When it came to the old originalStar Trekseries, some of the best installments in any season was when there were some hijinks afoot. In fact, even the more recent versions of the franchise showed that some of the absolute most fun episodes are when the crew goes on shore leave. There’s a relaxing of the norms of the show and a relaxing of the characters that seemingly allows the actors to really have fun with the personalities they play. That certainly was the casewhen it came toStar Trek: Strange New WorldsEpisode 5, “Spock Amok.”
The latest installment of the best adaptation of the idea behindthe originalStar Trekin decades takes on some of the old tropes of that original series and makes them just a little bit better. In the process, the show allows the audience to get a bit better idea of just how some of the crew members operate. That’s true of how they operate together, such as Una and La’an. The show also demonstrates how members of the crew, such as Christine Chapel operate inside their own heads. In doing it this way, the audience is able to feel as though they are actually watching people bond with each other while learning more about each individual member of the crew. That’s certainly something other shows often try, but there aren’t that many that do it as well asStrange New Worldsdoes.
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Thisepisode ofStrange New Worldsstarts off immediately explaining the name of the episode, for those who are old-timeStar Trekfans. One of the most famous scenes in the entire franchise is when Captain Kirk has to do battle with Mr. Spock, who doesn’t appear to be in his right mind. During the battle, a very distinctive song plays that fans of the show have been humming for decades. It turns out the name of that piece is “Time Amok.” The song plays again as this installment begins with Spock dreaming about a fight between his Vulcan side and his human side.
Of course, the implication here is not a surprising revelation. Spock is meant to show that his two sides are not always in balance and that there is a bit of a conflict going on in his subconscious. It takes very little time at all once he wakes from the dream to realize that one of the reasons that conflict has come to a head is that his fiance, T’Pring is going to bevisiting the Enterprisewhen its crew goes on shore leave. This particular visit also shows that the writers of Strange New Worlds have the imagination to make something as tried and true as a story about a couple learning to see each other’s point of views, seem fresh and fun. Not everything the show did was all that new, in fact the idea of a body swap to accomplish those goals have been done over and over and over. But somehow this show has found a way to put a spin on even that old trope that makes it fun, instead of something that has been seen far too often.
WhileSpock and T’Pring are engaging in hijinkswhile they have both agreed that they don’t like hijinks, there is also the fact that an alien race has come to the Enterprise in order to try and work out a treaty. This might be the only part of the show that leaves a bit to the imagination. Certainly, the federation wants this race to join them because they are recruiting anyone they possibly can to come to the cause, but it’s never really made clear why the aliens are so coveted. Whatever the reason, Spock is seen as integral in convincing the visitors to forge an alliance and while T’Pring pretends to be ok with her beloved having to work, there are plenty of signs that this isn’t the case.
The peace talks are really more of a subplot and a way to further show that the predicament that Spock and his finance find themselves really has some sort of impact. It’s not nearly as important as the other subplots, that includeUna and La’antrying to disprove that they are “where fun goes to die.” In pursuing this particular story, it also humanizes La’an especially while the character of Una continues to be perhaps the most wooden of any of the characters that have appeared onStrange New Worlds. This despite the fact that La’an is wooden by intention. If there is a real downside to the episode it is the continued treatment of Rebecca Romijn’s character. While the show has spent some time getting people to know the rest of the crew, Una has largely just been a throw-in, even when it feels like she’s supposed to be at the center.
Even when she was a major player inStrange New WorldsEpisode 3, it felt as though she has mostly been on the show as a way to set up some of the other cast members. Perhaps it’s simply the fact that hardcoreStar Trekfans are supposed to know more about her thanks to the shows that came before it that she’s appeared on. Whatever the reason, even when an episode is supposed to be all about Una and La’an, it’s the descendant of Khan that comes across as quite a bit more likable.
The final bit of this episode ofStrange New Worldsgives a bit moreinsight into Christine Chapel, who of course is another character that is very well known to the hardcore fans of the franchise. It sure seems as if the show is setting up for something to happen with or to her. There was simply far too much focus on the fact that she absolutely refuses to form any kind of relationship with other people, when it comes to romance. Perhaps that an allusion to what other versions of the character have gone through. Perhaps it’s foreshadowing of what’s to come. What is well carried out byStrange New Worldsis that her deep aversion to any kind of real connection is a bit more interesting than it would be on other shows. That can be said of many things this series has done so far, making their version of familiar stories seem far more interesting than they have any business being.
