17th August, 2025: “Hegemony Pt 2” — The Intro.
Right: it’s a Thursday afternoon.
And the air has a muggy feel to it: the sort we point to when we say “It feels like it wants to rain!”
Or, more precisely, “It feels like it wants to thunder … !”
It’s that kind of muggy late afternoon.
The kind that makes bored people exactly what I’m doing now.
Complain about the thundery feel: and complain about the lack of a thunderstorm, one that would clear the mugginess up.
All I can do … ?
Is tell you this.
Muggy, or otherwise, thundery or otherwise … ?
I’m intent on watching TV.
And, yes: given the new, third, series of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, has been released, today … ?
I’ll be watching it, and hopefully have my review published on Saturday, 19th July.
See you then!
~≈🖖≈~
17th July, 2025.Part One: the Summary.
Episode 1 — “Hegemony Pt 2” — opens with a summary of earlier events.
Then … ?
Follows on from “Hegemony Pt 1”, and shows us a dangerously undecided Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), pausing whilst he thinks of how to follow the Gorn, quickly getting ideas from his crew, before deciding to plant a tracker onto the fleeing Gorn cruiser.
Before activating a Scotty-designed device that disguises the USS Enterprise as an enemy ship.
Post credits?
We see the Enterprise joining a Starfleet fleet: in orbit at a rendezvous point not far from the Gorn demarcation line.
And see Admiral April (Adrian Holmes) coming aboard: to debrief Captain Pike, in person.
The scene shifts to sickbay.
With Dr M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), missing?
Nurse Christine Chapel is in charge of Sickbay: and also in charge of treating the Gorn-infected Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano).
Christine is deeply concerned: as every simulated treatment she runs, shows no sign of working.
Something that causes the stoic Captain Batel to leave strict instructions with the beleaguered nurse.
“The moment it looks like me or the crew, you take me out … ”
~≈🖖≈~
Things are no less desperate, elsewhere.
The missing crew of the Enterprise?
Are trapped on a Gorn ship: complete with the surviving colonists, serious injuries … and evidence survivors are being digested.
Back on the Enterprise?
Scotty (Martin Quinn) is being given a lecture by the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer, Professor Pelia (Carol Kane): Scotty’s jury-rigged device could hide the ship but hasn’t exactly been catalogued.
As the Professor puts it? “First rule of engineering, Scotty, write things down!”
Once the Enterprise is at the rendezvous, Admiral April’s debriefing is thorough, complete, and has orders that are very off-the-record:
Officially, the Enterprise is to patrol the demarcation line between the Gorn Hegemony and the Federation.
And unofficially?
To show the Gorn Hegemony the Federation isn’t prey.
~≈🖖≈~
18th July, 2025.Part Two: Thoughts.
Now … what did I make of “Hegemony Pt 2”?
Of what I think is a powerful episode … ?
One thing I should mention?
Is “Hegemony”: or “Hegemony Pt 1”, as we should possibly be calling it.
When I watched “Hegemony, Pt 1”, back in 2023, I compared it to Aliens: the second movie of the Alien franchise.
It was the music, as much as anything, as well as the basic concept: that of a heavily armed team, rescuing colonists from hideous monsters.
This second episode … ?
Didn’t.
Instead, “Hegemony, Pt 2” had me thinking of the Borg: the scene where La’an and company find themselves waking up in a giant stomach, watching their fellow survivors being treated … ?
Put me vaguely in mind of Borg victims being assimilated.
I don’t think it’s an exact parallel, though.
It looks like the Gorn will be using the survivors as fuel: rather than new recruits.
Maybe, in retrospect, the Aliens comparison works: as some of the films show the victims cocooned in much the same way as Gorn cocoon their prey.
Hmmm …
However, I, like many fans, will be comparing and contrasting.
To other Star Trek episodes, if not other science fiction stories.
One thing I should be mentioning … ?
Was the Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first two parter: “The Best of Both Worlds Pts 1 and 2”.
It was the only the second two-parter of the franchise.
The first was “The Menagerie”: but unlike “The Menagerie”, “The Best of Both Worlds” was the first to bridge two seasons.
Part 1 was the final episode of The Next Generation’s third season, whilst Part 2 opened the fourth season.
“The Best of Both Worlds” was a model to “Hegemony”, if you want to put it like that.
From what I know, it served as the template for many Next Generation stories.
The reason I mention it … ?
Is that I walked away from “The Best of Both Worlds” impressed with the overall story.
But also feeling that part one was better than part two.
Something I’m told is common for a lot of fans: we felt part two was the weaker episode.
I don’t think that’s the case with “Hegemony”.
I feel both parts of this story are as strong as each other: each part is as tense and dramatic as the other.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Three: More Thoughts.
There is plenty of elements I could jump on, there.
The main one, right now … ?
Is the ensemble cast: Strange New Worlds has a very strong ensemble cast.
And it’s a cast that “Hegemony, Pt 2” uses very well.
Melissa Navia, as the mortally wounded Lieutenant Ortegas, flying the Gorn ship whilst bleeding all over the controls, shone for me.
Her “I fly the ship” mantra is repeated here: as powerfully as it used in “Among the Lotus Eaters.”
Martin Quinn’s version of Scotty?
Was another who shone: in his scenes with Pelia and Captain Pike we see Pelia keeping the Captain off her and her student’s backs, by telling the Captain exactly what he wants to hear … and we see the look on Scotty’s face as he realises his old teacher has shown him exactly how to manage the boss.
Something we know the older Scotty — played by James Doohan — is very good at.
Jess Bush … ?
Was superb as Nurse Chapel, and showed us Nurse Chapel as she is: as a qualified medical practitioner, capable of saving a patient’s life.
She’s done a good job.
The real star of the show … ?
The real star of the show is Anson Mount as Captain Pike.
“Hegemony, Pt 2” shows us a captain — a man — on the edge of his nerves: facing the risk of the destruction of both his ship and his crew, the invasion of his nation by the most destructive force his country has ever seen.
A man who has to come up with a solution for all this, whilst the woman he loves lays dying in the ship’s sickbay: posing an even worse to his crew, in the process …
Are we surprised that, given this, we see Pike arguing with the memory of his long dead father, conceding years of arguments about the subject … and getting to his knees, to pray … ?
That is a superbly written scene: and I very much doubt anyone but Anson Mount could have carried the thing off with such grace.
~≈🖖≈~
19th July, 2025
Part Four.Quick observations.
Just as a couple of quick thoughts?
First …
We see Captain Pike praying in this episode.
This possibly isn’t the place to talk about religion in science fiction: still less religion in Star Trek.
But showing a man who’s desperate enough to pray is a brave move for an secular SF show that’s usually skirts around real-world religion, even when the franchise has addressed fictional religions in other serials.
Second?
And on a lighter note?
Martin Quinn’s version of Scotty introduces us to the Scottish word, ‘bawheid’.
I’m no expert on Scottish English … but, apparently, it means ‘idiot’, or ‘stupid person’.
I’m just glad he didn’t use ‘bawbag’, or ‘pished’.
‘Pished’ means ‘tired and emotional’.
Eighteen pints worth of ‘tired and emotional’.
‘Bawbag’, by contrast … ?
I’ll let you look that up, yourself …
~≈🖖≈~
Part Five: Finally.
You’re going to ask the questions, aren’t you?
“Paul”, I hear you ask, “Paul … what did you think of ‘Hegemony Pt 2’?”
It’s got to be said, “Hegemony, Pt 2” is a superb pice of work.
The cast have put in a fantastic piece of work.
As have — in producing such a great episode — both the writers, Henry Alonso Myers & Davy Perez, and director, Chris Fisher.
It’s at this point I’d be saying “My only concern is … ”
But, in truth … ?
“Hegemony, Pt 2” leaves me with no concerns: it’s as good a piece of Star Trek, as good a concluding episode, and as good a season opening, as I could hope to see.
Frankly?
I don’t think I could ask for more.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Six: Last Words.
Frankly?
That is where I am going to leave things.
I’ve finished this written piece on Friday, 18th July: and will have it — and the video version — published by Saturday, 19th July.
I will be catching up with Episode 2 — “Wedding Bell Blues” — on Sunday night, 20th July: sand hopefully have my review of that up by Tuesday, 22nd July.
I’ll see you then!
“Hegemony, Pt 2”★★★★
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