Not necessarily. I could come up with a way to write it that preserved the character arc. He thinks he’s going to die, goes to his death willingly and saves the cadets, only it doesn’t happen the way it’s supposed to. Surprise! Nothing is fated.
Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3x03 - "Shuttle to Kenfori"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
I have really mixed feelings with this outing. Like a lot of SNW, it merges A-tier character work with C-tier plotting, which I guess evens out to a solid B?
The opening was breakneck-paced exposition and plot railroading. Batel has a new ticking timebomb, there's a maguffin they need, now go! I guess I kind of appreciate they wasted no time, but TBH the idea that the flagship of Starfleet can go on a rogue mission to save Captain Girlfriend's life was just bowled through like it was obvious, where in earlier shows there would be at least a bit of mini-arc here wrestling over the ethics of just going rogue.
Regarding the planet-side adventures of M'Benga and Pike, I felt like the two sides of the story didn't integrate well here at all. M'Benga facing down the daughter of Dak'Rah - seeing the consequences of his actions - this stuff was highly compelling. But the zombies were just a gimmick to fill out time and complicate the mission. Literally anything could have been used here in their place, and the story would work just the same. The zombies had nothing to speak of to do with the plot, unless you consider the tortured connection to the cure for Batel (Why did they just have M'Benga read out the exposition? This would have been a great place to have video logs from the scientists). In the end, I was just left thinking about how much better ENT did this with Impulse.
Turning to the B-plot back onboard the ship, this is really an episode for Una and Ortegas. Here, I feel like the episode hit it out of the park. Ortegas is cracking under PTSD in a different manner than La'an did, and making mistakes. While her insubordination didn't get anyone killed, it was useless towards actually saving Pike and M'Benga (who had just saved themselves) and Una calls her out on it and takes her off duty. It's so rare to see either the chain of command respected or characters suffer the consequences of poor choices, so I'm interested to see where this is going. And glad something is finally being done with Ortegas.
I'm a bit less glad at the discussion at the end between Pike and M'Benga, where he basically says "No worries you killed a man in cold blood, you're my bruh, I've still got your back." At the end of Under the Cloak of War, Pike was clearly upset with M'Benga, and some tension - some consequence - should have been shown here. Particularly given we know M'Benga has to be demoted for some reason, and this seems as good a reason as ever. Maybe we're waiting for a third shoe to drop now?
Rounding back a second to the Pike/Batel stuff, while the whole thing of her becoming a human-Gorn hybrid is bonkers, it's firmly within the norm of Star Trek bonkers shit. I liked thematically that M'Benga was hiding the truth from Pike here, just as he was about Dak'Rah - which is why Pike not connecting the two was so frustrating. Seeing Pike act so irrationally around Batel seems a tiny bit OOC, but they directly lampshade it, so I guess it's fine? Interested to see where this is going.
Overall, better than Episode 1, but I'm not sure if I'd say it's better than Episode 2. It's a problem when you make a "zombie episode" where the zombies are the least interesting part of the whole thing.
The opening was breakneck-paced exposition and plot railroading. Batel has a new ticking timebomb, there's a maguffin they need, now go! I guess I kind of appreciate they wasted no time, but TBH the idea that the flagship of Starfleet can go on a rogue mission to save Captain Girlfriend's life was just bowled through like it was obvious, where in earlier shows there would be at least a bit of mini-arc here wrestling over the ethics of just going rogue.
Regarding the planet-side adventures of M'Benga and Pike, I felt like the two sides of the story didn't integrate well here at all. M'Benga facing down the daughter of Dak'Rah - seeing the consequences of his actions - this stuff was highly compelling. But the zombies were just a gimmick to fill out time and complicate the mission. Literally anything could have been used here in their place, and the story would work just the same. The zombies had nothing to speak of to do with the plot, unless you consider the tortured connection to the cure for Batel (Why did they just have M'Benga read out the exposition? This would have been a great place to have video logs from the scientists). In the end, I was just left thinking about how much better ENT did this with Impulse.
Turning to the B-plot back onboard the ship, this is really an episode for Una and Ortegas. Here, I feel like the episode hit it out of the park. Ortegas is cracking under PTSD in a different manner than La'an did, and making mistakes. While her insubordination didn't get anyone killed, it was useless towards actually saving Pike and M'Benga (who had just saved themselves) and Una calls her out on it and takes her off duty. It's so rare to see either the chain of command respected or characters suffer the consequences of poor choices, so I'm interested to see where this is going. And glad something is finally being done with Ortegas.
I'm a bit less glad at the discussion at the end between Pike and M'Benga, where he basically says "No worries you killed a man in cold blood, you're my bruh, I've still got your back." At the end of Under the Cloak of War, Pike was clearly upset with M'Benga, and some tension - some consequence - should have been shown here. Particularly given we know M'Benga has to be demoted for some reason, and this seems as good a reason as ever. Maybe we're waiting for a third shoe to drop now?
Rounding back a second to the Pike/Batel stuff, while the whole thing of her becoming a human-Gorn hybrid is bonkers, it's firmly within the norm of Star Trek bonkers shit. I liked thematically that M'Benga was hiding the truth from Pike here, just as he was about Dak'Rah - which is why Pike not connecting the two was so frustrating. Seeing Pike act so irrationally around Batel seems a tiny bit OOC, but they directly lampshade it, so I guess it's fine? Interested to see where this is going.
Overall, better than Episode 1, but I'm not sure if I'd say it's better than Episode 2. It's a problem when you make a "zombie episode" where the zombies are the least interesting part of the whole thing.
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The entire mission was off the books.
If Pike does actually do an official report to Command, there's going to be a lot of aspects he's going to leave out, unless he wishes to get a reprimand as well.
M'Benga has been and will continue to torture himself for his actions, especially where it involves lying to his friend and superior officer.
You mean “Natira”.
I just want them to subvert that trope.
In the JJ-verse, Pike was relegated to a Wheel Chair, which is a FAR better fate than the TOS Pike.
I just want things to end a little bit nicer for this Christopher Pike.
They should have went with the augment virus.
Only at the end of Trek XI. In STID he was walking, though with a cane.
Which is a huge step up.
In Pike's own words though, he considers it basically the same as dying
He doesn't know that he gets to return to Talos IV. Which, always makes the Batel relationship a bit curious. He's got a destined star-crossed lover off waiting for him. I would be shocked if they end this show with their relationship intact. (I'm honestly going to be shocked if Batel survives this season the way things are going)
Nope it has to be the misery of the iconic beep chair.
It has to be a fate worse than death.
A solid episode. Some good character stuff, and I like the M'Benga Klingon call back, but its held back by the show having literal zombies (Enterprise did it better) and Number One being a prick. Ortegas was right and is the only reason Pike/M'Benga lived, but doing so hurt Number One's ego so she goes after Ortegas. Starfleet is never about mindlessly following orders, and Number One was being negligent with the safety of the away team because she was scared of the Klingons. Ortegas did the right thing and was proven right, but Number One would prefer Pike/M'Benga being dead over being disobeyed, which makes her a moron.
7/10, wish they didn't use literal zombies or make Number One an asshole.
7/10, wish they didn't use literal zombies or make Number One an asshole.
Not in my head canon. This is an alternate universe.No.
The beep chair is waiting
The SNW bridge continues to grow on me.
Watching this episode, I came to the conclusion that I so do not need the viewscreen to become TOS-sized ever again. Honestly, it's probably not even big enough in the SNW version.
However, I did have a complaint that Ortegas's helm viewer (weapon targeting scope in the McMaster TOS bridge blueprints) seemed too far to the left to be useful.
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Oh, and I loved Una's hairdo. She's looking really fantastic. Just as a general remark, it's boring for the characters to look the same week after week.
Watching this episode, I came to the conclusion that I so do not need the viewscreen to become TOS-sized ever again. Honestly, it's probably not even big enough in the SNW version.
However, I did have a complaint that Ortegas's helm viewer (weapon targeting scope in the McMaster TOS bridge blueprints) seemed too far to the left to be useful.
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Oh, and I loved Una's hairdo. She's looking really fantastic. Just as a general remark, it's boring for the characters to look the same week after week.
It's almost like you personally have it out for him.
I like this Christopher Pike, I want a happier end for him.
I think you misunderstood the episode's end.
Pike and M'Benga were already running to the Klingon shuttlecraft when the Enterprise beamed them out. They were going to make it off-planet with the help of Dak'Rah's daughter's heroic sacrifice. Sure there was still the question of how they'd get that shuttlecraft past the Klingon ship, but Una felt confident they could do it, judging by her dressdown of Ortegas.
Ortegas took the risk for no reason, defying the chain of command because she thought she knew better than Una. Even if there was no negative repercussion from her rash action, that fully deserved a reprimand.
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Maybe it doesn’t want to risk her trying to change his future
That is my thought too - and it would also explain how the Gorn in TOS S1 Arena have such in depth knowledge of Star Fleet procedures and personnel to the point the can fake the live conversation with Kirk in the Teaser of Arena.
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