Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Ends on a Tense Cliffhanger

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds just brought back a Star Trek tradition from the Star Trek: The Next Generation era: the season-ending cliffhanger. SPOILERS follow for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 10, the finale episode "Hegemony."  The season finale episode sees the Enterprise responding to a distress call, bringing them to a colony outside of Federation space under Gorn attack. The crisis is made personal for Pike because the USS Kayuga, the ship commanded by Captain Batel, whom he's romantically involved with, has already been destroyed by the time the Enterprise arrives. It only gets more personal from there.

Knowing he's going against Starfleet's recommendations, Pike only takes volunteers on his mission to search for survivors. Of course, the whole crew agrees to help. Pike takes an away party consisting of M'Benga, La'an, and Ortegas to search the colony, where they cross paths with Mr. Scott and find Captain Batel and several colonists still alive. With Scotty's help, and the work of Uhura, Spock, and Pelia back on the Enterprise, they concoct a plan to return to the Enterprise. Unfortunately, only Pike, Batel, and Scotty make it. The Gorn beams up the rest of the survivors from the colony to their ship, taking them prisoner, as several more Gorn ships arrive. As the Enterprise crew awaits Pike's order on whether to retreat, leaving the crew behind, or stay and fight, almost certainly perishing, the episode turns to black, and the words "to be continued" close out the episode.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a classic Star Trek cliffhanger.

For many Star Trek fans, seeing Pike struggling with a decision as the episode and season ends will bring up memories of "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1," the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 finale that saw Captain Picard assimilated into Locutus of Borg and Riker left in command of the Enterprise. The characters' fates were left uncertain and fans had to wait all summer until Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 began in the fall to find out what would become of Picard, Riker, and the rest of the ship's crew.

"The Best of Both Worlds" created such a buzz among Star Trek: The Next Generation fans that every season of the series after that, other than the seventh and final season, ended on a cliffhanger to be resolved in the following season's premiere. Season 4 finale "Redemption" ended with the first appearance of Tasha Yar's Romulan daughter, Sela. Season 5 ended with several members of the Enterprise crew traveling back to 19th-century Earth in "Time's Arrow." The Season 6 finale "Descent" ends on a cliffhanger revealing that Lore, Data's vengeful brother, is leading a splinter faction of the Borg. It seems Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is trying to revive that memorable Star Trek tradition.  

How to watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 streams on Paramount+ in the United States, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The second season will stream on Paramount+ in South Korea, with a premiere date still to be announced.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2's finale episode debuts on August 10th. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 is also streaming on Paramount+. It is also available as home media on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4k UHD.