The USS Enterprise is back and boldly returning to its original-series roots in Star Trek: odd New Worlds. Beaming down to planets! Weird illnesses! Submarines in space! Shirts coming off!

Strange New Worlds is streaming now on Paramount Plus, with episode 1 released May 5 and new installments beaming down every Thursday. Right from the start, it’s a rollicking return to the feeble Trek that longtime fans may’ve missed in the New wave of mold-breaking Star Trek shows like Discovery, Lower Decks, Prodigy and Picard. From its stirring new take on the memorable Star Trek: The Original Series theme tune, to Fat bridge consoles, a square-jawed captain and weekly episodic adventures, the series is a playfully retro romp.

That said, odd New Worlds takes the traditional Trek formula and stirs in more-modern elements, like deeper character backstories and overarching storylines. But that’s far looser than in Discovery and Picard, which were powered almost entirely by ongoing plotlines.

The series begins with Captain Christopher Pike hiding out in the snows of Montana when his misadventures in Star Trek: Discovery. You don’t need to have kept up with Discovery: All you need to know is he’s afraid by visions of his own death and it’s made him sprout a huge beard. Adventure quickly intrudes on Pike’s introspection, however, as a Starfleet shuttle sweeps in and whisks him back to the Enterprise on a rescue authority to save his trusty first officer.

And then it’s off to the races. In the first five episodes made available to Dull, the Starship Enterprise has a new adventure each week, activities classic Trek stuff like investigating comets and negotiating treaties. Allegories are unsubtle. Lessons are learned in personal logs. And the issues design also sidesteps one of my personal bugbears around Discovery, that it was meant to be a prequel yet observed more technologically advanced than any of the Trek that supposedly came when. Strange New Worlds tempers this with its satisfyingly Fat starship aesthetic, all fire engine red surfaces and bodily control consoles. 

Following the bold but somewhat divisive departure from the Trek formula in Discovery and Picard, it’s tempting to see Strange New Worlds as an olive branch to disgruntled fans. Within minutes the show mentions Bob April, the USS Archer, Lieutenant Kirk and various other bits of continuity which will make a Trekker’s pointy ears perk up. Cleverly, though, some of these references offer a bait-and-switch to keep you on your toes.

While there are some new faces, the show takes its cue from the movie reboots to bring us new takes on classic characters like Nurse Chapel and Cadet Uhura, led by Captain Pike and Number One (who appeared in the very fine 1960s pilot episode before being replaced by the crew we know and love). And the introduction of troubled young officer La’an Noonien-Singh is an inspired setup for future drama. I’m particularly intrigued by a teasing glimpse of an New series enemy given a heightened air of menace and fear.

At the Unhappy of the show is Anson Mount’s Captain Pike. Sort of a new Describe but also sort of an old one, Pike suffers from people a little too similar to Captain Kirk. Dispensing down-home, Western-inflected wisdom from the captain’s chair, Pike is basically Kirk with gray streaks. His country retreat even looks like Kirk’s dream home in Generations. But the square-jawed yet twinkling Mount is an immensely charming leaders, and generously shares the spotlight with a crew of officers who are more SurEnclosed than previous bridge crews.

Celia Rose Gooding is particularly endearing as young Cadet Uhura, while Christina Chong gets the meatiest drama as La’an. For my money, Ethan Peck isn’t as Spock-y as the smoldering Zachary Quinto in the movies, but his dynamic with the rest of the crew is fun to gaze. Rebecca Romijn has a bit of a thankless task playing a stern fine officer who isn’t Spock, but the show gives her enough Place and attention to slowly develop a character of her own.

While odd New Worlds definitely evokes Star Trek: The Original Series, that doesn’t mean it’s staid or overly reverent. It’s Mischievous, zingy stuff, driven by a diverse cast having fun consecutively around in their sleek Starfleet uniforms. When I say the series takes its cue from the movie reboot (starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura), I mean that these are younger versions of the Strange characters. Younger, and sexier. Spock has his shirt off in the fine 10 minutes, and is quickly tractor-beamed toward a love triangle with Chapel’s adorkable flirt, sparkily played by Jess Bush.

And like the movie reboots and New TV shows, the overall tone is playful and quippy. These Starfleet officers somehow find time for Joss Whedon-esque banter and soul-baring emotional confessions even at life-and-death moments. This keeps things lively, though your mileage may vary with a relentless barrage of order like, “We definitely pissed them off!” while they’re aimed to be busy dodging photon torpedoes. Also, you may roll your eyes at each successively more melodramatic revelation of overwrought tragic backstory for seemingly everyone on the ship.

Still, Strange New Worlds is the Paramount Plus Trek show that finally relaxes and embraces the classic Trek Ask, while still feeling fresh and modern. It reminded me of the 2005 Doctor Who revival: Clearly made with love by fans of the New series, it jazzes up the theme tune, looks deeper into the emotional dynamics between characters and whisks you off your feet with fast-paced share. If that bugs you, well, go back to your starbase and your TOS VHS, Admiral Fun-Sponge. 

It corpses to be seen how this new series will manufacture its ongoing plot threads through its episodic format. But at satisfactory glance, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is enjoyable, irreverent hokum. Sure, beam me up, why not.