I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: there was, I’m fairly certain, absolutely nobody clamoring for a Captain Pike TV show prior to 2019.
Then the Discovery second-season premiere “Brother” aired with Anson Mount being amazing as Pike, and then Rebecca Romijn showed up as a fabulous Number One in “An Obol for Charon,” and then, after several Spock-teases, Ethan Peck fully arrived as a conscious person and was brilliant as one of the most popular characters in science fiction television in “Light and Shadows,” and at that point, the notion of a Captain Pike TV show was something that a lot of fans were desiring greatly.
After a season of Strange New Worlds, overall, the Captain Pike series has been a success.
A complete success it isn’t, mind you. There are some issues with the first series of SNW, but overall, this is more or less exactly what we were hoping for as Discovery’s second season progressed three years ago, and I’m insanely happy with the ten-episode season I just watched.
It begins at the top, with Mount, who continues to be amazing. Mount’s facility with facial expressions—where you can see every emotion played out on his pores—perfectly suits his Captain Daddy approach to running the Enterprise. He views everyone on his ship as family, cooking for them, wanting to get to know them personally, and understanding them. Plus, he’s still, at heart, a true Starfleet captain: always searching for the compassionate response, and making use of all the resources around him to get the job done. That last was probably best seen in “Memento Mori” when Pike is playing a game of chess in a nebula with the Gorn and making use of everyone’s suggestions.
The season also spent a great deal of time on one aspect of Pike’s character that carries over from the events of Discovery season two, specifically Pike’s learning of his eventual fate (as chronicled in the episode of the original series that introduced Pike to audiences, “The Menagerie”) in “Through the Valley of Shadows.” Knowing that he is fated to be brutally injured saving the lives of a bunch of cadets is something that haunts Pike throughout the season. I was disappointed that they were harping on this, but it looks like Pike’s attempt to alter his fate—something he was explicitly told was impossible when he got the vision, something he did, by the way, in order to save all life in the galaxy—in “A Quality of Mercy” will have cured him of trying to change the future that we already know he can’t change anyhow.
(A friend on Facebook asked the question of why the people who gave him the vision of the future couldn’t say, “Hey, it’s okay, it turns out all right in the end,” since the vision in question didn’t show him the aftermath when Spock kidnaps him and takes him to Talos IV. I reminded that friend that these were Klingons—they wouldn’t view an illusory life of leisure on a planet full of telepaths to be a happier ending…)
Peck gets plenty of time in the spotlight as a younger Spock, and it’s a joy to behold. The producers decided to develop the relationship between Spock and T’Pring, going against the assumption (which was implied but never stated outright) that the pair of them hadn’t seen each other since their betrothal at age seven. Having them actually try to develop a relationship eight years prior to “Amok Time” is a fascinating (sorry…) choice, and Gia Sandhu’s portrayal of T’Pring is particularly superlative. It’s fun seeing how they’re building toward the adversarial relationship we see in the original series episode.
On top of that, after complaints from many about the lack of any mention of Sybok—established in The Final Frontier as Sarek’s son from a previous marriage—in the backstory of Spock and Michael Burnham that we got throughout the first two seasons of Discovery, we finally get a glimpse of Spock’s emotional half-brother at the end of “The Serene Squall,” with the promise of more next year. That episode also gave us a scenery-chewing performance by Jesse James Keitel as a pirate captain who is gleefully set up as a recurring adversary for our heroes.
In addition, by having Christine Chapel—played with verve and sass by Jess Bush—serving as a civilian advisor it actually gives a lot more texture and depth to the Spock-Chapel sexual tension seen in the original series. I’ve actually found that, upon rewatching episodes that showed the Spock-Chapel relationship in the original series (particularly “The Naked Time,” “Amok Time,” “Plato’s Stepchildren,” and “Return to Tomorrow”) that showing that their friendship goes back many years gives all those episodes more weight. It particularly makes Chapel’s mooning over Spock less oogy. (Even SNW season one can’t save the animated episode “Mudd’s Passion,” however…)
They also remembered that Chapel’s background is in bio-research, as established in the original series’ “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” and we’ve got her working on ways of disguising humans as aliens, building on the work done by Phlox in Enterprise and which is more commonplace in the later shows.
Chapel works with M’Benga, played by Booker Bradshaw in two episodes of the original series, and who is a hard-working physician here as played by Babs Olusanmokun, one who is also trying to save the life of his daughter, a cure (of sorts) that he finally finds in “The Elysian Kingdom.”
That episode shows that SNW is embracing some of the loonier aspects of Trek, too. Where most of the other Secret Hideout shows (Discovery, Picard, Prodigy) are embracing serialized storytelling, SNW is following the lead of Lower Decks to do each episode as its own thing, while still advancing character arcs. Each episode tells a complete story, and that’s a nice change from the other shows—it’s not better, it’s not worse, it’s just different, which is a good thing. One of Star Trek’s (many) strengths is that it can support multiple formats, and this show is a nice reminder of that. In this season alone, we’ve got a strong first-contact story (“Strange New Worlds”), a tense space-battle (“Memento Mori”), a nifty exploration of an alien computer to the annoyance of its acolytes (“Children of the Comet”), a space-virus tale (“Ghosts of Illyria”), a romantic comedy with a sci-fi twist (“Spock Amok”), the silly everyone-dresses-up-and-is-someone-different episode (“The Elysian Kingdom”), a space pirate episode (“The Serene Squall”), the captain-sleeps-with-a-space-babe episode (“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”), and the people-trapped-in-a-place-with-a-scary-monster episode (“All Those Who Wander”).
Celia Rose Gooding is also superb as a younger Nyota Uhura, taking a character who was always more important for what she represented than for what little character development she ever got, and giving her more depth. We learned more about Uhura in the opening scenes of “Children of the Comet” than we’d learned in the prior eight-five TV episodes and nine movies the character appeared in. More than Bush and Olusanmokun, I have no trouble seeing Gooding’s Uhura grow into the one played by Nichelle Nichols.
Some of the continuity hits are a bit overdone. There’s really no need to have Jim Kirk’s older brother on the ship, and he doesn’t really play a significant role beyond trolling the audience with the “Lieutenant Kirk” references in “Strange New Worlds,” and actor Dan Jeannotte looking way too much like Guy Fleegman. For that matter, there’s no real reason for M’Benga to be the ship’s doctor, and it could just as easily have been a new character. (Chapel and Uhura at least are back-filling their characters’ existing stuff.)
The only wholly new characters are, at least, interesting. Bruce Horak’s Hemmer didn’t really get much chance to shine as the only wholly alien person in the cast before being annoyingly killed in “All Those Who Wander,” the rancid cherry on top of the episode that was truly the season’s low point. Melissa Navia’s Erica Ortegas is fun, though we don’t know much about her yet, and Christine Chong’s La’An is very much what they wanted Tasha Yar to be (or perhaps Yar’s first draft, Macha Hernandez), but getting it much more right this time.
Having said that, that’s another unnecessary continuity hit, as La’An really doesn’t need to be a descendant of Khan Noonien Singh, and that bit of ancestry is by far the least interesting thing about her—her PTSD from her childhood experiences with the Gorn is way more compelling.
Also the Gorn here are completely (and unnecessarily) incompatible with the Gorn we saw in the original series’ “Arena.”
Even with all those flaws, they’re ultimately minor nits. The complaints that they’re “breaking canon” that have been howled in some circles are the same complaints we heard in 1979 when The Motion Picture came out, in 1987 when The Next Generation came out, in 2001 when Enterprise came out, and in 2017 when Discovery came out.
However, there is one flaw that is not a minor nit, and it’s something I’ve been complaining about pretty much all season, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it here.
In 2020, when this show was announced, I wrote an article here on Tor.com listing my seven thoughts on the announcement, and #6 on the list was that this should be Number One’s show. Of the “big three,” she’s the only one who’s a blank slate, as we know what happens to Pike and (especially) Spock. She has the most room for growth and development.
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On top of that, she’s a great character, a no-nonsense, super-competent officer who was shown, both in “The Cage” and in her appearances on Discovery and Short Treks to be the person Pike relies on to get shit done.
On SNW, though, she’s been marginalized, set aside, made into a virtual criminal, and/or ignored. She started the season as a damsel in distress for Pike to have to rescue, and she ended the season being arrested for lying on her Starfleet entrance exams, and in between, the best she got was an okay origin story and a comedy B-plot and otherwise was the most irrelevant second-in-command on a Star Trek series since latter-day Chakotay.
Having said all of that, this is a fun season of Trek, embracing its status as a prequel while finding new ways to tell old stories—taken to its extreme in “A Quality of Mercy” where we get a fascinating alternate take on the original series’ “Balance of Terror.” It’s a worthy addition to the ever-growing Trek pantheon, a fun show, with characters all of whom I’m eager to see more of when the show debuts next year.
There just better be a lot more of Number One is season two, is all I’m sayin’…
Keith R.A. DeCandido will be at Shore Leave 42 in Cockeysville, Maryland this weekend, as both an author and musician, doing panels, workshops, and autographings, as well as performing with the Boogie Knights for their 40th anniversary concert. His full schedule can be found here.
Oh, my goodness. All season I’ve been cringing every time I see the nickname “Captain Daddy” now you’re doing it! LOL
I do love this show. This is exactly what I was hoping Discovery would be. Not to diss on Discovery, but to me it seems like a science fiction show they just decided to call a Star Trek show. But SNW totally feels like a Star Trek show set in the 23rd century.
I agree with you about La’an. I don’t see any point of her being descended from Khan. However, I think it’s cool we’re seeing Sam Kirk.
I’m one of the few that doesn’t have an issue with the Gorn. Yes, it takes some mental maneuvering but I think we can find a way to reconcile everything. My main issue is the showrunner’s contention they are just monsters. I don’t see the point of that–especially since we’ve seen Gorn in Lower Decks. So, my thinking is he’s just wrong. They appear to be monsters, but obviously in a hundred years the Gorn and Federation are able to coexist.
I’m REALLY looking forward to Una’s story next year. I’ve been psyched for the fallout ever since Ghosts of Illyria.
My main complaint this year is lack of information on Ortegas. I really hope they have an episode revolving around her next year. All we know now is she’s a badass pilot (I’d put her in the legendary category)
I wonder if Una has been side-lined because the writers can’t quite figure out what to do about the redundancies of her character. Because the traits of the original Number One played by Majel Barrett, the unemotional but competent first officer, were transferred over to Spock in TOS proper, what now distinguishes her from him?
Peck’s Spock isn’t far off from Nimoy’s later take on the character (no smiling, no shouting), so where does that leave Una now? She can lift a man over her shoulder? Yeah well, Spock can do that. She has suppressed a part of her past and true nature? Also Spock. She’s going to be declared a criminal? Yes, and we’ll probably get a good trial episode out of it, but how long will that last the character?
“Melissa Navia’s April Ortegas is fun” …
April Ortegas?
That said, things that have really worked for me include the redesign of the Enterprise itself, Anson Mount’s continued awesomeness as Captain Pike, Jess Bush’s entirely new take on Nurse Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding’s Uhura, and surprisingly Gia Sandhu. I never expected T’Pring to be a breakout character in this show.
Things that I’m largely neutral on include Ethan Peck as Spock (he has never really evoked the original character for me, but he does work well enough on this show), Rebecca Romijn as Number One (I know KRAD wants this to be her show, but she did’t bowl me over in the one episode that heavily featured her), Christina Chong as La’an (she’s good enough in the part, but I wasn’t sad to see her take a leave of absence), Melissa Navia’s Ortegas (seems mostly to exist so far to make quips), and Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga (for some reason as a child I loved the minor character or M’Benga so I really wanted him to be awesome here, but he was mostly just serviceable).
Things that didn’t really work for me (apart from the Gorn, which I’ve extensively complained about already) include Bruce Horak’s Hemmer (he felt like a one-note character), both Kirk boys (Dan Jeanotte felt pointless and Paul Wesley lacks the charisma of his predecessors), and honestly three of the last four episodes didn’t impress me much.
But overall the season felt like a good start.
@3 – Fixed, thanks!
Anyway, I enjoyed this season for the most part. Well, about 60% percent.
I liked six of the ten. I thought the comedy episodes were tiresome and the Aliens one was downright terrible. And all the shoutouts to TOS held it back, I thought. This is when the series needs to find its own way, and talking about Gorn and Khan and Kirks isn’t that way.
Looking back at early TNG, despite all its many problems, I find it remarkable how restrained they were in this. They had a lovely cameo from McCoy, then a sloppy remake of a TOS episode, then they were off on their own. No descendant of any TOS character was on the ship. No one sat down to talk about why Jim Kirk is awesome. Why point out something we already know?
I wonder if you could make a 10 episode season 1 this solid out of any of the other series? Picard and Discovery don’t have enough episodes to spare. Enterprise and TNG don’t have enough good episodes. I’m skeptical if Voyager or TOS could do it but there’s an outside shot. I think DS9 has a decent chance, though, since I recall S1 including a few of its standout episodes.
I really hope we get more Una next year. In retrospect, Hemmer was clearly tagged with “Disposable character” so they didn’t bother fleshing him out. I actually forgot La’an’s heritage which shows how extraneous it was.
@6 – my thoughts exactly. The show started out really strong but took a dive there near the end. I don’t want to watch a reboot of TOS and I’m not at all interested in an entire federation of planets, occupying a significant portion of a galaxy, where only about about a dozen people — all of whom we already know — seem to be responsible for everything.
I agree about Number One/Una. I was dying to see Romijn’s take on the cooly cerebral, hyper competent woman; yes, I know she was a bit of a 60s stereotype in her conception, but surely in the 21st Century we can re-contexturalize that and make a good character with LOTS of air time. Right now, she’s coasting on Romijn’s natural charm, but there has to be more (even if it’s XO Mommy to Captain Daddy Pike).
I’m guessing with Ortegas, she was just meant to be a wisecracking side character but Melissa Navia brought such personality and charisma to the role, she’s charmed a lot of the viewing audience (including me).
Still, overall, I’m satisfied with all the episodes; the crew and creative staff are humming along, with all cylinders. Even with the complaints (which I don’t agree with but recognize as valid), they’re doing a pretty good batting average compared to past eras of Trek.
4. David Pirtle
Hemmer was one note because they didn’t bother using him as they should. Keith, I believe, has mentioned that Bruce Horak was told when he was hired that Hemmer wouldn’t survive the first season. I think that is tragic. One of Star Trek’s failings as a series postulating an organization composed of many different species is the dearth of them that have speaking roles among the main and recurring characters.
While there have been a few (Sarek, Shran, and so forth), we have seen a mostly human crew. Hemmer could have been a great character, deep and complex, if they hadn’t decided from the start to kill him in the first season; or even if they had had actually involved him in all the previous episodes.