Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 10 is the final instalment of the first season of an American scifi space opera television drama created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet for the streaming service Paramount+. A spin-off of the Discovery series, Strange New Worlds features the USS Enterprise captained by Christopher Pike and set a decade before the events in the original Star Trek TV series. Arguably, Discovery’s second season – which introduced Anson Mount’s version of Pike – has been the best so far, so it’s no surprise that this series is now a reality.
S P O I L E R S
Entitled “A Quality of Mercy”, Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 10 might be the best episode of the maiden season of this stellar new series. It earns this accolade in the manner in which it seamlessly incorporates The Original Series classic “The Balance of Terror” episode into its narrative. Yes, of course, this is achieved through the contrived time travel trope but in the context of this series is handled extremely well.
READ OUR ANALYSES OF STRANGE NEW WORLD SEASON 1.
Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 10 opens with Captain Pike believing that he may have found a way for himself – and other Starfleet officers – to escape the fates awaiting them, according to Pikes’s experience with a time crystal during Discovery Season 2. Even as he contemplates taking concrete action to change the future, Pike is visited by a future version of himself with a message and another time crystal.
Via this time crystal, Pike is transported seven years into the future – this time captaining the Enterprise in an event that should have had James T. Kirk in command itself. Since Pike survived the explosion that severely incapacitated him in his predicted future, he remained captain. In “The Balance of Terror”, Captain Kirk successfully handled Enterprise’s first encounter with the Romulans, whereas Pike’s actions lead to disaster and the beginning of another Federation-Romulan war which kills millions and severely incapacitates Spock instead of Pike himself.
Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 10 is a dream of a season finale for Trekkers and newbies alike. In addition, the finale ends on a cliffhanger – a perfect setup for Season 2. Can hardly wait! Highly recommended!!
Now streaming on Paramount+.
… still there’s more …