Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Solved A Heartbreaking Next Generation Mystery

Spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" ahead.

"Strange New Worlds" is showing the beginning of the most important relationship in "Star Trek," with the series revealing how the bond between Spock (Ethan Peck) and James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) came to be. However, there have been other important friendships in the Vulcan's life, including a mysterious one that was once teased in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" before being clarified in "Strange New Worlds."

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" season 5 episode "Unification I," Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew embark on a mission to find Spock (Leonard Nimoy) after he disappears. In short, Spock is out to restore peace between the Vulcans and Romulans, but some of his allies fear that he has defected to the latter's side. During his investigation, Picard speaks to Spock's ailing father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), who reveals that his son disappeared for days when he was a kid and never explained why. The scene highlights that Spock has a history of doing his own thing, while simultaneously adding more mystery to his backstory. 

Until now, Spock's childhood adventures were one of the "Star Trek" franchise's unanswered mysteries. Be that as it may, "Strange New Worlds" season 3, episode 7 (which is titled "What Is Starfleet?") finally provides some answers — and they are heartbreaking.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3's "What Is Starfleet?" sabotages itself with an experiment that doesn't quite pay off. The episode's faux documentary style takes away from its central conflict, which relates to a war between the planets Lutani VII and Kasar. What's more, the format fails to make the most of certain scenes involving a giant creature, making it one big, missed opportunity. That said, the episode's shortcomings are arguably worth it for the fact it also addresses where Spock was when he disappeared for days as a youngster.

The moment occurs near the start of the episode, with Spock recalling a story from his childhood on Vulcan. He recounts visiting his friend Sovrek back in the day, only for the kid's parents to prevent them from seeing each other. Spock's half-human side was viewed as a deficit on his home planet, and Sovrek's parents weren't exactly progressive thinkers. However, the fallout upset Spock to the point where he felt compelled to disappear into the desert, find the Plain of Blood, and proceed to cut himself in a cave, hoping to remove his human side. 

Thanks to "Strange New Worlds," we now know why Spock disappeared, even though the reason is pretty grim and upsetting to learn about. Still, it goes a long way in explaining how Spock's experiences ultimately shaped him into becoming a resilient hero who isn't easily fazed by the horrors of the universe, as well as illustrating why he is a proponent of unifying people in spite of their differences.

New episodes of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" premiere Thursdays on Paramount+.