******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!******

I’ve already written two columns on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ (SNW) third season, with a double-review of its opening episodes “Hegemony Part 2,” and “Wedding Bell Blues,” and I recently did a writeup on the rest of the season to date. Then came the last two episodes, “Terrarium” and “New Life and New Civilizations,” which continue to highlight some of the mistakes made in this show’s third season; one of the most troubled seasons of live-action Star Trek since Star Trek: Picard’s hot mess of a second season, or at least on a par with the frequent ups and downs of Star Trek: Discovery.

The most maddening aspect of SNW is that it began with one of the best pilot episodes of modern Star Trek, and a solid first season that followed. Season 2 of SNW also showed a lot of promise, with standouts like “Ad Astra Per Aspera” and “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”; both of which had a strong classic Trek vibe, while exploring their highlighted characters. Season 3 has been stuffed with lazy rehashes and callbacks, including reiterations of Trelane (“Squire of Gothos”), Q, the Metrons (“Arena”), the malfunctioning holodeck trope (TNG, VGR, et al), and way too many cameos by ‘visiting’ guest star Commander Kirk (Paul Wesley). There’s also a pronounced scarcity of social commentary in the show regarding our world today. Now, SNW seems to be all about visual effects and “90210”-style relationship dramas.

Anyway, let’s take a look at the last two episodes of season 3 while exploring what went so wrong…

Episode 3.9: “Terrarium.”

Perhaps the best of a subpar season, “Terrarium” was written by Alan B. McElroy and directed by Andrew Coutts. Lt. Ortegas (Melissa Navia) finally gets a story for herself, as she flies a shuttle solo into a wormhole, only to crash on a rocky, yet habitable moon with a Gorn; the source of her character’s season-long struggle with PTSD (“Hegemony, Part 2”). Meanwhile, the Enterprise has a narrowing window of time to find Ortegas, since Pike is under orders to deliver vital vaccines to a planet under a pandemic. On the moon, the Gorn saves Ortegas’ life, and they establish rudimentary communication and trust. Aboard the Enterprise, Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) presents a dodgy rescue plan to Capt. Pike (Anson Mount). Ortegas is eventually found after she ignites the moon’s atmosphere to create a ‘flare’ (TOS’ “The Galileo Seven”). An away team quickly beams down to rescue Ortegas, and Lt. Singh (Christina Chong) instinctively fires on and kills the Gorn–much to Ortegas’ horror. At that moment, time freezes as Ortegas meets a godlike Metron (TOS’ “Arena”); who arranged the circumstances for her and the Gorn to meet. As time unfreezes, Ortegas’ memory of her Metron encounter is conveniently erased, and she returns to the ship with conflicted feelings about the cost of her rescue.

Note: The plot borrows heavily from TOS’ “The Galileo Seven,” wherein Spock commanded a shuttlecraft and crew into a gravitationally challenging quasar-like object and crashes on a hostile planet, as the Enterprise is compelled to deliver medicines to a plague-stricken colony. Yes, it’s the exact same story. And why didn’t the Enterprise deliver the medicines first, and worry about the wormhole later? Spock must’ve had serious deja vu when he later crashed his own shuttle on Taurus II.

Note: Despite their similarity to “Enemy Mine” and other Star Trek episodes, the scenes between Ortegas and her Gorn companion are the heart of this episode, and they’re well-played. The establishing of rudimentary communication between them feels truly Star Trek. I also appreciated that the Gorn was made female, even if interesting opportunities to introduce multiple genders in this alien species would’ve been intriguing as well. On the downside, I can’t reconcile this intelligent, occasionally selfless creature with the vicious, cannibalistic, xenomorphic parasites that burst out of human “breeding sacks,” especially after the otherwise abysmal “Star Trek Into Darkness” established that the Gorn experience live births, like humans.

Note: The Captain Pike we see in season 3 feels a bit less than the decisive leader we saw in earlier episodes of the show. Granted, part of that has to do with actor and new father Anson Mount‘s parental leave during filming of this season, but even when Pike is present, he feels a bit “hands off” now. Worse, we see recurring guest star Paul Wesley as Commander Kirk showing up so often on the Enterprise (with the flimsiest of excuses) that he feels more like a ‘co-captain’ to Pike. Kirk’s role as Pike’s apprentice captain also negates the role of Pike’s own “Number One,” Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), who was given very little to do this year, and this after her spectacular outing in last season’s “Ad Astra Per Aspera.” Kirk has already been the center of two Star Trek series (TOS, TAS) as well as ten Star Trek movies. When SNW began, I was really looking forward to seeing Pike’s adventures as captain, not more of Kirk’s. I realize they’re setting up a “Star Trek: Year One” series with Wesley’s Kirk, but we already had that show almost 60 years ago, and it was called “Star Trek.”

Note: Granted Lt. Singh has a horrific family history with SNW’s, ahem, ‘revised’ Gorn (cough cough), but her shooting the Gorn on sight when it was clearly NOT a threat isn’t how Starfleet operates–even when confronted by mortal enemies (see: Klingon, Romulans, Borg, et al). And whatever happened to the phaser’s heavy stun setting? I think La’an’s actions deserved some followup, especially after Ortegas (presumably) delivered her own report to Pike.

Note: While I thought this rehashed ending with the Metron was lazy, and ruined an otherwise decent (if highly derivative) episode, I did appreciate that the new Metron (Dariush Zadeh) retained the androgynous quality of the original Metron, as seen in TOS’ “Arena.” The original Metron was voiced by actor Vic Perrin (who had several guest spots in TOS, including the voice of ‘Nomad’ in “The Changeling”), but was played by actress Carolyne Barry (1943-2015), who would later return to the Star Trek universe to play in an engineer in TNG’s first season episode “Home Soil.”

Like most episodes this year, “Terrarium” borrows bits from other Star Treks, including TOS’ “The Galileo Seven,” as well as its entire ending ported over from “Arena” (which itself borrowed from a short story by sci-fi writer Frederic Brown). The central story trope of stranded alien enemies struggling to survive together is pulled straight from the 1985 movie “Enemy Mine,” and has been featured in prior Star Treks (TNG’s “The Enemy,” ENT’s “Dawn”). That said, Melissa Navia really owns this Ortegas-centered episode, and while the tropes pour on fast and furious (leading to that ridiculously derivative climax with the Metron), this is undeniably the best offering of a lackluster season, but that’s faint praise. “Terrarium” would’ve been an average episode at best in most other incarnations of Star Trek.

Episode 3.10: “New Life and New Civilizations.”

Written by Dana Horgan & Davy Perez and directed by Maja Vrvilo, “New Life and New Civilizations” is a sequel to an earlier episode called “Through the Lens of Time,” which saw an archeological landing party comprised of no less than three of the ship’s couples (Spock/Singh, Chapel/Korby, Uhura/Beto) accidentally unearthing an ancient evil called the Vezda. That evil entity inhabiting the eyeless body of Enterprise medic Ensign Gamble (Chris Myers) has returned, and has taken up residence on the planet Skygowan, where it’s worshipped as a wrathful deity. It’s determined that because of her unique mix of Gorn and augment DNA, Pike’s significant other Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scofano) is key to stopping the universe-threatening Vezda in a silly good vs. evil battle that feels more suited to “Star Wars: The Acolyte.” Before the final battle, Batel and Pike are allowed to experience a lifetime together (complete with kids and grandkids) before returning to face their destinies. In the battle that follows, Batel becomes a statue to stop the Vezda (it’s as ridiculous as it sounds), while Pike returns to the Enterprise, where he’s destined to become paralyzed and mute in a future training accident.

Note: Capt. Batel is led to realize that her unique mix of human, Gorn and Illyrian DNA somehow makes her the only person who can stop the galaxy-threatening terror posed by the Vezda, which somehow survived its transportation into space. If mixed DNA is Batel’s unique qualification, then what about others in Starfleet who are from mixed heritages, such as the human-Vulcan Spock? I’m also not comfortable with the episode’s notion that DNA is destiny; this feels very midichlorian-ish to me, which only adds to this episode’s incongruous Star Wars ‘good vs. evil’-vibe.

Note: The story of a former Enterprise crew member winding up as a bad guy on an alien planet is reminiscent of Pike’s former yeoman Zac Nguyen (David Huynh), whom we learn didn’t die on Rigel VII (TOS’ “The Cage”) in season 2’s “Among the Lotus Eaters.” Granted, what happened to Ensign Gamble wasn’t his fault, though it still feels a bit derivative. Perhaps the thing that bothers me most is that the Vezda is supposed to represent elemental evil–something longtime Star Trek fans have been led to believe doesn’t exist in Star Trek’s secular universe. Star Trek typically posits that even the most nasty, ill-tempered beings have their own legitimate grievances. Even the pah-wraiths of Deep Space Nine (DS9) felt they were slighted by the lofty Bajoran ‘prophets.’ Others are simply insane, and not responsible for their actions. The adversaries of Star Trek aren’t ‘evil’ for the fun of it, despite what Engineer Pelia (Carol Kane) believes. Evil is not a fundamental force in the Star Trek universe–that’s Star Wars.

Note: Another issue I had with this episode, which is essentially part two of “Through the Lens of Time,” which was essentially an escape room story, and, for me, it simply wasn’t strong enough to warrant a sequel. The riddling shenanigans that Pike and Batel have to solve in “New Life…” feel more like something out of Star Trek: Discovery (DSC), and frankly, I’m sick of those. Puzzle box mysteries such as these are like reading the detailed instructions to a story, but without experiencing an actual story. They’re full of event, but they’re not about anything. They have no point.

Note: Despite my many issues with this episode (and this season in general) the alternate timeline sequence with Pike and Batel is easily the best part of it. I’d go so far as to say it’s my favorite single sequence of the entire season. In fact, it’s so good, it really belongs in its own episode–free of the ridiculous good Batel vs. evil Vezda nonsense that frames it, which I had absolutely zero interest in.

Note: As mentioned above, I’m increasingly annoyed by the too-frequent guest appearances by James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), who seems to spend every possible free minute aboard the Enterprise, his future command. At least in this episode, there is the thinnest attachment of legitimacy to his appearance, since Spock and Number One determine it’ll take the combined phaser power of both starships to destroy the episode’s planet-based MacGuffin. Spock’s too-soon mindmeld with Kirk should’ve been with Number One, aka Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn). Instead, it’s all about the boys, reinforcing Spock’s bond with his future captain. The foreshadowing for yet another TOS-era prequel series is downright suffocating. Once again, are these the voyages of Pike’s Enterprise or not?

Note: The climax of this episode looks as if it’s taking place in the Marvel-universe version of Asgard, with parts and leftover bits from “Star Wars: The Acolyte” and “Doctor Who.” None of it feels original, and it takes a lot of restraint not to laugh out loud as Batel is placed conveniently out of Pike’s future by literally turning into a statue. It’s as if Pike was unknowingly dating the Virgin Mary. I’m surprised Batel wasn’t first given instruction on the ways of the Force by an eccentric, annoying old alien (or was that Pelia…?). This ‘big climax’ for the episode felt borrowed, lazy and downright silly.

“New Life and New Civilizations” actually delivers on the titular promise, even if those new life/civilizations lead to another dull, Star Trek: Discovery-style puzzle box story, with a ridiculous ‘good vs evil’ element that is a really bad fit for Star Trek. Equally objectionable is all of the prequel foreshadowing with Commander (future Captain) Kirk, who is in nearly every episode, and it’s getting downright obnoxious at this point. On the plus side, I enjoyed the Nexus-like alternate future where Pike and Batel grow old and happy together–even if we know it’s ultimately pointless. Speaking of couples, this underwhelming season finale ends with three of the ‘Love Boat’ Enterprise couples splitting up; Korby goes off on a dig, journalist Beto is off the ship, and Batel has become a statue. The story was not really about anything. Good and evil have traditionally been matters of perspective in Star Trek; evil is usually something that’s either selfish or misunderstood. It’s never been a fundamental force; that’s Star Wars territory. By the end of the story, everything is back to status quo; Pike’s back on the ship, with the criminally underused Number One at his side, and the ship warps away…

The End.

Summing It Up

For a series that began with a lot of promise, SNW seems to have settled on a voyage to the bottom of the barrel. Even showrunners like Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have trotted out excuses for why this season was so lackluster, especially when contrasted with the first two; which certainly had their own issues, but they were exceptions, not the rule.

I’ve heard comments online blaming the writers’ strike, the actors’ strike, and even Anson Mount taking paternity leave. Granted, these are valid excuses, but they don’t account the poor writing quality; that’s a matter of talent, not circumstance. It’s clear that the writers for this season have read or watched very little actual science fiction (except when they shamelessly stole from the late Ursula K. LeGuin for season one’s “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”). In fact, this might be a good time to open the show to spec scripts from outside the writers’ room, as Star Trek: TNG used to do. That practice yielded such talents as Ronald D. Moore (“For All Mankind” “Battlestar Galactica”) and Melinda Snodgrass (“Profiler,” “Wild Cards”). There’s no shame in asking for help, guys…

Another issue I’ve seen with this season is an about-face from any meaningful or cutting-edge social commentary; something that used to be a mainstay in all incarnations of Star Trek. There’s also been a pronounced lack of queer representation this season, with all four of the couples aboard the Enterprise being markedly heterosexual. Even the character of Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), whose appearance once sparked curiosity about her sexuality, carried an entire episode without any mention of a significant other in her life (of any gender). I can’t help but wonder if this recent timidity of the show has to do with Paramount’s recent merger with Skydance Media, since Skydance is run by openly conservative David Ellison. Granted, the merger was only recently approved by the federal government (under Donald Trump), but it’d been in the works for a couple of years, or around the time this season of the series was in production.

In the wake of the late-night host firing/censures of Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, it feels as if any hint of ‘wokeness’ (i.e. a social conscience) in Star Trek (which equals most of Star Trek) is being carefully ‘revised’ (i.e. censored) to fit this dangerously uncertain era. Star Trek without social relevance or the means to critically comment on our present world will amount to little more than visually dazzling yet hollow stories that are only concerned with plot machinations and simplistic, ‘good vs. evil’ villainy. With the fourth season promising to do a Muppet episode (I kid you not), I can’t say I’m terribly optimistic for Star Trek’s future potential.

As a longtime fan of Star Trek who is as old as the franchise itself, it pains me greatly to imagine the future of this franchise sailing off into mediocrity; undone not by meddling NBC censors or clueless producers, but by the looming threat of an increasingly meddlesome federal government that seems hellbent on inserting itself into popular entertainment.

Here’s hoping we live long and prosper, even in that “undiscovered country” of a dangerous and uncertain near-future.

Where to Stream

All seasons of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” are available to stream exclusively on Paramount+.