TL;DR – This week I feel as if we have seen a touch of the endgame of the season, as we suddenly have what might be the first normal episode of the season.  

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

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Review Introduction

Today we are looking at a very odd episode, because if we removed it from all the context around it, then we get a solid episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, once we bring in all the context available, it starts becoming odder, as it feels almost more like a reaction to an uneven season. If nothing else, it does make an interesting episode to mark Star Trek’s 60^th Birthday.

So, to set the scene, the USS Enterprise has been patrolling one of the major trade routes of the Federation when a weak SOS has called Pike (Anson Mount), Una (Rebecca Romijn), Chapel (Jess Bush), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and A’Sha (Bianca Nugara) down to some crystalline caves. This puts them out of communication when Admiral Simon Reeger (Joe Morton) arrives by shuttle. He is a hero of the Federation-Klingon War and is chasing an echo of a ship that committed the Vaardan massacre. There is not enough time to wait for Pike to get back, so Reeger takes command of the Enterprise and makes Kirk (Paul Wesley) his number one. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Just By Itself

When you remove this episode from all its context, we get one of the most solid episodes of the season so far. This is because we are digging our teeth into a real ethical question: How many deaths warrant an indiscriminate response? You could not have picked a more prescient topic to explore given the -waves hands all around-. This is anchored by Paul Wesley and Joe Morton having a banger of an episode, rising completely to the challenge of playing this deceptively awkward situation. The whole crew idolises Reeger, but if you know your Star Trek, then you know your evil admirals coming a mile away. Watching everyone work out how to respond to a hero asking them to commit wholesale murder is a fascinating exploration to see.

I was impressed with Paul Wesley this episode, because he had the hard job of playing someone being put between a rock and a hard place, and letting his morals hold the line. I also think it was wise to address what happened in The Griffin Incident, but not to dwell on it. I mean, it does take a lot to get one over on La’An (Christina Chong). Then we have the wonderful Joe Morton, who nailed the brief this week. He brings such an aura to the role, but with a façade that may or may not be crumbling. I honestly don’t know how Starfleet would deal with this in the aftermath, and that is really interesting.   

Down on the Planet

While this is happening, we get a trap on the surface that Pike saw coming moments before it would have been useful. Now, I will say that it was nice to see Uhura take the forefront here and use her skills to cause a distraction. It reminds me a bit of Beyond. Then it was interesting to see a group of Andorian mercenaries be the bad guys. It gives a bit more texture to the Star Trek world. While I think the final lesson Pike gives Uhura was a good one, it was an acrimonious ending to Cadet A’Sha’s story, one of the more frustrating narrative elements of the season so far.

Role in the Season

However, the more that I have sat with the episode, the more it feels like an awkward reaction to the decision to fill the season with gimmick episodes, see Human Best Friend or Level-Five Transporter Accident. Once you go past the angry admiral, this episode sets up a mysterious cloaked vessel near the Romulan border massacring colonies … hmmm, I wonder what that could be. It is a trial run for Kirk at command; it sets up a villain in Starfleet, while starting the off-boarding process for some of the cast we know must leave the Enterprise before the end of the series. While none of this is wrong, it happened so late in the season that you can’t help but feel like everything was rushed. Now, if I am wrong, and this was a one-off episode and nothing that happens here comes back up this season, I will happily take my lumps. However, my gut says otherwise.           

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Yes, but with an asterisk. This might be the most solid normal episode of the show this season. However, because of this, I don’t know how this episode will fit within the vibe of the season once we are all said and done. 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.

Feel free to share this review on social media and 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: Strange New Worlds
Directed by – Sharon Lewis
Written by – Alan B. McElroy
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
With – Currie Graham, Dan Jeannotte, & Joe Morton
And – Bianca Nugara, & Ewa Wolniczek