Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x06 - "Lost in Translation"

I just thought it was a call back (or call forward) to the space hippies episode in TOS.

 

I'll take an "over long" episode and the extra time we get to spend learning about these characters, thank you.

 

There were space ships in Buffy?

Celia Rose Gooding really knocked this out of the park! I also found Wesley's performance quite good. I saw a lot more Kirkiness this time around. "And you're the type who can't walk past a stranger in need." Yeah, that's Kirk. The speech about facing death too.

The plot was very Star Trek - by that I mean that we've seen it before, but it still works when executed well, like here.

Loved Pike's line about Una's "managerial fervor!"

I'm not even a big ship geek and I got a kick out of seeing the bussard collectors in action!

Uhura watching a video of Hemmer was just lovely. He truly was a mentor/father-figure to her. It was good to see emotional fall out over Hemmer's death, both with Uhura and with Una later. I also really liked that Uhura isn't over her family's deaths. That's some Big Trauma.

Loved Chapel and Spock's chess game. Lots going on under the surface there. "Your move" had many... implications.

Wesley's delivery of those lines was fantastic! He really made me laugh.

Yes! It was wonderful to see what their relationship was/is like. And obviously their father casts a HUGE shadow over them both.

Uhura giving Kirk a bloody nose also made me laugh, which I needed after the Evil Dead hallucination. The way Kirk and Uhura then clubbed together to get solving the mystery was great.

The chase after Ramon was the weakest point in the episode for me, as it was for many. I think I did make a Stormtrooper crack as the security guy failed to hit anywhere near Ramon.

I loved Sam's lab. Anyone catch any easter eggs in the skeletons?

Really loved this: "There are similarities in the ways different species process thoughts, ideas. That's how the universal translator works." AHA!

Other than "I don't need a cookie!" one of my fave lines was, "Captain, you told me the point of this station was to help us find new forms of life. But what is the point of exploring if we're just gonna kill what we find?" Oof! Right there in the Why I Love Star Trek feels!

I would follow Pike into hell. He's rapidly become my favorite captain.

Hmm... I like that. It explains why we see him really dislike people who are petty or incompetent.

By the way, does Sam remind anyone else of Guy from Galaxy Quest? Maybe it's the mustache... and the hair...

I loved that Kirk and Spock meeting was so low key. When I think back to meeting important people in my life, I would never have guessed how we'd be from our first meetings.

All in all, another engaging and enjoyable episode!

That *is* a Trekkie superpower!

 

If they still know what an ink well is, then sure.

 

Third time's a charm for Paul Wesley's Kirk. His motivations and actions in this episode screamed classic Kirk, while played with a sort of blending of Pine and Shatner. Celia Gooding and Bruce Horak absolutely stole the show. For the second time, I've cried when Hemmer said goodbye. Carol Kane continues to blend in perfectly, making me cackle in the way few other Trek characters can, with some great chemistry with Rebecca Romijn. The rest of the ensemble held their own, and the writing was sharp, well plotted, and deeply entertaining. If last week hadn't happened, this would be the strongest episode of the season. As it stands, it slots comfortably in second place. 9/10.

 

I suspect that what we'll actually be thinking is, "Wow, that's makes so much sense." I'm sure SNW will leave things so Amok Times fits right in.

 

So now with Korby dead and T'Pring with Stonn, there's no obstacles to Spock and Chapel finally getting together for good right? Right?

 

Indeed. It builds upon characters, and relationships and adds to the drama of what actually occurs. It's almost tragic in a way. Kind of like Shakespeare, which Trek may or may not have an affinity for.

Aside from whatever pain they endured leading to that point, or just the fact that it plain doesn't work for them.

Time alone will tell.

 

Someone on the writing team loves Shakespeare; they’ve used phrases from his work for episode titles.

 

I think it started right about here.

 

Giles's Citroën.

 

I was joking that Hemsworth should return to play the dad but Paul Wesley is actually older than him

 

Just one more reason to be a Trekkie.

 

I think they just wanted the gag in the first episode of talking about Kirk coming aboard and then at the end we find out it's Sam Kirk.

Are you a Danger 5 fan, perchance?

True. Kirk and Shatner are so intertwined it's tough for another actor to step into the part.

Yep.

She had to have felt something, as she knew Spock was undergoing Pon Farr. A biological imperative to mate doesn't make much sense if only one gender feels it.

 

Well, yes, in that her and Spock were bonded so she would feel his desire.

 

This episode utilized an often used plot in the franchise, and it worked very, very well here. Despite the fact it was easy to figure out what was going on, the joy came from all of the character beats and how they solved the plot. Some have compared this to TNG's "Night Terrors", and while there are similarities, I find this one is more of a creepy episode while TNG was more of a horror episode. (Yes, there IS a difference between creepy and horror. And also, "Night Terrors" is a better episode than most people give it credit for... though I will agree that the floating Troi scenes were not well done. TNG did horror really well overall, actually.)

I'm going to start with Celia Rose Gooding. She was excellent here. Completely carried every scene she was in. From reliving her parents' death to watching Hemmer vids to her line about killing what we explore, she was superb.

Una and Pelia... really loved that duo. Loved how Pelia knew exactly what the deal was with Una despite her coming up with other issues about Pelia. And her line about her only saying Hemmer was one of her best students was just because he's dead... that was actually funny. I hope they keep Carol Kane for at least a couple more seasons.

And speaking of Hemmer... it was great to see him again. I truly miss him. Damn near cried a single man tear with that final expression at the end.

Pike... I love how he puts such a high level of trust with his people. And he made sure that Uhura felt fine by telling her it's on him and no one else. A damned good leader, very much becoming my second favorite captain of the franchise. (I'm sure it's no secret who my top captain is. )

Spock and Chapel... there's a lot going on with that scene. I find it interesting that Chapel actually now has Spock, but is not sure how to react. She's basically the living embodiment of what Spock said in "AMOK TIME"... "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true." I wonder now if Spock actually learns this lesson by how Chapel is with him.

Okay, now for the elephant in the room... Kirk. At first, I was expecting Kirk to be a doppelganger or entity or something other than the real one, since BOTH of his previous appearances were alternate timeline versions. Instead, we got the real McCoy. (Pun intended.) To be honest, I was not sold at all on Paul Wesley's version of Kirk in his other episodes. However, I was going to reserve judgment until we actually see the real Kirk of this show. And I will say that he did a good job. There's enough difference here to allow this to be the younger version of the Kirk of TOS. But there is definitely enough of the established core of who Kirk is with Wesley's version that I'm fine with his portrayal... from his talk with Uhura about facing death to his ability to read a room really well to his talk with La'an and her analysis of how he can't walk past a stranger in need. That's quite a huge part of the core traits of James Kirk that was allowed to shine here, so I'm glad this happened.

And THE moment happened... the meeting of Kirk and Spock. This was handled perfectly... no fanfare, no craziness. Just two people shaking hands at a bar and then sitting down to hang out. I really liked the end with Kirk, Spock, and Uhura just sitting at the bar and chatting.

I give this one an 8.5.

 

While I agree with you on this, you could similarly say that there's no actor quite like Nimoy, and yet I don't have a problem accepting Peck as Spock (just noticed how close those two names are!). Maybe the makeup helps set Peck in our minds as Spock. Wesley is very likeable, and I don't have a problem with his acting or character, but I never feel like I'm watching Kirk when I see him on screen. Oddly, it was easier for me to see Pine as Kirk than it has been with Wesley. I'm still hoping more time an exposure will address this.

 

That thing that had the glowing tail where everyone talked like cowboy folk?

The handful of frames where we saw Sam Kirk in TOS it was Shat with a mustache. Like I said. Best. Callback. Ever.

Funny man.

I've seen too many Whedon shows to trust THAT.

Dagger of the Mind
The Conscience of the King
By Any Other Name
Wink of an Eye
All Our Yesterdays
How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth (TAS!)
The Undiscovered Country
Thine Own Self
Journey's End
Mortal Coil
Once More Unto the Breach
The Dogs of War

That's just from a list on the internet. Are there more?

Great Odin! Is Hemsworth that young??!? (OK, they're about a year apart.)

I just realized that Anson Mount is younger than Wil Wheaton. Oh, and Adrian Holmes (April) is younger than BOTH of them!!!

Not JUST. But boy did it work. Best. Callback. Ever. (See above.)

You almost had me. But then...

Now whether or not that is enough to imply the compulsion to meet, I can't say. But there is certainly social pressure.

If this had been out of nowhere that might have been surprising. But this is 1000% on brand for SNW Christine.

Gotta say, there is something about the way she says "Mister Spock" in that scene. It's... I can't even say what it is.

I say that often. Nimoy was even more unique than Shatner. I mean even Captain Von Trapp had a kind of Kirkness. (I wonder who his understudy was?)

That does help. Even Chevy Chase can LOOK like Spock.

That said, I'm loving what Peck is doing.

That's because Pine is AMAAAAAZING.

 

Peck's voice is what sells it for me.

 

Peck does have a Spock gravitas that Quinto doesn't convey.