It seems like an eternity ago that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds concluded its second season with a terrifying cliffhanger in “Hegemony.” Two years later, we finally get to see the resolution in “Hegemony, Part II.” With plenty of action and suspense, this Season 3 opener is certainly exciting television. At the same time, it can’t help but feel like a remix of a classic Trek episode of yore.
In Part I, Captain Pike and most of the crew of the Enterprise were forced to watch as the Gorn abducted the residents of an entire colony, along with several of their crewmates, following a harrowing battle. On top of that, Pike learns that his girlfriend, Captain Marie Batel, has been infected with Gorn embryos.
Jumping to Part II, we see three plots carried out in parallel: (1) Pike and the bridge crew strategizing to stop a Gorn invasion of the Federation, (2) Nurse Chapel and Mr. Spock working to cure Capt. Batel of her Gorn infection, and (3) La’an Noonien-Singh leading Dr. M’Benga, George Kirk, and Lt. Ortegas in an escape from the Gorn ship that abducted them.
All three plots are resolved with our heroes’ success, and the climax of “Hegemony, Part II” is full of tension and excitement, which is appreciated after a rather tedious plod through the first few acts of the episode. On the whole, it was quite satisfying. If there was any major critique to be made of how this two-part story ended, though, it would be in how the Gorn were ultimately defeated.
“The Best of Both Worlds,” redux
Perhaps the most famous 2-part episode in the entire history of Star Trek is The Next Generation’s “The Best of Both Worlds.” Spanning a season finale and season premiere, like “Hegemony,” this classic episode shows the Borg assimilate Captain Picard as they prepare to invade the Federation. In the end, the Borg are defeated by being told to go to sleep.
In “Hegemony,” we see the Gorn abduct numerous Enterprise crewmembers as they prepare to invade the Federation. To defeat them, the Enterprise exploits Gorn biology and simulates a solar phenomenon that prompts the Gorn to enter a hibernation phase.
To paraphrase the great Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz: “If I had a nickel for every time [a Star Trek cliffhanger was resolved by making the implacable enemy go to sleep], I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?”
More than that, this narrative solution feels like a rather odd choice on the part of the Strange New Worlds writers. Although “The Best of Both Worlds” is rightly considered a classic, a lot of that credit rests on the tension built in Part I. Part II’s resolution is pretty anticlimactic. Why, then, would they turn to that same solution for “Hegemony,” 35 years later? Have we learned nothing?
Unfortunately, the resolution of “Hegemony, Part II” only further cements the Gorn as a Borg-lite enemy for the 23rd Century, which I consider a disservice both to the Gorn as a unique alien species and the Borg as a palpable threat. Fortunately, the threat of the Gorn may have been abated for a while, so perhaps more original antagonists will present themselves.
Despite my critiques, the episode overall was exciting and entertaining to watch. It also set the pieces back up for another season of voyages to strange, new worlds. We can only hope that they start boldly writing storylines that no one has written before.