TL;DR – This is an episode that leans hard into horror.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service used to view this series.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

Throughout the history of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it has had the habit of dipping into different genres for a surprise episode. See, for example, the musical episode Subspace Rhapsody. But there is one genre that they have danced around but never dived into: supernatural horror. Well, today is the day it commits.  

So, to set the scene, Spock (Ethan Peck), La’An (Christina Chong), and Kirk (Paul Wesley) are all hitching a lift home with each other from the Future Federation Leader’s conference. When they pick up an odd distress call coming from an asteroid field. Of the many things they were expecting, nothing prepared them for the USS Griffin, a ship lost for nine years, light-years away from its current location. They beam aboard, and for some reason the ship has power when it should have lost it years ago, but things take a turn when they have only one hour to find out what happened to the ship before it all shuts down. Even more so when someone lurks in the hallways with them. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

What Goes Bump in the Night

When I say it leans hard into the Horror genre, I am not putting it lightly. While there have been a lot of episodes that have dabbled in this feeling, I think this is the first one I can think of that dives in full force. Body horror and all. It starts just weird and unsettling, like flashing lights will do in just about any scenario. Talking to you, that one light near the lake that has never worked properly. But at each stage of the episode, it slowly ramps up the tension, ramps up the unsettledness, and ramps up the horror. The fact that there are absolutely no reliable narrators in an episode that splits people up as quickly as it can only adds to the tension.        

It’s Bubble Time

There are a lot of things this episode is, one of which is a bottle episode. This is a contained episode on limited pre-built sets, with a limited guest cast. Thanks to the USS Griffin being another Constitution-class vessel, it fits all the boxes. While these sorts of episodes can be quite dull, they can also be used to let performances shine. Here, our lead trio go through hell in this episode, and Christina Chong, Paul Wesley, and Ethan Peck perform their hearts out. Even if one of the hearts is apparently in the wrong spot, it is that power that kept me captivated for the entire runtime. Each character is confronted by a personal demon rooted in their family relationships, which makes it unfortunately realistic for many people watching.   

No Resolution

One thing I think will separate people’s experiences with this episode is how much you will land on the episode not having a resolution, or at least an explained resolution. There are no answers. Was Rose Harper (Sorika Wolf) the only sane person saving Starfleet from an infection or a mass-murdering psychopath? Who knows, was she even there at any time? Is it okay for Pike (Anson Mount) to downplay attempted murder? I am kind of not sure how it sits with me now that I have time to mull over what I watched. It is a bold choice, especially given how presence some of the lines of dialogue will be. Though the fact that Division 12 was name-dropped with such intensity tells me that this might not be the last time we encounter this ship/entity this season.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Look, I am sitting here about to go to bed and wondering if it was wise to watch this episode in the evening. That is either a strong recommendation to give this episode a watch, or to give it a pass. Have you seen Star Trek: Strange New Worlds yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

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

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Directed by – Axelle Carolyn
Written by – Robbie Thompson
Created by – Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, & Jenny Lumet
Based On – Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
Production/Distribution Companies – CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, Weed Road Pictures, HMRX, Roddenberry Entertainment, & Paramount +
Starring – Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Martin Quinn, Paul Wesley, & Rebecca Romijn