We are back with a new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We begin right where season one left off with Number One been arrested. The Enterprise is in space dock and Captain Pike is off to try to get Number One free. He leaves Spock in charge, but Spock is dealing with emotions starting to flow through more since he let anger help defeat the Gorn. While in charge, Ensign Uhura receives a distress signal from Lt. Noonien-Singh. Spock decides to steal the Enterprise since the Admiral will not let him answer the signal because the Lieutenant has taken a volunary leave. Commander Pelia, an Engineering Inspector, helps them steal the ship as long as she can be chief engineer.
They go to a neutral Klingon planet to rescue the Lieutenant. She explains that there is a plot to incite a new Klingon-Federation war. The Enterprise tries to stop a constructed Federation ship, but Nurse Chapel and Dr. M’Benga are kidnapped on board. They have fought their way to an airlock, but Spock has the Enterprise in pursuit of the ship ready to fire, but wants to wait until the last possible minute to try to get the doctor and nurse. He fires, but the two get out of the airlock and transported on the Enterprise. A Klingon battle cruiser was nearby, and was the reason for the fake Federation ship to be destroyed – it was going to fight the battle cruiser. The Klingons and Spock form a treaty after meeting, and the Admiral pardons Spock, later explaining to another that Gorn attacks are imminent and they will need help soon. Spock stays by Nurse Chapel’s bedside while she recovers, and still has trouble with emotions, but has now found playing musical instruments to be a comfort.
With that, here we go with our thoughts on this week’s episode!
Music
Mr. Daps: “I thought the music in this episode had some highs and lows. Most of the highs were connected to nostalgia but there were some moments that I wouldn’t connect with specifically Star Trek or Strange New Worlds. The music was never bad, I guess I would have liked it to be a little be more themeatic and be an added character in the episode as opposed to just feeling right. I am definitely being a bit more critical after the triumph of the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 soundtracks that we recently heard and reviewed.”
Murray: “The music helps carry this episode and the series. It’s fun and playful, yet keeps to Trek tradition and works in this type of series full of nostalgia and new adventures.”
Design
Mr. Daps: “This episode felt a bit video-game-ish to me at points. There were some things in it that I absolutely loved but others that just felt digital. There were also a couple of moments that made my eyebrow go up, like when some flying bird things went super fast and didn’t seem to be tracking correctly. However, on the flip side I thought the Klingons were great and the design itself was good. I guess it was the rendering that I was having a hard part with as I’m thinking more about it.”
Murray: “The effects didn’t seem quite as polished to me. It was a little too unnatural to see the planet and the ships. It wasn’t terrible, but not quite as great as other scenes from the previous season. The Klingon makeup was spot on with a sense of the more modern look, yet had an edge of the past with it. I was just glad it wasn’t the Discovery look for them.”
Story
Mr. Daps: “This was a decent story. It was fun, it felt very Star Trek, and it showed some character progression. It also appeared to show where the entire season is going to go at the beginning and end. I will say I did feel like it was at times a highlight reel of popular Star Trek moments. I’m not entirely sure how I felt about Spock disobeying orders at this point in his life. However, this could be what leads to him being so rigid by the time he is on Captain Kirk’s Enterprise. We will see. Overall, this was an enjoyable episode and I am looking forward to seeing where this season goes.”
Murray: “The story had high stakes to it, and some fun points at the expense of Spock. Overall, it was a bit rehashed from other common Trek storylines. They are disobeying a command, but feel it necessary to go anyway. Spock has been in this situation at least twice in the movies. It also had that plot of two officers lost in a dangerous area that the ship needs to wait to defeat their enemy until they’re safe. It all fit together, however, and the pacing was good. I just would have liked to see something a bit more fresh.”
Hit or Miss?
Mr. Daps: “I’m gonig to count this episode as a hit. I enjoyed it over all and Carol Kane’s Pelia could easily become a favorite character in this series. I’m curious to see where the season goes and how the various characters develop throughout it. I’m also glad they didn’t bring Kirk in during the first episode. The episode ended definitely left me excited for the next one. I can’t wait for next week!”
Murray: “I enjoyed Spock in command of the ship. Having the crew reunited and getting along as a crew was great to see. The new Engineer is going to be quite interesting too. But, I give the episode a miss. I enjoyed it overall, but was hoping for something a bit more original. It was a little too much of an introduction for the season where it introduced plot points we’re going to see played out over the next episodes. I would have liked more of a self-contained episode. Still, it is one of the better Trek episodes in the newer series that have been made, and that’s saying something.”
