I’m Just Not Good at Goodbyes

This week’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – To All Those Who Wander opens during a party celebrating the end of the rotation of Enterprise cadets, including Uhura. They are interrupted by Spock relaying a priority mission from Starfleet to pursue the Peregrin – which made an emergency landing after relaying a distress call and is now missing. Pike decides it’s the perfect opportunity to take the cadets on one last away mission. On the destitute planet, the crew searches for survivors with no luck, finally stumbling on the remains of one of the crew.

As the away team continues to search for survivors, they find most of the remains of the crew of the Peregrin; some of their remains appear to have been picked apart by wildlife. They find a log entry and learn that after the crash; the Peregrin crew found a human female and an Orion. The Orion was infected with Gorn eggs. It appears that the eggs hatched and went after the crew. 

The away team continues to investigate two life signs they detect–one human and one unknown. They find an alien from a species they don’t recognize who is guarding the human girl. 

Pride, a Flawed Human Emotion

Anson Mount as Pike and Babs Olusanmokun as M\’Benga of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS – To All Those Who Wander. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

The doctor examines both Ariana and the alien and says they are free of infection of the Gorn. La’an, however, is suspicious. She tells Captain Pike that while a lone, infant Gorn is dangerous to the whole crew. 

While the crew continues to explore the ship, the alien becomes physically distressed and develops odd rashes on his skin. As Nurse Chappel goes to investigate, the girl seems to know what is happening and hides. Suddenly, something erupts from the alien, killing one of the health assistants. A new Gorn has been born and is on the hunt. 

While Pike, the Doctor, Spock, and Lieutenant Duke are working on repairs to the ship, the infant Gorn pounce on Duke and drag him off to feed. In the infirmary, La’an comes in to find Nurse Chappel hiding and determines that there are three living Gorn infants on the ship. They find Ariana in the cargo hold, the coldest part of the ship – which holds off the Gorn. 

In engineering, Hemmer and Uhura turn back on the ship’s power and are greeted by a loud scream. As they are about to head to sickbay, they are greeted by a Gorn who drops from the ceiling pursuing one of its less developed siblings. Before they can escape, the Gorn hits Hemmer with its acidic spit. 

We Have to Kill Them Now

Anson Mount as Pike of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS – To All Those Who Wander. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+

The crew decides that it’s now or never to take on the baby Gorn. They are going to use the ship’s environmental controls to force the Gorn into a trap. The crew is successful in trapping both of the Gorn in a Jeffries tube where they fight for dominance, leaving one. The team is successful in killing the last Gorn. But their celebration is short-lived. Hemmer locks them out of the landing bay and tells them that the spit from the Gorn infected him with their eggs. He leaves them and walks onto the frozen tundra. 

The Enterprise tows the Peregrin back to the space dock, remembering the crew who died on the mission. Spock struggles with the emotions that came to the surface during his encounter with the Gorn and La’an asks for leave to search for Ariana’s family. And Uhura decides that her place is on the Enterprise.

Strange New Worlds – To All Those Who Wander Episode Analysis

I have to say that this has been my favorite episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds! I loved that they leaned more into the Gorn lore–even if it felt like a bit of a rip-off of Alien. La’an is an interesting character and watching her bond with a child who shares her trauma was quite touching. I thought that this was an apt send-off for Hemmer, an interesting character who didn’t quite seem to fit with the crew. 

Watching a young Spock struggle with his emotions–the rage of watching a crewmate be murdered in front of his eyes and his inability to channel it was powerful. We have always known Spock as his relatively stoic self (other than when a ritualistic pom-far season arises). Seeing him struggle with his emotions as a young man was powerful and touching. 

Also, seeing Uhura come into her own. She found her home on Enterprise and plans to stay. I’m excited about the season finale. What do you think it will bring? Leave your guesses in the comments below.

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