STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Recap: (S03E05) Through the Lens of Time
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, 'A Space Adventure Hour'
Ensign Gamble (Chris Myers) records a Junior Medical Officer's log, Stardate 2184.4. He's been stationed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise for six months. As he observes Chapel and Korby talking with Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), he reflects that his life is about to change. M'Benga approaches Gamble and they discuss Korby's research. This is related to how immortality and resurrection could relate to ancient technology. M'Benga orders Gamble to charge the biobed medical wands before Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) arrives for treatment.
In the hallway, Chapel and Korby discuss the mission. Korby is concerned about how Starfleet will behave at the archeological site. However, Korby needs a starship to reach the site. After Korby departs, La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) walks by. Chapel asks her how Spock (Ethan Peck) is handling the return of Korby.
La'an makes it clear that she and Spock are having a relationship with no expectations or labels. She suggests Chapel speak with Spock if she's concerned about how he is handling Korby's presence. In medical, Gamble assesses Batel, who is doing great. M'Benga arrives, and Batel expresses her gratitude. Then, M'Benga informs Gamble that he will join the away team. Elsewhere, Chapel enters a turbolift and finds Spock already inside. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, 'Through the Lens of Time'
Chapel asks if things will go smoothly between Spock and Korby on the mission. Spock assures her he has safeguards to ensure it goes smoothly. Gamble joins Chapel and Spock in the turbolift on his way to the briefing.
The briefing takes place in the Observation Lounge. The society on the planet has repeatedly declined to join the Federation, and thus will only allow a small landing party. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) states this will include Chapel. Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) asks if the science team has adjusted the deflector arrays. Spock confirms this and says he will monitor from the Enterprise to make adjustments as necessary.
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Pike is momentarily distracted by Beto Ortegas (Mynor Lüken), who is filming for his Starfleet documentary. Pelia (Carol Kane) offers to show him around Engineering. Beto has been given clearance to record the Enterprise 's current crop of missions.
The away team, consisting of Chapel, Gamble, Beto and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) beam down to the planet. Korby and N'Jal (Ish Morris) are already waiting. There is indeed some kind of ancient technology at work. The away team begins setting up. Beto flirts with Uhura as they do so, showing off his cameras. He explains they use AI to track biosigns to focus on the action. But Uhura completes her work anyway. Chapel contacts the bridge and informs them that the pylons are set. Enterprise activates deflector beams. As a result, an ancient temple is revealed. Chapel calls for a bigger landing party. Soon, Spock and La'an join them on the surface as well. Finishing Each Other's Sandwiches
Uhura reports the discovery of an access panel with unidentifiable symbols. Korby previously discovered a ring several light years away with similar symbols. And another distant archaeological site yielded tablets with similar text. Chapel says they believe the Macroon are descendants of a species of ancient intergalactic astronauts. They claim they achieved immortality. Research has suggested this was connected with 'quantum instability at a molecular level.' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 5, 'Through the Lens of Time' — Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+
Uhura translates the text on the access panel: 'The path to absolution, only with blood given freely.' A sacrifice. Chapel sticks her hand in the access panel. A needle pricks her finger, and a drop of blood is taken. The doors to the temple subsequently open. La'an and Chapel take point as they enter. The space inside is vast and dark. Furthermore, both comms and beaming are prevented by the chamber.
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Uhura and Beto find a gateway that seems to block light. Gamble finds several corpses. They seemed to have died of starvation. Spock says they must exit and reassess the situation in light of this discovery. Korby protests. Spock cites protocol. Chapel cites the Macroon's interests. Spock asks N'Jal if they should proceed. N'Jal says his people have a deep desire to learn more about their history. Spock concedes.
Gamble and Chapel open one of the corpses' packs. Chapel extracts a 'memory stone' and shares it with Korby. Meanwhile, Gamble picks up an orb, which begins to glow. He holds it up to his face. It seems to explode with energy. This energy melts Gamble's eyes. Bye Bye, Ensign Gamble's Eyes
Gamble is beamed into sick bay. M'Benga administers a sedative. He places a visor over Gamble's sockets in order to bioengineer new eyes for him. La'an informs the bridge that the device activated when Gamble picked it up. Pike orders the team to return to Enterprise immediately. Inside the temple, the rest of the away team has discovered a registry of names. But Chapel says it's time for them to go. Korby says he and N'Jal will stay behind. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 5, 'Through the Lens of Time'
Beto reveals he sent a camera through the doorway. Inside is a statue. This is recognized by N'Jal. He says it's evil. He subsequently attempts to flee. But before he can escape, lasers activate and cut him to bits. The door, which appears to be a portal, closes. The away team is trapped inside. In medical, Gamble regains consciousness. M'Benga explains that he was injured on the planet.
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Pike arrives and asks for a report. M'Benga and Pike discuss the situation. It could have been a biological agent. Something is preventing Gamble's eyes from regenerating. M'Benga admits he's fond of Gamble. Pike says they can't protect everyone. But if anyone can help Gamble, it's M'Benga. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 5, 'Through the Lens of Time'
In the closed temple, the away team continues to investigate. The door remains locked. They surmise that their survival is linked to Chapel's biosignature. Korby suggests they venture deeper, since remaining still will lead to starvation. Uhura suggests they move to the chamber where Beto's camera was sent. Chapel approaches the door, which scans her. When she reaches across the threshold, the room on the other side illuminates. Spock suggests they use the same formation as they did when they successfully entered the temple. As they step through the door, they are divided. Bad Orbs Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 5, 'Through the Lens of Time'
La'an and Chapel marvel at the statue before realizing they're alone. Fortunately, comms still work within the temple. La'an successfully contacts Spock, who is with Korby. In yet another room, Uhura and Beto are alone together. La'an orders everyone to stay put. Only Chapel and La'an have the giant statue.
In medical, M'Benga struggles to identify the source of Gamble's injury. His eyes continue to fail to regenerate. But he shows a newfound familiarity with M'Benga. M'Benga says they need more tests. It seems like Gamble's brain is dead. Gamble begins to panic. M'Benga administers a sedative. He assures Gamble he'll figure the situation out.
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In the temple, La'an discovers Chinese writing on the statue. Chapel determines the statue has a lifesign reading. But it's both 'alive and not.' Chapel reports that the statue's particles are in constant flux: 'quantum instability on a molecular level.' Meanwhile, Spock and Korby appear to be in the same room they just left. Spock examines the corpses, removing a visor from one of them. Korby translates the tablet that the corpses had been carrying. It includes the words 'parasite' or 'hitchhiker,' 'well' or 'pit,' and the plural of the Macroonian word for 'evil.'
Spock uses the visor to examine the room and discovers that the structure at the center is glowing. It is filled with thousands of orbs like those that attacked Gamble. One of these rises. It appears to contain a demon. Spock recoils. Some Kind of… Gamble Suit Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 5, 'Through the Lens of Time'
On Enterprise , Pike informs Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) that the landing party has failed to return. They join Pelia, Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (Martin Quinn) and Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte) in engineering. Sam reports the locals have cut off contact with them. Pike admits the Macroonians can prevent them from retrieving the landing part, due to the Enterprise 's special access agreement.
Pelia and Scotty report that the orbs are containment units. They determine that whatever was inside of it seems to have forced its way out. But they can't determine whether that thing was sentient. Pelia believes the orb is the oldest thing she's ever encountered, and it creates fear in her.
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Meanwhile, in medical, Gamble rises from his chair. He begins speaking to M'Benga about Rukiya. But M'Benga never told Gamble about his daughter. Gamble asks if M'Benga believes the woman he spoke with at the end of 'The Elysian Kingdom' was really his daughter or another entity wearing her skin. M'Benga realizes a foreign intelligence is speaking through Gamble: 'Vezda.'
Batel arrives in medical. She seems to recognize Vezda. They speak to each other in strange alien tongues. Then, they begin to battle one another. Pike's arrival distracts Batel. This allows Vezda to escape medical. M'Benga sedates Batel, who does not seem like herself. M'Benga catches up with Vezda, who has taken one of the security officers hostage and seems to have killed another. Vezda tells M'Benga he just wants to be himself again and surrenders. Security asks M'Benga if they should bring Vezda to the brig or medical. Don't Panic
In the temple, Uhura's scans determine that the pillars are also flickering in and out of their reality. Beto is losing hope. Uhura draws on her experiences to reassure him. Then, Uhura catches sight of Beto's PADD, which displays the video feed from his camera drone. It shows all six members of the away team in the same room together.
Chapel reports the unstable phase variances and lifesign from the statue. Spock reports the presence of sentient life. Furthermore, Spock has sustained an injury to his hand that he doesn't remember. Beto reports that his cameras have picked up all their biosignatures and layered them appropriately. Spock ascertains that they are in layered dimensional space. They are all in the same room, just in different dimensions. Spock deduces that the orbs contain entities that were brought there due to interdimensional travels in the pursuit of immortality. La'an speculates that the temple is actually a prison for these entities.
RELATED: Hit It: Best Quotes From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' 'A Space Adventure Hour'
Vezda is brought to the brig. M'Benga apologizes and says he'll have to look after Vezda from there. Vezda asks what's going to happen to him, but M'Benga can't say. In the temple, Uhura reads the description on the central pedestal: 'Here and not here.' Chapel recalls artifacts on a certain planet being placed into similar pedestals. Korby speculates this could be key to unifying the dimensions.
Uhura has the ring, and Korby has the tablet. Chapel instructs Korby to place the tablet in a specific location. It becomes visible in the other dimensions. So too does the ring. Chapel speculates she's the key. She picks up the ring and places it on the tablet. An artifact resembling an hourglass appears. Inverted Causality Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 5, 'Through the Lens of Time'
All six members of the team now share the same dimensional space again. Spock notes that the injury to his hand has seemingly healed. But the pathway to the door has vanished. On Enterprise , Batel wakes up in Pike's quarters under his watch. Batel doesn't know what happened in medical. She says she saw Gamble. However, it wasn't him, but something else. Likewise, Batel felt like 'something else.' She was overwhelmed by a desire to exterminate him. Pike speculates it could be the Gorn DNA in her body. Batel says the presence within her felt 'old.' Una connects Pike with the Macroon ambassador.
In the temple, Spock cuts himself on the bottom of the pedestal. Spock ascertains that this reveals inverted causality due to the reconstituted reality. Effects can happen before their cause in these conditions. Spock suggests they may be able to reach the door in spite of the apparent lack of a bridge. Due to inverted causality, they should be able to cross the empty space and turn on the bridge.
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On Enterprise , Vezda uses personal knowledge of Rex, the security officer (David MacInnis), to lure him over. Then, Vezda reaches through the force field and chokes him. Vezda subsequently leaves the brig.
In the temple, Spock theorizes they can cross the empty space together, with Chapel as the key. Korby is skeptical. But Spock says it is a matter of science. Chapel is convinced. She convinces Korby to take the risk with them. Further, she instructs him to leave the relic be. The away team crosses the empty space together, the bridge appearing beneath their feet. When they reach the door, it opens for them, and they exit the temple. Korby is still reluctant to leave the relic, but Chapel reassures him. Vezda Vanquished?
On Enterprise , Vezda holds Sam, Pelia and Scotty at phaser point. He demands the senior officer command codes. He wants to take control of the vessel from engineering. M'Benga arrives and points his phaser at Vezda. Vezda doubts M'Benga could kill his 'favorite ensign.' But Sam doubts that Gamble is still inside.
Pelia shoots Vezda in the back. A ghostly entity begins to rise from Gamble's corpse. Scotty traps this entity in an orb. Then, he beams away the orb to 'nowhere': the transporter buffer.
RELATED: Read our Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recaps
In the observation lounge, Chapel, La'an and Spock are debriefed by Pelia, M'Benga and Pike. Spock says the transporter buffer is the best location they have to keep the orb. The Macroons are considering joining the Federation. La'an speculates that Gamble might have used the ship's phasers to set the entities imprisoned in the temple free. M'Benga suggests this could have had galactic consequences.
Pelia apologizes to M'Benga, but says she thinks Gamble was already gone. Beto wonders if the entities were indeed evil. Pike says, 'Good and evil are relative terms.' But Pelia believes there is indeed evil in the universe. She worries about what might happen if the entities escape the prison. Later, in medical, M'Benga reviews the data on Vezda. M'Benga takes a call and informs Gamble's family of his death. But as he walks away from the data on Vezda, the computer screen begins to flicker ominously.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
Computer, Please End Program: 6 STAR TREK Holodeck Malfunctions Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
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