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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) - Season 1 (1 Viewer)

Nelson Au

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Josh EH, great catch on who wrote the book! I was more taken by the illustrations in the book and didn’t notice the author.
 

Nelson Au

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I wouldn't go that far. Inner Light was a masterpiece. This one was just okay.
Fair enough. It struck me as an episode where a character is suddenly transported to another place and he has to figure out how to get out while blending in.
 

DaveF

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Episode 6 The Elysium Fields was a strange and silly and kinda bold effort. I’m not sure if it was wholly successful. But it was a fun diversion. Watching many of the actors play against their normal character type was amusing.

And on reflection, this was probably a budget-saving, bottle episode. Which is fine.

I was hoping for a substantial engagement with the Doctor’s daughter, her situation, and its resolution. This was more trite than I desire from scifi, circa 2020’s.

Overall, I enjoy shows that play with their form and let their actors do interesting things they might not get to do otherwise within the constraints of their character. And in modern TV, it’s not limited to episodic form, but it is a conventional benefit to this episodic format.
 

Walter Kittel

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Revisited the episode and realized that Crimson Guard = Red Shirt. :)

So when Una appears as Z'ymira the Huntress and dispatches the Crimson Guard with some well placed arrows I was wondering if some crew members were going to have to go to sick bay for treatment. Perhaps the nebula based entity healed their wounds since it was all play acting?

- Walter.
 

DaveF

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It was interesting to see Hemmer broach the topic of the Boltzmann Brain. I've been casually delving into physics and cosmology a bit of late so this was an interesting turn for the storyline.
I meant to look up that concept after the show, then forgot. Thanks for the reminder. It was new to me. I want to learn a little more.

I agree there are so precious few episodes in the season to do such a non conforming episode. But after seeing it, it does follow the mission goals of seeking out new life. It just did it in a very different way. It was a Inner Light episode.

I felt it clearly going for a mixture of “Inner Light” and the Robin Hood Q episodes.

For me, it didn’t come close to achieving Inner Light storytelling. If I knew a 20-something getting into Star Trek for the first time, I’d love to know their experience with this episode.
 

Sam Favate

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Yeah, the touching parts of the episode (which were genuine) just seemed out of place for an installment that wasn't meant to be taken very seriously. Another thing that didn't inspire me.
 

Sean Bryan

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I’m not a huge fan of episodes of series where characters play completely different characters in a “fantasy” scenario. I’ve always felt that this type of thing is more fun for the actors than for the audience. And I agree that this type of indulgence is more acceptable when you’re doing a 20+ episode season than when you’ve only got 10 episodes.

That being said, I did find the actors playing against type (especially Pike) amusing, and Hemmer had some fun stuff. But if that’s all this was I’d have been somewhat disappointed. But the payoff with M’Benga choosing to let go of his daughter was heartbreaking and made the episode. Bittersweet indeed.
 

TJPC

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We have been really enjoying this series, until this episode. It was really way to silly for words. We love SciFi here, but generally hate most fantasy. As I watched, I found the entire episode cringeworthy.
I have always hated those episodes of Star Trek series where the hollow deck malfunctions and tries to take over the ship. It seems a very over used device. I know there was another cause, but the situation here was similar. It screams “let’s make a very cheap episode where we can use existing sets and costumes and have everyone act stupid” to me.
 

Jason_V

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I grew wary of these type of stories onnTNG it mostly bored me . With only 10 episodes in a season I would have rather something with real world consequences
So I take it you didn’t actually watch the episode or make it to the end of the episode? The last act is all about real world consequences and an impossible situation.

That being said, I was not looking forward to this episode and couldn’t wait for it to be over until Rukiya became a big plot point.

I also liked the use of Hemmer. He’s gotten the least amount of screen time of the entire cast and it was nice seeing him do something important.
 

TonyD

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I lost interest in this episode about halfway through.
So by the time it got to the heart of the matter I had no idea what was happening.
Was the Nebula an alien, was there an alien living in the nebula?
Was the nebula even a factor?

Did his daughter get taken by the alien and what did the alien do with his daughter.
Was the grown daughter from her future or just something the alien did to make her look older?

Not a great episode.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Was the Nebula an alien, was there an alien living in the nebula?
There was a non-corporeal alien lifeform living in the nebula.

Was the nebula even a factor?
Yes. The non-corporeal alien lifeform, while extremely powerful, could only survive in the nebula.

Did his daughter get taken by the alien and what did the alien do with his daughter.
M'Benga's daughter was essentially a playmate of the non-corporeal alien lifeform.

The terminal illness that was killing M'Benga's daughter could be kept at bay by the non-corporeal alien lifeform. But the relief only lasted while the non-corporeal alien lifeform was immediately present. And while the disease could be held at bay, M'Benga's daughter's body wouldn't be able to survive without the Enterprise's life support systems.

The non-corporeal alien lifeform therefore had to give Dr. M'Benga the following ultimatum:
  1. He could take his daughter with him as a terminally ill human, and hope that he would find a cure elsewhere before she ran out of time.

    or

  2. The non-corporeal alien lifeform could liberate M'Benga's daughter from her dying body and transform her into a non-corporeal alien lifeform like itself. M'Benga's daughter would definitely live, would in fact be functionally immortal, but would have to remain behind with the non-corporeal alien lifeform in the life sustaining nebula.
Was the grown daughter from her future or just something the alien did to make her look older?
M'Benga's daughter had transcended the limitations of a physical form, and humans' limited perception of time. The grown form was more or less an illusion conjured by M'Benga's daughter for her father's benefit. Even though only a short time had passed from the deficient perspective of M'Benga's corporeal senses, M'Benga's daughter had had the equivalent of years of experiences. The form she chose reflected the age she felt herself to be, rather than the age she actually was. No different than Trelane choosing the adult form of William Campbell in "The Squire of Gothos" even though he is a child by his species' perspective.
 

Philip Verdieck

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We have been really enjoying this series, until this episode. It was really way to silly for words. We love SciFi here, but generally hate most fantasy. As I watched, I found the entire episode cringeworthy.
I have always hated those episodes of Star Trek series where the hollow deck malfunctions and tries to take over the ship. It seems a very over used device. I know there was another cause, but the situation here was similar. It screams “let’s make a very cheap episode where we can use existing sets and costumes and have everyone act stupid” to me.
+1 for zinger aimed at plot device you don't like.
 

Walter Kittel

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S01E09 - All Those Who Wander

The episode opens on the Captain's quarters where a party is being held for the cadets who are finishing up their training tour aboard the Enterprise. Uhura is internally revisiting her time aboard the ship and thinking about what her future holds.

A priority one mission directive is sent to the Enterprise directing them to research what happened to the missing Star Fleet ship the U.S.S. Peregrine. Complicating this situation is that the Enterprise is delivering time sensitive supplies to a Star Base that may be a matter of life and death. Pike decides that the crew can 'do more than one thing at a time' and decides to take two shuttles to investigate the Peregrine while Una continues with the Enterprise's first mission. This affords Pike the opportunity to engage in another 'dad joke' which is a bit misplaced considering events of the next few days.

Arriving on the planet we see the downed Star Fleet ship U.S.S. Peregrine. The Class L planet Valeo Beta V has a breathable atmosphere but is inhospitable due to frigid and icy conditions. Hemmer comments favorably about the weather, which may be a clue as to the ultimate direction the episode takes. (!) Remains of crew members of the Peregrine are discovered and an investigation of the downed ship is underway. Life signs are detected and we encounter an alien and a young girl aboard the Peregrine. The investigation reveals that there were individuals who escaped a Gorn Breeding facility and were brought aboard the Peregrine. Unbeknownst to the Peregrine crew one or more individuals are hosting Gorn eggs as current Star Fleet scanning procedures do not detect the Gorn. ( A bit of a stretch IMHO, but you go with it.)

Gorn hatch and eventually dispatch the crew of the Peregrine. We get to experience a repeat of this when the alien (whom the girl has named Buckley) exhibits distress and we are treated to a rather grotesque Gorn hatching sequence. (The film Alien on steroids.) We learn more via exposition from Singh about the Gorn maturation process and the away team begins a struggle to survive against the threat of the Gorn hatchlings who rapidly mature. Hemmer is the victim of a Gorn attack in which venom is spit at his face but lands upon his neck.

Eventually the crew dispatches the remaining Gorn by using the environmental controls to 'funnel' them. (We learn that the Gorn do not like cold conditions. Clue number two about the finale. (!) Using some form of coolant Hemmer freezes the last Gorn and Singh delivers the coup de grace by smashing it to bits. At this point, Hemmer explains to the away team that he has been infected when the Gorn spat its venom. In addition to blinding its victims, the venom also impregnates the target with the eventual gestation of Gorn young. Hemmer decides that he must sacrifice himself to prevent any more loss of life. He leaves the Peregrine and goes planet side where once again he comments that the weather is like that on his home planet Andor.

A service is held for Hemmer aboard the Enterprise. Spock quickly exits the ceremony and is followed by Chapel. He explains to Chapel that he is unable to control the rage and anger he released within himself to survive the encounter with the Gorn.

More thoughts about the episode...

I am having a difficult time believing that the show has dispensed with the character Hemmer. Considering his affinity for cold conditions and precisely the opposite condition for the Gorn species I wonder if the bitterly cold conditions of Valeo Beta V will provide a respite for Hemmer. I sincerely hope so.

If this show ran in the fall, this could have been the Halloween episode.

I liked the idea of fleshing out (no pun intended) the life cycle of the Gorn species. Not exactly original, but still pretty well executed.

Samuel Kirk needs to grow a set. His brother never would have panicked the way he did in this episode. C'mon man.

The title of the episode All Those Who Wander is part of a phrase from Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. "Not all those who wander are lost" - which once again makes me hopeful that Hemmer will return.

- Walter.
 
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