Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x08 - "Under the Cloak of War"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
So were Chapel and Spock, we always assumed.
DS9's "explanation" was brilliant. ENT's was not. (Why does no one go with the better explanation: IT'S AN EMPIRE!)
You don't bring that knife into sickbay without expecting it to be used. Whatever happened, goaded into fighting, out right finishing the job.. M'Benga had the upper hand and planned the whole thing.
Yeah, I don't think we're intended to be sure what happened. I'll bet that Olusanmokun is asked at personal appearances for the rest of his life what M'Benga "really" did.
I'd like to find out what kind of coverage they shot for this scene - how many angles, how many versions of the action - so that they had a lot of choices in editing?
There is another episode so similar to AR-558 that I forget they are different episodes.
It's Jake and Bashir on the frontline.
Both brilliant episodes.
M'Benga litterally said.. Please go away..
He wants to kill him, but doesn't, but Rah keeps on pushing..
I belive, they got into a shouting match, then it came to blows, then M'Benga just said screw it, grabbed the knife and ended it.
I doubt the federation will shed many tears for a war criminal, so they'll just note this in M'benga's file and move on.
He wants to kill him, but doesn't, but Rah keeps on pushing..
I belive, they got into a shouting match, then it came to blows, then M'Benga just said screw it, grabbed the knife and ended it.
I doubt the federation will shed many tears for a war criminal, so they'll just note this in M'benga's file and move on.
The only issue with this is that M’Benga is both a doctor and a skilled fighter, he should know how to incapacitate a Klingon without killing them. Moreover, they were already in sickbay, he had all the opportunities to try and save/revive the ambassador.
Also Worf in TNG season 1 points out that taking civilian hostages would be dishonourable.
Oh but he couldn't because biobed 2 was broken.
I think you're overthinking it. They said "We need M'Benga, the knife, and Chapel all in the same room where Rah can approach them." If you want to justify it, beyond that reality, then you can realize M'Benga was going through stuff and he was keeping his closest connection to those events close to him. And he had to be in sick bay.
Even with all of the ambiguity of the situation I don't think M'Benga was plotting and entrapping Rah. But I can see him keeping the knife close "in case things happen".
Something to consider: As far as we know, this wasn't even the end of the war!
BTW, what exactly is the secret about Michael Burnham that it is treasonous even to utter? If I remember the beginning of Discovery even people who don't know her personally know her name. How common "was" the knowledge that Spock is MB's foster-brother?
Does M'Benga know that Spock's sister started the war? Heck, does CHRISTINE know?
Worf says that Klingons do / don't do LOTS of things that Klingons don't do / do all the time. Because Worf is a poser who grew up in Russia.
Perfect. Canon!
I wonder if the murdered officers families had a blood oath sworn out on Rah.Dead man walking etc.
That said he came across as a raving egomaniac and that type generally don’t take the suicide route.
Sorry to raise the horrible spectre of 31,but Joseph and his special formula would seem a point of interest to the likes of them.And Rah’s death/murder investigation would seem a lever.
That said he came across as a raving egomaniac and that type generally don’t take the suicide route.
Sorry to raise the horrible spectre of 31,but Joseph and his special formula would seem a point of interest to the likes of them.And Rah’s death/murder investigation would seem a lever.
1. And it's the first 1 I have given for a Star Trek episode. Hated this episode. Hated it's message. Pike was utterly useless as a Captain and sat back to let all this play out. M'Benga friggin murders a man and nurse Chapel covers it up? Even if this is not the case the fact that they even made that scene ambiguous left a dirty taste in my mouth. Doctor straight up kills someone because of his own personal sense of justice and everything else he built his life on be damned. The morale of the story, kill if you think it's the right thing to do.
I guess the only good thing I have to say is that the episode stirred me enough to actually give an opinion on it. It's been a very lackluster season that I don't care for at all. Disappointed since I actually liked season 1 a lot.
I guess the only good thing I have to say is that the episode stirred me enough to actually give an opinion on it. It's been a very lackluster season that I don't care for at all. Disappointed since I actually liked season 1 a lot.
Sorry, thats like saying a person should shoot to wound instead of aiming center mass.. Its silly, in the heat of the moment, when actions take less than a second, you aim for center mass, because if you aim for an arm, you'll miss.
M'Benga is well trained to "Kill" so he aims for the heart, head etc. its instinct by that point. so, in the heat of the moment, thats what happened. Its not like in movies where there so good a shot, or so good a martial artist that they can wound\disable him.
I want to know why Pike didn't ask him wtf that knife was doing in sickbay.
Note: Stabbed Federation ambassador to death in Enterprise sickbay, but it’s cool, no one liked that guy anyway.
I enjoyed the episode for the most part. The sparring scene was bit disconcerting. Lots of jump cuts to distract from a stunt double (?) I also wonder if this will set up something further down the line to explain why M'Benga will return to the Enterprise, but isn't the chief medical officer. That he will be held accountable in some way.
I'm sure he ran away to the Feds for his own protection and they were dumb enough to take him in and then even more dumb enough to use him as a prop.
Smarmy bastard.
"I want to offer heeeeeaaaling"
Honestly rather overplayed, I doubt anyone watching wasn't aware from the beginning that this dude was creepy as fuck.
I for one would welcome M'Benga as a Section 31 agent, past or present. Protocol 12, what were the other 11..
(Though I will add that I think M'Benga is more interesting as his own agent of chaos and not anyone's operative)
Last edited:
The sparring looked ridiculous! They looked like two nerds who end up in a fight they don't know what to do with, all that flapping around. This was not convincing as a Klingon martial art
