthetic and ethos of TOS, but that virtue means it's eventually going to hit a narrative dead end.
Picard Will Push The Story Of Star Trek Forward
Star Trek: Picard season 3 is in a perfect position to expand the scope of the franchise on the small screen. While season 3 may be the end of the story for Jean-Luc Picard, it's still highly likely the adventures of the 25th century will continue on with popular legacy characters like Will Riker and Seven of Nine. As showrunner Terry Matalas has noted, Picard season 3 is not only a continuation of TNG, it's continuing the legacy of the other '90s Star Trek shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
It's not yet clear how exactly Star Trek: Picard season 3 will push the overall narrative of the franchise forward. The show's plot has been heavily guarded, with hints of a story much wider in scope than the relatively personal stories told during the show's first two seasons. But embracing the timeframe and characters of TNG, DS9, and Voyager, arguably Star Trek's most successful era, seems like an obvious way to move the franchise into new and original territory while honoring what came before.