Latest news with #Pike
Gizmodo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Pulled Off Something Better Than a Classic Zombie Story
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds loves itself a trope, and sometimes that really is a 'for better or worse' kind of situation. So when this week's episode, 'Shuttle to Kenfori', revealed that its antagonists were some very fast-running plant-based zombies (The Last of Who?), I braced myself to hit all the very well-worn marks of the genre. But thankfully 'Kenfori' surprised me, and sidestepped a thematic cynicism to deliver a surprise sequel to one of season 2's standout episodes.'Shuttle to Kenfori' sees the Enterprise facing an off-the-books mission to a demilitarized zone between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, when it turns out that Captain Batel's not-so-happily-cured of her Gorn infestation as last week's premiere largely handwaved. Needing the aid of an exceedingly rare plant being studied by Federation agri-scientists before the outbreak of the war with the Klingons as Batel's only hope, the Enterprise is forced to watch from afar as it sends off Dr. M'Benga and Captain Pike to the abandoned research station on the titular planet to find the chimera plant before any passing Klingons discover Starfleet's flagship violating peacetime treaties. 'Shuttle to Kenfori' jukes and jives as it reveals its true layers. At first you think you're getting another episode about the aftermath of Discovery's Klingon war, especially with the pairing up of M'Benga and Pike to contrast the doctor's experience on the front lines with Pike's relative distance from the events of the war—and especially when a (wonderful-looking) Klingon D7 drops out of warp above the planet and sends a scouting party and promptly blows up their shuttle. But as Pike and M'Benga prepare for a shootout, we're hit with our first twist: the station's research into using the chimera planet to hybridize sustainable crops led to a viral outbreak that consumed all living matter on the planet, Federation and Klingon alike, leaving running, clawing, moss-covered zombies in its wake. So in quick succession, we get all the typical zombie story hallmarks. There's plenty of gross-out horror, from Klingon disruptors vaporizing the undead, to smushed body parts, and even one of the Klingon scouts getting swarmed and eaten alive—gut-ripping galore that doesn't go quite into full horror, but still makes you squirm. M'Benga admonishes Pike over his use of 'the z-word.' Tensions about Batel's conditions get put aside the second Pike stands next to a viewport that practically screams 'a zombie is about to slam on this for a jumpscare,' only for exactly that to happen. And then, of course, differences are put aside when the one remaining Klingon offers to work together with the Starfleet duo in order to try and make it off Kenfori alive. If this was all 'Shuttle to Kenfori' was, it might be a bit of a letdown. For as much as the show loves playing with genre tropes, at its best it does so by doing more than what 'Kenfori' does here with zombies, largely pointing at things and situations you'd expect and shrugging as it puts a veneer of Star Trek over it. But thankfully, there's another twist in store. When the Klingon, M'Benga, and Pike get to the top of the research station, with a Klingon scout ship waiting to take them to freedom, the Klingon reveals her true intent. It turns out their vessel wasn't patrolling the demilitarized zone, it was hunting for M'Benga—and that she is Bytha, the daughter of Ambassador Dak'Rah, the Klingon turncoat who had some very personal history with M'Benga and Nurse Chapel's wartime experience in last season's 'Under the Cloak of War'. Bytha, it turns out, wants vengeance, but not for the death of her father. She wants to kill the person who killed Dak'Rah—something 'Shuttle to Kenfori' has M'Benga be much more specific about, compared to the fascinatingly morally vague conclusion of 'Under the Cloak of War'—to try and regain her family's honor in the eyes of Klingon society, their house diminished for Dak'Rah's allegiance with the Federation after the war. On a dime, the episode turns again, now not about ticking off zombie tropes but bringing a fascinating extra layer to that prior episode, and to M'Benga again. But not in the way you'd expect 'a zombie episode' to be about that idea. If anything, especially by having M'Benga at least fully admit, to the shock of Pike, his role in Dak'Rah's death, you might think we're about to get into that whole 'humanity (and Klingons alike) are the real monsters' kind of deal, as M'Benga and Bytha engage in an honor duel to the death. But in a stark contrast to the season opener's view of the Gorn, instead we get a much better parallel to 'Arena' here than any of Strange New World's Gorn episodes have managed to deliver so far: a Starfleet hero dealing with their capacity for violence and darkness, acknowledging it, but also learning to go beyond it. Even as M'Benga remarks about his blasé relationship with his part in the Klingon War (he even says to Bytha, when she asks if he recognizes her, that he's killed so many Klingons that he pays no attention to specific identities), the duel becomes a fight for him to move past that history, the history that saw him lead to a violent continuation of that cycle in confronting and killing Dak'Rah, and show her that he has become a better person. In doing so, he is willing to accept an amicable understanding of Bytha, and of Klingon rituals around honor, sparing her from their duel but respecting that she chooses to sacrifice herself to the zombie hordes to buy M'Benga and Pike time to escape with their chimera plant sample in tow. It trades the dark ambiguity 'Under the Cloak of War' ended on when you'd expect a tropey zombie story to revel in that kind of darkness, and offers instead a perfectly Star Trek message: that even having been touched by darkness, this is a future that represents a possibility that people can grow and become better versions of themselves. So it's interesting then that what 'Shuttle to Kenfori' ends on isn't really M'Benga reconciling with the progress he's made, but the slipping of another member of the Enterprise crew. While all the zombie action on Kenfori has been playing out throughout the episode, back aboard the Enterprise, the bridge crew (among whom all the women have suddenly got their hair tied up, the hilarious reason for why revealing itself in a brief moment where the bridge loses artificial gravity—I guess no one on production wanted to deal with floating hair!) have been playing a bit of a space-submarine game with the Klingon battlecruiser. Not wanting to be seen violating the treaty, and getting into a risky fight that could stop them from rescuing M'Benga and Pike, Una approves a plan to slowly enter Kenfori's orbit, cloaked by an asteroid field, rather than Ortegas' risky, loud move of trying to warp into orbit, beam the away team out at speed (with a bit of help from Scotty, who of course will have history with that kind of risky maneuver!), and warp back out. Things go awry when the D7 notices Enterprise anyway, leading to the crew falling back to Ortegas' original plan… only for Una to realize that Ortegas, who has her own troubled history as a veteran of the Klingon War, purposefully disobeyed orders to force a potential conflict with the Klingons. It's clear that, despite suggestions to the contrary, her traumatic encounter with the Gorn has left Ortegas in a vulnerable state, one that is going to be antagonized by Number One's punishment of her by taking her off the bridge roster for weeks. Not only is it an interesting continuation of Ortegas' arc this season (at last, she has something to do, even if she's just been punished by being given nothing to do!), it's a fascinating parallel with how M'Benga's arc develops this episode. After all, journeys of learning and healing aren't linear paths: there is progress and setbacks, recoveries and slips. But Star Trek is about the potential of allowing people the chance to go on those journeys in the first place, to grow into a place among societies that have managed to do that on interstellar scales. Placing that utopian ideal at the heart of a zombie episode is perfectly Star Trek, and far better than just playing the shambling hits. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Time Out
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Review: ‘Inter Alia' starring Rosamund Pike at the National Theatre
Playwrights usually want to flex their range after their first big hit. But it's to the credit of Susie Miller that she cares so much about the issues explored in her smash Prima Facie that she's come up with a follow up that you have to at least describe as 'a companion piece'. Both Prima Facie and Inter Alia are named after legal terms, both are about high-achieving female members of the legal profession, and while Prima Facie was a monologue and Inter Alia is a three-hander, both have a huge-scale female role at their centre that makes them the perfect vehicle for a screen star looking to scratch the stage itch. And so both have had Justin Martin-directed UK premieres starring major celebrities: Jodie Comer made her stage debut in Prima Facie, while Rosamund Pike treads the boards for the first time in years in Inter Alia. The most crucial similarity, however, is not entirely apparent from the first half hour or so of Inter Alia, which is basically an extended sequence of Pike's high court judge Jessica frenziedly girl bossing as she juggles her extremely high-powered job with a busy social life and being a mum to vulnerable teen Harry (Jasper Talbot). It's a breathless performance from Pike, who crests and surges from neuroticism to icy confidence. It's draining: there's barely room for us or her to breathe, and a sequence where she sings Shania Twain's 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' in a karaoke club feels like the conclusion of an extended intro basically designed to let Pike show off. But she is good: of course she's posh, but she's earthy, likeable, open, vulnerable, somewhat demystifying of her profession. And it's not entirely unsubtle writing, just full tilt. We're bouncing around in Jessica's head, and being asked to consider that she is attempting to fulfil several impossible roles: neither the perfect mother nor the perfect judge really exist, and certainly not a seamless mix of the two. Martin's production is notably more sophisticated than Prima Facie: he and his team use puppetry, illusions, child actors, live music and other effects to create a world that's half naturalistically rendered, half foggy memories of Harry's childhood. It's impossible to discuss what happens next without spoilers: if I dropped a veiled reference to Netflix's Adolescence you'd get it straight away. So let's cut to the chase: like Prima Facie, Inter Alia concerns rape and the difficulty in securing a conviction for it. The accused here is of course Harry, and despite Jessica's feminist politics and her awareness of the statistics and sensitivities around these sorts of cases, she wants to believe there has been a mistake. But Miller is very good at exploring the ambiguity of rape cases. On the one hand there's the fact that ambiguity is why most of them fail in court – it is extremely difficult to obtain clearcut evidence (helpfully Jessica early on describes a rare successful prosecution). But there's also a moral vagueness that Jessica and her husband Michael (Jamie Glover) cling to, the sense that due to different understandings of the incident Harry and the girl in question might both be 'right', that she Jessica can hold on to her principles and her beloved son by telling herself Harry did wrong but misunderstood the situation. Miller's plays explore why rape convictions are so rare, and portraying Harry as wildly unsympathetically would not help in that regard, Inter Alia gets a lot stronger after the rape storyline emerges: it gives the play a sense of purpose, channelling Pike's manically fizzing energies towards something more than than a showcase of her range. Miller is more interested in the emotional and legal terrain Jessica finds herself in here than diagnosing exactly why a young man might do this. But her play is not incurious in that respect, and there's a particularly powerful scene when a frantic Jessica excoriates her self-absorbed husband over his failure to explain boundaries to their son. It's cruel of her to lay this on him; but she strikes a nerve that begs the question. Yes, Inter Alia is kind of a big performance lecture exploring a subject that is close to Miller's heart to the point of artistic fixation. It is a contrivance that her plays concern women who are high up in the legal profession and thus able to clearly explain the mechanics of what's going on. But once warmed up Inter Alia hits home thoughtfully and forcefully. Adolescence can't be the only word on this subject. And where that used virtuoso camerawork and cleverly shifting perspectives to tell its story in an artful manner, Inter Alia benefits from a gale-force Pike and a sophisticated production from Martin – its final image will chill you to the bone.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Three German Shepherds launch 'pack attack' as woman left needing plastic surgery
The horror attack involving three German Shepherd cross dogs took place in a public field and left the victim with multiple wounds to her hands and fingers which required plastic surgery A dog owner has been warned she could be jailed after her three German Shepherd cross dogs launched a savage attack on another woman in a public field. Sarah Pike, 51, from Exeter, appeared before Exeter Magistrates' Court, where she admitted being the owner in charge of dogs dangerously out of control that caused injury. The attack happened at Exwick playing fields in December, and left the victim with multiple bite wounds to her hands and fingers. She later required plastic surgery. The prosecutor described it in court as a 'pack attack', telling magistrates that the three dogs - named Zac, Storm, and Nala - had acted together during the incident. Pike also pleaded guilty to two additional charges of being in charge of dogs dangerously out of control on the same day. She was told she could face up to six months in custody. Following the incident, the three dogs were seized by police, and two other dogs - previously in Pike's care - were euthanised after separate attacks on 'other dogs and humans', the court heard. District Judge Angela Brereton told the hearing that an expert report would now be prepared to assess the temperament of the dogs. A destruction order may be made depending on the outcome. Pike is due to be sentenced in September. Last month, a dog latched onto a woman's face in Liverpool and left her needing 20 stitches after what began as a seemingly innocent gesture on a night out. Mum Cody Davies had been out with a friend when she stopped to stroke a dog, which she described as a "pitbull type". Within seconds, it jumped up and bit her in the face. The 31-year-old said she was left with "blood pouring" from the wound and that she was lucky not to lose her lip following the attack on Mathew Street at 1am on Sunday, June 29. Cody, from Port Sunlight, was taken to Aintree Hospital from the city centre where she received 20 stitches to her face. Following the attack, the mum urged others to not approach dogs unless they're certain they are safe. "I feel terrible and I feel so sad. I love my dogs and this dog was just playing with its owner in the street so I went over to stroke it," Cody told the Liverpool Echo. "When I went over, the woman didn't say anything about not approaching them but when I did, it jumped up and bit my face. I was running around with my hands covering my face and blood pouring from my face. "No taxis would take me because I was covered in blood and thankfully someone rang an ambulance for me."
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
How to watch 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season 3 on TVNZ+ - it's *FREE*
Buckle up for 10 new adventures, not only through the farthest reaches of the galaxy but right at home on the the U.S.S. Enterprise, in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3. The "Star Trek" spinoff is fun, visually spectacular, unpredictable and extremely popular, having garnered a 94% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Here's how to watch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 airs each Thursday, starting July 17.• Watch FREE — TVNZ Plus (New Zealand)• Watch FREE — CTV (Canada)• U.S., U.K. — Watch on Paramount Plus• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk-free "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" has been so well-received, in fact, that it's already been renewed right the way through to season 5, which will be its final run. If you hadn't guessed already, that means the season 2 cliffhanger that left La'An, M'Benga, Ortegas and Sam in the clutches of the Gorn doesn't spell the end for Captain Pike's close-knit crew. One of the most crucial things the show, which serves as a prequel to "Star Trek: Discovery", gets right is its variety. Unlike "Doctor Who" for instance, "SNW" chooses not to instil every episode and incident with a potentially catastrophic, existential capacity. Some foes, such as Rhys Darby's Trelane, are purely in it for the chaos. The alien worlds depicted in the series are genuinely captivating too, as are the dynamics between the background members of Pike's crew, who have each developed into credible, complete characters. Read on and we'll tell you how to watch and stream "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 online and from anywhere. Trekkies in New Zealand and Canada are amongst the luckiest in the world, as they can watch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 for free. In New Zealand, the show is on free-to-air TVNZ Plus, and in Canada it's on CTV, which lets you stream episodes free of charge for a limited time, the day after transmission. Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch "Strange New Worlds" season 3 as if you were back home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options and we'll show you how to access it below. Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the show on your usual subscription? You can still stream "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the universe you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market: NordVPN deal: FREE $50 / £50 Amazon gift card Boasting lightning fast speeds, great features, streaming power, and class-leading security, NordVPN is our #1 VPN. ✅ FREE Amazon gift card worth up to $50/£50✅ 4 months extra FREE!✅ 76% off usual price Use Nord to unblock TVNZ+ and watch "Star Trek: Strange New World" season 3 live online with our exclusive deal. Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.S. and want to view a Kiwi service, you'd select New Zealand from the list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to TVNZ Plus and stream "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" for free. In the U.S., "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 premiered on Paramount Plus on Thursday, July 17. Episodes are now landing weekly. Never signed up for Paramount Plus? You'll get a 7-day Paramount Plus FREE trial, after which a subscription starts at $7.99 per month. New Zealanders traveling in the U.S. could look into using a VPN to stream for free, just as they would back home. In Canada, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 airs on CTV Sci-Fi at 9 p.m. ET/PT every Thursday. The series premiered with a double-header on July 17. New episodes will also be available to stream for FREE on the CTV streaming service and the CTV app for a limited time, a day after transmission. Not in Canada at the moment? Signing up to NordVPN will help you access your preferred streaming service and watch "Strange New Worlds" online when you're overseas. You can also watch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" on Paramount Plus. Plans start at CA$6.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 premiered in the U.K. on Paramount Plus on Thursday, July 17, with episodes dropping on a weekly basis. Plans start at £4.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial. If you're traveling abroad, use a VPN service such as NordVPN to access your Paramount Plus subscription from anywhere. As elsewhere, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3 premiered in Australia on Paramount Plus on Thursday, July 17. Episodes are now dropping on a weekly basis. Subscriptions start at AU$6.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial. New Zealander abroad in Australia? Signing up to NordVPN (save 70%) will help you access your preferred streaming service when you're overseas. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Courier-Mail
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
‘Unapologetically heartful': Actors praise Strange New Worlds as it returns to resolve massive cliffhanger
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns to our television screens tonight with its third season – and with a promise that the charming earnestness of the franchise remains undiluted. Season two ended on one of the more dramatic cliffhangers in Star Trek's history, with the Enterprise locked in a seemingly hopeless struggle against a bloodthirsty, lizard-like race of aliens called the Gorn. When we last saw this crew, the ship was outnumbered and under heavy fire. Starfleet had ordered Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) to retreat. But multiple key members of his team, and hundreds of human colonists, had been abducted by the Gorn, and faced a horrific fate if Pike were to abandon them. Quite the impossible choice, then. The face of a captain with no good options. Meanwhile his love interest, fellow Starfleet Captain Marie Batel (Malanie Scrofano), was quarantined in the Enterprise's sick bay and infected with Gorn young which, as we resume the story, are set to tear their way out of her, Alien-style, within hours unless a miraculous solution can be found. The season closed with a shot of Pike's tortured, indecisive face on the bridge, and his crew begging him for orders. So, the first order of business is to resolve that cliffhanger. Only then will Strange New Worlds be able to settle back into its usual rhythm. Speaking ahead of the new season's two-episode premiere, the show's actors stressed that it will remain true to the spirit of the franchise. 'I think, for me, personally, the thing about Star Trek that always touches me – and it has not dulled at all in the five years that we've been doing this show – it just opens my heart a lot to engage with it,' said Australian actress Jess Bush, who plays Nurse Christine Chapel. 'Star Trek is so unapologetically optimistic and heartful. It just believes in goodness, in the inherent goodness of humanity, and a positive version of what the future could be. 'What I find with a lot of other TV shows that I've watched is there's almost a cynicism, or self-deprecation, or you know, there's a fear of being earnestly pro-stuff. 'And Star Trek is really different in that way. It's just very positive, and wondrous, and curious, and really owns that characteristic for itself, which is something I am so proud to be a part of.' Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel and Ethan Peck as Spock. The characters have a complicated relationship. Picture: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ Another fairly unique quality of Star Trek is the freedom with which it can dip in and out of different genres. One episode might be serious and philosophical; the next a silly comedy; the next something approaching horror. Strange New Worlds has been criticised at times for its handling of this inconsistent tone, most famously after its, ahem, offbeat musical episode Subspace Rhapsody late in season two. That was immediately followed by a deeply dramatic finale, with its aforementioned cliffhanger. The actors, however, enjoy the dancing between genres, which gives them a chance to explore their characters more fully. One upcoming episode in season three features an early version of the holodeck, a staple of Star Trek later in the in-universe timeline. Christina Chong, who plays the outwardly serious security chief La'an Noonien-Singh, leads the cast in a Knives Out-style detective story. She described the episode as 'a huge gift'. 'I mean, to be able to number one, play a different character – or be La'an playing a different character – to be able to get into the film noir/sixties world, to be able to mash those two kind of periods together and play with all the amazing characters the writers created. The holodeck was an incredible excuse to do that,' said Chong. 'It was the most incredible episode. I cried at the end of it.' Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh and Paul Wesley as James Kirk in the film noir-style episode. Picture: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ And her character on a more normal day at the office. Picture: YouTube Asked whether it was difficult to pull off the show's tonal shifts, and to keep their characters feeling consistent and believable, Bush said it was, in fact, quite the opposite. 'Actually, I think it's an absolute gift for an actor to have that,' she said. 'As soon as I feel comfortable, they shift it to something else, and you're constantly moving and evolving in a way that's kind of like a jungle gym, for an actor. 'And I don't think you often get opportunities like that with long-running shows. So while it is challenging and thrilling. Like, actors are masochists.' 'Exactly. What other show do you get to do this on? Or will we ever get to do this on in our lifetime?' said Chong. 'It helps you feel more three-dimensional,' added Martin Quinn, introduced to Strange New Worlds' cast in season two's finale, who plays the beloved legacy character Scotty. 'You're learning so much more about your character as another episode, or another scenario, something completely different, comes up.' You can look forward to many of those wildly different scenarios as season three progresses. The show remains as eclectic as ever and, to steal Bush's term, unapologetically 'heartful' – as every Star Trek story should be. Season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres tonight on Paramount+ with two episodes. You can read our review here. Originally published as 'Unapologetically heartful': Actors praise Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as it returns to resolve massive cliffhanger
