Waking up in sickbay with a comical bandage on his head following a shuttle accident, Pike quickly notices things are a bit off. The lights are too bright. The medical staff are behaving oddly with dramatic pauses aplenty. And he’s fairly certain space madness isn’t a genuine diagnosis. As the hour continues with devious secret siblings, dramatic feats of medicine and family drama aplenty, Pike is drawn further into the strangest of all worlds; the soap opera.
Writers: Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff
Director: Anna Dozoka
Soap opera’s are mental. And for a theme it’s even more mental than it seems. But considering soap opera’s are basically just overly dramatic premises with long lost relatives you’d never before heard of, absolutely insane scenario’s that make Maggie Simpson shooting Mr Burns seem normal and plot twists so insane you genuinely have to check your tea isn’t spiked. But for all that could be said and mocked about them, it’s a genre that builds characters and stories in such a compelling way that they’ve become the norm.
Stylistically, Strange New Worlds sticks with what it knows from the American format of soaps which – from the land of Eastenders and Coronation Street – adds an extra layer of oddity. But leaning on the theme lets the show nudge into corners of the characters mindsets that we haven’t had much time to explore to date. While there is a sigh of theme fatigue, there’s two things they’ve done well with through this format. One was utilising the soap-level drama to do some character work. The other was throwing the theme into a classic Trek theme we’ve seen played to death; The Q episode.
Laying it all out early on, the Enterprise’s crew are seemingly trapped in a soap opera and it’s a Q to blame. Trelane, to be exact, as he returns to play around with everyones minds some more. This time it’s a school project where they don’t hold back on showing him in a production booth, feeding Pike direction and manipulating each story to get the results he wants. Pike, for some reason, can’t be controlled and is the only one aware of whats going on but despite early protests to being part of the experiment, he realises the only way out is through…
Much like many direct Q episodes, the plot is just weird stuff happening for the sake of weird stuff happening. But Anson Mount sells it all well playing Pike as the grumpy, frustrated straight man in the comedic scenario as everything unfolds around him. Particularly Uhura who has decided, thanks to decoding ancient secrets within Pike’s cook book, that Christopher Pike is now her long lost father.
We also have Spock, also in the shuttle accident, at risk of completely mental soap opera medical nonsense while La’an runs off to find his secret half brother Sybok, whom she’s visualised as an evil twin as she’s no idea what Sybok looks like and, well, what could be more US soap than an evil twin?! It’s all ridiculous on the surface, but admittedly it does play on a lot of character elements we’ve seen hinted at that need more time like Ortega’s not quite being back to normal following the Gorn, and M’Benga’s inner anxiety coming out as shaking hands before surgery.
It’s all fun, it’s all entertaining and it all has heart. But again, even with bringing on a US soap legend in Dierdre Hall, it feels like the theme eclipses the idea and that there are too many good elements here to hide within that awkward comedy. That said, the conclusion to it all hides in plain sight with Uhura’s subplot of believing she’s Pike’s long lost daughter and how that builds to the climax of what Trelane was trying to provoke from Pike.
After being forced into therapy in the soap setting, Pike finally sits down with the ships counsellor and breaks. The whole season he’s been running from the pain of losing Marie, but in those few moments we see it’s deeper than that. He’s accepted and moved on from losing her. But the life she generated for them both…. while it was just a gift, it was an experience that was real to him. Something we’ve seen before in Star Trek. O’Brien believed he spent decades in jail and killed a man. Picard lived an entire life in minutes. Pike did the same. And all thats left him with is mourning for what was left behind, the daughter who never really existed but was still every bit as real.
Overall the episode was fine. Especially taken into context of it being a Q style episode (with another link between Trelane and the Q buried within). And I can see it being one of those love or hate episodes. I’m kind of in the middle as, much like other themed episodes, there were great elements here that could have played out in more serious settings and left a bigger impact because of it.
But if anything, leaning into the silliness with a format thats been around in Trek for decades, mixed in with Anson Mount taking us through comedy to despair with dedication to the part elevated it beyond just another gimmick and it’s laid out some nice seeds from which I expect interesting stories to grow as we race to the finish line for the series.
EPISODE DISCUSSION & SPOILERS
Highlights
- Dr Chivers was played by Deidre Hall who's starred in Days of our Lives from 1976 and still going strong!
- Trelane's little project goes a long way to explaining Q's fascination with humanity in the Next Generation.
- La'an and Sybok play Kal-toh, a game favoured by Tuvok in Voyager.
All Connected...
The feeling of an implanted memory being real isn’t new to Star Trek. In Deep Space Nine’s Hard Times, O’Brien had a prison sentence implanted in his memories. Returning to DS9, he had to be retrained as in his mind his time as engineer was decades ago. His relationship with his wife was also a struggle. Though part of his memory was killing his cell mate in a squabble over food. While the event wasn’t real, the memory of it led him down a path of extreme guilt and depression for what had happened.
About the author
Under Pressure: ‘Orders Of Magnitude’, Strange New Worlds S4E08
Boarding as a hero and legend, Admiral Joe Reeger arrives, take command and leaves Pike stranded as he leads the remaining Enterprise crew on an urgent mission. With a visiting (again!) James Kirk picked out as first officer, Reegers mission and motivations come into question and puts Kirk's leadership to task... Writers: Alan B McElroy Director: Sharon Lewis One thing about season four that's been a highlight through some uneven episodes is how it's guiding it's characters form our first contact with them in this series, and how we originally met them sixty years earlier. While it's been more obvious with Spock's pivot towards being closer to his logical side, we've had Chapel make the choice to become a permanent part of the Enterprise and Scotty's move towards being the 'miracle worker'. Even Pike seems to be on the […]
Days of Our Unreal Lives: ‘Like Chronitons Through The Hourglass’, Strange New Worlds S4E07
Waking up in sickbay with a comical bandage on his head following a shuttle accident, Pike quickly notices things are a bit off. The lights are too bright. The medical staff are behaving oddly with dramatic pauses aplenty. And he's fairly certain space madness isn't a genuine diagnosis. As the hour continues with devious secret siblings, dramatic feats of medicine and family drama aplenty, Pike is drawn further into the strangest of all worlds; the soap opera. Writers: Dana Horgan and Bill WolkoffDirector: Anna Dozoka Soap opera's are mental. And for a theme it's even more mental than it seems. But considering soap opera's are basically just overly dramatic premises with long lost relatives you'd never before heard of, absolutely insane scenario's that make Maggie Simpson shooting Mr Burns seem normal and plot twists so insane you genuinely have to […]
Star Trek Day 2026: Celebrating 60 Years of the Final Frontier!
Sixty years ago the world was introduced to a sci fi series that planted a seed of adventure, imagination and inspiration that would blossom into a juggernaut of media. After launching with the Man Trap on September 8th in the United States, the series would later grow into a pop culture icon spawning 9 Live Action Series, 3 Animated Series, 13 Feature Films & more including Streaming Events, Shorts and a huge amount of offshoot media across games, comics and books. With generations of fans discovering new era's and new adventures for decades, today we celebrate not only that first flight of the USS Enterprise and it's original crew, but an entire franchise that continued to grow, evolve, building a world of adventure, inspiration and hope for a better future! As we celebrate Star Trek at 60, we'd love to hear how […]
Away Team, Assemble! The USS Tesla Set To Beam Down to Epic Comic Con!
Returning to Glasgow this September, the Tesla Crew are once again in action at Fan Frontiers Epic Comic Con in the SEC Hosted by Fan Frontiers, Epic Comic Con has been one of the core places to meet the crew of the Tesla since it’s origins as Acme Comic Con and has become a firm part of the diverse and welcoming fan centric communities hosting everything from Rebel Legions to Ghostbusters! Taking their regular spot once again the Tesla crew will have Star Trek props and collectables on display as the team get ready to share the wonders of the final frontier! With possibly the biggest and most intriguing line ups to date, Epic will be hosting some surprises including Lord of the Rings' hobbit Duo Billy Boyd & Dominic Monaghan, What We Do in the Shadows Star Kayvan Novak, […]
60 Year Mission Celebrations!
This month Star Trek celebrates 60 years since the continuing mission launched and this year we've decided.... one Star Trek Day isn't enough. We're having a whole month of celebration! With plans including virtual meets, Europa chats, competitions and more, we're inviting the whole fleet to jump on board, get involved and join the fun of celebrating sixty years othe final frontier! Virtual Meet Sunday September 6th 8pm Starbase Europa 60 YEAR MISSION Meet the Fleet in Celebration with an evening of catching up, sharing stories, maybe a few bad jokes and general shenanigans! As we open a month of celebrating one of sci fi's most enduring franchises, grab a drink, pull up a chair and have a few laughs to begin the month! Discussion Sunday September 6th All Day Starbase Europa STAR TREK DAY 2026 From dusk 'till dawn, […]
A Fistful of Undercover Operations
Occasionally when exploring the wonders of deep space, our heroes of Trek have been summoned to - or by sheer accident - become another person to fulfil their mission. Whether it's O'Brien mixing with gangsters or Picard becoming a mercenary, Star Trek's filled with episodes where our favourite explorers have to become someone else to save the day.... FACE OF THE ENEMY The Next Generation Season 6 Waking up on the Warbird Khazara, Deanna Troi finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Kidnapped and surgically altered to take the place of a Tal Shiar Commander she finds herself led by her handler, N'Vek, to lead a secret mission after the Commander had been killed. Out of her comfort zone, Troi has to convince the crew she's the real deal despite the ships skipper knowing something's not quite right.... In […]
Related
Under Pressure: ‘Orders Of Magnitude’, Strange New Worlds S4E08
Boarding as a hero and legend, Admiral Joe Reeger arrives, take command and leaves Pike stranded as he leads the remaining Enterprise crew on an urgent mission. With a visiting (again!) James Kirk picked out as first officer, Reegers mission and motivations come into question and puts Kirk's leadership to task... Writers: Alan B McElroy Director: Sharon Lewis One thing about season four that's been a highlight through some uneven episodes is how it's guiding it's characters form our first contact with them in this series, and how we originally met them sixty years earlier. While it's been more obvious with Spock's pivot towards being closer to his logical side, we've had Chapel make the choice to become a permanent part of the Enterprise and Scotty's move towards being the 'miracle worker'. Even Pike seems to be on the […]
Warped: ‘Off Hour’, Strange New Worlds S4E06
Towards the end of a long and tiring shift, the command team are more than ready to hand over to the night shift. But no one makes it far from their station as at the moment of handover, the Enterprise gets pulled into a warp slipstream that knocks out the ship and traps them in an escalating and catastrophic acceleration taking the ship well beyond its limts. Writers: Bill Wikoff Director: Dan Liu Strange New Worlds is an interesting creative, narratively speaking. When they swing for the fences in their creative mission, it's very hit or miss. But when they keep things simple and focused on character work, they really shine. And this weeks was one that kept it simple with a tried and tested format that always works nicely; have the ship suffer a critical accident, cut everything […]
It’s Not Easy Being Green Blooded: ‘Level Five Transporter Accident’, Strange New Worlds S4E05
Spock's going through a bit of a personal crisis and Scotty's become madly competitive with an old Academy rival. These two separate threads collide in the weirdest way when Spock finds himself as the only person who can control the ship as Scotty's transporter antics turn everyone into puppets... Writers: Henry Alonso Myers & Dana HorganDirector: Jordan Canning Spock's not quite feeling himself and he hasn't quite been himself since the Griffin Incident. And things are getting worse. Leaning heavily towards logic over his exploration of his human side, and in the wake of La'an deciding their relationship had reached it's 'natural conclusion', he's spiraling. Well, as much as a Vulcan would allow themselves to. Desperately trying to balance himself, he's leaning into logic and reaching out to his scorned ex-fiancee for help in re-establishing his Vulcan side.While thats happening, Scotty's on a […]
1701 Shades of Grey: ‘A Case of Chiaroscuro’, Strange New Worlds S4E04
It's been a stressful few months for the Enterprise crew and they want, well, demand, shore leave. Choosing a tech-free planet with natural psychedelics in the atmosphere, the command crew take a shuttle down, take in all the wonders the world provides. And then it all goes a bit wonky... Writers: Skylar Ojeda & Dana Horgan Director: Meera Menon Aside from orbiting a star who's radiation gives an altered perspective of light, Mat'aar XII is a world occupied by Klingon overlords. Having taken control of the population, and implemented strict monitoring and restrictions on movement, the Klingon's rule with fear, torture and by creating division. Like any good occupiers, they've given cushy jobs to some locals including their top Lieutenant, Navatte, a local who proudly wears her silver Klingon armband and interrogates anyone who oppose the Empire. Or so […]
Dude, Where’s Your Shuttle? Human Best Friend; Strange New Worlds S4E03
It's been a stressful few months for the Enterprise crew and they want, well, demand, shore leave. Choosing a tech-free planet with natural psychedelics in the atmosphere, the command crew take a shuttle down, take in all the wonders the world provides. And then it all goes a bit wonky... Writers: Kathryn LynDirector: Yana Gorskaya Engineers and pilots hate each other. It's the rules. Scotty and Ortegas have been following those rules to the letter, with the bickering pair opening with a dual monologue highlighting how irritating they are to each other between Scotty setting up alerts and alarms to keep the engines in check, and Ortegas duct tapping over the console to get rid of them so she can push the limits freely.While they're constantly irritating each other, the rest of the Alpha shift command team are exhausted. Months […]
Some Scary Ship! The Griffin Incident; Strange New Worlds S4E02
Returning from a conference for future leaders of Starfleet, Spock and La'an (with Kirk hitching a ride) find a long-lost ship adrift. The USS Griffin's disappearance nine years prior had never been explained, becoming a bit of folklore within the fleet. Stum,bling upon it by chance, the trio board the ship hoping to find an answer to the mystery only to get more than they bargained for... Writers: Robbie Thompson Director: Axelle Carolyn I'll preface this now by pointing out I love creepy sci fi settings.. The isolation of being trapped on a derelict ship with no escape and no one to call for help has always been something I've enjoyed from the obvious Event Horizon, even to old classics like The Thing. So I was excited for this one by the trailer alone and can't say I was disappointed! […]
