The black-and-white installment features a run-in with a familiar Federation foe.
For the fourth week in a row, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will drastically switch tones and attack a new genre. Following on the heels of the dinosaur, horror, and Hangover episodes, this week’s upcoming installment, “A Case of Chiaroscuro,” pays homage to the must-see Humphrey Bogart classic Casablanca in a new black-and-white teaser video. And fans can watch the new footage below, courtesy of Paramount+ Mexico.
Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) may not be singing Klingon this time around, but those feared Federation foes are back for the upcoming film noir thriller. The synopsis for Strange New Worlds season 4’s fourth episode, “A Case of Chiaroscuro,” reads as follows (per IMDb): “Una is mistaken for a resistance leader and drawn into a struggle against Klingon occupation.”
There is a lot to be excited about in episode 4 of Strange New Worlds. First, the teaser for “A Case of Chiaroscuro,” focuses on a small, three-person team, including Una, Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun). Both Uhura and M’Benga have been relegated to much less screen time this season, so I’m excited to watch both actors have a chance to shine in the upcoming film noir story.
Second, there was a huge name dropped from the annals of Star Trek history at the end of the new footage. Dr. M’Benga can be heard saying the name, “Commander Kor,” and then Una chimes in: “This is bad,” right before the 30-second teaser ends.
For those who might be new to the Star Trek fandom, Kor first appeared in The Original Series episode “Errand of Mercy” (1967) nearly 60 years ago. The fan-favorite Klingon was portrayed by charismatic character actor John Colicos, who went on to make a name for himself in yet another popular science fiction television show, Battlestar Galactica, years later as Count Baltar.
Colicos would also reprise the role of Kor in three episodes of Deep Space Nine, with my personal favorite being season 4’s “The Sword of Kahless.” Whoever takes up the iconic Klingon's mantle in Strange New Worlds certainly has large DaSmey (boots) to fill.
What did you think about the new Strange New Worlds teaser video? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: SNW’s Casablanca-esque film noir episode, “A Case of Chiaroscuro,” debuts Thursday, Aug. 13, on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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