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What is your opinion of season 3 as a whole?

At my most generous:

Three episodes I absolutely loathed.
Two that I didn't like very much but had redeeming qualities.
Five that were okay-ish, with some peaks and valleys.
 
Overall, a step down from season 2, and a major step down from season 1.

"Shuttle to Kenfori" is the only one, I believe, that I rated a 9 or up. A few were really good ("What Is Starfleet?", "Through the Lense of Time", "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail"), "Hegemony, Part II" was pretty good, and "Terrarium" was good but screwed up the end, enough to sour the whole episode.

More duds this year than others... "Wedding Bell Blues", "A Space Adventure Hour", "Four and a Half Vulcans", and "New Life and New Civilizations". More duds this year than seasons 1 and 2 combined. ("The Serene Squall", "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", and especially "Subspace Rhapsody" are the only real duds of SNW up until now.) Considering how short the seasons are, that is NOT good.

I really hope we get a return to season 1 form for season 4.
 
Entertaining, for the most part. It probably suffered from the strike, possibly funding cuts, and whatever else has been going on in the background. I will probably end up watching Hegemony 2, Wedding Bell Blues, A Space Adventure Hour, What Is Starfleet? andd Four and a Half Vulcans most often as I found them most entertaining.
 
“Hegemony Part II” was underwhelming and was a rehash of TNG’s most iconic episode.

“Wedding Bells Blues” was a big waste of time. And all to confirm a decades old fan theory. Surely there were better, more interesting ways to get there. The episode was also a missed opportunity to introduce a certain one off TOS character that could have also offer follow though on Chapel being bi as SNW alluded to.

“Shuttle to Kenfori” undermined “Under The Cloak of War”. Period.

“Space Hour Adventure Time” was fun. Unlike some fans, I did not feel like I was being laughed at by Star Trek with this episode. Though it did riff on TNG a bit.

“Through The Lens of Time” at the very least gave us a strange new world.

“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tails” suffers from focusing on Kirk, instead of someone else on the Farragut like the captain. And that its moral quandary is not really a quandary once you remember that ENT S3 and all of VOY exists.

“What is Starfleet?” in hindsight should have been a Long Trek, or even the show’s series finale. It’s an interesting concept that did not realize it’s full potential. Not sure if budget was to blame, but that should not have been the shortest episode of the season. But this big swing turned into one of the biggest misses. All because the slice of life aspect that would have pushed this episode into the classic range was instead used to carry “Four and a Half Vulcans” to watchability.

“Four and a Half Vulcans” should have been dumped because of bioessentalism. Then SNW could have had more time for the finale. And if they needed their regular Spock comedy upside so bad, again, “What is Starfleet?” was right there.

“Terrarium” is a great episode that is also once again a TNG rehash. And ends with a situation that does not get followed up on.

“New Life and New Civilizations” had too much packed in and going on for it to be really good. And not only riffed on TNG, but also DS9’s The Reckoning.

This season was very lacking in originality, and was more TNG than TOS. And the parts that were original were not developed very well.

Hopefully Season 4 is a stronger outing.
 
While I don't feel this season was quite as strong as seasons 1 or 2, I was still, for the most part, pretty pleased with it. The fact that it includes my favourite episode of the entire series, The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail, probably helps.

That episode really highlights what I love about Strange New Worlds: strong character work, a compelling story, and moments that feel deeply connected to the heart of Star Trek. Throughout this season, one of my favourite things was watching the relationship between Kirk and Spock develop. I consider them to be the two most important characters in the entire franchise, so it only feels right that the show explores the early stages of their friendship. Their interactions this season were handled with care, and seeing their dynamic take shape added a layer of meaning and nostalgia that really resonated with me.

One of Strange New Worlds' biggest strengths has always been its willingness to try different things. And while none of the big swings this season reached the heights of last year’s Subspace Rhapsody, I still think, for the most part, they worked out fairly well. Even when an episode didn’t fully land, I appreciated the ambition behind it.

The show continues to be one of my favorites in the franchise, and with the foundation they’ve built for both the ensemble and the Kirk / Spock relationship, I’m excited to see where it goes from here.
 
Proving the subjectivity of taste, "Tomorrow" is one of my favorites from SNW!
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is also one of my favorites.

Of this season, I didn’t care for Sehlat, Through the Lens of Time, or the finale. I admire Terrarium and Shuttle to Kenfori without truly enjoying either.
 
I enjoyed S3, but did feel it was a step down from the previous two seasons. I thought one episode was really bad(the Holosuite/Clue episode) the rest were just ......fine. There were no real standouts for me or anything I would put on a Top 10 list. Doesnt change my opinion that this is the best of the CBS/Paramount plus treks and I look forward to S4.
 
It was easily the weakest season of the show. But also very much a mixed bag.

Felt like all the more “lighthearted” episodes either fell flat (Space Adventure Hour) or were just outright terrible (4 1/2 Vulcans). But all the more serious episodes were mostly well done, even if Sehlats Tail was just a backdoor pilot for Kurtzman’s “Kirk:Year One” dream show.

It’s maybe the best example of a season that needed another 2-5 episodes to let thing breathe. Maybe the lighthearted stuff would have worked better if they didn’t feel like they were stacked on top of each other. Plus it would have given the Vezda a chance to really feel like a big bad.

It was good to finally get an Ortegas episode.

But there was still too much Kirk.

And I didn’t like Scotty too much. I think they casted him too young and had him be too inexperienced. He always appeared to be an “elder statesman” along with Bones on TOS. Here he comes of just as green as Uhura and being just 4 years to TOS I just can’t picture him as the Chief Engineer when Kirk takes over. It feels like they cast him young and in-experienced just to contrast with Pelia who is older and knows everything.
 
A poor season, the worst of the three. Writers that are afraid to write, to broaden Trek. Sticking to well travelled paths and humour, as humour is easier to write than a story that challenges you or maybe upsets someone or dare to invoke anger.

It's such a talented cast, and they are wasted on this unfocused mess.
 
And I didn’t like Scotty too much. I think they casted him too young and had him be too inexperienced. He always appeared to be an “elder statesman” along with Bones on TOS. Here he comes of just as green as Uhura and being just 4 years to TOS I just can’t picture him as the Chief Engineer when Kirk takes over. It feels like they cast him young and in-experienced just to contrast with Pelia who is older and knows everything.
While he doesn't look 11 years older than Kirk (he'll be hitting the scotch hard for a couple years to catch up) I think his personality works.

I recently rewatched Relics and I can see Scotty's origins in SNW lining up with it quite well. He was never a chief engineer until the Enterprise so still being a lt jg at 37 isn't out of sync. He says he only ever wanted to be an engineer, he isn't a pip chaser and even defers command of the Jenolan to LaForge despite being a captain.

His whole thing about lying about how long reports will take and how starship captains are like children just oozes Pelia you can hear her voice saying that to him.

Elder statesman as best as I understand it as a non American would be someone who projects authority in a stuffy old person way and I don't think Scotty is that. He's a tinkerer, a mechanic. He just likes to get his hands dirty. A more Tucker or O'Brien style engineer than LaForge who is more technical and by the book.
 
They doubled down on everything I disliked about the second season, and almost entirely removed what I did like. The standout of the season was Sehlat, but even that was a very by-the-numbers episode and botched its ending.

My impression of the show overall is that the first season held a lot of promise, which the second season started to squander, and the third frittered away. I'm still on board for season four, but at this point the only thing pushing me forward is the scant remainig residual goodwill from S1, and a dumb completionist desire to see all live-action Star Trek.

Well said Starflight. I'll watch season 4 as well but I won't be so much as hopeful as I was during the first season. Knowing we have a puppet show on deck doesn't give me a lot of hope we are going back to season one quality storytelling.
 
Sorta up and down on the season. Overall thought it was good, but not as strong as 1 or 2.

Hegemony Part II - meh
Wedding Bell Blues - great
Shuttle to Kenfori - okay
A Space Adventure Hour - good
Through the Lens of Time - okay
The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail- best episode of the season
What Is Starfleet? - meh
Four-and-a-Half Vulcans - good
Terrarium - good
New Life and New Civilizations - okay

Overall I thought it was fine, and I'm excited for the next season. Even in episodes I overall didn't really care for on a rewatch, there were still parts that I really liked. There's some fair criticisms to be made, but overall I'm excited for the next season.
 
Sorta up and down on the season. Overall thought it was good, but not as strong as 1 or 2.

Hegemony Part II - meh
Wedding Bell Blues - great
Shuttle to Kenfori - okay
A Space Adventure Hour - good
Through the Lens of Time - okay
The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail- best episode of the season
What Is Starfleet? - meh
Four-and-a-Half Vulcans - good
Terrarium - good
New Life and New Civilizations - okay

Overall I thought it was fine, and I'm excited for the next season. Even in episodes I overall didn't really care for on a rewatch, there were still parts that I really liked. There's some fair criticisms to be made, but overall I'm excited for the next season.
I agree. I would've preferred more orginality though.

Looking forward to Season 4. Yes, even the puppet episode!
 
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