Star Trek has released the second episode of their new very Shor Treks series, called “Holiday Party”.
Comedy is subjective. We know that but sometimes it’s worth pointing out that comedy doesn’t always work subjectively. Spock hosting a “Holiday Party” is something worth applauding, but this edition of very Short Treks is not one that we’d recommend.
In the episode, Spock hosts a blooper reel that mostly involves people dying in brutal fashion. One would think that Spock would know that this is a bit uncouth. Yet, here we are. The episode sees Ethan Peck return to voice Spock, as well as Bruce Horak returning as Hemmer, Celia Rose Gooding back as Uhura, and Gia Sandhu as T’Pring.
It’s almost worth watching just for Horak’s return as Hammer, but the skit doesn’t really find is legs, bottoming out when bathroom humor is then used to get laughs. It feels like a room full of drunk monkeys wrote the script for this one because this didn’t seem like it was made for anyone in particular.
very Short Treks’ second episode, “Holiday Party” misses by missing the point.
There’s a good portion of fans who will argue this, but Trek isn’t able to be everything for all people. It’s not meant to be that. It’s an idea, a principle that holds itself up against society. It’s to be revered, not mocked, and ever since the new era of Trek started with Discovery, it felt like we have writers and producers who want to make fun of Star Trek and its fans more than they want to uphold it.
This very Short Trek episode further proves the point; who was this for? Its punchline was meant for children, but the gore and death made it anything but for kids. This desire to be hip and cool, thereby being dated, has not done well for Trek in recent years and these very Short Treks aren’t going to help.