Spoilers My favourite episode (so far) is "Lift Us where Suffering Cannot Reach".

[Neb Lleb]

Ever since I extended my renewed Amazon Prime subscription to also include Paramount Plus, I've begun watching two Star Trek shows: Enterprise and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And of the latter, so far my favourite is season 1 episode 6, "Lift Us where Suffering Cannot Reach".
I love it because it subverts your expectations in the best way possible: The mystery at the heart of the story is introduced well, built on gradually, and has numerous twists and turns to keep you guessing, going from "who's out to kill the First Servant?" to "what is the PURPOSE of the First Servant?". They successfully keep you in the dark throughout the 50+ minute runtime whilst also giving us some solid character interactions between Pike and Alora and M'benga and Gamal.

However, what makes it my favourite is the final twist: The revelation of the First Servant's purpose and Pike's final confrontation with Alora. It's one of the most heartbreaking, tearjerking things I've ever seen. Pike's growing fury over the fact that the Magellans force a child to suffer for the purpose of a Utopia and Alora's attempts to defend her society is some of the best written, best acted television I've ever seen, and it delivers a solid moral quandary without being outwardly obvious in the answer: "Should we force innocents to suffer for the sake of a perfect world or should we work to build a better, yet imperfect society?". It's exactly why Star Trek is so good: the examination of human dilemmas and moral problems through the lens of science fiction, and as the credits rolled I couldn't help but consider it my favourite.

But that's just me. I know there are still two episodes and two more seasons to go, so maybe things will change.

 

[AntonyF]

I'm interested to hear you say that because I often think back to that episode as being really good and what I was hoping the show would be more like before it starts to go downhill.

It feels worldbuilding to me... and it has a lot going for it.

 

[Mudd]

I liked this one tremendously...but I've never been able to watch it a second time. The climax is too horrific.

It's derivative of LeGuin's story, but not nearly to the extent that Coon's "Arena" copied Brown's.

 

[Oddish]

Instead of "the ones who walk away from Omelas", it's "the ones who walk into Omelas, and bring satchel charges".

We never hear of this world again. Maybe someone managed to bring it down, preferably before the next sacrifice was made.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Instead of "the ones who walk away from Omelas", it's "the ones who walk into Omelas, and bring satchel charges".

We never hear of this world again. Maybe someone managed to bring it down, preferably before the next sacrifice was made.

If I had a nickel for every world never heard of again in Star Trek…

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I liked this one tremendously...but I've never been able to watch it a second time. The climax is too horrific.

It's derivative of LeGuin's story, but not nearly to the extent that Coon's "Arena" copied Brown's.

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," yeah.

While I was watching the episode, when they said that the First Servant was selected by lottery to embody among others a principle of sacrifice, I immediately thought of, well, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Given that, the horrific ending did not surprise me, though it was still utterly gut-wrenching.

 

[Oddish]

If I had a nickel for every world never heard of again in Star Trek…

The technologically advanced ones are a bit harder to explain away, though.

While I was watching the episode, when they said that the First Servant was selected by lottery to embody among others a principle of sacrifice, I immediately thought of, well, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.

I remember that... I think that "The Lottery" let us down easy, considering that at least the chosen person (limited spoiler) was an adult.

Given that, the horrific ending did not surprise me, though it was still utterly gut-wrenching.

And bitterly ironic. Pike and the Enterprise were fighting for the wrong side.

A part of me wishes he and a security team had gone in there and pulled the kid from the machine regardless... at least allowed him a relatively peaceful end.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The technologically advanced ones are a bit harder to explain away, though.

Space is big, real big. In fact, you won't believe how big it is.

Sorted.

 

[Oddish]

If you prefer a head canon where that floating abomination continues to slaughter children, then knock yourself out. Some of my head canon (like Mullibok from "Progress") is no less brutal.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If you prefer a head canon where that floating abomination continues to slaughter children, then knock yourself out. Some of my head canon (like Mullibok from "Progress") is no less brutal.

Me? Not really. But I don't need to see it change in an episode of SNW.

 

[Mudd]

If you prefer a head canon where that floating abomination continues to slaughter children, then knock yourself out. Some of my head canon (like Mullibok from "Progress") is no less brutal.

I prefer fiction that doesn't spoonfeed the notion that all the evil in the world can be neatly repaired.

 

[Oddish]

I prefer fiction that doesn't spoonfeed the notion that all the evil in the world can be neatly repaired.

How about messily repaired?

 

[fireproof78]

How about messily repaired?

Bronx accent: yeah, I can get fixed for ya it's gonna take a lot of duct tape.

 

[Pauln6]

"Save the yeoman, save the world." A yeoman Rand intro featuring Sulu.

"Quantum Waltz" La'an gets her own spin off as Gary Seven's new assistant and everyone forgets her. Spock can't find his socks.

"Mr and Mrs Mitchell" Ex spouses Jenna and Gary Mitchell are forced to put aside their differences to thwart an Orion weapon smuggling scam.

"The Hangover" Helen Noel wakes up after the science department Christmas party and has to solve the mystery of a missing scientist whose PADD somehow ended up in her possession.

 

[bookworm8571]

Ever since I extended my renewed Amazon Prime subscription to also include Paramount Plus, I've begun watching two Star Trek shows: Enterprise and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And of the latter, so far my favourite is season 1 episode 6, "Lift Us where Suffering Cannot Reach".
I love it because it subverts your expectations in the best way possible: The mystery at the heart of the story is introduced well, built on gradually, and has numerous twists and turns to keep you guessing, going from "who's out to kill the First Servant?" to "what is the PURPOSE of the First Servant?". They successfully keep you in the dark throughout the 50+ minute runtime whilst also giving us some solid character interactions between Pike and Alora and M'benga and Gamal.

However, what makes it my favourite is the final twist: The revelation of the First Servant's purpose and Pike's final confrontation with Alora. It's one of the most heartbreaking, tearjerking things I've ever seen. Pike's growing fury over the fact that the Magellans force a child to suffer for the purpose of a Utopia and Alora's attempts to defend her society is some of the best written, best acted television I've ever seen, and it delivers a solid moral quandary without being outwardly obvious in the answer: "Should we force innocents to suffer for the sake of a perfect world or should we work to build a better, yet imperfect society?". It's exactly why Star Trek is so good: the examination of human dilemmas and moral problems through the lens of science fiction, and as the credits rolled I couldn't help but consider it my favourite.

But that's just me. I know there are still two episodes and two more seasons to go, so maybe things will change.

I hated this episode. It is the only one I have never rewatched.

 

[Mudd]

I hated this episode. It is the only one I have never rewatched.

I loved the episode. It is the only one I have never rewatched.

 

[fireproof78]

I enjoyed this episode. It's one of a few I never rewatch.

 

[Oddish]

Reminds me of what they say about "Grave of the Fireflies". Everyone should watch it once... but you'll never want to watch it again.

 

[Uhura's Song]

I though the first two seasons were both really strong.

I liked "Momento Mori" the best,,but "Suffering" was right up there.

S1
1. Momento Mori
2. All Those Who Wander
-----------
3. Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach
4. A Quality of Mercy
5. Spock Amok
6. Strange New Worlds
7. Ghosts of Illyria
-----------
8. Children of the Comet
---------
9. The Elysian Kingdom
---------
10. The Serene Squall

S2:
1. Ad Astra Per Aspera
2. Hegemony, Part I
3. Those Old Scientists
4. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
5. Charades
-----------
6. Among the Lotus Eaters
-------------
7. Under the Cloak of War
8. Subspace Rhapsody
9. Lost In Translation
----------
10. The Broken Circle

S 3
1. The Sehlat Who Ate It's Tail
----------
2. Space Adventure Hour
3. Through The Lens of Time
-----------
4. What Is Starfleet?
5. Hegemony, II
6. New Life & New Civilizations
7. Terrarium
--------
8. Shuttle to Kenfori
9. Wedding Bell Blues
-------------
10. Four and a Half Vulcans

 

[Starflight]

My favourite is "Children of the Comet", but IMO the first season has a pretty much unbroken run of good episodes from the start all the way up til it stumbles in the last three or four eps.

The Omelas one makes me laugh because Pike's such a dopey idiot throughout. Even amid the horror of the child going into the machine, Pike's 1930s pulp hero attempt to punch the guards and disrupt the ritual, which results in him totally eating shit, is very funny.