Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

[thwhtGuardian]

The trial here wasn't as well done as Data's day in court in "Measure of a Man", Kirk's in "Court Martial" or even Spock's in "the Menagerie", the tension just wasn't there and it didn't have either a twist ending or a moral victory. The characters were still fun to watch and the sets and costuming are gorgeous but th episode just lacked punch, it started out like it was going to really say something about unjust laws but it quickly veered away from that and in the end the status quo was just reset like nothing happened.

[ChrisIII]

"I shouldn't have to hide anymore. None of us should."


Anybody else get a slight case of Rebecca Romjin cinematic deja vu there?

[JT221]

Another really enjoyable show. This show continues to impress me.

[Thezmage]

The trial here wasn't as well done as Data's day in court in "Measure of a Man", Kirk's in "Court Martial" or even Spock's in "the Menagerie", the tension just wasn't there and it didn't have either a twist ending or a moral victory. The characters were still fun to watch and the sets and costuming are gorgeous but th episode just lacked punch, it started out like it was going to really say something about unjust laws but it quickly veered away from that and in the end the status quo was just reset like nothing happened.

It was handicapped by needing to eventually lead to the situation in Deep Space Nine.

[Frontier]

No Star Trek show is complete without a trial episode. Although the writers thought better than to have the Captain be defending counsel for once and just had him bring in an actual lawyer with some added drama from a former friendship with Una and her own political purposes in taking the case for the sake of their race. And that's not to mention opposing counsel being none other than his...Friend with Benefits? "Work Buddy?"

Ah yes, you can tell a conversation irritated a Vulcan when they huff a little afterwards. Spock truly couldn't help himself.

Batel making it clear that for once a Star Trek Captain speech isn't going to save the day, especially when Pike was

I hope April doesn't take it personally how Neera skewered him on the stand, Una didn't realize how that was going to go. Although I guess it did set up the denouement in a way...and April talking about Una's virtues probably wouldn't have had as much impact in that testimony.

Honestly I was wondering to myself how the secret got out because I can't see anyone in the crew selling Una out...but then it made so much sense that she'd turned herself in with the intention of being honest and believing in Starfleet. Which paid off, huge gamble that it was, but it had to happen.

I like how you could tell even the Vulcan Prosecutor was impressed by Neera's speech and the actual logic behind it.

The Federation and Starfleet may seem rigid, strict, and uncompromising at times...but the inherent idealism behind them always makes them bend to the side of doing the right thing. Neera may be no fan of the Federation but it seemed like she truly gained a better understanding for why Una believed in it so much and what could be possible for her people seeing what the crew of the Enterprise represents.

So in the end everything works out. Una is back where she belongs, her friendship with Neera is repaired, everyone is cool with Batel again (wonder if she and Pike got busy before she went back to her own ship), and while the laws against augments probably won't change any time soon, at least they were able to achieve some kind of public win that hopefully can build to something better for the future.

(No surprise the Vulcan is the only one that doesn't applaud).

[BeastieRunner]

Probably my second favorite courtroom Trek episode.

Had a long talk with my kids about asylum after it was over.

Classic Star Trek IMHO.

[sunofdarkchild]

They used the Vulcan prosecutor to get in a dig at Ben Shapiro's 'facts don't care about your feelings' tagline.

[Jokerz79]

While I liked A Quilty of Mercy, All Those Who Wander, & Memento Mori more this was one of the shows best, but it was a mix bag for me with execution.

I think the episode needed to do more to show why it's so important for Illyrians to have genetic modifications rather than just saying "It's their Culture". Every time they said it, I thought back to the Season 1 episode of Orville "About a Girl" where to paraphrase Ed mentions where does the Union draw the line in the sand when it comes to Cultural Practices. For the Federation there is a historical precedence as to why genetic modification leads to a dark path. I think more of April who is a sympathetic character, and a supporter of the ban would have balanced it better.

I also think the Illyrian colony that Neera was from was too nice. If it had more of Refugee village feel vs a London/New York vibe it would have made their plight more justified. When you're a successful lawyer who lives in London but is complaining because you can't live in New York or Paris it does feel more like a 1st world problem.

The ending was interesting, and I like that it kept canon but there is a strangeness to it. Una is granted asylum by Starfleet/the Federation because she was persecuted because of policies created by Starfleet/the Federation. Like What?

Also, the whole mystery to outed Una to only have it revealed to be Una herself was anticlimactic IMO. If that's the route you want to go spend more time developing beforehand with Una being tired of hiding and use Chris as the springboard. I think back to Season 1 of the West Wing where Leo was outed for having had a drug problem in his past and it was revealed it was a staffer in the White House who did it. She wasn't evil but misguided due to her past with her father who too was an addict. I think a scenario where a crew member outed Una and not out of fear or hatred but out of duty would have been more interesting to the story.

While a good episode I don't think it's on par with episodes like Measure of a Man or the Drumhead.

[ChrisIII]

Clip from the next episode. Looks like once again we're not getting "real" Kirk but another alternate timeline version, maybe in part to avoid any canon issues until Pike becomes Fleet Captain? Or why his older self doesn't think about La'an when he meets Khan later?

I'm guessing maybe the transporter scene from the trailers might come later in the season finale perhaps. Also looks like Pike patches things up with Batel , but I got the feeling that might end in tragedy at some point (Not Pike's disfigurement but perhaps Batel dying)

[JT221]

While I liked A Quilty of Mercy, All Those Who Wander, & Memento Mori more this was one of the shows best, but it was a mix bag for me with execution.

I think the episode needed to do more to show why it's so important for Illyrians to have genetic modifications rather than just saying "It's their Culture". Every time they said it, I thought back to the Season 1 episode of Orville "About a Girl" where to paraphrase Ed mentions where does the Union draw the line in the sand when it comes to Cultural Practices. For the Federation there is a historical precedence as to why genetic modification leads to a dark path. I think more of April who is a sympathetic character, and a supporter of the ban would have balanced it better.

I also think the Illyrian colony that Neera was from was too nice. If it had more of Refugee village feel vs a London/New York vibe it would have made their plight more justified. When you're a successful lawyer who lives in London but is complaining because you can't live in New York or Paris it does feel more like a 1st world problem.

The ending was interesting, and I like that it kept canon but there is a strangeness to it. Una is granted asylum by Starfleet/the Federation because she was persecuted because of policies created by Starfleet/the Federation. Like What?

Also, the whole mystery to outed Una to only have it revealed to be Una herself was anticlimactic IMO. If that's the route you want to go spend more time developing beforehand with Una being tired of hiding and use Chris as the springboard. I think back to Season 1 of the West Wing where Leo was outed for having had a drug problem in his past and it was revealed it was a staffer in the White House who did it. She wasn't evil but misguided due to her past with her father who too was an addict. I think a scenario where a crew member outed Una and not out of fear or hatred but out of duty would have been more interesting to the story.

While a good episode I don't think it's on par with episodes like Measure of a Man or the Drumhead.

Going to need a little time to wonder about where it stacks up with other court episodes in Star Trek. I did think it was well executed and again highlighted the value of empathy. This just feels like a far more realistically hopeful show than Trek has felt for a long time.

[Thezmage]

No Star Trek show is complete without a trial episode. Although the writers thought better than to have the Captain be defending counsel for once and just had him bring in an actual lawyer with some added drama from a former friendship with Una and her own political purposes in taking the case for the sake of their race. And that's not to mention opposing counsel being none other than his...Friend with Benefits? "Work Buddy?"

It's hard being a Starfleet lawyer

[Tofali]

What an awful director(s) for the episode whoever they are.

[Jokerz79]

Going to need a little time to wonder about where it stacks up with other court episodes in Star Trek. I did think it was well executed and again highlighted the value of empathy. This just feels like a far more realistically hopeful show than Trek has felt for a long time.

I think I should be clear I really liked the episode and thought it was very good, I just thought with some rewrites it could have been great on level with the forementioned Measure of a Man and the Drumhead. As is I think Doctor Bashir, I Presume is slightly better while dealing with the same concept.

[CaptCleghorn]

I also think the Illyrian colony that Neera was from was too nice. If it had more of Refugee village feel vs a London/New York vibe it would have made their plight more justified. When you're a successful lawyer who lives in London but is complaining because you can't live in New York or Paris it does feel more like a 1st world problem.

One of the highlights of the episode was the characters on each side of the argument. Neera was accused of using the trial as a soapbox which she was, but it was a nuance that happens in these types of struggles often. Neera was the Trek equivalent of a limousine liberal hoping to cash in on her efforts, although not at Una's expense. It paints a more realistic comparison to our real world problems.

[MoneySpider]

A lot of women were thirsty for the dude. Spock was meant to be an unattainable guy and that fascinated women. There was an episode called the man trap, uhura sweetly goes to him and start a conversation in which she admits she was only trying to start a conversation with him. Uhura thirsted as well but it was a lot more subtle and enduring and a lot more limited as you could only do much in the 1960s with a potential interracial couple unless it was meant to draw attention to what was going on then, with the loving vs Virginia court case that made it possible for blacks and whites to marry.

Why this tv show is pushing Chapel as the the now new love interest, who I will argue was the least favorite female character in TOS and the girl Spock least tolerated is silly.

Terrible fight scenes with Chapel and the Doctor of power rangers level. When did they become action space heroes.

Pike was the heart of this series, take him out, the series falls apart. I don't also understand why they all talk like juveleine teenagers and why the Bridge always looks big and empty. Kurtzman Star Trek at its best. My own worst.

I don't think Uhura ever "thirsted" after Spock in TOS, she was probably just being friendly. TOS was not the Abrams Star Trek movies, where it seemed like Uhura's second purpose was to be Spock's girlfriend.