There is indeed a new episode that’s up today.
JFC that was some tonal whiplash in contrast to the last episode.
JFC that was some tonal whiplash in contrast to the last episode.
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Hype Train To the Stars
- Thread starter WisteriaHysteria
- Start date
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- Tags
- star trek
After sleeping on it, I still have a LOT of complicated feelings on today's episode. I don't want to get too in depth into them, because I'm curious what y'alls feelings are on this and don't want to potentialy color anyone's perspectives. Needless to say though, I think this is going to be One of Those Episodes that still gets talked about by fans decades from now.
I think this was a strange episode to sandwich between the cartoon cross-over and the musical.
Now, I just finished the episode a few minutes ago, but M'Benga committed a cold blooded murder and should be removed from his position and tried for it. I understand his reasoning and don't really quarrel with it. The ambassador's lies should have been brought to light and he should have been held accountable for what he had done, but M'Benga committing murder isn't the way to go about it. Basically, I am in complete agreement with Captain Pike.
Now, I just finished the episode a few minutes ago, but M'Benga committed a cold blooded murder and should be removed from his position and tried for it. I understand his reasoning and don't really quarrel with it. The ambassador's lies should have been brought to light and he should have been held accountable for what he had done, but M'Benga committing murder isn't the way to go about it. Basically, I am in complete agreement with Captain Pike.
I thought that showing the war through the eyes of the medical personnel was a brilliant choice. It really harmonized with the episode’s emphasis on the psychological damage that war causes. Mbenga and Chapel are traumatized people—it’s not that they’re too stubborn or hidebound to leave the war in the past, it’s that it is literally neurochemically impossible for them to leave the war in the past. Now, that doesn’t mean that what Mbenga did wasn’t murder. The fact that it was incredibly stupid and insensitive of Dak’Rah to keep pushing Mbenga to be part of his diplomatic efforts didn’t mean he deserved to die. I can imagine that how Starfleet talks about Dak’Rah’s death might have diplomatic consequences, and I genuinely don’t know whether reporting Chapel’s version of events or the real story would cause less harm. Still, while I was watching the episode I couldn’t help thinking about Operation Paperclip, and how some people must have felt to see Nazi scientists and engineers avoid prosecution because they were useful to the United States. One of the best-written and best-acted episodes of Star Trek ever, in my opinion, and all the better for the fact that it’s willing to raise uncomfortable questions and let the audience sit with them. What an incredible advance in insight into the human condition over Gene Roddenberry’s “in 300 years people will have ‘evolved’ past interpersonal conflict.”
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I don't have too much to add about the excellent drama in that ep, but I also spent half the time with the back of my brain trying to figure out where I knew that actor from and the answer is he's the police chief who was run out for an experiment in effectively decriminalizing drugs on The Wire.
I'm not, if only because at the very least he should have reprimanded M'Benga, and ordered him to take medical leave and enter psychiatric care. Great episode but I agree with you tho Badger, Doc should be in jail, which is honestly something that bothers me enough to detract from what was an insanely good and interesting episode up to that point. But I'm willing to be a little lenient because the final scene with the broken bio-bed is pretty obvious symbolic metaphor for how this ptsd-story is not over yet, so if M'Benga doesn't face consequences at some point then I'll judge this episode retroactively very harshly. But we know the final episode is going to be another Gorn showdown, so I'm willing to bet he'll snap in the finale.
Well fortunately when Thursday came and went both episodes 7 and 8 went up on my cable's On Demand availability so I was able to see both.
7: I am amazed this worked as well as it did. I would have been perfectly fine with a wacky crossover that ultimately fell apart when you thought about it too much but these two very different Trek tones melded well together.
Kind of wish we also got to see live-action Rutherford and Tendi, but I'm not as familiar with what their VA's look like so it's possible their live action versions would not have been as seamless as Boims and Mariner? Still though, would have been nice.
8: Wooooooooooow this episode. This is probably going to be another Tuvix in how it divides the fandom on moral grounds. I'm not even sure how I feel about it yet, besides the fact that it was just an absolutely stellar episode. Chapel and M'benga acted the hell out of their scenes.
Definitely feels like there's more to tell here, and if we get a season 3 it might dip back into it again. Though assuming it follows TOS continuity it's not likely he'll be imprisoned or kicked off the ship or anything because M'benga does appear as a background character in a few TOS episodes I believe.
7: I am amazed this worked as well as it did. I would have been perfectly fine with a wacky crossover that ultimately fell apart when you thought about it too much but these two very different Trek tones melded well together.
Kind of wish we also got to see live-action Rutherford and Tendi, but I'm not as familiar with what their VA's look like so it's possible their live action versions would not have been as seamless as Boims and Mariner? Still though, would have been nice.
8: Wooooooooooow this episode. This is probably going to be another Tuvix in how it divides the fandom on moral grounds. I'm not even sure how I feel about it yet, besides the fact that it was just an absolutely stellar episode. Chapel and M'benga acted the hell out of their scenes.
Definitely feels like there's more to tell here, and if we get a season 3 it might dip back into it again. Though assuming it follows TOS continuity it's not likely he'll be imprisoned or kicked off the ship or anything because M'benga does appear as a background character in a few TOS episodes I believe.
Sure, but he could still be reprimanded and kicked off the ship for a while. Because while he's still on TOS, something had to have happened where he's no longer Chief Medical Officer anymore, it's now McCoy.
Just like Boims and Mariner, they look pretty close to their voice actors actual appearance. Here's Eugene Cordero:
And here's Noel Wells, who ya know, isn't green, but just imagine the palate-swap:
In that case it's especially a shame. I suppose having four members of another cast running around would have been too much, but it still would have been great to see them.
Great episode
Musings:
1. Mbenga is played by the guy who was Jamis in Dune! (Mbenga is a great fighter, he won't make you suffer)
2. Reminded me of when Worf killed Duras. Do you think Worf got leeway due to Gowron being more federation friendly?
3. Why would the Klingons trust Dak Rah? Seems like could be dicey as an ambassador.
4. Dak Rah's forehead crest had a seam in it that bugged me. The Klingon makeup on this show is terrible
It's very rare you see an actual cold-blooded murder on Trek. Worf comes to mind with the Duras situation, and later Gowron, and Garek shooting Weyoun.
This one way more fraught too, as it was not a pure villain. Really fascinating episode.
Musings:
1. Mbenga is played by the guy who was Jamis in Dune! (Mbenga is a great fighter, he won't make you suffer)
2. Reminded me of when Worf killed Duras. Do you think Worf got leeway due to Gowron being more federation friendly?
3. Why would the Klingons trust Dak Rah? Seems like could be dicey as an ambassador.
4. Dak Rah's forehead crest had a seam in it that bugged me. The Klingon makeup on this show is terrible
It's very rare you see an actual cold-blooded murder on Trek. Worf comes to mind with the Duras situation, and later Gowron, and Garek shooting Weyoun.
This one way more fraught too, as it was not a pure villain. Really fascinating episode.
I don't remember the exact particulars of it, but IIRC Picard dressed Worf down and grilled him after how this would be a stain on his record. But IIRC Worf also took his badge/pips off and was clear this was not carried out by a Starfleet Officer, but was the honor-bound duty of a Klingon, which was A-Ok by Klingon-standards. However this was a much cleaner solution than having to arrest an influential member of the High Council for murder which undoubtedly would have precipitated an international incident.
My understanding of the episode and of this guy's position was that he wasn't an ambassador to the Klingons, rather he represented the Federation among different third parties. The idea being, if a former enemy of the Federation could be brought around to see the UFP's way of things, then that's just inherently a compelling argument for cooperation with the UFP. To the Klingons, he was definitely a coward and a traitor, even before you factor in M'Benga's version of events.
Great ep. I'm very curious if this is going to come up again. Feels like it has to.
M'Benga definitely just straight-up murdered a guy - a guy who slaughtered civilians and children - crippling Starfleet's efforts at keeping the peace. It's a messy one, but you'd think Pike would be riding harder for the big picture, ensuring another apocalyptic war with the klingons doesn't break out. It's very weird he just shrugs the whole thing off.
M'Benga definitely just straight-up murdered a guy - a guy who slaughtered civilians and children - crippling Starfleet's efforts at keeping the peace. It's a messy one, but you'd think Pike would be riding harder for the big picture, ensuring another apocalyptic war with the klingons doesn't break out. It's very weird he just shrugs the whole thing off.
Also this dude rules:
memory-alpha.fandom.com
Va'Al Trask
Lieutenant Va'Al Trask was an Andorian who served in Starfleet special forces during the mid-23rd century. He was blind in his right eye due to an injury that also left a prominent facial scar. During the Klingon War of 2256‐57, Trask was stationed on J'Gal where he served as commanding officer...
memory-alpha.fandom.com
Oh my god
I can not fully overstate how much I love this damn show
I can't believe we're only in season 2 and they're pulling out all these bonkers episodes.
On the other hand, we are just a month or so away from being 6 years deep into nuTrek at this point.
I can appreciate the existence of Discovery and Picard for allowing Strange New Worlds to get made, but that doesn't mean I have to actually like those shows either
I’m just saying: a lot of the creative talent from Disco moved over to SNW, in the same way talent from DS9 came from TNG originally. SNW definitely benefited from Disco’s growing pains.
I take back the complaints I made up-thread about La’an’s romance with Jim Kirk. They’ve really done impressive things with it since that episode.
I had a bad feeling going into this season finale and I was 100% right.
Also SCOTTY SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Also SCOTTY SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Yeah. As soon as I saw those establishing shots playing up the “nostalgic Middle American town” vibe, I immediately started to wonder what horrible thing was going to happen there.
Three thoughts on the episode:
1.) Did anybody else get an XCOM vibe from the scene with the Enterprise away team making their way down the wrecked main street of the colony?
2.) In my personal headcanon, those colonists’ idea of what a small Midwestern town is like is about as accurate as a Renaissance Faire’s depiction of Elizabethan times.
3.) WHY CAN’T THOSE STUPID HOLLYWOOD EXECS JUST GRANT THE STRIKERS’ DEMANDS ALREADY SO WE CAN ALL SEE THE RESOLUTION OF THIS CLIFFHANGER?! Seriously, this is almost a “Best of Both Worlds”-level gut-wrenching season closer.
No, like. Even before the episode began, I had a feeling they were going to do a cliffhanger. They've done so many classic Trek tropes all season and confidently done so many ostentatious things, that they for sure would be feeling themselves enough to go out on a cliffhanger.