The Intro.
Right, then: once again, we reach a Thursday!
Which means … ?
Yes: you’re right. I’m cooking dinner, again.
A burger, if you’re curious: with home made chips, and vegetables.
Once I’ve eaten … ?
I’ll be doing what I’ve done for the past few weeks, and watching the next few episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, then telling you about it by Saturday, 23rd August.
If “What Is Starfleet?” is anything like last weeks episode?
There’s a possibility of time machines …
21st August, 2025.Part One: the Summary.
Episode 7 — “What Is Starfleet” — opens with a disclaimer: that tells us the following documentary has been cleared by Starfleet, in the interests of transparency.
Then shifts.
To show a sun, whilst the voice of Umberto ‘Beto’ Ortegas (Mynor Luken): as he introduces his documentary with a speech.
A speech that asks if the Federation is an empire hiding behind a show of ethics, if Starfleet is a war machine, rather than explorers …
And if the crew of the Enterprise are soldiers, rather than the peaceful crew we’ve come to know.
After we see a title card that tells us this is “A film by Umberto Ortegas”?
We see Captain Pike, and Lieutenant Erica Ortegas (Anson Mount and Melissa Navia) giving pieces to camera about what Starfleet is: then segues into a piece from Mr Spock (Ethan Peck). Spock tells us of his troubled childhood: growing up as one of the few mixed-race people on Vulcan.
We get other interviews, too: from La’An Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), from Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), and from Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose-Gooding): who tells us she’s going to a mission briefing from the Captain.
She, and the rest of the team, are to find out what their mission is.
The planet Lutani 7 has been attached by the people of Kasar, its sister planet: so Lutani 7 has called for the Federation’s help.
This means two things: that the USS Enterprise has to be on active alert, as it’s heading for a war zone.
And that it’s due to deliver a Jukari.
Something the Lutani intend to use in defending their world … without telling the Federation what the thing is, or who they intend to use it on …
~≈🖖≈~
22nd August, 2025.Part Two: Thoughts.
Now … what did I make of “What Is Starfleet?”?
Of what is, arguably, a very unconventional episode of Star Trek?
It’s got to be said, earlier episodes have reminded me of other things: or have had plots I can compare to others, in a few simple words.
“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail” is a take on the Flying Dutchman, “Through the Lens of Time” is a haunted house story.
“Shuttle to Kenfori”, a zombie flick.
“What Is Starfleet?”, by contrast, doesn’t: there’s no specific thing I could point to and say “That’s the episode’s concept, in a few words”.
What the episode is, though?
Is relatively simple.
It’s a post-mortem, a journalistic post-mortem: a journalistic post-mortem of an Enterprise mission to transport a creature that’s been changed into a weapon of war …
And a post-mortem conducted by a journalist angered at his sister’s treatment, at their growing estrangement, and who blames Starfleet for his sister’s trauma.
The question we have to ask?
Is simple:
Is “‘What Is Starfleet?’” any good?
~≈🖖≈~
Part Three: Through A Mirror, Darkly …
There’s possibly a lot to say, before I answer that.
One thing?
Is simply that “What Is Starfleet?” takes a very different view of our heroes.
Normally, and barring the Star Trek stories set in the Mirror Universe, the franchise presents us with heroic characters.
Yes, they’re flawed: Dr Bashir’s initial naïveté is a defect, Spock’s emotionlessness, likewise.
But we don’t see the characters in a bad light, as malicious or unethical.
Until “What Is Starfleet?” comes along.
Beto Ortegas shows a side of the characters we’ve never seen until now: sides with a distinctly nasty bent.
Lieutenant Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), for example? Is shown as a driven careerist, with no compunctions about killing as part of her job.
Lieutenant Commander Chin-Riley? And Captain Pike? Are almost fanatical figures.
And Doctor M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun)?
Faces a hard time: telling us — and the camera — “I’m not the man to ask about Starfleet Military protocols.”
And made to look intensely hypocritical, when confronted with his military record.
“What Is Starfleet?” gives us a fresh look at our heroes: and it’s not necessarily a pleasant look.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Four: The Devil.
There’s other things we should maybe address.
The Lutani, the antagonists of the episode?
I don’t know quite what to …
No … no, let’s scrub that sentence.
I was going to say “I don’t know quite what to make of the Lutani”, there.
But?
I suspect we could argue the design of the Lutani has been influenced: by Doctor Who, by new Dr Who’s design of the Silurians.
Or by 2000AD’s Nemesis the Warlock.
 |
| A Silurian, played by Neve McIntosh. |
 |
A Nemesis the Warlock cover, by Kevin O’Neill. |
Or possibly a nod to the Overlords in Clarke’s Childhood’s End.
But, in truth … ?
I actually believe it’s not.
From reading the Wikipedia entry on Childhood’s End, I think that had more of an influence on Julian May’s Galactic Milieu trilogy …
But that the Lutani are a Star Trek take on devils: horns, and all.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Five: Other Things.
There’s other things we should address, as well.
“What Is Starfleet?” has something of an unconventional opening: for an episode of Star Trek, at any rate.
It opens not with the usual opening credits: but dives — after an opening narration from Beto Ortegas — straight into the meat of the story.
I think there’s a few episodes of Dr Who that open without the traditional opening credits.
But what sprung to mind for me? Was an episode of the original 1960s series, The Prisoner: called “Living In Harmony”.
Which — much like “What Is Starfleet?” — opens with is, effectively, a heavily reworked version of the title sequence.
The two stories are very different tales: one a western story of a conflict between a retired sheriff (Number Six/Patrick McGoohan) and a corrupt Judge (Number 2/David Bauer), the other a tale about the ethics of weapons dealing.
But that opening … ?
Had me thinking …
~≈🖖≈~
Part Six: Another Thing.
Thinking?
Yes: thinking.
Although thinking is possibly the wrong word, here.
Possibly the word is noticing.
With everything that occurs in the episode, a couple of other things sneaked past.
One big: one small.
The small thing?
Was a touch of character development.
Many of Beto’s interviews with his sister take place in her cabin: whilst she’s restoring a 20th century motorbike.
Given we know other characters have hobbies — Captain Pike rides horses, Dr M’Benga is an angler, Lieutenant Commander Chin-Riley sings — it’s nice to find Erica Ortegas has one, too.
She may have started rebuilding the thing to deal with her mental health, or to occupy her time … but, none-the-less, we now know what the ship’s helm officer like to do in her spare time.
The big thing … ?
I think the big thought almost escaped my attention.
For a long time, now, I’ve felt that an assisted death — being helped to die if I have a terminal condition — is not something I felt I would want.
I can’t — as I am, here and now — see myself wanting one.
But … ?
I’m a Terry Pratchett fan: fan of a man who felt an assisted death was the right thing for him, and his condition.
He was living with a form of Alzheimer’s.
So … ?
Knowing he campaigned for the right to die, I came to a conclusion.
That, while I may not want one, that does not mean you can’t have one.
It doesn’t mean you should be forced or coerced into one, either.
But my point is still there: I may not want one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one.
So the bill going through Parliament, right now?
The one that allows assisted deaths, and that has protections against coerced assisted deaths?
Is something I welcome.
The reason I mention this?
Is the climax of of the episode
Once the crew establish contact with the Jikaru, the creature that’s been turned into a weapon by the Lutani, we find the creature hates what it has become.
Hates the fact it’s been weaponised, hates the fact it will be responsible for the death of living beings.
So it asks the crew of the Enterprise to help it die: by flying it into the nearby sun.
Something the crew are, if not happy to do, then certainly willing to do.
They can help the creature in the only way they can.
In exactly the way it’s asked them to: by guiding it into the sun.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Seven: Last Thoughts.
So … does all this make “What Is Starfleet?” a good episode?
Does the Jikaru’s death make the story a message episode?
Let’s deal with that second question, first, shall we.
Is “What Is Starfleet?” like “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”: is it a message episode?
Yes.
“What Is Starfleet?” is definitely a message episode.
It’s saying — as so many people have — that an assisted death, one in the face of an unbearable life, is not a good or bad thing.
It’s saying the crew of the Enterprise aren’t pro- or anti-assisted dying.
It’s saying an assisted death must be the choice of the one whose life is unbearable.
And that help should be given to them, as needed: exactly what the crew of the Enterprise do.
Help: with no judgement, no lecturing, no moralising, they just help.
That’s one reason “What Is Starfleet?” is good.
The other, lesser reason?
Is simply this: it shows us our heroes from the viewpoint of a critic: of both Starfleet, and of the Federation.
Frankly?
We have to look at our heroes through critical eyes.
Our heroes aren’t perfect.
And sometimes, it takes a detractor to show us this.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Eight: Finally.
So …
To repeat an earlier question: is “What Is Starfleet?” a good episode?
Yes.
It shows us the crew of the Enterprise not under enemy fire: but facing hostile criticism.
We see them in a bad light: but learn something new about all of them, in spite of that light.
We see a message: one that could well be unpopular, but that still needs saying.
And we see one hell of an episode.
“What Is Starfleet?”?
Is both very well done: and something that must be seen.
~≈🖖≈~
Part Nine: Last Words.
That … ?
That seems a very good place to leave things
Before I go?
I’m going to ask you to subscribe to my YouTube channel, and maybe drop a few pence in my Tip Jar.
That’s assuming you like what I’m doing, of course
As a last thing?
I’ll be watching episode eight, “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”, on Thursday, 28th August, and publishing my written and video reviews by Saturday, 30th August, 2025.
Hopefully?
I’ll see you then!
“What Is Starfleet?”★★★★
No comments:
Post a Comment