Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 7
"Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass"
Writer: Dana Horgan & Bill Wolkoff
Director: Anna Dokoza
Cast: Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Martin Quinn, Rebecca Romijn
Let me begin by saying that “Like Chronitons Through The Hourglass” may just be the most ridiculous episode of Strange New Worlds to date. However, it also manages to be one of its most human.
The latest genre-of-the-week experiment drops the crew of the Enterprise into a full-blown soap opera courtesy of Trelane (Rhys Darby), the intergalactic imp who has returned following his Season 3 appearance in “Wedding Bell Blues” to put Starfleet’s finest through this altered reality — all in the name of a school project meant to impress his superiors with the emotional complexity of humans.
When Captain Pike (Anson Mount) wakes up in sick bay following a supposed shuttle accident, he discovers a melodramatic mirage where everyone around him is living high on dramatic pause, staring wistfully into the distance, and behaving as though every minor inconvenience is a matter of life and death. There’s even an accompanying soundtrack that only he can hear, along with plenty of hazy lighting to further sell the illusion that this week’s episode has been plucked straight from the ranks of daytime TV.
Naturally, Pike is not in the mood, but still forced to play the game at Trelane’s demand.
No wonder Sisko popped one of these guys back in the day.
Meanwhile, a gravely injured Spock (who was involved in the same vague shuttle accident as his captain) lies dying and in need of a living-heart transplant, Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) tries desperately to hide the symptoms of his worsening Space Madness, La’an (Christina Chong) returns from an off-the-books prison break with Spock’s evil twin brother in tow, and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) discovers that — wait for it — Captain Pike is actually her biological father.
Yep, the schmaltz is strong with this one!
And yet, when Pike finally comes to realize that this emotionally embellished reality actually ties back to his unresolved feelings over the loss of Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) and the life they briefly shared together at the end of last season — a life that included raising their daughter, Juliet (Anna Mirodin, making a return to the final frontier for an emotional exchange with dear, old dad) — the episode’s funniest premise flips the switch and punches you straight in the heart with one of its most poignant truths: grieving the future you’ll never experience is just as legitimate as grieving the people you’ve lost along the way.
“Like Chronitons Through The Hourglass” may pack the suds in tighter than a Klingon car wash, but it still has its strengths.
For one, it’s rather amusing to see just how many classic soap opera tropes the episode is able to cram into its 60-minute runtime. There are evil twins, secret children, improbable medical conditions (cosmic amnesia definitely had me laughing), conveniently timed revelations, dramatic zooms, bad wigs, lingering pauses, and enough sensual chemistry to power a small starship. There’s also banter, self-awareness, impromptu fourth-wall breaking, and even a little popcorn munching courtesy of the Qs — all of which is topped off with one heck of a soap-star shout-out as Days of Our Lives legend Deidre Hall steps into the role of Enterprise counselor Dr. Eleanor Chivers.
Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of Sybok this week. Ethan Peck plays Spock’s twin brother in full villain mode — complete with black clothes, long hair, and a partially exposed chest — and watching him spar with La’an as she attempts to convince him to donate his heart to his dying brother is genuinely amusing, if not hammed up to the appropriate degree. Before long, and in classic soap opera fashion, they’re playing Kal-toh, trading flirtatious threats, and contemplating running away together. It’s ridiculous, but wonderfully entertaining to watch as Peck and Chong chew through the schlock with the exaggerated stability of veteran soap royalty. A definite highlight for this writer, it was so unbelievably bad that it was actually good!
That said, I know this episode is not going to be for everyone. Its particular brand of camp is probably going to test the patience of more than a few viewers out there. But if you’re willing to sit back, embrace the absurdity of it all, and look past the simmering pots of fromage, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by both the growth it offers Captain Pike heading into the back half of Season 4 and the emotional weight hiding just beneath the surface.
Oh, and be sure to stay after the credits!
