This is the Daystrom Institute Episode Analysis thread for Strange New Worlds 2x05 Charades.
Now that we’ve had a few days to digest the content of the latest episode, this thread is a place to dig a little deeper.
The spatial geography on this one seems a little wonky. It’s all ‘in the Vulcan’ system but then the moon is ‘at the edge of the sector’. I mean, that could make sense but just seemed a little weird to me. Also weird: if this moon is in the Vulcan system, then you would think the Vulcans would have already surveyed it themselves, seeing as they have been spacefaring for hundreds (thousands?) of years. I just can’t see them leaving it alone when it seems to be common knowledge that there are the remains of an advanced civilization on it.
This also struck me as being pretty strange, but I think everything here can be weaseled around:
‘at the edge of the sector’: The Vulcan system happens to be at the edge of the sector it is contained within, sectors being vaguely defined chunks of space laid out fairly arbitrarily.
Surveying the moon: The ruins are well known and well explored (our heroes seem familiar with them already, for instance) but this weird energy vortex is new, strange, and merits a starship crew to investigate it. It’s not the first time they’ve sent Pike specifically to investigate a weird energy source popping up somewhere.
Yeah that is what I thought regarding the first point.
For the second one, I love this explanation and I think it makes perfect sense!
I went back and watch Amock Time and the Spock Amok last night. I was intrigued that his current relationship with his wife seemed consistent (SNWs didn’t break any of the Spock canon really). What did impress me was nurse Chapel. When watched AK after the recent SNW episodes it appears that Spock had forgotten his love for Chapel but she still loves him. It actually was very moving when you realize Chapel’s secret. When she breaks down when he doesn’t even remember her first name. Anyway something to watch for.
