Infinite Stories in Infinite Combinations: How S3 of Strange New Worlds Remixed Berman-Era Trek

A new season of Strange New Worlds is approaching us at warp speed, and as with any new Star Trek, I await season four’s premiere like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. As we all (im)patiently wait for the new episodes to drop, I’ve also found myself reflecting on my impressions of season three. While most of us can agree that season three of SNW had plenty of good, bad, and downright “WTF?!” moments, I have always thought that the entire season felt… strangely familiar?

As a musician, I've always been fascinated by song remixes and mash-ups. Whether it's sampling a track, mixing two or more songs together, or creating an alternate version of a hot single, it never ceases to amaze me how we can “recycle” music. Not to directly rip off others’ work, but to create something fresh and new; to continue the musical conversation and offer something else to say.

After spending weeks following the season finale mentally digesting what I had watched, it occurred to me that the writers of SNW managed to apply this idea to their scripts. The current showrunners know that the majority of today’s fanbase is best acquainted with “Berman-era” Star Trek - that is, the first Renaissance of TV under the supervision of producer Rick Berman: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. So why not go a step beyond simply sprinkling Easter egg references throughout the script? With hundreds of hours of stories to reference, variations on a theme are bound to happen naturally. So whether it was fully intentional or not, SNW’s showrunners managed to take bits and pieces of stories from Berman Trek and stitch them together to create strange new stories.

Before we jump into the premiere of season four, let's beam back to season three of SNW together, and see how each episode was remixed for a new generation of viewers.

Hegemony, Part Two

L to R Dan Jeannotte as Sam Kirk and Christina Chong as La'an in season 3 , Episode 1 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

The “Hegemony” two-parter felt like a true return to form, as Berman-era Trek became iconic for its season finale cliffhangers. The high stakes and tension of the Gorn conflict, as well as Marie Batel’s life hanging in the balance after she was infested with Gorn eggs, felt just as dire as the two-parter responsible for that icon status: TNG’s “The Best of Both Worlds.”

If you ask me, “Hegemony” followed many of the same story beats as “The Best of Both Worlds.” A ruthless enemy that feels invincible? Check. The Enterprise being held together with duct tape and a prayer? Check. A captain assaulted and permanently altered by said enemy? Check. The ship’s commander using a creative solution for a galaxy-level threat? Check.

Even Captain Pike having the Enterprise fool the Gorn into going home to start a hibernation cycle is reminiscent of Commander Riker ordering Data to send programming to the Borg cube that tricks the drones on board into taking a nap. Who needs melatonin when you have a Soong-type android?

Speaking of two-parters, I'd also argue that this episode bears some resemblance to “Basics” (VOY), in which much of Captain Janeway's crew is marooned on a harsh planet following the Kazon-Nistrim’s capture of Voyager. With several members of the Enterprise crew captured on a Gorn ship in “Hegemony,” their fight for survival in hostile conditions is not unlike Janeway’s crew battling the elements while trying to find a way to reclaim their beloved ship.

Wedding Bell Blues

L to R Jess Bush as Chapel, Rhys Darby as Trelane and Ethan Peck as Spock in season 3 , Episode 2 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

For a lot of fans, Trelane’s shenanigans on the Enterprise in this episode evoked Q’s regular antagonizing of Captain Picarnd and the crew of the Enterprise-D. This was absolutely intentional: at the end of “Wedding Bell Blues,” the connection to Q was even made explicit by a vocal cameo from John de Lancie. Regardless of my opinion of the episode overall (meh!), I remain utterly charmed by Rhys Darby and the chaotic, petulant energy he brought to Trelane, and I hope we see him again in a future episode.

Because of the themes of romantic conflict, the Q-centric episode that immediately came to mind for me was “Q-Pid” (TNG). Just like Trelane was attempting to get Spock and Christine Chapel back together, Q saw fit to interfere in a lover’s quarrel between Picard and Vash, forcing them and the rest of Picard’s senior staff into a life-or-death Robin Hood LARPing scenario. Q certainly had some weird ideas about how to mediate conflict resolution.

Seeing Spock initially be the only person on the ship who realizes that something is very wrong also reminds me of Worf returning from his bat’leth competition to find an increasingly bizarre and confusing alternate reality in “Parallels” (TNG). Honestly, if I were in Worf’s shoes (or Spock’s, for that matter) in that situation, I wouldn't be a merry man, either.

Shuttle to Kenfori

Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga in season 3 , Episode 3 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

Believe it or not, the concept of zombies in Star Trek is not a new one. While some might argue that the Borg Collective is essentially a cybernetic spin on zombies, I don't really agree with that idea - another conversation for another time, perhaps. Instead, I'd argue that a better comparison for the zombies in “Shuttle to Kenfori” would be the infected Vulcans that Captain Archer and his crew stumbled upon in “Impulse” (ENT) - who, in my opinion, were only memorable because they served as a brief “monster of the week” distraction from the Xindi story arc.

What really stuck out to me in this episode, even more than the zombies, is the reason why Pike and Dr. M’Benga took a shuttle down to Kenfori in the first place: a rare flower that has the capability to fully heal Batel from her Gorn infestation. The catch? The plant won't eliminate the Gorn from Batel’s body - instead, it will transform her into a Gorn and Human hybrid.

You all know what happened the last time we saw a plant that is capable of hybridizing people, right? We got the now-infamous “Tuvix” (VOY). While the creation of Tuvix was the result of a transporter accident suffered by Tuvok and Neelix during an away mission, we learned in that episode that it might have never happened were it not for a funky orchid that they picked up while on the planet’s surface. I'll save the age-old debate of “Did Janeway make the right call in separating Tuvix?” for another time, though.

A Space Adventure Hour

L to R Ethan Peck as Spock and Christina Chong as La'an in season 3 , Episode 4 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

Some of the wildest episodes of Trek that we’ve seen usually involve a holodeck, and here we finally got a bonafide holodeck episode of SNW. This latest holodeck romp was incredibly self-aware and meta, with La’An testing out this new technology by attempting to solve a murder mystery set in 1960s Hollywood, against the backdrop of a sci-fi TV show conspicuously named The Final Frontier.

To push the new holodeck to its limits, La’An instructs the computer to run a program with a mystery only she can solve. Ahem - La’An, Data would like a word with you! When he and Geordi LaForge went roleplaying as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in “Elementary, My Dear Data” (TNG), Dr. Pulaski put them up to a challenge: instruct the computer to create an original Holmesian mystery that is capable of actually challenging Data’s detective skills. This caused the computer to create a self-aware Moriarty, which became such a huge problem that Picard himself had to get into costume and negotiate with him inside the holodeck. Yikes.

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the campy tone of the holodeck story, including seeing the bridge crew transformed into various holodeck characters who served as thinly-veiled references to many of the real-world people involved in the creation and production of The Original Series. That major element, along with the 1960s period setting and La’An getting stuck in the holodeck midway through the program, also felt like a nod to “Our Man Bashir” (DS9), when we saw Julian Bashir’s Bond-esque holosuite spy fantasy take a harrowing turn as his crew mates became accidentally trapped within the program itself, transforming them into various characters within the story.

Through the Lens of Time

Scene from season 3 , Episode 5 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

This episode bummed me out because I feel like the writers did Dana Gamble so dirty. I was 100% ready for this adorable and enthusiastic ensign to become a new fan favorite (or at least, my new favorite). I was rooting for you, Nurse Gamble! We were all rooting for you!

You know who else was done dirty, both literally and figuratively? Tasha Yar, when the malevolent tar creature Armus unceremoniously strikes her dead just to feel something in “Skin of Evil” (TNG). As a character, Tasha had so much unrealized potential, and to have her life tragically cut short was one of the first truly shocking moments of TNG.

While I continue to mourn the premature loss of Dana Gamble (including his eyes), I can't help but notice that the rest of the episode’s A-story - in which the away team gets trapped in what amounts to an ancient escape room - evokes an unexpected combination: the mysterious and dangerous Iconian ruins in “Contagion” (TNG), and the dizzying puzzle rooms of Falow’s Chula board in “Move Along Home” (DS9). If “Through the Lens of Time” wasn't such a dark episode, I would have nearly expected the away team to start singing “Allamaraine, count to four…”

The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail

L to R Ethan Peck as Spock, Paul Wesley as Kirk, Jess Bush as Chapel, Martin Quinn as Scotty and Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura in season 3 , Episode 6 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

Jim Kirk’s first real test as a future captain is a harrowing one in “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail.” With the Farragut in shambles and his captain incapacitated after being attacked by a mysterious scavenger ship, he must take the helm and lead the crew as they make repairs and attempt to rescue the Enterprise from capture.

Kirk’s dilemma and crisis of confidence is not dissimilar to what Deanna Troi experienced in “Disaster,” when the Enterprise became completely disabled. With Picard injured and stuck in a turbolift, Troi was unexpectedly thrust into the Captain's chair. While she initially expressed uncertainty in her own ability to lead the crew, she eventually found her voice, finally able to confidently give orders to the junior bridge crew and lead the entire ship to safety with minimal casualties. And while Troi, unlike Kirk, initially had no plans to pursue a command track, this formative experience was the likely catalyst for her eventually taking the command officers’ exam, resulting in her much-deserved promotion to commander. Just as “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail” shows us a young Kirk at the start of his journey to captaincy, “Disaster” shows us one of the first glimpses of how much of a leader - and a complete badass - Troi truly was at her core.

What Is Starfleet?

L to R Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Mynor Luken as Beto and Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas in season 3 , Episode 7 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

As a documentary buff, I had high hopes at the start of this episode. A documentary being filmed on the Enterprise that raises uncomfortable questions about the Federation’s role in the galaxy? Hell yeah, dude, lock me in.

When the Enterprise crew realizes that their pending delivery to the warring planet Tychus-B is actually a sentient being intended for use as a weapon, young filmmaker (and Erica Ortegas’ brother) Beto hits “record” and starts to capture footage with a pointed slant to fit his own agenda, much to everyone’s chagrin. To me, this looks like a mashup of two early episodes of TNG that I have watched countless times. First, I see elements of “Encounter at Farpoint,” in which an alien society is exploiting a sentient alien life form to construct a colony for its own economic benefit. And second, I see pieces of “Coming of Age,” where we see a pre-bluegill Dexter Remmick incessantly grilling each member of the senior staff, hell bent on uncovering behavior that would suggest a conspiracy within Starfleet - a storyline that turns deliciously ironic for him a few episodes later, in the campy season one body horror classic, “Conspiracy.”

Four-and-a-Half Vulcans

L to R Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. MíBenga, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Christina Chong as La'an and Jess Bush as Chapel in season 3 , Episode 8 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

I think we can all agree that this was a weird episode, and not necessarily in a good way. To see Captain Pike, La’An, Christine, and Nyota wind up accidentally stuck as Vulcans - and condescending, bitchy Vulcans at that - was not a fun watch for me overall. In fact, this particular episode gives me the same weird vibes as “Rascals” (TNG), where we watch Captain Picard, Keiko O’Brien, Guinan, and Ro Laren all wind up stuck as child-size versions of themselves, thanks to yet another transporter accident. This specific kind of body-altering scenario always manages to give me the ick.

The only bright spot in this episode for me, though, was the introduction of Doug (Patton Oswalt), a Vulcan whose special interest is human culture, and an old flame of Una’s - whom she finds absolutely irresistible. This might seem like an odd pairing to some - why would the tall, strong, gorgeous first officer go absolutely crazy in lust over this short, nerdy Vulcan?

Believe it or not, as a fellow towering baddie, I understand and relate to Una’s attraction: regardless of his shorter stature, Doug quietly exudes self-confidence, intelligence, and a certain Vulcan charm, and she thinks that's super hot. Another comedic episode where we see this dynamic is “Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places” (DS9), in which our favorite barkeep goblin, Quark, goes to great lengths to win back the affections of his beautiful and intimidating Klingon ex-wife, Grilka.

You read it here first, folks: Una/Doug and Quark/Grilka are proof positive that tall, badass women are often deeply attracted to short kings and queens who are confident, fun, and full of personality. I just love that for them!

Terrarium

Melissa Navia as Ortegas and The Gorn in season 3, Episode 9 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

In what is widely considered by fans to be one of the standout episodes of season three, “Terrarium” finds Ortegas stranded on a dusty moon after hurtling through a wormhole, only to discover that a Gorn is similarly stranded nearby. Instead of turning her into dinner, however, the Gorn successfully attempts to communicate to Ortegas that she means her no harm, and is simply trying to survive, just as Ortegas is.

This “stranded enemies to friends” storyline has been remixed many times throughout Berman-era Trek, and is a familiar trope across the science fiction genre - including the cult classic film, Enemy Mine, which I watched over and over again on VHS as a kid. TNG, however, has two episodes with variations on this theme. The first and most obvious example would be “The Enemy,” which has an extremely similar plot; just swap Ortegas for LaForge and the Gorn for the Romulan officer Bochra, and voila.

The second, however, is fan-favorite “Darmok,” which slightly turns this trope on its head: instead of being stranded accidentally, Picard is stranded intentionally along with the Tamarian captain, Dathon, by the latter’s own crew. Although he initially assumed that Dathon had malicious intent, Picard eventually realized that Dathon was attempting to bond with Picard through reenacting Tamarian myths and their unique communication style of exclusively using analogies.

First, there was Darmok and Jilad at Tanagra; then there was Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel IV; and now we have Ortegas and Lady Gorn at… um, another Metron experiment? Hmm.

New Life and New Civilizations

Anson Mount as Capt. Pike in season 3, Episode 10 of Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

Last, but not least, we have the season three finale episode, and I think this one truly gives us a sampler platter of Berman-era Trek. When we see the final showdown between Marie Batel and the Vezda - inhabiting the body of Dana Gamble - the ensuing battle of “good” versus “evil” feels like a redux of “The Reckoning” (DS9), which centers around a prophesied standoff between the Bajoran Prophets and the Pah Wraiths via Jake Sisko and Kira Nerys, respectively.

As Pike agonizes over Batel’s decision to step in and fend off the Vezda with her new Gorn-Human hybrid powers, he is thrust into an alternate reality: one in which Batel survives, Pike never becomes paralyzed from his future accident, and they are able to live a beautiful life together and raise a family over several decades. Towards the end of their lives in this reality, Batel reveals to Pike that this was her last gift to him before she takes her place as a permanent guardian for the universe, then thrusts both of them back into their normal reality.

When I first watched this tearjerker of a sequence, my knee-jerk reaction was that this was similar to Picard's experience of living an entire lifetime on the dying planet of Kataan in “The Inner Light” (TNG). But considering the fact that this whole experience was a final gift from Batel to Pike, I'd posit that it also holds similarities to “The Gift” (VOY), in which Kes uses her new powers to offer Voyager one final gift as she departs the ship: a supernatural push of 9,500 light years, ten years closer to Earth on their long journey home. For Batel, her gift of a lifetime together in another reality was not just for Pike’s benefit, but for her own peace as well, which leaves us with a truly bittersweet end to their relationship as season three comes to a close.

And with that, the season of remixes is a wrap. Will season four of SNW feature more reinterpretations of classic Star Trek? Anything's possible - whether it's an explicit homage to another story arc, or a “blink and you miss it” Easter egg, there's bound to be at least a few nods from SNW to the rich lore and legacy of the Star Trek universe.