TL;DR –  A look at a bad day that only gets worse once a mask is revealed  

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Review –

We continue our look at the Short Treks with this interesting small almost bottle episode. However, like all good bottle episodes, while it does not venture out of one location for most of its run time, it takes that opportunity to pack an emotional punch.  

So to set the scene, Cadet Thira Sidhu (Amrit Kaur) is working in inventory at Starbase 28 when all hell breaks loose. Just as she is trying to work out what happened a security officer (Steve Boyle) arrives with a prisoner hidden behind a mask. The battle has led them cut off from the brig and she has to watch the prisoner until they can return. This is a difficult situation, made all the worse when the mask is taken off and it is revealed that prisoner charged with mutiny is Captain Pike (Anson Mount).

I really liked the set up for this episode, basically, you have all hell break loose, explode a couple of consoles, and then you are good to go. This gives you all the set up you need to know that something has gone very wrong. It also helps that Anson Mount is an instant presence the moment he appears so there is weight to the episode right from the start. But what makes this episode work as well as it does is the strength of Amrit Kaur’s performance. She has to play someone that is completely in over her head, but someone who has no choice but to go toe to toe with a great from Starfleet and that balance is fascinating to watch.

As the story progresses, you’ll probably see the reveal coming before the show tips its hand, because Star Trek loves their Kobayashi Marus. For me, that was about the time they started to throw around the Tholians. However, knowing what is coming did not change how much I enjoyed the Ask Not because the performances were there for it. It was nice to see not just a regulation off as each party tries to get the moral upper hand. But also to see the show really nail down the principles of what it means to be a Starfleet officer.

In the end, do we recommend Ask Not? Yes, yes we do. It is one of the shorter of the Short Treks, however, it packs a punch in is under 10 minute run time. It has great performances, the story works, and it really adds to the Star Trek world, so I would suggest completely checking it out.          

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Star Trek Short Treks yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Star Trek Short Trek
Directed by – Sanji Senaka
Written by – Kalinda Vazquez
Created by – Bryan Fuller & Alex Kurtzman
Starring – Amrit Kaur, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Steve Boyle & Colette Whitaker