Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Strange Recent Worlds” Season 2, episode 8
Greater than another installment this season, there’s rather a lot to unpack with this one, titled “Under the Cloak of War” and albeit, it’s the most effective episode of the second season to this point. If the author’s pitch for this one was “Star Trek” meets “M*A*S*H” then it might’ve little question woken up a number of sleepy scribes attempting to snatch 40 winks unnoticed in the back of the room. And boy oh boy, does it work.
Surely, that is up there with, noticeably with the “Deep Space 9” episode “Within the Pale Moonlight” (S06, E19), but in addition with a few of the most effective of “Space: Above and Beyond” — an incredibly underrated sci-fi series, plus after all “Babylon 5” with epic episodes like “GROPOS” (S02, E10). We have never really seen the Federation properly engaged in ground war and given the setting for this, which is the Klingon War, it makes perfect sense.
There’s even the twenty third century equivalent of Radar O’Reilly announcing incoming wounded as an automatic computer voice warns of incoming transport. Obviously Starfleet gunships and rescue shuttles would’ve been even higher, however the budget probably didn’t allow for that, plus we get the added bonus of the pattern buffer tragedy and even the interesting notion that this forward operating base-of sorts on the moon J’Gal.
Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to observe the Star Trek movies and TV shows online
This opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities in actual fact and it might be truly to see some Starfleet UH-1-style shuttlecraft getting used in theaters of war and combat zones. You understand, like we did in “Rogue One“… but we’ll probably should wait some time for those.
Babs Olusanmokun, who plays Dr. M’Benga, is nothing in need of magnificent on this episode as he battles together with his own inner demons as much as he does the demon made manifest, on this instance it’s the previous Klingon General Dak’Rah (Robert Wisdom). The ability of flashback is utilized masterfully by episode director Jeff W. Byrd and author Davey Perez and the ultimate twist of the knife, so to talk, is .
Furthermore, we learn all about that mysterious MacGuffin that we were first introduced to back within the season two premiere episode “The Broken Circle.” We’re after all talking in regards to the magic potion, secret formula, “Star Trek’s” very own Super-Soldier serum: Protocol 12. While this might potentially change the very landscape of the Trek universe — imagine Kirk fighting a Gorn or holding off Borg intruders being jacked up on these items — but that will not occur and it can almost actually be nipped within the bud. Hey, even Clint Howard shows up, bless.
With events unfolding the way in which they’re, it would not come as a shock to learn that the third season of “Strange Recent Worlds” shall be the last. We all know the fate of Captain Pike and we are able to guess that despite an incredible deal of deliberation, he’s almost actually going to undergo with it. Even Alex Kurtzman cannot change that chapter in “Star Trek” history. James Kirk now seems to pop up a 3rd time on this second season, so clearly his character is being primed. Add to which, by the point of “The Original Series,” M’Benga isn’t any longer chief medical officer, but still serves on the USS Enterprise. This episode little question provides a part of the explanation why.
Furthermore, the emphasis within the second season has very visibly moved away from Pike, to as an alternative give attention to other members of the Enterprise crew, possibly in a response to the undeniable fact that that is what was first attempted with “Discovery” before the showrunners realized it was unsustainable. Or it’s to present other characters a likelihood to shine before Pike gets promoted and hands the keys of the Enterprise over to Kirk. Truth be told, it’s probably a little bit of each.
Put all of this together, combined with the limited size of window that “Strange Recent Words” can legitimately occupy within the timeline, and tragically, the clock is ticking. Despite suffering somewhat from whiplash given the numerous change in pace following last week, it’s entirely possible the seemingly episode order is about to proceed with next week’s musical episode.
Sadly, principal photography on the third season of “Strange Recent Worlds” has fallen victim to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, so it’s not possible to inform once we’ll get that because it’s affected nearly every considered one of our favourite sci-fi shows still in production, from “Halo” to “Severance” to “Upload.”
That said, the third season of “Resident Alien” was accomplished before the strike began, so that ought to still be coming in 2023. But we’re waiting for “Love, Death + Robots” season 4…
“Strange Recent Worlds” and each episode of nearly every “Star Trek” show currently airing streams exclusively on Paramount Plus within the US. Internationally, the shows can be found on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, in addition to on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. In addition they stream exclusively on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.