Star Trek: Strange New Worlds [SPOILERS]

I don't know both mirror Dax's were pretty sexy.

SNW S02E08, "Under The Cloak of War"

This was another terrific episode. I like how they explained the Protocol 12 serum M'Benga and Chapel had used from the first episode, that M'Benga had created it, it wasn't officially sanctioned but clearly it worked well, but the side effects were considerable. So it's obviously not something that can be used all of the time. I love how they've tied Joseph and Christine together as comrades in arms, trying to save as many lives as they can in this MASH style medical unit at the front of a planetwide war between the Federation and the Klingons.

I love that M'Benga ended up being The Ghost of J'Gal, and that the ending of the episode was ambiguous. Some folks might have a problem with Chapel lying for M'Benga after Dak'Rah's death, but I don't see the issue myself. She trusted that M'Benga did what was right, whatever that had to be. What Starfleet doesn't know doesn't matter. They chose to hold up a self-purported "reformed" war criminal for propaganda and diplomatic leverage. So their hands aren't clean here, either.

For those who don't know, Babs Olusanmokun (M'Benga) is a real life high level Jiu Jitsu fighter, like world fucking class:



So if you're thinking "a warrior doctor? c'mon," well there you go. A warrior actor. So, you know, zip it.

Just a deliciously ambiguous, gray area ethics episode that pulls from the best of TOS, and DS9, while being entirely its own creation. Brilliant.

I never found Terry Farrell to be all that good-looking, and I tend to go for brown-eyed brunettes when it comes to white girls.

A buddy of mine dated Nichole for a while, back when she was just another Toronto actress/punk chick. She was always kinda cute... middle years have been good to her, too.

I will say that this episode gave me some MASH vibes.

Meh, I give him a pass. He also does z-grade schlock horror movies that are just above porno.
Brother Ron throws him bones but not whole steaks. He still has to work.
Whatever he's gotta do.

I kinda got TOS "Conscience of the King".

But, y'know... good

I was thinking about that too. I like “Conscious of the King.”

well, the story trope is great.

the TOS version is typically TOS with the acting/script being... less than great.

this was believable... we've seen that M'Benga is a super commando... we've seen the Protocol 12 in action... they at least laid some of the path for this ep in previous ones so that him turning out to be the Butcher was not only an awesome twist, but plausible in universe.

I dunno...as much as I like Nichelle, I don't think that she's even among the top ones to appear in TOS. Obviously a matter of taste, but I would put Yvonne Craig (Marta), T'Pring, Elaan, Yeoman Rand and probably others above her.

Looks like I wasn't the only one confused.

It just seems to me that you don't value TOS as much others, myself included. It does seem like Trek fans who are vets really liked this episode.

They're pretty ladies, but as a 6-7 year old kid in the early 70s, seeing Uhura in that Mirror Universe uniform for the first time is a core memory.

I really liked this episode and M'Benga may be my favorite character (and Babs Olusanmokun my favorite actor in the cast).

Also, I love that Pike loves to cook.

I don't value it as much as the other shows.

it's a 60s show of 60s quality and 60s sensibilities and much like the 60s generation it first appealed to, sniffs a lot of its own nostalgic farts. The acting is bad, the dialogue is "I hate sand" level, and visually it's a step above community dinner theatre.

modern trek does everything it did, but with contemporary relevance, along with better... everything.

Other than the recognition of PTSD, not sure why this should stand out for vets? no matter, glad they got something out of it.

outside of the hospital in a combat zone, not really catching the mash vibe either? unless its a darker, grittier, christopher nolan mash with no jokes? maybe that one episode of BoB where the medic hooks up with the Belgian nurse?

The Trek episode this reminded me the most of was "The Siege of AR-558" from DS9.

SNW's is better.

nuTrek


old trek

It reminded me of that too. This episode felt more realistic even though I haven’t served.

Even though DS9 was the "darker/grittier" Trek, it only was when compared to TNG, where everything was always spick and span. 90s production sensibilities still made things look too clean and neat. Even the ground battles seemed kind of sterile.

One thing post-2009 Trek has gotten right in most cases is how "lived in" a lot of the stuff is. When I saw the 2009 movie in a theater one of the things I noticed and liked the most was how the paint on the shuttles was scuffed and scratched, just like you'd expect to see on workhorse craft like that if they really existed.

I know I’ve often complained about JJ Trek being too much like Star Wars, but I agree, the lived in aspect does work. tOS was too clean. George Lucas did an excellent job of making Star Wars look livid in. I think this a good thing to take away from Star Wars.

I remember a friend from high school saying how much he preferred SW to Trek (and this was when there was only TOS and the first three movies) because everything in the latter looked too clean.

Get a feeling that at some point we'll get at least one more episode involving "The Ghost"

We'll get more about M'Benga's badass past than we ever got about Book's

After hearing my hometown get named in the S3 finale, I found out that not only was she from my hometown but we were actually at the same high school at the same time during my freshman year!

You know something similar that’s neat? Remember this meme?



Right, so dude’s goofing in class, showing people how he can make his veins pop. Just your typical day in high school. You know the gal sitting next to him? This is her.



Neither of them had obtained meme status when the pic was snapped.

I also had science classes with a third cousin of Kate Mulgrew's, and I clocked that because this kid's resemblance to her in addition to the last name was stupid uncanny and I kinda had a crush on him a little before I got into Voyager so I'd definitely pick up that nuance.

I thought I had posted about her being from your hometown in the LD thread but a search says apparently I didn’t.

Was anyone else wondering if this episode might end up being the explanation for M'Benga's eventual demotion?

I don't care