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Two Takes Trek: A Holodeck Whodunit

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 4, 'A Space Adventure Hour,' in which, according to Paramount+, 'When La'An tests a prototype holodeck with a fictional case only she can solve, the consequences of failure get greater and greater, with the Enterprise hanging in the balance.' Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, 'A Space Adventure Hour' Hi, I'm Avery, and I think we need to talk more about unexpected pregnancies in Trip Tuckers. And I'm Diana, and I find myself muttering, 'Computer, end program,' a lot more than is necessarily healthy these days. RELATED: Read our Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recaps Disclaimer: The following discussion contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 4, 'A Space Adventure Hour.' If you haven't watched it yet, you may want to stop reading here. Cover image credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ Photo Credit: Paramount+ Big Hits Avery Kaplan: For me, this episode was nothing but Big Hits . I loved the premise. And I loved how the meta elements weren't limited to the text of Star Trek , but incorporated the real history of the series. I loved seeing Anson Mount play 'Roddenberry,' Paul Wesley play 'Shatner' and Rebecca Romijn play 'Ball.' I adored the speech Gloss (Celia Rose Gooding) gave about Last Frontier , which was obviously really about Star Trek . The mystery's denouement, revealing Spock (Ethan Peck) as the killer, was clever and made sense, and the setting and costumes were sublime. It's interesting to see Scotty (Martin Quinn) begin to become the miracle worker we all know and love. I enjoyed the B-plot about the neutron star, which looked incredibly cool (especially on the big Hall H screen at San Diego Comic-Con). And of course, Christina Chong did an excellent job of anchoring the whole thing as La'an/Amelia Moon. Cap all this off with the cold open and theme song from Last Frontier , and baby, you've got a stew replicatin'. Kudos to director Jonathan Frakes for continuing to knock it out of the park. RELATED: 4 Star Trek Romances Diana Keng: I agree that they did a fantastic job with the holodeck plot and look. Like in 'Wedding Bell Blues,' the wardrobe department this season is having so much fun with these one-off events. As my Big Hit in 'A Space Adventure Hour,' I love that the holodeck inspires crew members to live out their favorite literary adventures. In the vein of Picard's (Patrick Stewart) Dixon Hill in TNG , La'an's exploits as Amelia Moon allow her to step outside her Security Officer niche to investigate the crime with a different perspective. Heck, yeah. I'd be Nancy Drew all day if I could. Big Whiffs AK: Is it a cheat to say I don't really have a Big Whiff for this episode? This is my favorite episode of the season so far (it'll be tough to beat), one of my favorite episodes of the show and one of my favorite episodes of this era of Star Trek in general. DK: So, it's not a Big Whiff as it was kind of the point of the episode, but the caricatures the cast portrayed within the tropes of the Amelia Moon template began to wear on me well before the end was comfortably in sight. I appreciate the energy, but over-the-top can become overwhelming. RELATED: Two Takes Trek: Gorn But Not Forgotten As for the resolution of the Amelia Moon mystery, it fell flat for me. Perhaps it was La'an's directive to the computer to provide a mystery that would prove challenging for her that twigged my memory with the genesis of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Moriarty (Daniel Davis) when Geordi (Levar Burton) asked the computer for an adversary who could outwit Data (Brent Spiner). With that in mind, I immediately suspected Spock when La'an finds him on the holodeck. My reasoning, dear reader, was that the program was already running when she arrived. A variation of Moriarty's plot in 'Ship in a Bottle' (The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 21), the computer plays on La'an's trust in Spock and even simulates a conversation with Scotty over coms. This is revealed when Scotty tells Uhura that he can't communicate with La'an on the holodeck. Uhura then states that the AI won't let La'an communicate with anyone not in the simulation. So how did Spock join her as her sidekick? Hm? Alas, the game was less afoot and more a foregone conclusion. Episode VIP AK: For the Episode VIP , I'm going to select co-writer Kathryn Lyn. She also wrote Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2's 'wej Duj' and Strange New Worlds Season 2's 'Those Old Scientists.' It's clear that she's a true Trekkie (in fact, the Lower Decks commentary for 'wej Duj' reveals that she used to cosplay a Klingon/Vulcan character named 'K'Lyn' at conventions). And all three of these episodes are among my very favorites. I hope we get to see more episodes written by Lyn in the future, and if we ever do get another Star Trek movie, I think she'd be a great candidate to write that, as well. RELATED: Two Takes Trek: Is It 'I Do' or 'I, Q'? DK: Gah, I LURVE 'wej Duj' and not just because it introduces T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz). I didn't know Lyn wrote it as well! What a star! My Episode VIP is also behind the scenes. Nami Melamud, the series composer, has been a personal musical inspiration since she scored Star Trek: Prodigy , so when she was named composer for Strange New Worlds , I knew it would be amazing. Here, her work shines even brighter than usual, with her score underpinning the authenticity of the scenes of The Last Frontier by recreating the TOS sound. Fun fact: her first Star Trek job was composing the music for the Star Trek: Short Trek episode, 'Q&A,' which featured Spock and Una trapped in a turbolift the day Spock joined the Enterprise. Best Easter Eggs/Inside Jokes AK: While he never appears on screen, the voice of The Last Frontier 's director can be heard when Spock and La'an are watching the footage they found and during the bloopers in the end credits. I am 99% certain this is the voice of Frakes, who directed the episode. I loved this little Easter egg . RELATED: Hit It: Best Quotes from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Premiere DK: Oh, that's definitely Frakes, and that's my favorite Easter Egg, too. I also loved Melissa Navia's 'Lee Woods' statement that she's an actor, not a doctor, when Sunny dies of poisoning. Finally, Paul Wesley's bit in the bloopers when he attempts the Riker maneuver over the classic high-backed captain's seat drew a full-out guffaw from me. Elements That Will LLAP AK: As mentioned above, hopefully, Lyn continues to write Star Trek scripts in the not-too-distant future. And while I am skeptical about Spock becoming embroiled in another romance (with someone who isn't Kirk), I have to admit that the chemistry between La'an and Spock in the final steamy dance scene was palpable. I'm curious to see how that relationship continues to play out. DK: Holodeck episodes always astound me with the massive potential for total catastrophe. Immersing yourself in an environment completely controlled by an AI that repeatedly takes orders literally and to extremes seems like a cautionary tale that should be drilled into cadets at the Academy. To that point, in the canonical timeline, the next holodeck episode is in Star Trek: The Animated Series, 'The Practical Joker,' Season 2, Episode 3, where the ship's computer decides to punk the crew, and when Uhura, Sulu, and Bones hide out in the holodeck, it traps and nearly kills them. RELATED: Star Trek : Tracing the Holodeck's History However, I love that by Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 4, 'No Win Scenario,' the holodeck fulfills its therapeutic potential, providing a space of sanctuary for Picard and Jack (Ed Speleers) to talk as the ship faces an imminent demise. Additionally, in the 32nd century, holo-technology has become such a part of starship life that Burnham's (Sonequa Martin-Green) quarters on the refitted Discovery can resemble anything anywhere she wants. I can only assume that with Zora in charge, one can trust the tech to be more reasonable and thoughtful in following directives. Not sure I'd be okay with that on any other ship. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+. Hit It: Best Quotes From STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS' 'Shuttle to Kenfori' 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, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.