‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’: Season 2 Blu-Ray Review – Sophomore Outing Adheres To No Boundaries

In Season Two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), confronts increasingly dangerous stakes, explores uncharted territories, and embarks on personal journeys that continue to test their resolve and redefine their destinies. Facing friends and enemies both new and familiar, their adventures unfold in surprising ways never seen on any “Star Trek” series. The 4-disc DVD, 4-disc Blu-ray and 3-disc 4K UHD collections feature every thrilling episode, including a special crossover event with Star Trek: Lower Decks, the first ever “Star Trek” musical episode, and over 2 hours of special features!

For in-depth thoughts on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Complete Second Season, please see my colleague Ben Belcher’s reviews from its original streaming release here and here. 

Video Quality

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrives on Blu-Ray with a gorgeous AVC-encoded 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio. There is also a 4K UHD Blu-Ray version of the season available that we have not been able to view yet. The series arrives with 10 episodes over 4 discs which offers a good amount of room to avoid compression issues. The fetching cinematography imbues the show with a cinematic quality that gives this new Star Trek series the care it deserves. The level of detail this presentation is able to bring forth is quite impressive, as numerous subtle details in the production design are easily identifiable. 

The color palette goes on an incredible journey with some sumptuous instances of resplendent colors radiating off the screen including the golden hues and blue and green alien skin to various other stunning colors. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to an excellent amount of detail in shadows. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire crew throughout the season. The special effects employed throughout are top-notch and perfectly rendered here. There is only a small amount of banding detectable that is likely cleaned up on the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray is quite stunning as it brings a meticulously crafted series to life in a carefully considered manner. This presentation is simply great. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an incredibly effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a truly immersive world. Dialogue emanates crisp and clear without being overshadowed by the soaring score or any sound effects. Action sequences and more kinetic moments are given the appropriate weight in the mix with a formidable showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are meticulously placed in the rear channels. The spatial awareness of the track is always on point, and the panning techniques are utilized to great effect. Special attention should be paid to the lovely score from Nami Melumad throughout the season. Her work perfectly sets the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping sound that draws you further into the show. The audio presentation is firing on all cylinders. There are optional English SDH and French subtitles provided. 

Special Features

• Producing Props: A nearly 11-minute look at some of the cool props created for this season. 

• The Costumes Closet: A nearly 14-minute look at the various costumes created for the environments explored throughout the season. 

• The Gorn: A nearly 16-minute exploration of the way the Gorn are utilized this season and how they impact the narrative. 

• Singing in Space: A 22-minute deep dive is provided for the very special musical episode. 

• Exploring New Worlds: A nearly 47-minute rundown of all the big developments throughout the sophomore voyage of this series. 

• Deleted, Extended, and Alternate Scenes

Final Thoughts

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds makes a few more stumbles during its sophomore outing than the initial season, but it remains one of the more exciting entries in the Star Trek universe. There is a tendency to wink at the audience a bit too much, yet you cannot deny the creativity on display has injected a sense of whimsy and possibility the franchise has been missing for a bit (at least in live-action form). There is some great character exploration throughout the season, and even when the big swings do not completely connect they are still quite a bit of fun. CBS Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray set featuring a stellar A/V presentation and some welcome special features. This is a series that every Trek fan will want to own, but those who want the best quality will want to spring for the 4K UHD release. Recommended 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Complete Second Season is currently available to purchase on DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K UHD Blu-Ray, and Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: CBS Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.