Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x08 - "The Elysian Kingdom"

Getting shot by an arrow does not necessarily mean death. Just because we don’t see them escape doesn’t mean they didn’t.

 

Yeah, I wasn't implying they died then and there. But M'Benga is the CMO, and a doctor. Even given the weird role he is in having to play king, he is duty-bound (and ethically obligated) to try and give the crewmembers who were hit with arrows medical attention to ensure they are stable.

 

Finally! Some serious antennae animation for our Aenar friend!

The Redshirts, er, Crimson Guard, were likely restored unharmed by the powers of Deborah.

 

What are her dopamine levels?

 

I agree with others. The first part was really silly. The acting was over the top. It felt like a bad high school king arthur play. But the resolution was good and very moving.

 

As others have said, it was kind of surprising to me that they wrapped up Rukiya's story in the first season. I had a pet theory (based on nothing lol) that the reason M'benga eventually leaves the Enterprise is because they come across some species with the means to help her, and he goes to their planet. My scenario wouldn't really work though, since obviously the young actress would age as seasons of the show go by.

 

Now this is the goofy, TOS-like Trek I've been wanting. It wasn't the best of the season by far but it was the most fun and Big Hemmer Energy is back! Plus it was nice to see some resolution to the medical condition of M'Benga's daughter and to see that the Aenar antennae in Kurtzman Trek can move, if only when the story calls for it.

 

I dunno, you really only need "resolution" to something when it's been an issue for a long time. Over the course of the season we dealt with him and his daughter for, what, 10 or 15 minutes?

 

Hemmer was definitely hemming it up. Finishing with a button press.

 

Just getting ready to watch it. Reading all the positive comments for this and the other episodes (including my own), I wonder if the Disco show runners are paying attention to how much love SNW is getting and perhaps taking note about how episodic TV can still be done... And many of us don't need/want a season-long arc story line.

 

So I gave that an 8. The first and last scenes were superb, with M'Benga telling his daughter the story in the beginning, as a counterpoint to how he then had to let her go and say goodbye.

Whilst there was a lot of humour in the episode, the actual story was predictable when the crew started acting like characters from the story.

Hemmer had a lot of cool things to do as well this week, which I appreciated.

Uhura playing a baddie was a lot of fun, as was seeing the usually brave Pike acting like a coward.

 

Then SNW is for you. Not Discovery.

 

I give it a 9.
It reminded me a lot of "Shore Leave" which is a good thing in my book, and another very enjoyable episode.

 

That may be. I actually enjoy Discovery quite a lot. But I just don't think that every season has to be one big "save the universe" story line. They got catapulted into the future. There are plenty of new places to re-discover as the Federation continues to rebuild.

 

No but season long is their format. SNW is episodic.

 

So why does M'Benga get demoted to non-CMO in TOS? He's not leaving to spend time with his daughter as speculated. I assumed keeping her in the transporter was going to be the reason for Starfleet demoting him, but it appears now this period is so short that I doubt Starfleet would care much now even if they did find out.

 

Good points. I thought about giving this a 6 or 7, but ended at a 7. Adding to what you said I think showing a flashback of the book each time a character was introduced was really unnecessary. I was like, "We get it already!" It felt like the stuff that was just the plot from the book wasn't really that interesting other than to see the actors having fun / enjoying the silliness. I didn't really feel any stakes, unlike in "Our Man Bashir", but it felt like the plot was just going through the motions. Not saying it was horrible, but it didn't always engage me as a viewer. I also didn't really find a lot of it funny - some small chuckles here and there, but not as many as I expected. Still, I appreciate the effort and love the different tones SNW has had.

At the end, I was surprised M'Benga was quick to let his daughter join with the entity. What if it was a Durmamu from Dr. Strange situation and his daughter would have been tormented for eternity...I mean he really knew nothing about the entity and is taking its word for it despite it refusing to let the ship go. As it is, she is going to be an entity for as long as the universe exists..is a human mind meant for that?

 

Because a more senior officer was assigned.

 

With Sybok last week, Rukiya's the evil person trapped at the center of the galaxy in Star Trek 5 isn't she?

 

Perhaps the only reason he joined in Star Fleet was to be able to have complete access to the Tech to keep her alive and best be able to explore finding a cure.
With this strange resolution of her dilemma he no longer has a reason to remain and decides to go study on Vulcan.