A Treat for Trek Fans!
The latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode (S2, E5), titled “Charades,” is a wonderful example of why this latest iteration of Star Trek is one of the best Trek shows in franchise history.
Without getting into spoilers (yet), I can say that this episode hits all the buttons (for a non pew-pew, no phasers/photon torpedo type of episode), featuring character and plot developments, emotional and relationship plot lines, and quite a bit of humor. We ever have amorphous, gas-like and mysterious alien beings of immense power. A consistent feature of And, for this old TOS fan, the possible plug-ins to the Spock/T’Pring/Christine Chapel continuity are, to borrow a phrase, “Fascinating!”
Ok, on to specifics as to why this episode is great. Yes, that means spoilers ahead!
Humor: One thing that made TOS great was the easy camaraderie among the characters that came through in humorous comments peppered throughout the show. Strange New Worlds takes that to a new level. Anson Mounts’ facial expressions during the Vulcan Engagement Dinner ritual alone is worth watching this episode for.
The crux of this episode, on the surface, is Spock’s “accident” in which powerful, but clueless aliens “fix” him by wiping out his Vulcan DNA. Hence, for most of this episode, Spock is 100% Human. Oh, no…you know what that means…bonus points here for this not being the result of a Transporter Accident!
Watching the now fully human Spock learning what it is like to be a human (the bacon scene is hilarious!), is great, as is when his human and Illyrian friends try to coach him on how to be a Vulcan again is classic. Melissa Navia, as Erica Ortegas, has a natural comedic talent, and it shows as she demonstrates the classic Vulcan eyebrow arch.
Vulcan Culture: Fans of TOS well know about how Spock and T’Pring’s engagement concludes, but the ongoing story of their relationship brings new light to our knowledge of Vulcan culture and habits. The engagement dinner, and rituals fit into what we already know of Vulcan culture, and add to the backstory of Vulcan life. Also, bonus points to the mention of how Vulcans have issues with how Humans smell. First brought to light by T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) on Star Trek: Enterprise, the inclusion of this factoid again helps to connect SNW with the Trek shows that preceded it.
Spock: Spock’s ongoing internal battle over his dual nature has always been a major feature of the character, regardless of whether he is played by Leonard Nimoy, Zack Quinto, or Ethan Peck. This episode, along with Spock’s struggles with his romantic attachments, is a great new chapter in the story of Spock. Ethan Peck is superb in this episode, both as a dramatic actor (Spock gets ANGRY!) and as a comedic actor.
Gaseous, Amorphous Aliens: A staple of Trek encounters with aliens, this show features a new variety of all-powerful “ancient aliens,” to quote Ortegas, but the humor here is that they are entirely clueless. Again, great writing and great humor. Anyone else get the “Ancient Aliens” reference, or am I the only one?
Any Trek fan should enjoy this episode. “Charades” (the title comes from Pike’s attempt to delay having Spock’s humanness revealed; again, a great comedic moment), has all the humanity, vulcanness, humor, and great character and relationship-building that a Trekkie 