'Strange New Worlds' Season 3, Episode 1 Ending Sets Up a Classic 'Star Trek' Smackdown

Because the Gorn communicate through light, Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) figure out that large solar flares can tell all of the Gorn to either wake up and start hunting or, crucially, to go to sleep. The fix? If Scotty (Martin Quinn) can make the Enterprise appear like an actual sun, the Gorn's sleep cycle will be triggered.

In classic Trek style, Scotty gives it all he's got, and it works, just barely. The Gorn invasion of the Federation is halted, and Captain Pike says, "I can’t help but wonder if we didn’t just create a problem for someone else to solve later.”

But what did he mean by that? 

Strange New Worlds Just Set Up "Arena"

At this point, Strange New Worlds Season 3 is taking place roughly in the year 2259. This puts it about six years, give or take, before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. Yes, the technology looks way better in SNW than it did in the classic show, but if you squint a little, it works. 

And, if you don't worry too much about how fierce the Gorn look in this show, then you'll probably be able to reconcile that idea with the green-rubber Gorn from the 1967 episode "Arena." In that episode, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) fought a Gorn by himself, in a kind of test to prove whether or not humans were both resourceful, but also kind.

In terms of the timeline, Captain Kirk is Captain Pike's successor, and in Strange New Worlds, is played by Paul Wesley, who is not yet a Starfleet captain. So, even though Pike doesn't know it yet, the problem that someone has to solve later will be solved by James T. Kirk in "Arena."

Strange New Worlds debuted with two new episodes in Season 3. There will be eight more after that, each dropping weekly on Thursdays. But, if you want a sequel to Season 3, Episode 1, then all you have to do is watch Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1, Episode 19, "Arena" and get ready to watch Captain Kirk wrestle in the sand with an incredible lizard man.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: The Original Series both stream on Paramount+.