Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season Two (TV series review)
Ten more episodes of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ in its second season and continues on from the end of the first season when Number One, Una Chin-Riley (actress Rebecca Romijn) has been taken into custody for being augmented. I think finally we are seeing the more nastier side of Starfleet and the Federation of Planets. No due process or trial, just jailed for being genetically enhanced and she didn’t even have a say in the matter but was just born that way. Starfleet also don’t do their own security checks on personal, just relying on them signing a piece of paper. I haven’t seen a sign of their computer lie detector devices as used in the original ‘Star Trek’ yet, but like Spock’s Vulcan harp, I suspect it will be revealed when needed.
Although my focus is going to be the problems I see about Starfleet and its protocols, it does look like I shall have to give the odd synopsis detail from time to time. I suspect the Trek websites have already analysed their interest to death by now anyway.
For the first episode, ‘The Broken Circle’, the Enterprise is again back in spacedock being repaired and Captain Pike (actor Anson Mount) is taking a furlough to travel across the quadrant to see if he can get his Number One released by finding a good lawyer. It might not give distance or speed, but we’re talking about a day there and back and a day on the planet on an established space route. Things are definitely faster in this reality than the original series.
Even so, that leaves Spock (actor Ethan Peck) as captain of the Enterprise and a message from La’an Noonien-Singh (actress Chrstina Chong), currently on planet Kajtar IV, shared on a bimonthly basis with the Klingons to mine dilithium. She has spotted a dangerous insurrection going on and needs Starfleet’s help. Admiral April (actor Adrian Holmes) refuses on the word of an ex-security chief and Spock talks to his bridge crew for their co-operation in stealing the Enterprise and get the auditors off before going. All but one leaves, their leader Commander Pelia (actress Carol Kane) figured out what is going on wants to join in. Presumably, other crew members on-board just went along although we don’t see any.
Herein lies multiple problems for this crew. Spock has ignored a direct order to do nothing. He has taken or ‘stolen’ the Enterprise for an unauthorised mission on his own cognisance that could jeopardise the peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Even though he’s proven right when returning to spacedock, no disciplinary action is taken or even on his or crew’s records. Granted it would probably be no more than a slap on the wrist, it leaves things wide open for other Starfleet captains or their second officers to take things into their own hands when they decide because they know they can get away with it. All of which are court martial offences even if he was acquitted.
There is also a little matter of the Klingon starship having stealth technology or at least it looked that way with the way it appeared. Considering that hasn’t happened yet because they got it from the Romulans, its another thing different with this reality.
Likewise, Doctor M’Benga (actor Babs Olusanmokun) and Christine Chapel (actress Jess Nush) seem to know more about Starfleet transponders than their training would allow. I’m also puzzled why they conveniently carry an illegal super-serum so they can fight the Klingons. Considering they were rescued after a few seconds in space sans space helmets, you would have thought after seeing how clothes could be added in the transporter that they could have had cellular damage repaired in a similar way.
The second episode, ‘Ad Astra Per Aspira’, translated means ‘to the stars through hardship’, has to be one of the rare times a quote from an episode is used in the title. This is really the trial of Number One, Una Chin-Riley (actress Rebecca Romijn). Pike’s trip out is to go the Allunarian homeworld to get a lawyer, Neera Ketoul (actress Yetide Badaki), to defend her. The world has a toxic atmosphere for Pike and I doubt if anyone not augmented could survive there. For once, the trial puts Starfleet and Federation in a bad light as to what they will accept or not and Ketoul makes a valid point about acceptance of anyone into their fleet and wins. It isn’t like it hasn’t been done before with Lieutenant Data, much further into the future, although this time its not given to Starfleet to be both prosecutor and defender, which sort of stacks the deck in their favour. Assuming they go the route to the next century, it does indicate that they haven’t learnt if the same events happen again. Every Utopia has its dark side and as I commented when reviewing the first season, Spock’s half-human/half-Volcan status should have had him kicked out of Starfleet for being an augmented hybrid.
It’s evitable that there would be a time travel story but this time using the security officer La’an Noonien-Singh as she finds an apparent dying stowaway in the third episode, ‘Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow’. She activates the device he had after he dies and appears on a different Enterprise, captained by James Kirk (actor Paul Wesley) who doesn’t know who she is and informs her he belongs to the United Earth Fleet, so there is no Federation. Presumably, there is no La’an Noonien-Singh in his reality neither. Trying to explain to Kirk in private what has gone on, they activate the device again and appear on a 1992 Earth. Toronto to be precise. Kirk’s anxiety to get back to his starship is quickly forgotten and a desire to get warm clothes that they effectively steal in the end. What puzzles me is why dump their Starfleet uniforms as in intense cold, the more layers the better. Of course, Starfleet uniforms might well be too airy but doesn’t excuse the layers reason. Likewise, we also learn Kirk wasn’t born on Earth and we’ve never seen anything in the mess halls of any reality, hot dogs, so how did he know what they would be like? There is also the implication that La’an Noonien-Singh is also augmented. Another one that the Federation has missed and you can’t get more blatant than that.
As much as this is a clever episode, so much of it falls conveniently into place, hence me having to detail more plot than usual and still avoid spoilers. I did wonder if Pelia is of the same species as Guinan, who is from El-Auria, or have similar abilities and therefore be an awareness of reality changes. She’s not as she claims to be from Lanthan. Even so, you would think long-lifers would eventually bump into each other eventually. A missed opportunity of someone Noonien-Singh could have been consoled by.
On the face of it, the fourth episode, ‘Among The Lotus Eaters’, looks like a good idea. A planet where most people lose their identities overnight. Those who live in a castle are shielded from whatever causes it and only strong emotions can overcome it, assuming they know what is causing it and can remember to do it. This is as much a problem for the away team wanting to discover why the inhabitants have an outside display of the Starfleet delta and the Enterprise in orbit, each having to come up with their own solutions. Notice, I’m skirting around the plot on this to dwell on other problems.
Where the away team of Pike, Noonien-Singh and M’Benga land is in the snowy wastes and they have to leave all Starfleet equipment behind to avoid cultural contamination. It’s also stated that the temperature is very much sub-zero at night. So what are the indigenous people living off when there is no crops or animals for meat? Even a snapshot of this society is sorely lacking. If the entire planet is like this, then I doubt if it would last very long. Before anyone raises the question of the original ‘Star Trek’ episode ‘All Our Yesterdays’, Zarabeth was stranded back in a snowy past with supplies.
Considering the away team are then left outside in a cage overnight, you do have to wonder how they survived sub-zero temperatures with minimal clothing or food. A lot more thought should have gone into the plotting stage. Even with the Enterprise as people slowly forgot who they are and even Spock’s solution of everyone carrying an ID pad fails, because people forget to use it. Even when they decided to get out of meteor rubble over the planet, no one thought to raise their shields which might have protected them from this absurd radiation. The solution at the end to repulsor ray the meteoroid into deep space is wrong. Granted they couldn’t destroy it or shards could be spread over the planet but surely tossing it into the local star would have destroyed it.
The fifth episode, ‘Charades’, probably looked like a good idea to split Spock to show only his human side and give actor Ethan Peck a few days without pointed ears but messes up in so many ways. I mean, the Vulcans must have known that there was a phenomenon on one of their moons but instead of investigating it themselves, gets the Enterprise assigned there. Even Pike isn’t that bothered, coasting the Enterprise to give his crew some downtime along the way. Spock finds himself having two jobs. A betrothal ceremony to T’Pring (actress Gia Sandhu) where he will meet his future in-laws again and he knows her mother, T’Pril (actress Ellora Patnalk), dislikes his half-human heritage. Before that, he has to take a crew to investigate. I was expecting to see a full shuttle but he only has Nurse Chapel with him. Surely he would need a full science team, not a medic out of her work zone. The energy is a portal that causes them to crash. He wakes on the Enterprise, no indication how they get back or how the starship found them. Chapel, not shown, is OK but Spock has lost his Vulcan half and is now human. They are informed by Yellow, an energy being from the portal, that they saved both crew but thought there was something wrong with Spock and repairing him took out the Vulcan part. Now think on that for a minute. These beings originally came from Vulcan space, so why wasn’t there an emphasis on thinking the human aspect was wrong and remove that. Spock’s physiology, right down to his green blood, is Vulcan. What would have happened to his katra? His human-side should have been removed. It would have given a different sort of problem for the betrothal ceremony in that Spock with have pleased T’Pril but not T’Pring instead of the way it happened.
Let’s leave that and consider the problems of splitting a being in two. This isn’t quite in the order of the original ‘Star Trek’ episode ‘The Enemy Within’ but it shows its own complications. Vulcan physiology has vital organs in different places to human. Even if this Yellow used Chapel as the template, is essentially creating a new being so how can his personality match the original? Surely these energy beings must have been aware that there are more than one sentient species on this side of their tunnel. The only significant change is he’s become emotional and has to rein it in when meeting his in-laws. While he’s being prepped, Chapel takes Uhura and Ortegas to talk to Yellow, despite being told their work was done, to revert Spock to what he was, despite the fact it had taken it out and having to fight her case. Pike knows nothing of this so who keeps a log of shuttle usage and permissions? A tidy-up at the end has Chapel injecting Spock with a serum that will do the job. A serum for something so complicated? Scientifically, so much has been ignored for a cute idea. It isn’t as though the other way wouldn’t work.
As you can tell by the amount of space I’m devoting to elements of the plot that I’m less than impressed. The cast do well but the science is more magic than anything else. These energy aliens could easily have said there was something wrong with Chapel and make her half-Vulcan than the two scriptwriters play it by numbers.
The sixth episode, ‘’Lost In Translation’, reminds me a lot of the book/film, ‘Solaris’, where people were subjected to vivid hallucinations and going insane from a sentient planet. Here, it is the Enterprise and USS Farragut sent to a nebula to a refinery to repair it to collect deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen for starship fuel. The way the Enterprise collected some of its own use suggests they are using ramscoop technology. I guess dilithium isn’t being used yet. Deuterium might be stable but its hardly available in great quantities. Uhura hears the odd noise that no one else can and then starts having the odd hallucination, all put down to her lack of sleep preparing a project on the way there. Its only when a member of the crew of the deuterium station is found, having a similar problem but now going insane that they put things together. Making Pike fleet captain gives him authority to destroy the station but you would have thought two starships could have moved it away. Likewise, if the station had been built there, the problem would have come to light much sooner than this.
I’m still musing over the thought of deuterium poisoning. You would have to be drink a lot of it for that to happen and it probably wouldn’t anyway as it’s reasonably stable. Consider also the problem on the station is a science problem, at no point is Spock consulted and its all left to engineering, presumably to give other cast members something to do which is hardly good plotting.
I’m also still left with the problem of just what are the other crew members doing all the time. It is only hinted that there are other engineers repairing the station rather than show them. When you see other crew members lounging in the bar and corridors, you have to wonder what are their jobs and then something struck me. Do you remember the TV series ‘Moonlighting’ where a question was once asked about why they had so many people in the office not exactly detecting with the response being they had to hire them for the numbers. I wonder if that applies to future Starfleet? We’ll find a use for you when we’re bothered. Oh, before anyone points out that a young James Kirk is being promoted to first lieutenant here, he doesn’t spend much time on his own starship and his own captain doesn’t appear to want him and I can’t recall seeing him.
With the seventh episode, ‘Those Old Scientists’, you really do have to wonder what kind of starship Pike is running. They are supposed to be rushing to feed a starving colony of vital wheat supplies and yet have time to stop to examine an artefact. Surely, they can do the latter on the way back? This really is the most convenient contrived plot yet, just as an excuse for this ‘Star Trek’ version to meet an animated version from the future turned organic.
The eighth episode, ‘Under The Cloak Of War’, is the first time we see mention of the war with the Klingons as we meet their Ambassador Dak’Rah (actor Robert Wisdom), a leader at one front who finally decided war wasn’t working. That was a few years ago and the Enterprise is taking him to his next port of call and give him all courtesy. That doesn’t go down well with Oretgas, M’Benga and Chapel, the two medics working on the frontline, especially as they were ordered to attend a banquet by Pike. That doesn’t go well. Only three on a starship of about 400 crew seems out of proportion unless the rest are either much younger or busy doing what else elsewhere. You can watch the episode for yourself but there’s some curious notes here.
M’Benga accepts an offer of an exercise martial art fight with Dak’Rah. This looks like a form of judo but M’Benga should in no way be equal to a Klingon, no matter how old he is. They are stronger, heavier and fight worthy. The last time M’Benga fought them, he was strengthened by a super-drug.
There is also reference to a transporter organic regenerator available in the war, even if they didn’t have it on the battlefront. Quite why this should be any different to the conventional transporter other than perhaps in carrying organ matrixes in its buffer. They are making it equivalent to the Next Generation transporter system but more like a magic invention that can do anything. You which think the complexity of transporting organic life would be hard enough. Spock using it to make a Klingon beverage but getting the temperature wrong shouldn’t happen. That would be the easiest thing to sort out or you would be materialising hot people otherwise.
The ninth episode, ‘Subspace Rhapsody’, is ‘Star Trek’s version of ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s episode ‘Once More With Feeling’. This time with a sub-space anomaly making everyone on the Enterprise singing with some emotional input instead of talking. No one appears to be immune and when it ‘infects’ the communication channels, other Starfleet vessels and the odd Klingon starships as well. Odd that, as the Klingons sing with English nuances than the sharper Klingon growls which seems a missed opportunity.
Lieutenant Kirk is also spending far too much time on the Enterprise than his own starship, the Farragut. Anyone would think he wants to captain her one day.
I’m not easy with this episode. They’re near the ending of the second season and it looks like they’re groping for stories that will get media attention. Even so, this feels more like an indulgence and the songs are too long and not many other crew are listening in on them, although that could be because of covid in the terrestrial world. As much as this phenomenon might make them sing, didn’t any of them think to be quiet and use their pads to write messages instead.
It infects the credit music and they missed an opportunity for Pike to sing the five year mission. Likewise, on the Enterprise, no one asks where the music comes from? It ends up breaking the fifth wall. I’m already wondering when the Enterprise is going to Telos IV.
The final episode of the season, ‘Hegemony’, is the first of two parts, not revealed until the end. USS Cayuga is visiting an Earth colony who decided to look like an old-mid-west American town. My initial reaction was them doing this on the cheap but the main part of the budget is on what happens next. Nurse Chapel is with them and transports up to the starship while Captain Marie Batel and away team stay on the planet. They see a space shuttle crash before the arrival of a Gorn starship that disrupts communications and transporter although one last message is sent out. The Enterprise receives it and rushes to the rescue with a warning from Admiral April not to engage with the Gorn. When they get there, they find the Cayuga destroyed and communication out and a mess from the Gorn as to where their territory now is and the colony was on their side. Pike decides to take a volunteer team down to look for survivors. As usual, this ends up coming from the bridge crew, although quite how Sam Kirk hears about it beats me. At least commonsense prevails in leaving Spock and important crew on-board. I’m giving more detail than usual.
I can understand Pike wanting to take responsibility for disobeying Starfleet orders again to take a team down because Batel is his girl-friend. He needed a good pilot, a medical officer but a science officer? He takes the security officer but only one into a danger zone. No one really trained for the kind of rescue team he needs against the Gorn. He has objectives but no plans. Granted there are some young Gorns roaming the town, it does seem odd to shoot one passing than possibly draw attention to themselves.
A lot of the rest of the plot is convenience, more so with characters we know will make up part of Kirk’s crew. Everyone else is expendable.
Do I have to do draw any more conclusions with my comments above? I do think the production crew are too much in love with what they think ‘Star Trek’ should be like and ignoring anything that could cause problems. How much of this is swayed by keeping the Trekker fanbase on-board is debatable. Re-inventing the Pike years, the technology should be downgraded compared to the time period when Kirk became captain. A common problem with creating utopia or near utopia realities it leaves little room where to go. At least with this season’s opening they have showed themselves seriously flawed when it comes to having augmented people in their society let alone trusting people to join Starfleet with no security checks.
Although I’ve been critical of the plots, I always admire how things are put together and there’s nearly 2 hours worth here. Running at 11 minutes, ‘Producing Props’ points out that the Vulcan Harp can’t be tuned. I wonder how long it will be before one of the Trekkers will take on that challenge? They also have a 7 day turnaround to make practical props. ‘The Costumes Closet’, running at 13 minutes, shows how key alien costumes were made for both detail and aging the material. Cosplayers will obviously be investigating. ‘The Gorn’ piece, running at 16 minutes, shows how the adult was built and was a combination of physical, mechanical and CGI. The eye design is interesting but don’t miss the background where other heads are on show. ‘Singing In Space’, running at 22 minutes, is hardly surprising that they producers wanted to do it. They don’t really change my opinion but I suppose we should be grateful they haven’t gone for ballet.
The longest extra is ‘Exploring New Worlds’, running at 43 minutes, has producers and cast discussing all but the singing episode. I did wonder about them ignoring that but it has its own 22 minutes probably meant they thought that was covered. You also get to see a lot of stage prep so if you don’t want the ‘magic’ broken then don’t watch it.
As I commented at the end of the review of season one, if you think I’m being unkind, speak up. I do think they missed out on a lot that could have made it much better and my comments on Starfleet protocol wouldn’t have destroyed improving the plots.
GF Willmetts
January 2024
(Paramount/CBS Studios, 2023. 4 DVDs minutes 10 episodes and minutes of extras . Price: ASIN: 681519865V)
cast: Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Chong, Babs Olusanmokun, Jess Nush, Mellisa Navia, Carol Kane and many more.
