The show could explore so many things (Picture: Jan Thijs / CBS Interactive)

We’re a week away from the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery – the latest addition to the Star Trek world – which is due to land in America on CBS All Access on September 24, and on Netflix worldwide a day later.

After over 10 years off our screens, the new Star Trek series is going to have a lot to live up to, as fans and casual viewers alike will judge this latest effort on its success.

With that in mind, then, here are the most important things we want to see from Star Trek: Discovery.

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Bold new ideas and unexpected choices

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It’s the most important thing to ask of any new show, of course – something you haven’t seen before. Something that will surprise and engage and compel you, keeping you on the edge of your seat and totally transfixed by the screen.

But it’s something that’s even more important to ask of a new Star Trek show – not least because, with 50 years of history behind it, it’d be very easy to give viewers something they’ve seen before.

Star Trek has always been a show about people who push boundaries – so the drama itself should be much the same.

Avoiding an over-reliance on continuity references

Not too many references to the past please – or is it the future? (Picture: CBS via Getty Images)

It’s closely linked to the above point, of course – we need to avoid too many references back to the original Star Trek series.

As much fun as they can be, there’s a danger of getting too bogged down – of alienating the new viewers the show hopes to attract.

With Star Trek: Discovery set to see the return of characters like Sarek and Harry Mudd, there’s a danger that this might prove to be the case – hopefully, though, it won’t prove too distracting.

Political allegory and commentary on the real world

One of the things Star Trek is known for is using science fiction as an allegory to comment on the world around us – across its 50-year history, it’s made stories about the Vietnam war, 9/11, and the civil rights movement among other things.

It’s one of the things that gives the show the strength to endure, and something worth preserving in this new series.

In a way, the Star Trek: Discovery’s choice to be a prequel series could offer ample opportunity for such commentary.

The original series was made at a time when America and Russia were experiencing great tensions; as such tensions open up again, returning to this idea to re-explore just how much the world has changed in 50 years could be the basis of some genuinely engaging drama.

A genuine Utopian vision

(Picture: Jan Thijs / CBS Interactive)

Star Trek is often hailed for having an Utopian vision, an inspiring view of a future where everyone is equal.

People cite the multiracial cast and positive allegories of the series – but if you actually watch the programme, it’s painfully obvious that a lot of this is rose-tinted nostalgia.



A lot of episodes are painfully misogynistic – one early episode sees Kirk attempt to rape a woman, while Spock makes jokes about how she probably wants it anyway – which is hardly in keeping with the Star Trek people remember.

And so, as Star Trek: Discovery goes back to give us a prequel to the original Star Trek, it should also improve upon its predecessor too.

It’s part of the way there, giving us Star Trek’s first WOC lead and LGBT main character, but it’s time to go the extra mile, and live up to the promise the original series left unfulfilled.

In 2017, isn’t that exactly what we need from Star Trek?

Alex Moreland is a freelance writer and student based in London. You can read more of his work here.

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