The Badmiral is back, but he’s no match for James. T Kirk.
Warning! The following contains SPOILERS.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 just dropped what will likely go down as its best episode, at least up to this point. After all, the time-traveling finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” is still waiting for its chance at the title. For now, though, Paul Wesley’s James T. Kirk just survived a baptism by fire as he rightly incited a mutiny to thwart the latest in a long line of Trek “Badmirals” (bad admirals), Admiral Simon Reeger (Joe Morton).
Wesley, who gives a riveting performance as Kirk, said of the acting first officer’s decision to stand up against the unbalanced Reeger in Strange New Worlds’ latest episode, “Orders of Magnitude,” (courtesy of TV Insider): Yeah, he had to do it. Something didn’t feel right, and I think it was more just like he was doing it for his father.”
Wesley continued by saying:
“I think his whole life he’s looked at his father as this kind of failure, this guy who never mounted to what he should have in a way. And I think to suddenly have this incredible redemption is so important to him, not only just for closure, but also to give him, Kirk, the confidence to then be a captain, give Kirk the confidence to become who he is destined to become because he has that in his blood. And I think for him, this was such an important chapter.”
Wesley is referring to Admiral Reeger covering up the fact that Kirk's father, George, was the real hero of the Klingon war, which Reeger wrongly took the credit for aboard the USS Constitution years earlier.
James T. Kirk is able to unravel that mystery and clear his father's name during the course of the episode, while also inciting a full-blown mutiny to stop Reeger from killing thousands of innocent people.
Now, those Star Trek fans who’ve been complaining about Strange New Worlds’ propensity to jump genres in season 4 don’t have anything to complain about, in regard to “Orders of Magnitude.” Admiral Reeger commandeers the USS Enterprise on a quest to avenge the death of his family: classic Trek storytelling.
However, when Reeger decides to sacrifice 5,000 lives on an M-class world to quench his need for revenge, James T. Kirk steps up to stop him — even as he knows this means the punishment will be a general court martial.
I loved “Orders of Magnitude.” The storytelling was compelling, and I was riveted right up until the end. However, I can’t say enough about Wesely and Morton’s acting and their on-screen chemistry. This Strange New Worlds episode harkened back to classic Kirk disobeying orders but for all the right reasons.
The inclusion of a new Badmiral, which became a wildly known and popular moniker during The Next Generation’s television run, was the perfect way to further Kirk’s character development as he takes yet another step closer to sitting in the captain’s chair.
I’m sure this is a rhetorical question for many, but I’ll ask it anyway. Do you believe Kirk was justified in disobeying orders and standing up against Admiral Reeger? I wholeheartedly believe the answer is “yes,” but let’s hear your opinion.
Share your thoughts and comments with us on the matter via the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4’s must-see “Orders of Magnitude” is now streaming on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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