Exclusive: Star Trek mastermind Akiva Goldsman talks about canon changes coming in Strange New Worlds season 2.
This article appears in the new issue ofDEN OF GEEKmagazine.
But that doesnt mean the scope is the same.
Not for us, but you know, for the audience.
But there was some pushback when we were developing it.
What, theyre suddenly in a childrens story?
This pop in of TV isnt exactly what people are doing today.
For Goldsman, its within these self-contained morality tales thatStar Trekcontinues to be unique.
And in the 60s,Star Trekwas the first among equals to really do that well.
So, does that mean fans should expectStrange New Worldsto be totally disconnected from canon concerns?
By episode 3, a few more familiar names are mentioned while some very old canon questions are addressed.
In fact, Goldsman tells us thatseveralkinds of crossover episodes arealwayson the table when new seasons begin brainstorming.
At the beginning of each season, we blue-sky the hell out of it, Goldsman says.
And we always leave so many episodes on the table, and many of them are [crossovers].
Obviously, we could time-travel into the future.
What if we brought back John de Lancie as Q…or as Trelane?
We think about those crossovers all the time.
And, as you know, this season, one of those episodes is coming.
But within the first few episodes, the show is taking other risks, too.
Strange New Worldsis already greenlit for a third season, but how much longer can the series go on?
As a result, Spocks smile in The Cage and his general emotionalism have become a canonical mystery.
Starting withShort Treksin 2019, its a mystery thatStrange New Worldsis still untangling.
Goldsman says something happened between The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before in terms of Spocks demeanor.
Look, when it comes to canon, were screwing with it a little bit, Goldsman admits.
There was no indication that Uhura served on PikesEnterprise.
Weve invented that from whole cloth.
Weve retconned Spock and Chapels relationship.
But, I think it is our job to get there.
And the closer we get, we have to start to resembleThe Original Series.
Why after Where No Man Has Gone Before?
If we were so lucky as to continue, I think we could even overlap.
I think that would really be interesting to actually rub up againstThe Original Series.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2 debuts June 15 on Paramount+.
