Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star “very, very happy” with first episodes

There’s no doubt that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the most anticipated of the many new Star Trek projects in the works at Paramount. Promising a return to classic-era storytelling and perhaps a resumption of the more optimistic version of the future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned, the show will see the returns of both the original USS Enterprise and the pre-Kirk crew led by Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike.

But just how good is the show going to be? While he might be biased, Mount says that he’s “Very, very happy” with the end product based on what he’s seen so far.

Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is already in production

Speaking as part of an Instagram Live event alongside Branan Edgens to promote the third season of their podcast The Well, Mount gave an update on where he’s currently at with Star Trek. Production on the second season is well underway, Mount said, with filming taking place over the past week in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. After running late into the early hours of Saturday morning and resuming this past Monday, the schedule appears to be hectic, with Mount saying this week is “one of those weeks I am in everything.”

"[The production is going] great, great. I mean, it’s Star Trek, you know? The next three days, we are shooting on our amazing AR Wall… It’s going smoothly, amazingly. We’re surviving through COVID and all the bumps and bruises that it’s brought with it."

With the May premiere date getting ever closer, Star Trek fans are clamoring to know more about the series, and Mount promises that new details will come in the following weeks. “We are starting to gear up for the premiere of the show itself,” he said. “And that’s really exciting… There are a few things in the offing which I can’t really discuss.”

The actor adding that he’s “going to [the Mission: Star Trek convention in Chicago] in a couple of weeks, and I’m going to be seeing people there. And we’re going to be doing a lot of press. I think we are putting together a premiere for New York, but obviously, a lot of that is going to depend on how COVID rolls. That all would be happening in the week prior to launch, which is May 5.”

Uhura gets her own Star Trek: Strange New Worlds teaser

With anticipation high for the new series, particularly given recent criticism that Star Trek: Discovery has moved too far from the feel of the original Star Trek franchise, many fans are hoping that Strange New Worlds offers an alternative experience. All indications are that the show will return to focusing on exploration and optimism rather than the more modern darker interpretations of the concept. Going off the first three completed episodes that he’s seen, Mount says he’s happy with what’s been accomplished.

"I don’t like to see it until it’s all put together, and [my wife and I] have seen the first three so far. And I’m really happy with it. Very, very happy with it. We’re going to watch episode four tonight, and I have been hearing amazing things. The network, fellow directors, everybody has been saying episode four is really special. So, I’m looking forward to seeing that."

The as-yet-unnamed first episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will air May 5 on Paramount+. The series stars Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, Ethan Peck as Spock and Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, who just got her own mini-teaser:

See you in May!

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