One of the crucial refreshing issues about the best way Unusual New Worlds depicts Kirk is that the present’s not overly valuable about him. Sure, it’s very conscious that viewers know who he’s, and Paul Wesley loves to throw an offhand William Shatner mannerism or two into his efficiency at any time when attainable. However for essentially the most half, the present (fortunately) doesn’t deal with the character as if he’s by some means preserved in amber. This Kirk makes errors, is often abrasive, reckless, greater than a bit filled with himself, and even downright unlikable at instances. This can be a good factor, by the best way—it makes the character really feel extra three-dimensional and human than he may in any other case.
The crew’s routine survey takes a darkish flip when the planet they’re meant to be learning is all of the sudden destroyed in entrance of them, courtesy of a monstrous, gigantic starship. The behemoth nearly instantly turns its weapons on the Farragut, and the ship is saved solely by the well timed arrival of the Enterprise. (Thank goodness they simply occurred to be conveniently within the neighborhood!) Although it’s greater than something anybody on Unusual New Worlds has ever seen, the weird vessel, primarily an enormous ship filled with house pirates who destroy no matter’s of their path to scavenge the stays, bears a putting resemblance to the Narada, the Romulan mining vessel commanded by Eric Bana’s Nero within the Kelvin timeline. The 2 ships have little in frequent in any other case, nevertheless it feels just like the type of Easter egg that’s a deliberate nod to the best way these two universes nonetheless handle to vibe and rhyme with each other.
The Scavenger ship, full with a horrific gaping maw, big tentacles, and the flexibility to primarily swallow different ships entire to strip mine them for elements, is pure nightmare gasoline. It additionally comes full with its personal preexisting lore, which is the type of wildly fascinating collective worldbuilding I want this present had extra time to bask in. This ship is one thing of an city legend; it goes by many names among the many border planets and people who traverse the sides of identified house: The Annilhator. The Destroyer of Worlds. The Monster Previous the Fringe of the Map. No matter it’s, even the Klingons concern it. And with good motive—it destroyed a planet, crippled the Farragut, and primarily ate the Enterprise all throughout the first fifteen minutes of this episode.
What follows is a twin focus plot—by which the Enterprise crew makes an attempt to discover a technique to detach themselves from the Scavenger’s Matrix-like inside framework (full with a technological “umbilical wire” slammed directlyinto the engineering division) as a skeleton crew aboard the badly injured Farragut makes an attempt to give you methods to assist. Within the wake of V’Rel’s harm (and the truth that she received beamed to the Enterprise proper earlier than it was swallowed up), Kirk assumes command, however he instantly finds the pressures of the captain’s chair extra disturbing than he anticipated. Fortunately, he’s received nearly each future The Unique Collection determine on this sequence available to assist him. In actual fact, these one-day TOS-ers—Spock, Uhura, Chapel, and Scotty—are primarily his bridge crew, and it’s type of an enthralling second to see all of them collectively like this, figuring out how a lot nonetheless lies forward of every of them.
It’s additionally a terrific alternative for the present to interact in one other philosophical debate about kinds of command and management. Kirk instantly shoots down his new squad for making an attempt to work the issue collectively in the identical manner that Pike at all times encourages them to do. It’s not precisely a terrific search for him, being so instantly dismissive of everybody else’s opinion, however not less than Spock is there to assist speak some sense into him, establishing a sample that may proceed all through the forthcoming a long time of their friendship. Wesley and Ethan Peck have genuinely nice, straightforward chemistry with each other, and it’s straightforward to see their banter evolving into the Spock and Kirk relationship we all know. Though we’ve spent the previous two weeks watching Spock agonize over his love life, he’s again in high Vulcan kind right here, stressing logic and calm in a manner that’s useful and in addition…vaguely hypocritical? Doctor, heal thyself.
However whereas Kirk and the Unusual New Worlds crew finally give you a plan to cease the Scavenger ship from destroying an harmless planet full of individuals and assist the Enterprise free itself, his selections come at a horrible price. As a result of it seems the Scavengers had been human, and the final word destruction of their ship signifies that Kirk, in his literal first day on the job as a captain, now has the blood of seven thousand folks on his palms. To not beat a lifeless horse, however the lore of this Scavenger scenario is ridiculous and each reality I study them makes me need to know extra about how any of this might have probably occurred. As a result of this ship that’s spent centuries prowling the sides of the galaxy and killing every part in sight additionally occurs to comprise the descendants of among the finest and brightest humanity as soon as needed to supply.
