Summary
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode was a successful big swing, landing in the Nielsen streaming Top 10 and having its soundtrack top the Apple music streaming charts.
- Dr. Agnes Jurati singing in Star Trek: Picard season 2 set the stage for the idea that Star Trek can do a musical, which Strange New Worlds delivered.
- While it's unclear if there will be more musical episodes in Star Trek, the success of Strange New Worlds' musical episode suggests that it could be a possibility for other Star Trek shows, though it may lose its novelty if done too frequently.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds delivered the first-ever Star Trek musical, but Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) in Star Trek: Picard season 2 set the stage for it. Directed by Dermot Downs with music and lyrics by Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley and Tom Polce, Strange New Worlds season 2's musical episode, "Subspace Rhapsody," was a successful big swing by the Star Trek prequel show. It resulted in Strange New Worlds' musical episode landing in the Nielsen streaming Top 10 and the soundtrack topping the Apple music streaming charts.
Star Trek's first musical episode not only showcased the vocal chops of Strange New Worlds' cast, especially Celia Rose Gooding and Christina Chong, but it was also a riveting exploration of the innermost feelings of the USS Enterprise crew. Ensign Nyota Uhura (Gooding) embraced her role as Communications Officer and saved the galaxy, Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) faced his disappointment at the end of his romance with Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Chong) realized she has to open up to others besides Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Strange New Worlds' musical was no mere gimmick; rather, it was a new and wonderfully entertaining kind of Star Trek story.
