User Reviews

Another winner of an episode! We have the Gorn. We have Mr. Scott! We have an excellent episode. The only flaw is that there is no suspense about Nurse Chapel as she is Star Trek: The Original Series . The Gorn bring a level of suspense that is truly engaging. I really like that they have a mystery box of Gorn capable offensive weapons and detectors. The way Mr. Scott was introduced was brilliant. It showcased and foreshadowed his future knack for developing creative life saving solutions. Killing the crew from the Cayuga was not impactful as we don't know any of them. Also having nurse Chapel being the only survivor was overly convenient but not convincing. All in all it was an outstanding episode. Ready for Season 3!

This will have spoilers, putting it out there from the start.

Let's go to the big one shall we? We meet Scotty! And what a random introduction to him and yes it did feel a bit shoehorned in but the way we meet him does make sense. I guess he becomes a season 3 regular now.

This episode felt very Jurassic Park in space and there is a lot of plot convenience like Nurse Chappell surviving the ship's destruction and just conveniently having Spock there for them to have a convenient but nice space moment.

Pike's girlfriend is about to explode and what a finish to the episode with her being essentially a ticking time bomb while they are being attacked pretty fiercely by a very formidable enemy. Sentient dinosaurs basically are running around and they are really scary. This is how you build a villain, they do, as Pike said, just seem like monsters who enjoy being monsters.

That said, Pike talking about a way of reaching them will clearly hear fruit in season 3 but how much death will happen in the interim until that happens? I do like that they showed the Federation as being really competent here as they have been planning for this attack for some time but covertly.

All in all, this was an absolute cliffhanger where I don't know what decision Pike will make next and it sucks we have to wait a long time I suppose to find out.

A strong end to a very strong season.

I'd generally been disappointed with this second season, recycling of old ideas and a general lack of creativity.

But this episode was splendid and had a welcome suprise half way through where Pike and crew come across a new friend, who just happens to be a creative genius.

The acting was very good and the special effects cinematic at times.

It may have featured an old foe , but transformed through modern day effects

No rubber suits this time around.

I hope that series 3 builds on this excellent episode , and possibly brings back some of the classic episode music from TOS .

TOS featured some wonderful composers like George Dunning, Fred Steiner , Sol Kaplan and of course Alexander Courage.

Their compositions really enhanced each episode, with a classic composition by Sol Kaplan for The Doomsday machine.

Anyway, my faith in this series has been restored.

After the laugh "à la Buffy", again the fear : A remarkable scenario, the main antagonist - the gorns - begins to be a little more elaborate. The game of references specific to the series continues (Scotty, particularly noticed, as well as the post-apocalyptic atmosphere in the 1950s "à la" fallout), but the scenario gains in originality by creating suspense at every moment, especially as the enemy being barely explored in ToS, we discover it along with the heroes. Once again Strange New world shows that it is not only a great gift to fans but a series in its own right worthy of the rest of the franchise. And this ability to alternate laughter and tears from one episode to another is really a signature of the series, in line with ToS.

I enjoyed this episode like most episodes, but the writers have a problem. They are consistently creating scenarios that stretch believability and it's completely unnecessary. Why make it so there is only one survivor on the ship? I mean it was set up so that we knew the doctor character would survive, we were just waiting for the camera to pan over to her. It wasn't a surprise or mystery at all whatsoever. This is immediately rectified with a distress call before the blocker is set up or morse code with blinking lights or just don't make it her ship or have her on the surface, etc. It takes away from the show. Not in anyway a dealbreaker, it's just shotty writing.

So, Enterprise has this brilliant idea to use the remains of a destroyed Starfleet ship as a weapon to attack the enemy.. WITHOUT checking first if there are any survivors left in the wreckage they intend to use.

And of course there are still people alive, at least one, nurse Chapel, which they save and still they do not even care to check the rest of the ship. As long as Spock and Chapel meet, who cares if Starfleet personnel is sent to their deaths? Apparently not their fellow Starfleet officers.

Ok, I know what plot armor is and sometimes you just have to accept it. But this was simply ridiculous.

After the disastrous previous episode in which I gave a one star rating I am happy to say that the show is back on track and true to form.

It's clear they were saving their budget on this episode and hopefully the next one as well. Everything about this episode is what I love about this show. I'm particularly amazed at the CGI for a TV Show. Almost cinema level quality.

No spoilers, but I'm very excited about the new addition to the crew! He did a fantastic job and his on-screen presence is captivating.

I only hope that Strange New Worlds continues this trajectory of good Sci-Fi story telling with a mix of excellent cinematic actions scenes and even some horror elements. 10 out of 10.

Worst SW episode in the entire series. I'm talking of course about the abomination that came out two weeks ago with the freakish, forever crying, whining cartoon characters from Lower Drecks. This was a superb episode. We got to see an adult Gorn ( a far cry from TOS Gorn ). A great battle between Spock, Chapel and that adult Gorn was definitely the highlight. Stellar special effects and some great suspense. Though I didn't like it at first I'm now really enjoying the Spock/Chapel relationship and the dynamics it's brought to the show. The tactical uniforms they wore and a certain Scottish character were an added treat. My only complaint is the episode could have been a bit longer. The show ended on a real cliffhanger and a high note with the last two superb episodes. After sinking to the lowest level with that cartoon nonsense the season ends with a fantastic finale that should give no pause as to why we love this show.

Spock is getting more and more cring. Spock is Vulcan and yes he did struggle with emotion at times. But it was kept to a minimum as he concentrated on being Vulcan. This show will become dumb if Spock does not get back to being Spock. The Gorn are positioned as the Borg threat. I'm good with that as they make for a race not really explored. Scotty was great. There is a lot of talent in these actors and actresses and the crew and cast is great. But let's make sure characters stay in character next season. I'm tired of this writers think they know better than the original. Please stop thinking you can write characters and stories better than the original. Half of the season was good. Let's go for 75% good next season.

This season, like the first season, has been uneven but mostly very good.

With the finale we get a return to gritty character arcs, an exciting story with real stakes, and no heavy handed social messaging, but they did squeeze in a plug for vaccines in the first few minutes. Not all social messaging is bad, but when overdone it muddles the story.

So many of the performances are solid and the pacing is very well done too.

My issues were the three uncharacteristic moments where Pike (Anson Mount is good even with improperly written scenes) behaves in ways that don't mesh with the character we have come to know.

1) He freaks out during Ortega's shuttle flight which, although it gave Ortega her moment ( I've come to like the character even though her constant irreverence runs counter to what a starfleet captain would accept), was tonally out of whack with the rest of the episode. Pike was a test pilot. Flying acrobatics wouldn't make him puke. Why not have another character exhibit some white knuckling?

2) When Pike, Scotty (great character intro!!) and Captain Batel are confronted with a Gorn youngling, Pike freezes and holds up his hands as though a submissive gesture in front of a (as learned last season) blood thirsty crazed alien would accomplish anything other than provide an easy meal/host.

3) At the climactic ending, when confronted with a spacefaring confrontation against seemingly insurmountable odds, he freezes AGAIN! Una Chin Riley actually has to verbally ask for orders twice, as though Pike was an inexperienced cadet. First, Pike has proven to be a man of action, and second, he knows his fate and would see any interceding dilemma between his present and ultimate tragedy as being not only winnable, but also a bump in the proverbial road.

I'm not sure why the writers and show runner are doing this, but I'm hoping there's some explanation in season 3's premiere episode.

Carol Kane's scenes were good and promise more, which surprised me because I've never been a fan of her work. Scotty's intro was GREAT and we're treated to an actor's interesting interpretation of an iconic character that falls somewhere between James Doohan's and Simon Peg's. Well done.

Chapel gets some great screen time, Spock as well as he searches for some kind of closure with their doomed relationship. I'm hoping his performance gets closer to the canon ordinance of Nimoy. La'an is relegated to plot service, but Christina Chong handles her moments with her standard high level performance.

There is a great scene (heavily borrowing from Alien) that features good CGI, tension and the revelation of what an adult Gorn looks like and how it is possible that a savage species can pilot spaceships.

Overall a great episode that may or may not be well served by the next episode's answers.

Recommended.

This was a good episode! But what is bugging me (and I have seen it in a lot of series): if something explodes in spaces, why does the debris stay in its place? There's no gravity, the explosion propulses it, why doesn't it just fly away?

Apart from that, I'm happy no Klingons are singing. I'm sorry, but these episodes with (let's call them) experiments tend to mess with my Star Strek world as I build it in my head while I'm watching. And as funny it can be to others, it is just not original: a lot of other shows did it as well, and not only sci-fi shows. But ... to each its own!

And ... here's Scotty!

To be continued...but not for a long time. With the writers strike expected to continue for an extended period, it may be summer of 2025 before we find out what happens. That's time enough for memories, and interest to cool. That's TWO YEARS! This episode started off with the narration explaining that the Cayuga was overseeing the human colony world Parnassus Beta. It had been designed after a small town model, to mimic the old midwestern United States. 1950's to early 1960's by appearance. This was not by accident, but choice, as it represented a time in America when the majority were if not rich, at least prosperous, the most moral, and the happiest in the history of our nation. And hopeful of the future...not fearful. Hegemony is a great title for this episode, as its definition means leadership or dominance by one country or social group over others. It seems as the though the Gorn will become this series Borg. It also seems like an occult nod to the censorship occurring in America. Great writing and acting by everyone in this episode. But two years or more is a long time to wait for a resolution. Many people will die of old age and illness before the next season. Maybe even some of the lead actors. I don't know who is to blame. Are the writers being greedy, or is it those that pay them? This year has been an uneven one, as there have been great episodes mixed in with terrible ones. If the writers want more money, perhaps they should be more consistent.

Dialogue, odd facial expressions, angles, close to zero tactical awareness (common sense) of the landingparty, and the Erica Ortega-character simping in this episode did the character a huge disservice. ¨Whats this? Thats the debris-field. Really? Cant we use the debris-field? Thats brilliant, Erica!¨ NO ITS NOT! Anyone with half a brain could come up with that... Then, judging by her face she snorted a pound of coke just before piloting the shuttle down to the planet.

Also, ive seen already dead and buried redshirts with more tactical awareness than this landingparty.

It reminded me of having to sit through a school-play.

A few bright spots, but i was glad when it was over.

Oh, its a 2-parter? Damn!