Drama
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Captain Pike finally gets his time in the Star Trek spotlight, but his story is one filled with tragedy and foreboding.
Alright, let’s do this one last time.
His name is Peter Parker. He was bitten by a radioactive spider. And for the last few months, he’s been the one and only Spider-Man.
The elements are the same. The details, however, are where you’ll see that things are very much different.
Because in this timeline, Peter Parker never got to attend Midtown High; that school got shut down following damage from a fight between Doctor Strange and an alien symbiote.
Because of that, Peter Parker never met MJ or Ned or any of the other characters in the Tom Holland Spidey universe. And that’s why he swung a different direction to get to school. That’s how he ended up saving Harry Osborn from a group of muggers.
So, when he returns home, it’s not Mr. Tony Stark whom he finds chatting with his Aunt May in the living room; it’s Norman Osborn, looking to offer Peter an internship at Oscorp Industries.
Yes, that’s quite different from the stories we know. But for all those differences, you can still count on one thing: Peter Parker is still your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Sure, Captain America “can do this all day,” but it’s Spider-Man who doesn’t have an issue returning to the limelight, over and over.
Since 2000, the character’s gotten 10 feature-length films and six shows as the main character. And with more in development, the web-slinging teenage vigilante shows no signs of slowing down.
Enter his seventh show since 2000, the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which places Peter under the mentorship of the villain Norman Osborn. And fans of Marvel will likewise immediately recognize the names of other heroes and villains who appear in the show, such as Nico Minoru, Lonnie Lincoln and Jeanne Foucault. In fact, the roster of comic characters in this show provides Spider-Man with a hefty number of potential opponents he’ll eventually have to fight.
It’s no problem for Spider-Man, since he’ll swing a fist just as easily as he’ll swing on a web. And if you’re interested in watching a Spider-Man entry, you probably expect to see some violence (PG, this time). But in case you aren’t up to date on some of the other characters, Peter’s newest best friend, Nico Minoru, is openly bisexual. And should she follow the route of the comics, we’ll see her soon develop into a powerful sorceress.
Lastly, despite the PG rating, viewers should note that light language is used, including “h—,” “a–” and misuses of God’s name.
And because of those things, not everything in this show will be as friendly as a neighborhood Spider-Man.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
After being bitten by a spider, Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man. Doctor Strange’s battle with a symbiote alters Peter’s future.
We see Doctor Strange cast a variety of spells. He reverses gravity, and his cape saves a child from plummeting to his doom. The symbiote claws at Doctor Strange and tosses a truck at him. Peter throws a brick at the symbiote when it picks someone up. Peter gets hit by a taxi but is unharmed. As Spider-Man, he saves someone from being hit by a vehicle. Muggers attempt to hit Spider-Man with a brick, but he knocks one of them out with it instead. He also knocks the other two out; one with a metal ladder and one with a door. We see a car crash.
Peter showers, though we only see his silhouette through the curtain.
Peter admits to having a crush on an upperclassman who used to babysit him. Nico warns that if Peter doesn’t ask the girl out, then someone else might (implying that she is interested in the girl, too). Later, Nico confirms her attraction to Peter’s crush as well. When Peter gathers the courage to ask her out, he finds that another male student has already done so. The male and female teen share a kiss.
“A–” and “h—” are both used twice. We also hear “crap” three times. God’s name is used in vain once.
Peter Parker gets recruited by Norman Osborne for an internship—but he struggles to balance fighting crime with his commitment to work and friends.
Spider-Man slams a man against a brick chimney, leaving him webbed there for the police. A man gets kicked out of a window, and he’s knocked to the ground when a fish tank then falls on his head. Spider-Man knocks a man out with a punch to the head. Someone burns down a building.
A strict man says that he won’t be like a camp counselor who lets the campers drink beer and skinny dip. At a party, two girls embrace, and high schoolers drink.
The s-word gets cut off once. We also hear a few instances of “h—,” “d–n” and “crap.” God’s name is used in vain three times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Captain Pike finally gets his time in the Star Trek spotlight, but his story is one filled with tragedy and foreboding.
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