The debut season of the brilliant Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which charts the years Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise with fan favourites such as Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock, has finally arrived on home release in the UK.
Following the characters’ introductions in Star Trek Discovery season 2 followed by a couple of Short Treks episodes, Strange New Worlds has proven one of the best offerings of new Trek on Paramount+ thanks to the stellar cast and back to basic episodic adventures.
Available on standard Blu-ray and DVD from March 21, 2023, and a gorgeous 4K UHD Steelbook on May 15, 2023, the 10 episodes are spread across a three disc collection, offering over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes special features.
With a price tag ranging from £20.99 to £60.00 for the 4K UHD Steelbook, we take a look at the special features on offer and whether the home media release is a worthy addition to your collection.
Here’s a full roundup of what’s included:
- PIKE’S PEAK (Exclusive) – Anson Mount takes fans through his journey as Captain Christopher Pike in the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, providing a glimpse into his portrayal with intimate footage throughout the season.
- WORLD BUILDING – Led by Production Designer Jonathan Lee and his team, the season’s production design utilized cutting-edge technology to create worlds prior to shoots, allowing the actors to fully immerse themselves into scenes rather than imagine the worlds around them in a green room. Through interviews with producers, cast and crew, fans will learn about the expertise involved in the development process and how the powerful technology was seamlessly integrated into the show.
- EXPLORING NEW WORLDS (Exclusive) – Fans will explore the storylines and characters that bring Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to life with writers, cast and crew.
- COMMENTARY: ANSON MOUNT & AKIVA GOLDSMAN – STRANGE NEW WORLDS (Exclusive)
- DELETED SCENES (Exclusive)
- GAG REEL (Exclusive)
As you can see, the special features included follow in a similar vein to the Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Blu-Ray released back in January 2023, so there isn’t too much to note. However, there is a surprising bonus inclusion of the 2006 remastered version of the classic Star Trek episode “Balance of Terror” which links heavily to episode 110 (“A Quality of Mercy”). Five episodes of the season also contain deleted and extended scenes.
My personal favourite behind-the-scenes featurette is “World Building” (12 minutes) which – much like the “Creating Space” featurette on the Star Trek Discovery S4 disc – delves into how the various creative teams utilise the impressive AR wall to bring literal strange new worlds alive. Opening with Anson Mount giving us an immersive tour of the incredible size and scope of the networked hi-definition screens during filming of episode 1×09, following the USS peregrine’s crash on a hostile and snowy planet. Interspersed with the BTS set footage are interviews with the crew who open up about how the set helps with their acting process, along with an illuminating discussion from Production Designer Jonathan Lee and the further production team who reveal that the LED screens are also used as lighting when not in use and how the engineering room is brought to life on the AR wall, along with the best way of utilising it with the cameras, lighting, layering and set/stage design.
Pike’s Peak (17 minutes) is also a fascinating instalment, with lead Anson Mount documenting his journey of becoming Captain Christopher Pike via an open and honest video diary. Opening during quarantine with his dogs (and squirrels!), Mount charts his progress throughout pre-production and filming the series, including his costumes and make-up test, his work with the horses and his first exciting day on the bridge set. There’s also a welcome surprise for the cast as Mount reads out a message on the Bridge from Mike Gold of the NASA commenting “our dream is Star Trek” while wishing them all good luck.
The Gag Reel (3 minutes) is also a delightfully fun time, featuring all of the usual guffaws and malfunctions throughout filming. The cast genuinely seem like a real delight and like they’re having funny, with plenty of hilarious dances, items dropped, Pike walks into a door and brilliant fluffed lines!
The other standout featurette is Exploring New Worlds (53 minutes!) which takes a deep behind-the-scenes dive into the bridge crew and the impressive production, complete with numerous cast and crew interviews.
Verdict
Despite following a similar format to sister show Star Trek Discovery‘s special features, the behind-the-scenes featurettes prove a fascinating dive into the making of the series, with plenty of fun and fascinating glimpses at the crew throughout filming. I honestly can’t wait to see more from this charming cast!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 available now digitally, on Blu-ray, DVD and Blu-Ray Steelbook and on limited edition 4K Steelbook on May 15th.
