By the end of season 2, I was of the opinion that SNW has had several good, even very good, episodes, but I was still waiting for it to have its great episode. The one that puts it on the map in the way that Measure of a Man or Duet did for earlier shows. I largely like the look of the show, I largely like its actors, and I felt that it was only a matter of time before it finally found its footing and reached those heights as well.
After season 3... I'm not sure I'm as optimistic. If I had to describe this season, I would say that the writers are writing for characters first and foremost. They decide that it's time for a Spock episode, or a Kirk episode, and they write the character's arc through the episode first, then craft the rest of the episode around that. That's not a wrong way to make an episode, persay, but I think it does lead to the "Strange New Worlds" feeling like an afterthought. I like Star Trek for the interesting scenarios that only a science fiction program can provide, but the show this last season has lost that interesting spark for me. I think even at its worst I like it a hell of a lot more than I liked Discovery or Picard, but with season 4 being filmed already, I suspect the show will continue down this path for the majority of its remaining run.
