Strange New Worlds Season 2 Brings Us Back To Star Trek's Very First Episode
What is the first episode of "Star Trek"? Is it "The Man Trap," the first aired episode of season 1? Or is it "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the first produced (but third aired) episode starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk? The answer is neither. "Star Trek" has two pilots, the first of which was "The Cage." It has the same premise — explorers traveling the galaxy on the USS Enterprise — but a different cast barring Leonard Nimoy as Spock; the pilot's lead was Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike.
"The Menagerie" reintegrated the episode into the series, depicting Pike as Kirk's predecessor as captain of the Enterprise. In one of the most clever clip shows ever devised, the episode mostly consists of Kirk watching the events of "The Cage." The episode is set on planet Talos IV, where the natives abduct Pike. However, it was mentioned in passing that the Enterprise was coming off a mission on Rigel VII, one that left three crew members dead and Pike feeling disillusioned.
Pike (now played by Anson Mount) finally got his chance to headline "Star Trek" and is now the lead of "Strange New Worlds." The series' latest episode — "Among the Lotus Eaters" — takes us back to Rigel VII.
The secrets of Rigel VII
Scant detail about Rigel VII is provided in "The Cage," though Pike experiences an illusion of the planet while held captive by the Talosians. The planet (at least as Pike remembers it) looks like a medieval swashbuckling fantasy, with a purple sky and stone castle. A native of the planet called a Kalar is a roaring beast-man draped in a fur coat and helmet while wielding an axe.
The Enterprise is called back to the planet because a Starfleet insignia was spotted on a building from orbit. Clearly, there's been cultural contamination — a big no-no under Starfleet's Prime Directive of non-interference — and now Pike's crew has to clean up their mess. Once they arrive, we get a new detail about Rigel VII — it's surrounded by an asteroid field. In the distant past, a meteor from that field struck the planet, accounting for its primitive development.
When the away team — Pike, La'an (Christina Chong), and Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) — land, it's winter. The planet thus looks cold and snowed-in, rather than the rocky desert landscape from "The Cage." As the away team makes its march to civilization, they start blacking out and experiencing time lapses. This culminates with the most startling discovery of all — one of the Enterprise casualties, a yeoman named Zack (David Huynh), survived. He shared Starfleet technology and knowledge with the Kalars and became their ruler; the insignia on top of the palace was made in tribute to him. Years alone on the planet have turned Zack bitter, and he has his rescuers imprisoned. By morning, they've forgotten who they are.
The power of memory
The secret of Rigel VII is revealed: the radiation from the meteor destroys people's memories. The castle now ruled by Zack is built from materials designed to protect from that radiation; the Kalar wear hats because they're made from the same material — but not all get that privilege. Lower-class Kalars aren't afforded the protection of helmets or sanctuary in the castle. Instead, they're sentenced to labor, and their daily "forgettings" mean it's impossible for them to work up the will to resist. On Rigel VII, the bourgeoisie's power isn't capital, but memory.
The unknowing Enterprise crew is paired with a worker Kalar (Reed Birney), who has long since acquiesced to the forgettings. They work out something is wrong (none of the Enterprise crew have memory-jogging tattoos like the Kalar, nor are their hands the hands of laborers), prompting a rebellion. La'an is injured in the fight. The Kalar tells the crew about a myth that the castle contains a box holding everyone's memories — this is just a myth, but the castle's radiation shielding eventually restores Pike's memories.
On board the Enterprise, the radiation begins to affect the crew, starting with Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). Retreating into the asteroid field — unknown to them, the source of the problem — only worsens things. Fortunately, pilot Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) manages to overcome the affliction and steer the ship to safety. The theme of "Among The Lotus Eaters" is how memory and identity are intertwined — do something long enough and it becomes instinctual.
The episode ends with the Enterprise crew removing the meteor from the planet's surface, using the ship's tractor beam to return it to the asteroid field. They came to Rigel VII to remove cultural contamination. By removing the original disturbance, the Enterprise crew gives the Kalars the chance to blossom as a society that remembers.
"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" streams on Paramount+. New episodes release every Thursday.