Dan Cooper from Engadget:

Sadly, it’s trapped in the usual mix of faux-melodrama, clanging dialogue and dodgy plotting with the usual lapses in logic. Many writers are blind to their own flaws, which is why it’s so amusing that this is what Kurtzman and co. feel is a radical departure from their own work.

Maybe I’m being unfair, but this is the seventh season of live-action Star Trek released under Kurtzman’s purview.

The "promise" in his review title turns out mean he found the comic relief in a more lighthearted episode "actually fun," and this reminds him of why he once liked Star Trek. Calling that "promise" seems unduly charitable, as it amounts to no indication of a trend. (Prior attempts at comedy, like the Tribble ads that mimicked "Gen X" kids' cereal commercials, seemed like an utterly desperate attempt among writers to find some noteworthiness, after sensing they couldn't find it any other way, by flailing themselves through the fourth wall.)

Everything else in his review indicates what has seemed obvious for some time: for indication about what this series will be like, inspect the aforementioned six seasons. I think that's the only real reason I would post this kind of thing: for the consideration of those who saw the trailers and reflexively thought "finally, this time, they understand…".

Here's his full review:

• 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' has promise, and the usual frustrations