The 2024 nominee list for the prestigious Hugo Awards have been announced, and two Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 episodes earned nominations.
2 Strange for the Hugos
The World Science Fiction Society has been honoring the best in science fiction and fantasy with the Hugo Awards since 1953. For 2024 Strange New Worlds has two nominations in the category of Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. The two second season episodes nominated are the Lower Decks crossover “Those Old Scientists” (written by Kathryn Lyn & Bill Wolkoff, and directed by Jonathan Frakes) and the musical episode “Subspace Rhapsody” (written by Dana Horgan & Bill Wolkoff, and directed by Dermott Downs)
L-R Carol Kane as Pelia, Christina Chong as La’an, Ethan Peck as Spock in “Subspace Rhapsody” (Paramount+)
The two Strange New Worlds episodes are competing against episodes from Doctor Who (“The Giggle” and “Wild Blue Yonder”), Loki (“Glorious Purpose”), and The Last of Us (Long, Long Time”).
The two nominated Trek episodes are both fan favorites and stand-out installments of the already popular Strange New Worlds series. Both are held out as prime examples of the “big swings” the show is taking integrating different genres within its episodic format. If either were to win, it would be recognizing a moment where Star Trek truly went above and beyond to offer something new to the audience.
Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, and Anson Mount in “Those Old Scientists” (Paramount+)
Strange New Worlds becomes the third Paramount+ Trek show to be nominated for a Hugo Award, followed by Discovery in 2018 and Lower Decks in 2022. It is the first Trek show to get two episodes nominated in the same year since Enterprise in 2003. The last franchise Hugo win was for the TNG series finale “All Good Things” in 1995.
Bill Wolkoff, who co-wrote both nominated episodes of Strange New Worlds, took to Twitter/X this afternoon to express how he was “humbled and speechless” to be nominated…
I am legitimately humbled and speechless… Subspace Rhapsody and Those Old Scientists are both Hugo Finalists… among other shows I am in awe of… 🤯 #StrangeNewWorlds pic.twitter.com/Ox8x92hE2K
— Bill Wolkoff (@flying_lobster) March 29, 2024
And Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan, who also had a hand in “Those Old Scientists,” shared the love of seeing that episode get recognition by the Hugo Awards.
Love seeing Those Old Scientists getting a ‘24 Hugo nom!🖖 pic.twitter.com/uP4GgauilZ
— Mike McMahan (@MikeMcMahanTM) March 29, 2024
Hugo voting will open in April and the awards themselves will be presented at The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Glasgow in August.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe.
