Where Suffering Reaches: SNW disappoints with Episode 6

Pike in love

“Brain and brain, what is brain?” Apparently, on the utopian planet of Majalis, the “Brain” required to operate the society is not the full cerebral mass of a certain Vulcan but the neural pathways of a child.

I guess the first five episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW) so impressed me that I was not prepared for an episode of such inferior quality as “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”. I walk away from Episode 6 of SNW feeling quite deflated and let down.

 

Written by Robin Wasserman and Bill Wolkoff, “Lift Us” is apparently based on an Original Series story idea by Gene Roddenberry himself, with generous doses of TOS episodes “Spock’s Brain”, “The Cloud Minders” and “For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky” mixed in.

 

Pike appalled

Before I launch into my concerns, I will say that “Lift Us” provides one clear example of how SNW honors its Star Trek predecessors: Anson Mount, like Patrick Stewart, is awful when asked to show an emotional range beyond commanding, competent and witty. Pike’s foray into boyish romance here is painful to watch.

 

Beyond that, my criticisms of this episode are numerous and varied. On first viewing, I was concerned about how the episode seems either to leave numerous questions unanswered or to demand a sequel:

·      The Prospect VII situation;

·      The medical knowledge that Majalis refuses to share;

·      The possibility of future attempts by rebels to destroy the “First Servant” tradition;

·      Pike’s own abhorrence of the “First Servant” tradition and his apparent commitment to do something about it.

 

The First Servant's present....

I am also concerned about numerous plot developments that are implausible or internally contradictory:

·     Alora, who is apparently the leader of the Majalins, breaks numerous protocols and traditions to permit Pike to visit the planet, witness the preparatory ceremonies for the ascension of the new First Servant and then actually attend the barbaric process wherein the child First Servant is absorbed painfully into the planet’s machinery – for reasons beyond my understanding, Alora basically invites Pike’s condemnation and probable future interference;

·     An entire colony, along with several members of Majalin society, appear ready to sacrifice themselves to save the First Servant and, by doing so, destroy the entire Majalin way of life, without providing any alternative – why? What is driving their sacrifice? Is the wish to protect a single child sufficient for so many people to risk, and sacrifice, their own lives?

·     In an investigation of the first attack cruiser’s crashed remains, Spock and Alora manage to spot (with their eyes, not with any kind of equipment) two small but key pieces of evidence within feet of each other among the rubble;

·     Spock states clearly that the First Servant’s life signs confirm he is aboard the attack cruiser just before it blows up; he later tells Pike the First Servant was never on the attack cruiser but instead was beamed directly to a box in the bowels of Enterprise.

 

The First Servant's future

And then there’s Pike himself. For a woman he had a brief flirtation with several years ago, he will change his entire approach to leadership, challenging his officers, responding with irritation when they propose to bring important information to him and attempting on several occasions to dismiss their legitimate concerns. He proposes posting a guard, then accepts the role of guard himself, only to abandon his guard post to sleep with the person under his protection.

 

Argh…

 

And what’s with the two separate instances where a male character refers to an adult, accomplished, intelligent female character as a “girl” without anyone challenging it? Pike calls the leader of an entire, advanced planet a “girl” who can’t fly a shuttle and then the father of the First Servant calls Uhura a “girl” in attempting to dismiss her research… and no one objects.

 

“Lift Us” is a poorly constructed, plodding episode that undermines much of what SNW has been trying to create in its first five episodes. It’s political messaging is heavy handed – smooth transitions of power are cornerstones of Majalin society, we learn, for example. Hmmm… do you think they’re referring to any recent events here on 21^st century earth?

 

And, after taking an 11-year-old child, coercing him into sacrificing himself for the good of his people and sentencing him to a lifetime of suffering and a grotesque death, Alora actually gets to preach at Pike:

 

“Can you honestly say that no child suffers for the benefit of your Federation. That no child lives in poverty or squalor while those who enjoy abundance look away. The only difference is we don’t look away.”

 

The premise of The Original Series that we thought SNW was designed to support was that, thanks to the Federation, poverty, disease and need have all but been eradicated among member worlds.

 

So Pike should have been able to respond to Alora by saying, “Yes, I can.”

 

Instead, we get violins and self-flagellation. 

 

Again I say arghh.