Star Trek Strange New Worlds — Episode 7 — The Serene Squall — A Review

4th November, 2022.

Right … I’m writing this — as I have done for the past few weeks — on a late Friday afternoon.

Or possibly an early evening.

Whatever it is at 17·30 in November.

Dinner — fish and chips, again! — is on the proverbial go.

After that … ?

Frankly, after that, I’ll be doing what I’ve been doing of the past few weeks.

I’ll be watching The Serene Squall: the next episode of Star Trek Strange New Worlds.

I hope you care to join me for the thing.

~≈🖖≈~

Episode 7 — The Serene Squall — opens with a summary of earlier episodes.

Then shifts: to show us T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) at work at the Ankeshtan K’til Criminal Rehabilitation Centre … doing her job as a therapist, and explaining — in her log — that she was finding the job difficult.

As difficult as her separation from her fiancé, Spock.

T’Pring’s solution … ?

Is an attempt to spice things up.

Later that day … ?

Nurse Chapel and Spock are on their way to a meeting: between the senior crew, and Dr Aspen, a former counsellor.

A counsellor who left Starfleet a few years before, in order to provide humanitarian aid on the edges of Federation space.

And one who is now having problems.

Problems with some lost Federation colonists … and a pirate ship called the Serene Squall …

~≈🖖≈~

Now … what did I make of this episode … ?

Good, bad, or neither?

I think we can rule out the last two options, here.

The Serene Squall is another good episode.

Overall?   I think we’re not looking at an episode as good as last week’s Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach.

I suspect that very few episodes in this series will.

But?

It’s a nicely done episode.

It’s an episode that opens on a very light note, closes on a dark one, and has an interesting villain.

The scene in the opening teaser, where the pair discuss sex, is hysterical.   

Dr Aspen/Captain Angel?   As portrayed by actress Jesse James Keitel?

Keitel is, I should add, a transgender woman: playing a non-binary character.

That’s something I’m not necessarily comfortable with: a result of my own lack of familiarity with the trans/gender fluid community.

Saying that?

Keitel is striking looking, and puts in a compelling performance as the episode’s villain.

And — I suspect — is probably inspiring fan art as we speak.

If, as I suspect, we get more of Angel’s lover?

I believe we’ll get more of Angel, themselves: something I would welcome.

Talking of performances?

Let’s not forget Ethan Peck’s performance as Spock.

Zachary Quinto does a great job as the character in the movies.

But Peck?

Has nailed his performance: especially with some very restrained facial expressions in both Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach and The Serene Squall.

Long may that continue!

Outside that?

Is The Serene Squall as good as Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach?   

No: the latter is the better episode.

But?

That’s not going to stop me telling you The Serene Squall is a good episode: it is.

That not going to stop me watching what I feel is a good series, some very good Star Trek, some entertaining science fiction … and some very well done TV.

I’ll be watching the next episode, The Elysian Kingdom, on Friday, 11th November: and posting my reviews on Saturday, 12th November.

I’ll hopefully see you then.

The Serene Squall.

★★★☆