Strange New Worlds – Through the Lens of Time Review

Well, it had to happen at some point: a dud in a season of pretty solid hits. I almost feel bad writing this, as I love the series so much that even a weak episode in the lot is still better than a lot of shows at their best, but I can’t say I enjoyed that episode. Sure, it hit on some important themes: trust, faith – both in science and in one another, and the always important “if you’re a recurring character who suddenly gets a name after several fun appearances, you’re going to die on Star Trek.” Farewell, Ensign Gamble. You took a chance on an orb you absolutely shouldn’t have touched and it was your downfall. At least you weren’t wearing red?

But outside of letting us learn a bit more about Korby, explaining the current parameters of Spock and La’an’s relationship (which seems pretty healthy for two chronically non-emotional people*), and giving us some truly exceptional Pelia moments (Carol Kane remains at the top of her game, and while I understand that she can’t commit full time to the series, I really wish she were around all the time), not all that much happened within the episode from a character perspective. We didn’t even really understand just why M’Benga cared so much about Gamble. Was it because he saw him as a son? He wanted to mentor him? He just was tired of Chapel’s relationship drama and wanted someone who didn’t have that baggage? His sacrifice would, as always, have meant more within the bounds of the series had we gotten some understanding of what made the pair work together.

*While I appreciate that the episode addressed the potential jealousy between La’an and Chapel head on, it still made for a pretty awkward scene. That duo haven’t spent much time together – with good reason, as they are very different people and probably wouldn’t be friends in any other setting – but the last thing this series needs is two women fighting over Spock, so I’m happy that hatchet appears to be well buried.

We also got some more time with Beto, Ortegas’s baby brother who has a crush on Uhura (who, in my opinion, could do a hell of a lot better than him). So far, and no offense to Mynor Lüken, I don’t find the character all that interesting. He hasn’t added much to the series – outside of the outsider perspective that we already get from Korby. Perhaps he’s going to factor into something to do with Erica down the line – the episode was rather light on her this week, and she doesn’t seem to be her normal self yet – but as a potential foil or partner to Uhura, he’s a miss. And then there’s Korby who came dangerously close to falling into the “archeologist who won’t listen to reason because he thinks soldiers don’t understand” trap. If those beats felt a bit familiar, well, it’s because Trek already played out that particular storyline with the character of Vash on Next Generation – a headstrong archeologist who wouldn’t listen to reason from Starfleet officers.

I will say, Pelia’s speech on the nature of evil was a hell of a thing – sold incredibly well by Kane, including the joke turn at the close. In fact, all of the Pelia moments were highlights for me in an episode that felt slow moving and stagnant. I am a touch curious as to what Batel’s seeming possession means for the character moving forward – her active Gorn DNA has to do something to make that arc really resonate and I’m happy that she is still on Enterprise and that the writers haven’t dropped her arc quite yet. It gives me hope that we’re going to get that real Ortegas episode later this season.

But hey, you can’t win them all. I may not have loved this episode, but it’s still a chance to watch some of the best characters on television work out a mystery. I do wish the series was relying a bit less on their CGI “volume” screens to create their sets – this is the third episode this season where they’ve become more of a distraction than positive for the series. I know building sets and backdrops can be expensive, but they look so much better than CGI screen backdrops. But I’ll get off my soapbox now.