Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x08 - "Under the Cloak of War"

[Cyrus]

Jammer liked this episode, giving it his highest rating of the season:
https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-snw/s2/under-the-cloak-of-war.php

 

[mdtauk]

M'Benga can't be "written off the show" he's in TOS.

Nothing says he didn't serve time in prison before returning back to the Enterprise. We do know he is no longer Chief Medical Officer in Kirk's time in command.

 

[NCC-73515]

Purple blood really exists:
https://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/10/31/7133779/blood-blue-green-purple

Well, that was quite the shift in tone from last episode

And the next one

I just keep thinking about the scene in Twelve Angry Men where the jurors are talking about how the prosecution insists that the knife taken as evidence was one-of-a-kind and there was no possibility for a mix-up, and then Henry Fonda takes out an identical knife and slams it down right next to the "unique" one.

Brilliant movie full of amazing scenes!

But jeez, the Federation - Let's trust this big wartime criminal. Yeah. Make him an ambassador. He's CHANGED, we tell you.

The same organization that made the Terran Emperor a super special agent

How do we know Klingon ships show up next week? Next week is the musical episode. Now I hope we get some Klingon honor songs!

A sequel to the one from Birthright or Soldiers of the Empire would be great

I’m pretty sure a scream is well outside the man’s voice register.

This has happened in history.

Wernher von Braun was a Nazi scientist, designing and testing new rockets for the Nazi campaign. Von Braun used slave laborers from concentration camps to build his rockets. After surrendering to the United States, the US picked him up for its own space program. He is now celebrated as the father of modern rocket science.

When Germany surrendered, one of the key generals placed in charge of West Germany was Adolf Heusinger, Hitler's former Chief of Staff. Then, too, in 1961, he was picked to be the Chairman of the NATO military committee.

There are a lot more examples in history, but those are the two that came immediately to mind for me.

Also noteworthy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731#American_grant_of_immunity

Another thing that generally shapes my positive impression is that, unlike in DS9's "Duet," Amb. Da'Krah(?) was not seeking to see justice done (even through falsehood), rather, he was running from his crimes and covering them up. Marritza lied so that someone, anyone, could be punished and begin healing. Da'Krah did almost the opposite --- so an ending where M'Benga begrudgingly comes around to let Da'Krah slide essentially would have rung false, hollow.

And that's why Duet is much more interesting.

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.

It was mock-bara

The Orion captain in the last episode, the actor played Joseph Seed in FarCry 5. In this episode, the Andorian was portrayed by Kyle Gatehouse, who played Ethan Seed in FarCry New Dawn, and a FarCry 6 DLC.

The FarCry games are made by a Canadian company, so it would make sense there would be a bit of overlap.

I've played the first one a few times - are the others similar or completely different? I read 2 is in Africa and has nothing to do with 1.

Yep. I'm sure they'll be some wacky technobabble explanation. Maybe god-like aliens auditioning humanity?

The crew has to get shwifty?

 

[EmoBorg]

The episode was kinda weird for me.

M'Benga is both a trained doctor and SpecOps soldier and he was so highly regarded that the Andorian SF soldier tried to recruit him for a mission to kill the Klingon high command on J'Gal.

When M'Benga eventually went on the mission to kill the Klingon commanders, Dak'Rah escapes and then claims that he killed his fellow Klingons.

Why was M'Benga keeping quiet all these years ? He could have called out the lies of the Klingon defector.

A deceitful Klingon serving the Federation, as an ambassador, is very dangerous for the UFP. M'Benga would have known that.

 

[jackoverfull]

Yeah, I can buy the idea that Dak'Rah was genuinely trying to make up for his actions with his diplomatic activities. That doesn't feel fake to me. He can be genuinely trying to make up for his actions and still be a coward who is unwilling to take responsibility for them. He can be genuinely trying to make up for his actions and also still be willing to murder to avoid taking responsibility. And he can be genuinely trying to make up for his actions yet also crave power and be willing to kill to protect it. These two sides of Dah'Rak can both be true.

exactly: things are rarely black and white. Also, we humans are really good in finding justifications fo behaviours we have that we would find inexcusable in others, Klingons are probably the same. Hypocrisy? Sure, but way common.

 

[jackoverfull]

I'd assume they tried, but he died anyway.

It would be even more suspicious otherwise.

i’d hope so. Still, it was a simple stab wound and they were *already* in sickbay, so it is quite suspicious in any case.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

I don’t think that Trask and M’Benga were in Section 31. They were just special forces like Navy SEALs. I don’t like that people see Section 31 every time something special ops happens. It makes them too powerful and it lets the Federation off the hook too much. Seeing Section 31 everywhere just screams conspiracy theory way too much.

We would know if they were S31 because they would wear a badge to let you know

 

[firehawk12]

M'Benga can't be "written off the show" he's in TOS.

Oh weird, I see that the character is just a recurring character/extra during the TOS years. I just thought he was gone by then. lol

Meh. The ambiguity of the actual episode ending is what gives it much of its power. Things entirely spelt out are less thought provoking.

It's shot to be ambiguous I suppose, but in my mind, he killed Rah and was expecting it to 'fix' him. But then you see that he's still a broken man, the 'metaphor' of the biobed breaking emphasizes that.

 

[StarMan]

Jammer liked this episode, giving it his highest rating of the season:
https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-snw/s2/under-the-cloak-of-war.php

He still can't bring himself to give SNW a 4 / 4.

 

[fireproof78]

Why was M'Benga keeping quiet all these years ? He could have called out the lies of the Klingon defector.

Guilt. Survivors remorse. Uncertainty.

Trauma fucks up the brain.

 

[Unique]

Being special ops and being a doctor is the perfect set-up for a raging case of cognitive dissonance. The man is a walking internal conflict.
One of the most common reactions to that situation is to freeze. To hunker down psychologically. Denial. Substance abuse.
Dr. M’Benga at least has the doctor side giving him an outlet to help others, so he’s maintaining a high level of function considering his circumstances.

 

[Nerys Myk]

M'Benga can't be "written off the show" he's in TOS.

Of course he can. We've no idea of his fate between SNW and TOS. He could retire, transfer off or otherwise leave the Enterprise only to return years later.

 

[cooleddie74]

I mean, Chapel leaves and then comes back in 2266. Why can't M'Benga?

 

[passinglurker]

I mean, Chapel leaves and then comes back in 2266. Why can't M'Benga?

logistically either of the two leaving and coming back seems almost inevitable unless you also want to write out Piper and Dehner (the later having a prominent role in where no man has gone before) otherwise a sizeable chunk of the regular cast becomes medical personnel (and last I checked we're watching SNW not Hopeship/s)

 

[fireproof78]

Personnel transfer all the time. Part of an active career.

 

[Nerys Myk]

logistically either of the two leaving and coming back seems almost inevitable unless you also want to write out Piper and Dehner (the later having a prominent role in where no man has gone before) otherwise a sizeable chunk of the regular cast becomes medical personnel (and last I checked we're watching SNW not Hopeship/s)

Dehner's only there on special assignment, she's not regular crew. No reason why Piper and M'Benga couldn't serve at the same time.

 

[cooleddie74]

Yep. Piper tells the audience she's on temporary assignment from the Aldebaron Colony, which we can probably assume was one of the Enterprise's stops before it picked up the signal of the S.S. Vallant's recorder marker. Had she survived the events of the episode she'd have been back at the Aldebaron Colony as soon as the ship could make the return trip or link up with another vessel to give her transport.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

We would know if they were S31 because they would wear a badge to let you know

Wasn't that only during the DISCO era when they were legitimized by StarFleet as a proper branch underneath StarFleet Intelligence?

After the entire CONTROL debacle, they were shut down permanently and went underground to where we see them in DS9 as a rogue unsanctioned organization?

 

[Noname Given]

Wasn't that only during the DISCO era when they were legitimized by StarFleet as a proper branch underneath StarFleet Intelligence?

After the entire CONTROL debacle, they were shut down permanently and went underground to where we see them in DS9 as a rogue unsanctioned organization?

Section 31 was shown as a legitimized organization within Starfleet intelligence when Admiral Ross was shown as being totally complicit and working with them (as Ross was working directly with and covering for Sloan) in DS9 S7 Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Section 31 was shown as a legitimized organization within Starfleet intelligence when Admiral Ross was shown as being totally complicit and working with them (as Ross was working directly with and covering for Sloan) in DS9 S7 Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.

During the DS9 era, to my memory, they seemed to have various upper brass members complicit with S31, but I don't remember them ever acknowledging them as a legitimate organization.

Memorya α's article on Section 31:

Perhaps Section 31's darkest aspect was that, while it had existed since the beginning of Starfleet, it was ostensibly an autonomous department, having operated for over two centuries with no oversight or accountability whatsoever, even free to kill those it deemed a threat to Federation interests at its own discretion. (DS9: "When It Rains...") By the time of the Dominion War, at least some of Starfleet Command's top officers knew for certain of Section 31's existence, and on occasion even worked with them to serve the interests of the Federation. However, for the sake of propriety, they tended to keep as much distance from the organization as possible. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges") As far as Section 31 itself was concerned, it seemed to have well-placed agents in nearly every level of both the civilian Federation government and Starfleet's command structure, allowing it to carry out operations without risk of being publicly exposed. (DS9: "Extreme Measures")