Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Recap: Dead Planet

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Titling the most unexciting Star Trek episode could yield “Journey to Kenfori.” Interestingly,

In the initial narrative, Pike’s introduction seems reminiscent of an uneventful excursion. As hinted at in the last episode, Batel, who had recovered from the Gorn eggs implanted in her, appears ready to depart and take command on her own. However, an unexpected twist unfolds as Batel is discovered unconscious in their shared quarters. It appears that the Gorn tissue has resurfaced more aggressively than before. The only potential remedy seems to be a chimera blossom, a scarce flower offering a slim possibility of a cure. Interestingly, this elusive bloom can be found on Kenfori, a planet that once served as a Federation research facility. However, due to the aftermath of the Federation-Klingon War, it now lies in a forbidden zone, both parties involved in the ongoing conflict having agreed to vacate it. Venturing there is technically off limits.

Despite Spock’s plan suggesting a two-person team for Kenfori with himself accompanying Dr. M’Benga, Pike disagrees and insists that he and M’Benga will make up the team instead. The crew of the Enterprise has no problem bending the rules to support their captain. Ortegas, in particular, is eager to navigate through or around disputed Klingon territory. Their plan involves entering the restricted zone undetected, remaining hidden while Pike and M’Benga carry out their mission on Kenfori as swiftly and effectively as possible. What could be simpler?

During their journey, Pike and M’Benga get a chance to reminisce about old times, demonstrating that the show Strange New Worlds recognizes their past friendships and individual histories. As they proceed, a Klingon signal triggers Pike to recall M’Benga’s military background to decipher an unfamiliar communication. This message warns them to retreat, but the reason behind it is unknown. “It doesn’t matter,” Pike states firmly, followed by, “Going back is not an option.

Upon surfacing Kenfori, their task appears straightforward. The deserted research station is merely a brief trek through the jungle, and fortunately for them, the planet’s lush vegetation lacks any signs of animal life, thus minimizing potential dangers. However, it feels peculiar.

As they proceed, Pike inquires about Chapel’s new romance from Mā€™Benga – this could be seen as a captain being curious about his crew or simply Pike being nosy – and here we discover that Mā€™Benga may have had three or even four former spouses. Isn’t that rather unexpected? “I see myself as an ongoing project,” Mā€™Benga replies, which seems fitting.

The conversation halts abruptly when they stumble upon a Klingon skeleton that appears to have been killed by a beast. This gruesome find on their journey into the seemingly deserted facility leaves them with a sense of foreboding. They quickly locate the chimera blossoms, requiring careful handling. At this moment, Pike, showing signs of fear and vulnerability, queries if this will truly save Batel. M’Benga, truthful to an extent, replies, “This is her only hope.” However, he withholds some details from the whole story. Then, another distressing finding emerges: a dehydrated human leg. Simultaneously, the Enterprise encounters an unsettling reality: a Klingon battlecruiser seems to be idly stationed, much like the Enterprise.

In no time at all, these ominous indicators transform into genuine predicaments. To start, Pike and M’Benga bear witness to a Klingon vessel obliterating our very shuttlecraft. Subsequently, finding ourselves pursued, we encounter a group of three Klingons, under the command of Bytha (Christine Horn), who are on the hunt for humans. They swiftly corner us, adding to our woes. Matters escalate dramatically when, in essence, ravenous zombies emerge and set upon everything within reach.

In summary, they find themselves pressed for time as they engage in a desperate struggle. Onboard the Enterprise, Battel’s condition deteriorates, and her painkillers have lost their effect. This predicament prompts Spock to suggest a Vulcan meditation method designed to alleviate physical discomfort. He also offers to expedite the learning process using a mind meld. However, this action triggers an unexpected event as both Battel and Spock experience a shared vision that sends Spock into a frenzy, causing him to lash out violently, even striking Nurse Gamble. Once the vision subsides, neither can fully explain its content, but they both suspect it might be linked to the Gorn.

quickly entering the planet’s orbit and then leaving. Although Scotty devises a method to execute this plan, everyone except Erica is reluctant to proceed with it. Frustrated by their refusal, Erica storms off, leading Una and La’An to discuss her mental state in concern.

It seems M’Benga asks Pike to avoid referring to them as zombies, explaining that “they were once Starfleet researchers.” From what follows, it appears they were highly skilled, having developed an everlasting crop from a specific moss strain. However, the Klingon invasion disrupted their research and led to the escape of the everlasting moss’s genome. Consequently, Pike now refers to them as “the beings associated with that term.” In other troubling news, this revelation allows Pike to deduce that the method proposed by Batel, M’Benga, and Spock for saving Batel could potentially blend her genes with the Gorns’, resulting in a human-Gorn hybrid. Although Pike finds this unappealing, M’Benga counters with an argument Pike can’t refute: “She made that choice herself.

As a movie lover diving headfirst into this unexpected turn of events, my contemplation is abruptly halted by an occurrence that typically mutes discussion – the emergence of a horde of zombies. Somehow, we’re saved, or so it seems, by a lone Klingon survivor, Bytha. Guided by her, we ascend to the surface, only to find ourselves plunged deeper into peril. Bytha’s spacecraft descends, but its captain has fallen victim to the zombie scourge. In desperation, we seek refuge within a containment field, where Bytha, in an unexpected move, wounds me and explains her relentless pursuit. She is the daughter of Dak’Rah, the Klingon ambassador who met his end at M’Benga’s hands during the second season episode, “Under the Cloak of War.

It seems like there might be a misunderstanding regarding Dak’Rah, who was believed responsible for civilian deaths despite his denials. In an altercation between them, it was Dak’Rah who didn’t survive, and M’Benga claimed it was self-defense, though the incident left room for interpretation. Bytha, seeking vengeance for her father’s death, might have desired Dak’Rah’s demise. However, to her disappointment, Dak’Rah was killed by M’Benga instead. Now, believing that only killing M’Benga can restore her family’s honor, Bytha is intent on taking his life.

As the drama unfolds, the Enterprise maintains a careful strategy to avoid detection by the Klingons. However, they are eventually spotted. The question arises: what led to this revelation? It appears that the blame lies with Ortegas, who deliberately accelerated the ship’s speed, thus goading the Klingons into spotting the Federation vessel. Although her shipmates may not initially realize it, her volatile demeanor is hard to miss. When the need arose for a quick rescue ā€” following the crisis she herself had instigated ā€” Ortegas stepped up, guiding the Enterprise into the planet’s atmosphere.

In this scenario, Bytha has Pike captive with a knife, when M’Benga discloses his guilt: Yes, he murdered Dak’Rah, and if given the opportunity, he would do it again. This revelation fuels Bytha’s rage, as she wants M’Benga to engage in combat, which he reluctantly agrees to. Their battle ends without a clear winner, as M’Benga refuses to kill Bytha despite having her pinned down. As the non-zombie creatures start breaching the barricade, Bytha offers herself as a sacrifice, allowing Pike and M’Benga to flee.

In the end, Ortegas brings them close enough for Pike and M’Benga to teleport up, leaving a safe distance behind potential danger. With the mission complete, M’Benga intends to work on the chimera blossom, but first wants to clarify if Pike intends to betray him. The outcome of this hinges on whom he is dealing with at the moment: his comrade or his commander. In response, Pike pardons M’Benga by stating, “You’re not a monster, Joseph,” as if acknowledging their friendship and putting any knowledge about his actions aside.

In a different turn of phrase: After Ortegas deceived Una about the reason for adjusting speeds, Una becomes less accommodating towards him. “Look straight into my eyes and prove me wrong,” Una challenges Ortegas following her accusation of disobeying commands. However, Ortega can’t meet this challenge. Instead, she stands up against the insubordination by taking two weeks off work and facing what seems like a tough “chain-of-command training.” To wrap things up, Ortegas expresses regret as she departs, but it appears that this conflict is far from over.

Not only is Pike discontent with Batel’s decision to undergo the drastic treatment merging her DNA with the Gorns, but it’s clear that both of them are apprehensive about it. They openly express their fears to one another, and as they embrace, the episode comes to an end.

This week’s episode appears to carry significant and potentially wider implications than the previous one, which merely shifted the dynamics of Spock and Chapel’s relationship. At present, Batel’s health, which seemed resolved last week, is once again a concern as she faces a final, critical stage that could lead to unforeseen Gorn-related complications if she survives. Additionally, Ortegas seems to be experiencing a worsening emotional crisis, and Pike seems unbothered by M’Benga’s confession of self-defense homicide. However, was it truly justified, and is it right for a captain to turn a blind eye? It’s hard to say if Strange New Worlds will revisit this matter, but who would have thought Dak’Rah’s daughter would appear out of nowhere, just as unexpectedly?

Regardless of the circumstance, this excursion was remarkably intense. It’s hard to imagine the realms of Star Trek and zombie films intersecting, but authors Onitra Johnson and Bill Wolkoff manage to blend them seamlessly with a touch of space science. (Isn’t a deathless moss not so different from the Cordyceps in The Last of Us?) It’s intriguing to see how Star Trek, and Strange New Worlds specifically, effortlessly transition between genres (as we saw last season, even venturing into musical territory for an episode).

Hit It!

It’s sometimes clear that the war acts as a sort of boundary between crew members on the Enterprise. Those who lived through it, such as Ortegas, M’Benga, and Chapel, have been influenced by their past in ways that might be difficult for those who didn’t, like Pike, Una, and Spock, to comprehend.

For the first time on “Strange New Worlds”, something resembling zombies is presented, although they have previously played indirect roles. In the second season episode titled “Lost in Translation”, Uhura experiences a hallucination of the deceased character Hemmer. Additionally, in “Hegemony, Part One”, the maneuver of slipping a seemingly dead shuttle past the Gorn was humorously referred to as a trick reminiscent of an old zombie movie.

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2025-07-24 15:59