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Two Takes Trek: Don't Use the Z-Word
Welcome to Two Takes Trek, a weekly discussion on the newest Star Trek episodes. This week, we take a look at Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 3, 'Shuttle to Kenfori,' in which, according to Paramount+, 'In order to cure Batel, Pike and M'Benga travel to Klingon space, where M'Benga's past resurfaces on a dangerous planet.' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, 'Shuttle to Kenfori'
Hi, I'm Avery, and I hope to be in Bozeman, Montana, on April 5, 2063.
And I'm Diana, and I believe in #JusticeForZora.
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Disclaimer: The following discussion contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 3, 'Shuttle to Kenfori.' If you haven't watched it yet, you may want to stop reading here. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ Big Hits
Diana Keng: I love parallel plotlines almost as much as I love a good bookend. The Pike/M'Benga dynamic, playing out alongside the Una/Ortegas one, is an elegant narrative construct, and my Big Hit of the episode. We already knew that Pike (Anson Mount) and M'Benga's (Babs Olusanmokun) friendship goes back a long time. Here, it's reestablished and embellished by their reminiscing at the beginning of the mission. (Three ex-wives and an annulled marriage, M'Benga? Really?) Ultimately, their friendship holds despite hard truths coming to light during their time on Kenfori. The last thing Pike says to M'Benga sums it up: 'You're not a monster, Joseph, just a man. And my friend.'
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Conversely, Una (Rebecca Romijn) must respond to Ortegas's (Melissa Navia) very public insubordination and actions, which endangered the ship and its crew. Professionally, both women recognize that mistakes were made. In contrast to Pike and M'Benga, in their final exchange, Una asserts that this can't ever happen again, with Ortegas acknowledging and apologizing. Side by side, these plotlines are a masterclass in Starfleet crew dynamics.
Avery Kaplan: I thought this episode had some very good continuity. I like seeing the trauma Ortegas experienced at the hands (claws?) of the Gorn continue to be explored. It was neat to see the little cameo from the R'Ongovian in 'Wedding Bell Blues' pay off. And I'm curious to see where this whole Batel-Gorn thing leads. I do still think it's a little odd that, after the Gorn had such a profound effect on the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, they are essentially not recognized a few years later in Star Trek: The Original Series' 'Arena.' Also, do they start wearing pretty dresses later on? Or wait … is Pretty Dress Gorn a descendant of Gorn-Chimera-Flower-Hybrid Batel (Melanie Scrofano)? Big Whiffs
DK: To give in to my superficial side for a moment, what the heck is going on with Una's hair in this episode? Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+
But seriously, my Big Whiff here is the eternal irrationality of the Klingon code of honor – no reference to the TNG episode implied – and its utter disregard for timing and context. If I have it straight, Bytha (Christine Horn) must restore family honor by killing her father, Rah (Robert Wisdom). He brought dishonor by defecting to the Federation. But M'Benga beat her to it. Now, she must kill M'Benga to avenge her father – the same one she was going to kill – and regain honorable standing. And the best time to do this is while a horde of ravenous plant-hybrid former humans and Klingons surrounds them? Talk about taking me out of the moment. And when their fight damaged the field generator? #FacePalm
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AK: As a huge fan of George A. Romero's six Dead movies, I had high hopes for this episode. In Romero's zombie movies, the undead aren't just a horror movie threat; they're a vehicle for exploring social issues (often in an extremely unsubtle manner (complimentary)). Given the strong social commentary in Strange New Worlds Season 1 and Season 2, I had hoped that the tradition of undead thematic exploration would have been included in 'Shuttle to Kenfori.' But while the episode does pick up on M'Benga's plotline from Season 2's 'Under the Cloak of War,' I cannot for the life of me suss out any social commentary in connection with the zombies, which are — unfortunately — essentially reduced to 'just a horror movie threat.' In my opinion, it's definitely the Big Whiff of the episode. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ Episode VIP
DK: Sometimes, it's just one scene that steals the show for a character. Here, my VIP vote goes to Marie Batel for her honesty in the episode's closing moments with Pike. When she tells him that he's the reason she didn't share the plan with him, 'because I don't have the space to worry about how my dying affects your feelings,' it's not callousness, it's truth. Her life is hers, and so are her choices. To be fair, when Pike admits he wanted to be in on the decision so that he could support her making it, he's being honest, too. But stupid honest. All feeling, no thought. It's a selfish sentiment, and she calls him on that – 'It wasn't about you!'
Batel's said before that she knows she's living on borrowed time. When Spock mindmelds with her to help control the pain, we see the level of horror she's been living with, something harrowing enough that it breaks a Vulcan's control. The fact that she chooses to live despite everything she knows she's risking is inspiring.
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AK: I have to give Episode VIP to M'Benga. I loved his line deliveries throughout the episode, from his assertion that he never gets caught to his stating, 'I like to think of myself as a work of progress.' Same, M'Benga, same. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ Best Easter Eggs/Inside Jokes
DK: Full disclosure: I've never watched any of Romero's Dead films. So, if I hadn't been checking Trek canon for a previous mention of the planet Kenfori, I would never have realized that Ken Foree starred in 1978's Dawn of the Dead. Well played, writers. And kudos to the many visual references to iconic scenes from Dawn, especially that last shot of Bytha's outstretched hand as the horde chows down on her.
AK: Ken Foree as Peter in Dawn of the Dead is one of the best characters in a zombie movie ever, so I'm glad the title paid him homage. On a similar note, I assume the title 'Shuttle to Kenfori' is a play on the title of the 2016 zombie movie Train to Busan. While Romero's Dead movies are (and almost always shall be) my favorite zombie stories, I appreciate the reference to another influential flick of the undead. And yes, I am inclined to assume 'the z-word' is a reference to 2004's Shaun of the Dead. When there's no more room in hell, the dead will be referenced on Star Trek. Elements That Will LLAP
DK: M'Benga and Ortegas both have trauma and personal demons to contend with. I hope their healing processes are given the time and space needed. Clearly, the Federation needs some notes on Kenfori before the next ship decides to disregard the Klingon 'Turn Back Or Die' beacon. (As an aside, I'd love to know when Klingons got remote-controlled ornithopter shuttles like the one Bytha summoned to the landing pad.) It'll be tricky for Pike to explain how he knows what happened to the Kenfori scientists without a mission on the books. Finally, if the chimera blossom works to help Batel survive her Gorn parasite, there's probably going to be a discussion about the status and security clearance of human-Gorn hybrids.
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AK: I'm definitely looking forward to the continuation of both M'Benga and Ortegas' plot lines as well. I especially like the way M'Benga has not been defined by a single subplot over all three seasons, but instead has had multiple storylines explored. I want Ortegas to continue to play a bigger role throughout this season and through to the end of the series … but of course, her absence from The Original Series makes me nervous about her possible fate.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
Hit It: Best Quotes From the STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Season 3 Premiere Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.
