star trek the first servant

First Servant

The child who became the First Servant in 2259

The First Servant was a "very special child who served as a holy figure in Majalan society."

The First Servant was chosen at birth by lottery to embody the Majalan maxim : " science , service , sacrifice ." Once chosen, the First Servant gave up their own biological family on the account that everyone on Majalis was the First Servant's family.

Throughout his life, the First Servant was protected by the Linnarean Guards , who swore an oath to protect the life of the First Servant.

Prior to the First Servant's ascension to the throne , they conducted studies at an ancient retreat on a nearby moon. ( SNW : " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach ")

The Classic Sci-Fi Short Story You Should Read After This Week's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

This post contains spoilers for episode 6 of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

It's only been on the air for a little over a month, yet "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is already known for its deep cut pop culture references. The wildly entertaining "Star Trek: The Original Series" prequel show has already thrown it back to everything from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" to William Shatner in a mustache .

The show has also established itself as carrying the torch Gene Roddenberry's original series lit, by asking big, bold questions about the nature of existence and providing thoughtful and complex answers. This week, though, the crew of the Enterprise tackled a philosophical question that has no easy answer — one that's been referenced by great writers and thinkers for generations.

In episode six of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," titled "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach," Captain Pike (Anson Mount) encounters an old flame, a woman named Alora (Lindy Booth) who is now guarding a special child called The First Servant (Ian Ho). As with many classic Trek episodes, the Enterprise team finds a group in distress and offers to help them without knowing all the details of their backstory. Longtime fans of the franchise were likely less-than-surprised when the story beats continued to follow Trek tradition, with Alora only being revealed as a villain once she and Pike had rekindled their romance.

The truth about Ascension

Yet the bleak endnote of "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach" is a little less expected. The entire episode sees the Majalans around The First Servant treating him as precious, and all indications point to him being coronated as their leader soon — so long as he doesn't get kidnapped by a fringe group first. Except, in the episode's final moments, we learn that the Enterprise crew has it all wrong. The First Servant's ascension isn't to a throne, but to a secluded and ritualistic torture chamber. The child is locked into a machine where his life force will be sucked out and used to power the luxurious lifestyles of all who live above. A small skeleton lets us know he's not the first kid to receive this fate.

As shocking as this turn of events might be, the story "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is telling has roots in a classic science fiction work. Prolific and celebrated sci-fi author Ursula K. Le Guin was known for creating riveting speculative stories that asked big questions about the universe. Few were more haunting or sobering than her 1973 short story, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas." Le Guin called her story "Variations on a theme by William James," referencing a philosopher who wrote about the idea of a scapegoat in "The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life." Scholars including Shoshana Knapp have also pointed out that a similar idea is communicated in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov," meaning the concept explored in this week's "Trek" episode goes back at least until 1880.

A utopia with a caveat

But it's the ominous, near-utopic world of "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" that "Star Trek: Strange New World" clearly pulls from. Though the team behind "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" doesn't seem to have acknowledged the Omelas homage yet, franchise executive producer Alex Kurtzman has referenced Omelas before in a conversation with TrekMovie.com about "Star Trek: Discovery." A ship in that series is even named the Le Guin.

In the brief story, Le Guin describes a perfect world called Omelas, where residents celebrate the Festival of Summer. The people were happy, sophisticated, and never wanted for anything. They were also "without monarchy and slavery, so they also got on without the stock exchange, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb." But Omelas had a secret, one that exactly matches up with the devastating reveal that stops Pike in his tracks in this week's episode.

A few pages into her vision of utopia, Le Guin reveals a sick twist: in a secluded place somewhere beneath the city's sleek surface, there's a child locked in a room. The child lives in filth and poverty, deprived of basic human rights. We don't know much about its history, except that it was once taken from its parents. Yet we get the sense that it needs to be there, suffering, for everyone else to continue on with their joy.

A new spin on Omelas

Even more upsetting, the story proposes that not only is the child necessary to Omelas' success, but that everyone on the planet knows about it. Le Guin writes:

"They all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery."

"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" is incredibly dark. It confronts readers with the idea that people everywhere are living happily while someone else suffers, and are compartmentalizing that suffering to continue on with their own joy. The latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is also the darkest of the series to date, but by recontextualizing an Omelas-like story as a single planet in a whole vase universe, it's decidedly less grim. There are everyday people who risk their lives trying to save The First Servant. The Enterprise crew, for all their cultural misunderstanding, also has his best interests in mind.

Le Guin writes about those people, too. Her story ends with a reference to its title, revealing in its final paragraph that there are a lonely few who don't sit with the knowledge of Omelas' awful custom. Instead, they just leave. "The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness," Le Guin writes, but, "they seem to know where they are going."

The moral challenge of Strange New Worlds

The story of the Majalans and The First Servant is unshakable and disturbing, but it's also "Star Trek" at its most impressively challenging. After the Ascension, Pike confronts Alora, asking her how she can live with the fact that her "whole civilization is founded on the suffering of a child." She counters that the Federation worlds have suffering children too, but that the privileged look away from them. "The only difference is we don't look away," she says.

In the end, Pike says he'll report the Majalans to Starfleet, despite the fact that they're not under its jurisdiction. Elder Gamal (Huse Madhavji), who tried to save The First Servant, vows to save the next one. It's not a win by any means, but like much of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," it's a resolution that values the real, difficult, sometimes painful work of trying to make the world safer and more equitable for everyone. Just as the end of Le Guin's story can be read multiple ways, whether this morally complicated conclusion is more pragmatic or tragic is for viewers to decide. The Enterprise crew may have walked away from the Majalan, but their mission continues on.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 6 review: "Familiar story improved by wonderful cast"

GamesRadar+ Verdict

While it’s a solid introduction to some classic Trek themes, fans may find the story’s beats and twists a little too familiar. The good thing about Strange New Worlds, however, is that even when it’s on autopilot, the quality of the cast and the writing ensure it’s never less than watchable.

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Warning: This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 6 review contains major spoilers – many of them set to stun. Boldly go further at your own risk…

If Paramount Plus was relaunching their fleet of Star Trek shows again, they’d surely have made Strange New Worlds the first series out of Spacedock. While Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks have all – to various degrees – relied on viewers’ knowledge of earlier iterations of Trek, the voyages of Christopher Pike’s starship Enterprise feel like the ideal introduction to the franchise and what’s made it tick for over 55 years.

Over the course of its early missions, Strange New Worlds has developed a knack for putting a slick, modern spin on classic Trek tropes, such as the first contact scenario, interstellar warfare, and even ship-based comedy. Now, this sixth outing explores the commonly recurring theme of Starfleet encountering an alien race with morally dubious practices, while also giving the ship’s captain an excuse for a spot of alien romance.

The problem with ‘Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach’, however, is that the show’s now-trademark snappy dialogue, slick set design, and wonderful cast aren’t quite enough to mask the over-familiarity of the story. In other words, if you’ve watched a few episodes of the original series or The Next Generation, you’ll have a pretty good idea where this one’s going before it’s even made it to the opening credits.

It begins – as Star Trek stories often do – with a distress call. A Majalan vessel is being pursued by a hostile ship which, despite being completely outgunned by the flagship of the Federation, is foolhardy enough to turn its phasers on the Enterprise. Starfleet protocol – along with Pike’s conscience – compel the crew to intervene, and after shooting down the aggressors, they beam the survivors on board.

By some cosmic coincidence, one of them is Alora, a woman Pike rescued from a spot of bother with a pulsar ten years earlier. It doesn’t take long for sparks to start flying in the transporter room.

“You have bad luck with shuttles,” says Pike.

“Or good, depending on how you look at it,” Alora replies, hinting that their relationship isn’t just platonic

The most interesting member of the party, however, is a child known as the “First Servant”. Extending a long tradition of kids in Star Trek (and sci-fi in general) with disarmingly high intelligence, he’s a holy figure in Majalan culture, the embodiment of their maxims of “science, service, sacrifice” who’s left his family behind in favor of the so-called greater good. As such, the boy must be protected at all costs, to the point where his stuffy guardian, Elder Gamal, won’t let Dr M’Benga and Nurse Chapel use their primitive “abattoir” tools to treat his injuries.

The fact that this technologically advanced civilization has never appeared in Star Trek before is an early indicator that something sinister may be lurking beneath their friendly surface. After all, any race that can live in floating fairytale castles – their capital city looks like a cross between Naboo in The Phantom Menace and something from Flash Gordon – and use holographic computer terminals would surely have become a major asset to the Federation under normal circumstances. M’Benga even realizes that their medical tech has the potential to cure Rukiya – the terminally ill daughter he keeps alive in the medical transporter’s pattern buffer – though Gamal’s initial refusal to share Majalan tech with outsiders is an early indicator that this is a species that doesn’t play well with others.

It’s ultimately Cadet Uhura who gets to the heart of the problem. One of Strange New Worlds’ smartest moves has been using the rookie’s on-the-job education as an introduction to key crew members and areas of the ship. This week she’s under the tutelage of security chief La’an, whose core lessons – among them the memorable “threats never take breaks” – will surely be adorning t-shirts before long.

These security guidelines intertwine perfectly with the Majalan plot. Most pivotal on the list is lesson 6, which concerns knowing how and when to bend the rules. La’an realizes that something isn’t quite right in the wreckage of the ship Uhura shot down in the episode’s cold open – in hindsight, it seems a tad harsh to ask the work experience to disable an enemy craft – so, with the ship’s translators out of bounds during an unofficial investigation, asks the young linguistics expert to have a deeper, eyes-only look at their communications. Despite Alora’s claims that the residents of Prospect VII are an enemy colony, Uhura realizes that the similarities in their respective languages can mean only one thing – they’re descendants of Majalan. It’s subsequently revealed that they left this apparent utopia to escape the dark goings on in the background, in a plot line that shows remarkable echoes of the Ba’ku and Son’a in Star Trek: Insurrection.

Uhura’s impressive detective work proves slightly annoying for Pike, because it interrupts his very intimate diplomatic sessions with Alora. When their pillow talk shifts to chat about the future – and Pike’s own, well-publicized grisly fate – she offers the planet’s services for medical assistance. Anyone who’s seen original series two-parter ‘The Menagerie’ will be wondering if this is where the idea for his telepathic recuperation was seeded.

Ultimately, however, Pike’s inherent decency means he was never going to accept Majalan hospitality for long. Despite his Starfleet training, he finds it impossible to disguise his disgust at the revelation that the First Servant’s “ascension” involves plugging him into the city’s computer mainframe to become the central processor of the machines that keep the city hovering above the lava and acid on the planet’s surface. Seeing invasive wires attach themselves to the kid is a genuinely brutal moment, and the boy’s fear is palpable as we watch his self being lost to the machine forever – the fact that Alora claims they’ve been looking for a more humane alternative doesn’t make the scenes any easier to accept.

The barbaric nature of the ritual makes you see the actions of Elder Gamal in an entirely different light. Having sacrificed everything to team up with Prospect VII to rescue the boy, he could have been the hero of the episode had everything gone to plan – indeed, he must have been inwardly cursing the well-meaning Enterprise crew for thwarting his ingenious scheme to fake the First Servant’s death.

But that’s the point of the episode. The Kobayashi Maru – the no-win scenario – is one of Star Trek’s longest-standing themes, but it’s rarely been explored as subtly and cleverly as it is here. The Enterprise was duty-bound to work out what happened to the First Servant after his abduction from the transporter room, yet their typically diligent work essentially sentenced the boy to ‘death’. And once the process of ascending had begun, standard protocols ensured Pike was powerless to intervene – beyond, presumably, putting Majalan on some kind of Federation blacklist.

Even when Strange New Worlds isn’t firing at maximum warp, it remains a brilliantly made slice of weekly sci-fi action. ‘Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach’ is just that little bit too familiar to engage as much as its predecessors.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently airing now in the US on Paramount Plus. The streaming service launches in the UK on June 22. For more, check out our guide to the Star Trek timeline .

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including GamesRadar+, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy.

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Preview ‘Strange New Worlds’ Episode 106 With Photos And Trailer From “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”

| June 6, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 62 comments so far

The sixth episode of the new series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrives this week and we have details, new photos, a trailer, and a clip to get you started.

“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”

Strange New Worlds episode six is titled “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach.” The episode features guest star Lindy Booth, reuniting with her The Librarians co-star Rebecca Romijn. The episode was written by Robin Wasserman and Bill Wolkoff and it was directed by Andi Armaganian. SNW 106 debuts on Paramount+ on Thursday, June 7th.

A threat to an idyllic planet reunites Captain Pike with the lost love of his life. To protect her and a scientific holy child from a conspiracy, Pike offers his help and is forced to face unresolved feelings of his past.

New photos:

Ian Ho as the First Servant and Huse Madhavji as Elder Gamal of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ ©2022 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Andre Dae Kim as Chief Kyle, Anson Mount as Pike, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, and Christine Chong as La’an of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ ©2022 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Huse Madhavji as Elder Gamal, Ian Ho as the First Servant, Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, and Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ ©2022 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Huse Madhavji as Elder Gamal, Ethan Peck as Spock, and Ian Ho as the First Servant of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ ©2022 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Huse Madhavji as Elder Gamal and Ian Ho as the First Servant of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: Marni Grossman/Paramount+ ©2022 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.

The trailer is available on Facebook and Instagram.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Star Trek on Paramount+ (@startrekonpplus)

The latest episode of The Ready Room includes a clip of Spock and an ancient Vulcan ritual [at 31:11]. [Also available internationally at startrek.com ]

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debut on Thursdays exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, Australia and the Nordics. The series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada. In New Zealand, it is available on TVNZ , and in India on Voot Select . Strange New Worlds will arrive via Paramount+ in select countries in Europe when the service launches later this year, starting with the UK and Ireland in June.

All episode photos by Marni Grossman/Paramount+

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Interesting. A longer, more poetic episode title, sort of TOS style… For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky, Let That Be Our Last Battlefield, And the Children Shall Lead…

Also what I thought! Also very reminded me of S1 of Discovery.

True. Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad, The Butcher’s Knife Doesn’t Care For the Lambs Cry… At least they tried with the titles :-)

Gods, I hope not. The first episode on that list is tolerable; the latter two among TOS’ worst. (For my money, “And the Children Shall Lead” is probably still the worst Trek episode ever made, of any series.)

I actually LOVE “And the Children Shall Lead”… I always envisioned Gorgan to be a rogue Meduse and incorporated both factions in my fanfic: Meduses and Gorgans, ancient alien races trying to play humanoids in a ancient game of power. Those were the days Babylon 5 was on: Shadows and Vorlons :-)

I also have to say that TOS S3 is my favourite… that and TNG S1… I know, super-minority opinion but I stand by it.

There was a very nice lady — I gathered she was from Europe — who once posted here, and who also said that the third season was her favorite. She was the first fan I ever heard with that opinion; you’re the second. I can’t fathom that, personally, but to each, his own. The writer of ATCSL, Edward J. Lasko, went on to be Story Editor for “Charlie’s Angels,” which I think much better suited his talents.

I also like TOS season 3 and TNG seasons 1 and 2 very much because those season were truly about going to weird adventures. Besides I also love cheesy B-C movies and my general life philosophy is to not to take everything so seriously all the time so those season work for me because of their cheesiness. This is the main reason I also like Star Trek 5 quite a bit as well. PS. I also enjoyed the classic Charlies Angels as well which is probably because of the same reasons I mentioned above.

Lasko had some good credits; one of his Wild Wild West eps, with Pernell Roberts, is very fun, with a terrific score that sees a lot of reuse … it’s almost www’s answer to DOOMSDAY MACHINE in terms of how great it sounds and how it can be tracked into just about anything. He also did what I think was the best ep of the PLANET OF THE APES series, the one where James Naughton gets trapped with Mark Lenard in an old BART station.

I’d be interested in knowing why you feel that way.

TOS S3 and TNG S1 are by far the most adventurous seasons of Trek. Wonderfully cheesy in parts. They speak to my imagination, my love for colors and shapes, strange concepts and truly strange worlds…

There are stinkers: I dislike Plato’s Stepchildren and Turnabout Intruder, but there are many eps that people generally dislike that I’m very fond of: And the Children Shall Lead, Lights of Zetar or That Which Survives are true 60s “out-there” classics, that almost feel early 70s…And it’s such a shame TOS was cancelled and denied that journey into 70s madness à la Space:1999…

And then there are so many favourites: Tholian Web, Elaan of Troyus, The Empath, Day of the Dove, Wink of an Eye, Enterprise Incident, Spectre of the Gun!

Spock’s Brain and The Way to Eden are hilarious guilty pleasures! They are the absolute best bad episodes ever :-)

I guess I jiust like that vibe of funky, corny cheesiness. S1 and 2 were not yet as radically fun… Difficult to put into words…

Strangely, the older I’ve become, TOS S3 is my favorite as well. Many if not most of the episodes featured exceptional and strong female character actresses. Also S3 had some of the more adult or mature storytelling of the series.

I find there are some standout episodes in S3 as well. You’re not alone…

“ For my money, ‘And the Children Shall Lead’ is probably still the worst Trek episode ever made, of any series.”

Imagine the discussion among the producers and writers: “Let’s hire a lawyer with no acting experience or ability. And let’s have his costume be a shower curtain.”

They hired Belli because his son played one of the kids, if I recall correctly.

Belli’s costume and performance, execrable as they are, don’t even come close to what rankles me most about that episode. Trek has had its share of truly bad episodes — “Spock’s Brain,” “Shades of Gray” (which is actually more of a non-episode), “The Outrageous Okona,” “Threshold,” “Move Along Home,” etc. But “And the Children Shall Lead” was, so far as I can tell, utterly unique in the history of the franchise in that it doesn’t even pay lip service to taking place in a rational universe, where challenges can be overcome by the application of courage and reason. “Gorgon the Friendly Angel,” who is summoned forth by a chant sung by a passel of compromised brats, is a demon-monster more suited to an episode of “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” or “Batman” than a show that had touted itself as a TV adventure space opera for adults. I can only imagine the disappointment felt by all those college kids who had organized rallies and sent in their letters to save their favorite show, only to see it wither away before their very eyes.

While I agree with you about the ranking of this (w/ respect to TOS anyway), I think that disappointment you mention among those who campaigned for the show was probably already hitting in waves. Tuning in for start of s3, filled with anticipation — only to get SPOCK’S BRAIN — would be at the very least a head-turner. I think that might be why that particular ep has always gotten such a bad rap (deservedly, despite the slivers of delight it manages to deliver.)

I’m figuring that a dedicated fan would be decidedly off-balance with this, followed by the entertaining but ethically-dubious ENTERPRISE INCIDENT. Getting LEAD as the fourth show would probably have made me decide that ‘spending Friday nights out’ was the way to go.

While I didn’t make it very clear in my post, I definitely was referring to a general disillusionment about the quality of the show at that point — so, yeah. I suppose it was around that time that John Campbell, Jr. mentioned in his correspondence with Gene Roddenberry that he just wasn’t able to publicly tout Star Trek anymore (to which Roddenberry took no offense).

Referencing what others have stated above, I’ll agree that the third year had a few standout shows. Very few.

Thanks to all the hype about the letter writing campaign, Spock’s Brain actually won it’s timeslot. Unfortunately, it’s low quality no doubt convinced many viewers that the show wasn’t worth bothering with any longer so they tuned out in droves.

I did not know that. Is that confirmed, or just what Cushman sez he read?

My favorite thing about Children Shall Lead isn’t the episode itself but the reference to it in the movie Zodiac.

Interviewer: “I saw your Star Trek. I thought it was quite good.” Melvin Belli (played by Brian Cox): “Yes, I thought so too. Very nice people there.”

Or words to that effect. Anyway, it’s a funny reference in a very serious movie.

I really really hate “And the Children Shall Lead.”

But I hate all the TOS children episodes. They all come off really creepy to me; that one especially.

“They all come off really creepy to me”

But that’s the whole point of those eps… Creepy children in space… almost like Stephen King before Stephen King… He Who Walks Behind the Rows… Children of the Corn… Definitely like creepy children in horror…

Fine, it doesn’t mean I have to like it and I don’t. And never been a horror fan. I’ve probably seen 3 Stephen King movies in my life.

But there are so many enjoyable King movies out there. I guess you might have seen a few more, but did not recognize them as King movies. Like in that story King tells himself:

“I was in a supermarket down here in Florida, and I came around the corner and there was a woman coming the other way. She pointed at me, she said, ‘I know who you are! You’re Stephen King! You write all of those horrible things. And that’s ok. That’s alright. But I like uplifting things, like that movie Shawshank Redemption.’ And I said, ‘I wrote that!’ And she said, ‘No you didn’t. No you didn’t.”

I would know if they were King movies. Give me some credit lol. And maybe I seen more, but just never been a horror fan. And the few I saw were OK, but not great movies in themselves. The last one I saw of his was ‘It Part 1’ which wasn’t that bad, but never saw the second part.

Is the Director correct? I read it was directed by Andi Armaganian

Loving it so far. Not a dud in the bunch up to this point. However, I feel like Melissa Navia’s character, Lt. Ortegas, is definitely pulling up the rear as far as “meaty” scenes and character development go. I would like to see her given more to do, but since she’s the only character that isn’t either, a) in a leadership position (Pike, Number One, La’an) or, b) deals with life or death (M’Benga and Chapel) or, c) a fan-favorite legacy character (Uhura), I don’t know how they can squeeze her in.

Ortegas, Hemmer, La’An, and Number One have been hampered by either a lack of a backstory or no forward stories. That’s different than Pike, Spock, Uhura, and Chapel all of whom have a journey that we know about. M’Benga has a forward story but not a well developed one. It’s just a matter of these characters actually getting there. It’s definitely created uneven character development as a result. Hopefully as these stories start to play out we see a leveling of the playing field. I do agree about the episodes though. Overall this show is proving to be quite entertaining for a first season.

So far, it appears the character hierarchy is:

Tier One: Pike, Spock, Number One, La’an
Tier Two: Uhura, M’Benga, Chapel
Tier Three: Hemmer, Ortegas, and Kyle (who is becoming something of an “ascended extra”).

Like you said, we’ll just have to see who this ultimately shakes out, and where Paul Wesley’s Kirk fits in in season two.

I’m concerned that we’re not getting enough time with Hemmer. He wasn’t in Spock Amok at all, and we don’t see a hint of him in this upcoming episode.

He’s the only full make up alien in this series, and engineering has been a significant focus of events in every era of the Enterprise.

He seems to be an immediate hit with many fans, and is successful in representing the differently abled, which is important and cross cutting for fans.

But with Engineering designed as an AR wall set and his prosthetics and vfx in post a significant demand on the production teams, there may be pressures to limit his time. It would be a shame.

I seem to recall him being designated “recurring” early on, but I could be mistaken. I would like to see more of him though. Kyle’s been in more episodes.

I was about to say, Hemmer was not originally listed as a full regular. I think reaction to him bumped him up a bit, but season one is already filmed.

Have they dropped George Kirk?

Dan Jeannotte has always been listed as a guest star, but then so has Gia Sandhu, and she’s in almost every episode.

Still, Ortegas has a personality each and every moment on screen.

Since I peaked at Imdb, I saw that T’Pring is not only in several more episodes this season, she is in at least three more next season. I didn’t check for Robert April, but I wonder!

I forgot about T’Pring. She definitely fits in the second tier of my hierarchy.

Hehe, I am slightly reminded of the infamous, utter misstep that is TNGS Code Of Honor. Like, taking some superficial, clichéd cultural aspect of something something south asian ethnic groups (“exotic”, “archaic” traditions > “Kurta” robes, ascension/transcendence, “Holi” stuff, ritual weaponry, vaguely indian temples,….)

May well be the first real stinker of S1, which would be ok, some missteps are to be expected – BUT I hope I am dead wrong.

Honestly, I’m getting the same vibe. This looks to be the first “meh” episode of the series.

We’ll have to see.

It’s hard to imagine Anson Mount not raising concerns with the EPs about an episode with racist stereotypes of the kind in Code of Honor.

I tend to think if there was anything approaching a perceived stereotype of any kind these days, it would be flagged way before any of the cast even laid eyes on it.

Yeah it’s a different time. And even with Code of Honor, the director got fired by Roddenberry for even making it an all black cast. So they knew even then it was bad. But how it got so far in the process without someone putting their foot down is beyond me. But TNG was so chaotic first season I guess it just slipped through somehow.

Wouldn’t be Star Trek without a captain’s old flame episode…

I’m digging Pike’s 80s hair.

So Pike called Una a Lt.Commander. With Pike having just on extra thin stripe, is he a Commander with a Captains billet now? WTF!

I don’t understand the stripes. La’an is referred to as a lieutenant, but she has two stripes.

The ranks are messed up for sure.

Una has CDR stripes and is called a LCDR
Hemmer has CDR stripes and is called a LT
Chapel is a civilian contractor and has CDR stripes
Spock, La’an and Ortegas all have LCDR stripes and are called LT

The SNW production crew’s attention to detail is phenomenal in most areas, but this is annoying af.

I also find it sexist for Una / Number One to be the only first officer of the Enterprise in the history of the franchise that isn’t a full commander.

In Discovery, I gave it a semi-pass as it seemed that she was a Lieutenant Commander in The Cage, despite the Enterprise being a capital ship.

After commanding the ship through refit during Discovery S2 and into the first stage of battle with the Klingons, it is hard to imagine she didn’t get the bump to full commander.

There seems to be a bad attitude on the part of current television writers regarding sorting out ranks, or at least discomfort to the point of not doing basic two minute internet searches. It’s as you say, so inconsistent with the attention to detail on the show.

By the way, Superman and Lois actually went back and re-edited the their season opener this year after initial broadcast. Originally, Superman had addressed a 3-star Lieutenant General as “lieutenant”. It garnered enough derision that a decision was taken to retroactively fix the dialogue to say “General” even though it didn’t match his lips movement.

Spock was a Lieutenant Commander throughout much of TOS’ first season. The discrepancy (and his subsequent “promotion”) is even noted in “The Making of Star Trek.”

Right, but Spock wore commander’s stripes from the start. (Not in the pilots, where in the first pilot all officers had one stripe and in the second pilot all but the captain, who had two, had one stripe.)

There are all sorts of explanations, like temporary ranks or the like. For example, Kirk goes from rear admiral back to captain in TMP.

I think in general the new producers of Trek seem to be wanting to put the more “militaristic” aspects of Trek to the background and don’t want to concentrate on them too much. Maybe this was the issue that didn’t sit well with Nick Meyer and he departed after the first season of Discovery.

Wasn’t it that Meyer didn’t get invited back? I mean, they had gotten their name value out of the guy (which is probably all they wanted anyway), even if they sent his script(s) to the shredder. His name was the only one that got me interested, though I seem to recall thinking that the goods might be iffy, since I thought his work on TWOK was stellar but that storywise TUC has always felt like a mess (budget gets a lot but not all of the blame.)

Anyway, pushing the military aspects away from the fore hardly tracks, given the first season hinges on a ginormous Klingon war that spread massive destruction throughout the Federation and Starfleet (all of which was healed over in record time, going by TOS.)

You’re right. Meyer said he wasn’t invited back. It sounded like he wanted to keep working on the show. It just seem like once Fuller was gone, his clout changed, ie, he no longer had any.

Meyer didn’t depart Discovery. He said they didn’t call him back for a second season.

And I would be OK if they didn’t focus on the military aspects so much either. I’m not bothered by it but they aren’t suppose to be soldiers, they are explorers first.

Yeah I don’t understand it. In the TNG/DS9/VOY era, the pips to signify rank were not only easy to read, but they played into the drama of many episode story lines. It was great! Even the cuff-stripes on TOS were easy to see. I don’t get why SNW isn’t following this rank stuff when they pay very close attention to other details. Weird.

Correct. Hemmer calls himself a Chief as well. La’an calls Una a chief too, but that could be a colloquial term like Boss. Even a search online doesnt show an official listing of the ranks. And yes, the fantastic attention to detail makes these errors even more glaring.

Difference between being chief and Chief Engineer? I remember being PO’d by an episode of STORYBOOK SQUARES where Shatner was on as Kirk and they asked what role Scotty had on the show. Shat correctly answered that he was his Chief Engineer, but the show said that was wrong, that he was the engineering officer (like they only had one?) Going on 50 years, I’m still a little angry on behalf of the contestant over that, must have taken a line from the writer’s guide in the wrong way I guess.

Yes indeed. Chief is short for an actual rank, like O’Brian, and maybe Kyle. No Chief engineer would call himself Chief, or engineering officer. I’m sure on the entire set, they have one or two folks whos served in the military. Why cant they give a quick proofread on this stuff.

So what’s after SNW? Prodigy or Lower Decks?

It sounds like it will be Lower Decks! (YEESSS!!!)

They announced that show was coming back in the summer when they laid out the schedule a few months back. Didn’t give a specific date but it will be one probably be a week or two after SNW finishes. But I’m happy with either!

I find it weird that I can’t see the vids here but on another site they’re showing just fine. Yes,I know about the whole geolocked nonsense,just kinda curious,s’all. Looks good though. Been kinda hit and miss for me so far this season,but I still watch it. You never know when a good episode pops up,lol.

Trekmovie tends to embed the official video releases by Paramount which are geoblocked most of the time. I have noticed that some other websites embed re-uploads of the videos by third parties. These are not geoblocked, but sometimes get taken down due to copyright claims.

Thanks for the info,really appreciate it as I was kinda curious as to why.

The costume design looks stellar.

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‘Strange New Worlds’ takes a big swing toward something profound

It’s a mess, but one you can spend hours analyzing..

The following article discusses spoilers for Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach, and topics of a sensitive nature.

Last week, Strange New Worlds hit something of a groove with a lightweight comedy episode that showed how well this show can work. This week, it takes a hard turn toward the weighty, with an episode that tries to cover a whole host of stuff in its 50-minute runtime . In some ways, this feels like the most The Next Generation thing Star Trek has put out since 1994. In others, it feels like the show tripped backwards and landed on something deeply profound by accident.

We open on Pike in pensive mode as the USS Enterprise heads to the Majalan System to run a stellar survey. He’s been this way before, on an unseen rough-and-tumble adventure back when he was a lieutenant, and he’s hoping for an easier ride this time around. No such luck, as just as the ship arrives, it’s thrust into a low-stakes battle between two small vessels, one of which starts firing on the Enterprise itself. That forces Pike to intervene, rescuing three people from one of the ships: A child with the title The First Servant, a prickly doctor who is also the First Servant’s father and Alora, a noblewoman Pike met on his last visit.

The ship came under attack because it was carrying the First Servant, who is about to “ascend” and achieve some great destiny for his people. He’s sufficiently special that he’s been implanted with a special perpetual-healing device to protect him from injury. But what’s obvious, from a few minutes into the episode, is that neither of the adults want to talk about why the kid is special, or what his grand ascension ceremony is going to entail, beyond the fact that the entire civilization will collapse unless it takes place, pronto . In my notes, I wrote “I bet they’re planning on eating the Dalai Lama kid,” because this whole plot felt like a throwback to a less TV-literate age.

Unfortunately, Pike seems to have left his brain in his other pants as soon as he realizes that there was mutual affection between him and Alora. In fact, as soon as Pike realizes that he’s on track to Get Some, he becomes quite petulant when his subordinates try to drag him away to try to further the episode’s narrative. And that’s despite the fact that Alora is the most Character With Something Dark To Hide character you’ll see on television this year. All the while, La’an and Uhura, this week on the security portion of her apprenticeship, try to work out what exactly is going on.

Of course, that perpetual-healing machine piques the interest of Dr. M’Benga, who wonders if such technology could be used to heal his own daughter. Sadly, the doctor brushes off the request for help, saying that it would be impossible for the Majalans to share their technology. The kid’s also something of a child prodigy, and based on nothing more than a half-overhead conversation about a sick child, he’s managed to bust Rukiya out of the transporter buffer. At this point, I can’t work out if her presence onboard is meant to be a secret or not, since it seems like a random child from an alien culture can figure out she’s there in about thirty seconds. (Pike, too, later in the episode, is tempted with an offer to get his own future fixed with their magical medical technology.)

Unfortunately, the next section of the plot is mostly throat-clearing and runarounds as Pike uncovers some sort of conspiracy. The hows and whys of the conspiracy aren’t really clear, and the only real point is to have a laser stick fight/chase scene through what looks like the grounds of Toronto’s Casa Loma museum. You can feel the show spinning its wheels while we get to the inevitable conclusion. Pike rescues the kid and hands him over to the Majalans, who promptly plug him into a supercomputer that “kills” him. This, somehow, is the key to keeping their society, which floats on suspended islands above the clouds, much like Columbia from Bioshock Infinite , from falling into the lava below. (Why? Don’t ask questions, it just does .)

Pike does try to stop it happening, but gets enough of a beatdown to watch as the kid gets wired up. It’s a pretty disturbing scene and as close to horror as Star Trek has gotten for a while, since the child realizes too late that it’s going to lead to his untimely end. Alora, in response to Pike’s objection, then goes on a rant about having the courage to sacrifice one child for the greater good. I’ll quote her response in full: “Can you honestly say that no child suffers for the benefit of your Federation? That no child lives in poverty, or squalor, while those who enjoy abundance look away? The only difference is that we don’t look away.”

Now, it was these lines that threw me, only because it’s clearly meant to be a say-the-quiet-part-out-loud statement about the US. But while the Federation is meant to be some allegorical mash-up of the Western World at large, it’s also meant to represent a utopian version of that. In the 23rd century, the Federation had the ability to synthesize food, clothing and other materials pretty darn easily. In Discovery ’s first season, Burnham uses food and clothing synthesizers to produce a delicious meal and new uniform pretty much on demand. Which means that, while the Star Trek of Pike’s day wasn’t the post-scarcity economy of The Next Generation , the idea that people would go hungry and live in squalor feels… off. I don’t want to be that guy , but did any of the show’s nine thousand producers read Trekonomics ?

Here’s the thing, while the meat of the episode isn’t particularly meaty, the topics it covers are fairly profound. One of Star Trek’s most famous philosophical tenets is that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. This form of Utilitarianism is upheld as a noble goal within the spirit of the Federation (except, of course, when Leonard Nimoy fancies a shot at directing and so decides / agrees to resurrect Spock , but let’s not talk about that now). Then again, it’s hard to see how a kid, even a bright one, can be emotionally and mentally mature enough to consent to such a grisly demise.

Then there’s the fact that Pike loses , and is essentially powerless to do much of anything to “correct” what went on here. He can file a report to the Federation and lodge his objection to what went on, but there’s little anyone can actually do. And that raises another interesting point, since Star Trek can be read as an essentially colonialist text, one in which a group of people with Western values venture out to “civilize” the “wilderness.” If Pike had stormed back, phasers blasting, to rescue the First Servant, it might have made for good TV, but is it morally and ethically right for one group to impose its will upon others under force of arms?

(Longtime Trek fans will probably have spotted the handful of nods to the early TNG episode “ Symbiosis ” which covered similar ground. I won’t spoil it for you, but that too posed the question of how much you can, or should, interfere when you find one group of people taking advantage of another. Late ‘80s Just Say No moralizing aside, it does manage to reach a satisfying conclusion and keep within the rules of how the Prime Directive prevents the Federation from simply imposing its order upon the rest of the universe.)

But no matter how hamfistedly the show might be gesturing toward these sorts of problems, it is at least gesturing toward them. The thing that is working about Strange New Worlds is that it’s working to provoke you to think, and dwell upon your own moral and intellectual values. And it’s worth asking yourself, too, what you would be prepared to do to prevent this form of moral injustice in the world we live in today. And that, my friends, is the power of good sci-fi.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1E06 "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach" » Recap

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Captain Pike returns to the Majalis system for the first time in 10 years. Almost immediately, the Enterprise is called into action: a shuttlecraft is under attack by a warship. Pike uses a warning shot to scare the attackers away — or at least intends to; Cadet Uhura is on the Security rotation this week, and what was meant to be Only a Flesh Wound turns out to be a One-Hit Kill when the enemy ship changes course unexpectedly. Whatever the case, the assailants are dealt with, and Enterprise beams aboard the occupants of the shuttlecraft: a child, a man and a woman, who takes one look at the captain and blurts out, "Lt. Pike?" Even Number One recognizes the Unresolved Sexual Tension .

The woman, Alora, is the president of Majalis and is escorting the child, who is only called the First Servant, back to the planet. He's The Chosen One and will embody the Majalan motto of "Science, Service and Sacrifice" — which, apparently, is why someone was trying to steal him. Alora writes off the attackers, from a nearby planet, as being inconsequential... but La'an, investigating the downed warship, discovers a neural inhibitor helmet, as well as a coin which certifies the bearer as being one of the First Servant's Praetorian Guard . Something is corrupt within Alora's administration. Pike helps her root out the traitor, and, overnight, takes a moment to resolve the sexual tension.

The First Servant and his father, Elder Gamal, remain in Sickbay. Gamal is a doctor, though ever since his son was chosen (by lottery) he has had only one patient. He and the First Servant declare M'Benga's technology as primitive; the First Servant is equipped with quantum bio-implants, far beyond the Federation's Technology Levels . M'Benga asks if such technology could be used to treat other diseases — say, a Delicate and Sickly 11-year-old daughter with cygnokemia he happens to be storing in a pattern buffer — but Elder Gamal rebuffs him, saying that Majalis does not share its technology with outsiders. Of course, he's curt with everyone, including his son, so his gruffness might not mean much.

La'an brings a cache of data chips from the downed warship to Uhura, which she confiscated illegally, and asks her to translate them off the record. Uhura does more than that: she uses the linguistics and syntax to discover that the warship's home port, a colony called Prospect VII, is an offshoot of Majalis. She's also instrumental in unraveling the next plot: Elder Gamal insists on beaming himself and the First Servant down to the planet, only to have them beamed off Enterprise — by someone else — and Gamal himself returned alone. The new warship can't escape the Enterprise 's Tractor Beam , but prepares to engage warp in a suicidal run-or-die maneuver. Pike turns off the tractor beam, but it's too late... the ship explodes. Uhura's thorough skepticism helps Pike discover that Gamal was in on the plot, having engineered the death of his son... who is, actually, still alive and in hiding down on Deck 17, where he was stored after having had his Death Faked For Him . This is of some relief to Alora; when the First Servant was believed dead, she declared this The End of the World as We Know It for Majalis, though she declined to explain why that might be so.

The First Servant realizes that he's late for the ascension ceremony and demands he be beamed down; he has a planet to lead and/or save. Pike accompanies him, whilst Number One interrogates Gamal. The formerly distant father breaks down, now a broken Papa Wolf who has failed to save his son. Meanwhile, Pike is invited into the ascension chamber, where he discovers the truth: Majalis, a land of Floating Continents , is Powered by a Forsaken Child ... and the First Servant is to take over that role, replacing the former First Servant whose desiccated corpse is being wheeled out. Pike attempts to intervene, but is knocked out by a guard; the First Servant is plugged in, and Majalis stays in the sky.

Afterwards, Alora admits that the Majalans have no idea why their elders built a child-eating machine to keep the place safe, and that her people have struggled with no success to find an alternative, but that in the meanwhile they venerate the child's sacrifice for The Needs of the Many . Nonetheless, Pike subscribes to the "One Heroic Sacrifice is one too many" school of thought, and departs Majalis for the second time in deep, uncomfortable thought. Meanwhile, Elder Gamal decides to leave for the colony on Prospect VII, founded by The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas ; they couldn't help him save this one, but maybe he can help them save the next. Before he goes, he teaches Dr. M'Benga some techniques for treating Rukiya.

And I Must Scream : Implied to be the fate of the First Servant, since he is plugged into a giant computer for an indefinite amount of time before his body can take no more and dies. If the state of his predecessor is anything to go by, they don't seem to age beyond childhood, though whether that's simply them being burned up quickly or an effect of the machine is up for debate.
At Least I Admit It : Alora tries to defend her society by pointing out that every civilization, including the Federation itself, is willing to tolerate some suffering for the greater good, and that the Majalans make a point of acknowledging that suffering rather than bury it under the rug. Pike doesn't buy it.
Bittersweet Ending : Pike is unable to save the First Servant from "ascending" — i.e., being mind-jacked into the computer core that maintains the Floating Continent that makes up Majalis. All he can do is report it to Starfleet and the Federation, but even then there's nothing that can be done since it's not a Federation member planet. However, Elder Gamal expresses hope that he and the Prospect VII colonists might be able to save the next First Servant. He also meets with Dr. M'Benga and provides the theory for a treatment for his daughter's illness, the first step towards finding a cure.
Boom Stick : The spear used as a ceremonial weapon by the Praetorian Guard can also shoot blasts of energy that can disintegrate a person.
Brief Accent Imitation : Pike imitates La'an when reminding Uhura of her first security lesson. "A Rigelian tiger pounces with no warning."
Child Prodigy : The First Servant seems to know more about subspace technology than Spock .
The Chosen One : Harshly Deconstructed and Played for Horror , as the First Servant is chosen to be jacked into the system that powers Majalis, draining the poor kid into a desiccated husk.
Continuity Nod : The warship explodes when it attempts to go to warp while held in a tractor beam. In Star Trek: Lower Decks , the Solvang was destroyed in a similar fashion when it attempted to warp away while a grapple was attached to one of the nacelles.
Contrived Coincidence : Enterprise happens to be assigned to the Majalan sector at the same time the dissidents are attempting to rescue the First Servant.
Crapsaccharine World : Majalis (or, at least, the floating city) really does look like a beautiful paradise. Too bad about the whole Powered by a Forsaken Child thing.
Creative Sterility : In terms of pure math, science and medicine, the Majalans can make Starfleet officers feel infantile. But it seems their entire society is built on Lost Technology from some Precursors and they have given up on trying to modify or improve upon it, tragically in the case of needing to plug children into the system to keep it working. And for all their knowledge, they seemingly can't apply it to create anything that runs independent of their colony, as Majalan starships are pathetic compared to the Enterprise and they can't colonize other worlds at a similar level of technology.
Cultural Posturing : The people of Majalis like to present themselves as more advanced and capable than the rest of the galaxy, to the point they dislike even interacting with outsiders, and their medical and communications technology indeed far outstrips even that of the Federation. But for all their blustering, and whatever the state of their other technology, they don't understand the Powered by a Forsaken Child device at all; their society is kept from disaster by relics of their forebears they've long since forgotten how to control, replicate, or modify.
Curb-Stomp Battle : The dissident ship may as well be firing spitballs at Enterprise , for all the damage they do (or, rather, don't do). It's then completely disabled by a glancing blow from a single phaser shot at minimum power, and Uhura wasn't even trying to hit them.
Death Faked for You : Gamal helps the dissidents beam himself and the First Servant off the ship, only to then beam himself back while covertly hiding the First Servant in the lower decks while having the dissident ship explode in an apparent suicide run. It only fails because the child is able to jury-rig a subspace beacon that Spock, based on an earlier conversation, is able to track.
Death World : Majalis itself is uninhabitable, a mostly molten rock that could never support life. The Majalan settlement hovers above the clouds, where the air is breathable. Prospect VII is a downplayed example; it's a marginally habitable Class-L planet with a difficult climate and chemical makeup.
Defector from Decadence : The Prospect VII colonists aren't from a different alien species, and aren't attacking the First Servant's retinue to hold him for ransom or for any other venal reason: they're Majalans who can't stomach a luxurious lifestyle that's Powered by a Forsaken Child , and they're trying to rescue him.
Downer Ending : Hoo boy. The First Servant is jacked into the computer that sustains Majalis, despite Pike's attempt to save him. Any chance of a relationship between Majalis and The Federation is gone, along with any chance of Pike and Rukiya benefitting from their medical science.
Fatal Flaw : Unfortunately, even the Prospect VII colonists, despite leaving their culture for principled reasons, haven't shaken off the Majalan distrust and distaste for outsiders. In multiple ship engagements with the Enterprise , they repeatedly refuse hails and will not explain themselves, which results in their deaths and the foiling of their mission to save the First Servant.
Floating Continent : Majalis is a barren planet, and the actual settlement is a series of floating structures above the clouds.
Friends with Benefits : Implied between Pike and Marie Batel, given that he cheerfully jumps into bed with Alora.
Gunship Rescue : Enterprise easily disables the warship attacking the First Servant's shuttle.
Hyperspeed Escape : Averted, when another warship is able to (apparently) capture the First Servant and try to escape, the Enterprise uses a tractor beam to stop them. However, they refuse to surrender and keep fighting the tractor beam, eventually jumping to warp in a desperate attempt to escape. The warship explodes before Enterprise can disengage the tractor beam.
Hypocrite : Alora compares Majalis to other worlds where some suffer while others live in abundance and says the only difference is " we don't look away ". However, Majalis goes to great lengths to deify the First Servant so as to lessen the horror of what they're being asked to do, and the First Servant (based on his reaction to his predecessor) clearly doesn't fully comprehend the fate he's been indoctrinated into accepting, his response that he does so "with joy and gratitude" obviously parroting what he's been told to say. On top of that, the chamber is hidden away from the general public and most aren't allowed to see it. The Majalans may on some level accept what they're doing is monstrous, but clearly put a lot of effort into living in denial.
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy : Inverted as Uhura accidentally lands a direct phaser hit on the warship when she was just supposed to graze it. She apologizes as the warship had taken aim at the Enterprise and moved directly into the phaser beam in the moments between her confirming the target and firing.
Internal Reveal : Pike tells Alora about his future accident.
I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine : Alora is played by Lindy Booth , who costarred with Rebecca Romijn in The Librarians .
Kill the Cutie : The episode makes the First Servant a likable kid, whose worst quality is that he can be a bit Innocently Insensitive from time to time about the advanced technology of his society (and even then, he goes out of his way to be kind and friendly with Spock and Rukiya, in contrast to his father and most of the other Majalans) so it's all the more devastating when it's revealed what the "sacrifice" portion of his world's motto means.
Locked Out of the Loop : Judging by the First Servant's quiet "Oh my God" when he sees the corpse of his predecessor being carried out of the chamber, it's implied that nobody told him what the ascension ceremony really entails.
Lost Technology : The core of Majalis requires a living mind to function , and the Majalans don't understand why their ancestors designed it that way, nor have they been able to find a suitable substitute over the centuries.
My Rule Fu Is Stronger than Yours : When Pike threatens to tell the Federation and Starfleet what happened on Majalas, Alora just about gloats that her world is not part of the Federation and thus they have no jurisdiction.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero : Pike and his crew have no way of knowing that their efforts to save the First Servant end up dooming him to a Fate Worse than Death .
No Name Given : The First Servant's name is never spoken. Given that Servants are chosen at birth, it's possible he doesn't have one.
Noodle Incident : Pike's Captain's Log mentions that, the last time he was in the Majalan system, he almost got fried by a pulsar.
No-Sell : The attack ship from the nearby colony inflicts almost no damage to Enterprise , on the order of .02% shield reduction with each hit.
Oh, Crap! : The First Servant whispers "Oh my God..." when he sees the body of his predecessor being carried away. He's also terrified when he's jacked into the machine.
Papa Wolf : The First Servant's personal physician is also his father, and he orchestrated the kidnapping attempts in order to save the boy from his fate.
Parental Neglect : Gamal comes across as distant and snappish with his son, and at first this seems to hold resentment over being forced into his kid's shadow. The Reveal is that he loves his son deeply but cannot allow himself to bond with a child who is scheduled to die.
Plot-Driven Breakdown : Lampshaded by Una, who cannot believe that communications and transporters can't reach Pike when they have just gotten important information about what's going on on the planet's surface. Of course, this is because the planet has a dampening field up designed to block both.
For all their heroic efforts to save the First Servant, none of the Majalan dissidents thought to tell Pike or any of the Enterprise crew about his gruesome destiny. As a result, they come off as sinisterly conspiring to kidnap a child. Had the initial ship they encountered responded to hails and explained the reason for their aggression, Pike would at the very least have been forced to consider their position. And had Gamal simply applied for asylum and explained why after being picked up, he'd be in the clear. Ultimately, Gamal and the dissidents are still products of Majalis; a suspicious and insular people. That hasn't necessarily changed just because they're rejecting the idea of a utopia built on human sacrifice.
Pike is so smitten with Alora that he fails to ask some very basic questions on how Majalis's society works, what is the real function of the First Servant and why are the dissidents so determined to stop the First Servant from ascending. (Later on he tries to ask some questions, but she smoothly deflects them, and he fails to press the issue before it's too late.)
Powered by a Forsaken Child : Majalis's central computer core requires the living neural network of a child to continue running. The modern day Majalans don't know why their ancestors decided on this method, and have tried for centuries to find a work-around or an alternate solution, to no avail.
Praetorian Guard : Several Mooks are introduced as the guards for the First Servant, and one of them, with his badge of office defaced, turns out to be in on the scheme to try to kidnap the First Servant. It turns out this is because he feels that doing what he's supposed to do is betraying his oath, and he wants to prevent the Human Sacrifice that First Servants undergo.
Pyrrhic Victory : Alora got the First Servant to where he needed to be and her world is saved, but she's ruined her relationship with Pike and most likely will have the Federation look down on (if not positively despise) them.
Sarcasm-Blind : When Uhura comes to the bridge, La'an asks if she enjoyed her break. Uhura says that she did. Rule #2 of Security: there are no breaks.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here! : Pike is quite disgusted with Alora when she tells him that she might feel different about her world's way of life, grabbing his communicator and brusquely telling Number One to beam him up.
Shout-Out : It may or may not be intentional, but the way the Majalan computer core works strongly resembles the Golden Throne from Warhammer 40,000 . note The Golden Throne is an arcane and poorly understood life-support device that sustains the mortally wounded God-Emperor and allows him to continue powering the psychic beacon that makes FTL travel possible for humanity in the 40K 'verse; without this beacon, humanity's galaxy-spanning civilization would collapse. In turn, however, he has to be fed the life essence of a thousand psychics every day to continue functioning.
The first is Uhura, who is able to piece together the plan using data chips that La'an illegally retrieved. La'an is quite impressed, given that she followed a security rule that La'an hadn't told her yet: leave no stone unturned.
The other is the First Servant himself, who is Locked Out of the Loop and thus ends up building a makeshift subspace beacon, which Spock picks up.
Tempting Fate : After Pike mentions his run-in with a pulsar in his Captain's Log , he expects this mission to be "a lot quieter". Then comes a Standard Starship Scuffle , and things go further south from there.
Terminally Dependent Society : Majalan technology is completely dependent on having a child as the Wetware CPU to operate it. The Majalan dissidents have technologically regressed because they simply can't recreate any of their advanced technology without that living component.
Title Drop : Gamal says to Chapel and M'Benga, "On Majalis, we have a saying, 'Let the tree that grows from the roots of sacrifice lift us where suffering cannot reach.'"
Town with a Dark Secret : Majalis is a seeming paradise with technology superior to the Federation, but all that is dependent on using children to keep their technology running.
Used Future : In stark contrast to the clean and spotless aesthetic of the rest of the Majalan civilization, the uploading machine for the First Servant is covered in what can be interpreted as either rust or organic residue. Implicitly, this is because they don't like thinking about it too much and don't clean it often, for all their big talk about constantly honoring the First Servant's sacrifice.
Utopia Justifies the Means : The Majalans aren't blind to the horrors of the system they live in, but see one child as an acceptable sacrifice for the prosperity of the many.
Villain Has a Point : While Pike and Alora are arguing about the Majalan way of life, Alora points out that people also suffer in the Federation, and others look away from it; at least in Majalis the suffering is limited to one person, and everyone is aware of it and honours the sacrifice. Whether or not the point is fair (the Federation doesn't depend on the suffering of a forsaken minority for its existence), it does leave Pike disturbed into silence.
Wham Shot : Pike pulls the sheet off a small body in the ascension chamber, revealing the desiccated corpse of a child.
Whole-Plot Reference : The story sticks quite closely to Ursula K. Le Guin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas , in concept if not theme . Omelas is a thought experiment about a utopia whose paradise hinges on the endless suffering of a small child, with the ones that walk away being those who rejected the idea that a better world had to be built on the suffering of others. The Majalans feed children into their technology for their continued prosperity, and Prospect VII is an entire colony that refused to live by it.
The Worf Barrage : Heroic inversion. The first sign that the Dissident ship isn't much of a threat to the Enterprise is the absolutely pathetic Scratch Damage it did to the grand dame's shields. And then they keep on futilely plinking her before Uhura's accidental bullseye shot.
Would Hurt a Child : The whole Majalan civilization is built on hurting one child, so the rest are free of suffering.
You Are Too Late : Pike tries to rescue the First Servant from being plugged in, but he's outnumbered and is knocked out in the attempt. When he comes to, he's told that even if he did fight his way back to the ascension chamber, removing the child would result in his death. Which he takes at face value .
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1E05 "Spock Amok"
Recap/Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek Strange New Worlds S1E07 "The Serene Squall"

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Strange New Worlds ' Darkest Hour Tests Its Limits to the Max

"lift us where suffering cannot reach" takes strange new worlds to some complex places—but in doing so exposes a few flaws in the show's episodic armor..

Captain Pike sits in the Captain's Chair on the U.S.S. Enterprise.

So far, Strange New Worlds has found strength in simplicity : week in, week out, a new adventure, a new bit of fun , and it’s done and dealt with before moving onto the next. Even the higher-stakes moments have always ended with a clarity that our Starfleet heroes overcame hardship, did the right thing, and saved the day. This week’s episode offers something to challenge that, but it doesn’t always quite work.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 6 – Easter Eggs and References

"Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach" is a dark Strange New Worlds morality tale that leaves no stone unturned for bigger references to the rest of Star Trek.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 6 Easter Eggs

This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds article contains spoilers.

Although The Next Generation isn’t overtly referenced in the sixth episode of Strange New Worlds , the feeling of TNG is keenly felt in this outing for Pike and the crew. In the episode “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach,” the Enterprise encounters a culture that seems perfect, which of course, means there’s some terrible dark secret.

If you rewatch the episode, you’ll realize the writing is on the wall pretty early on, we’re just too charmed by Alora and the First Servant to see it at first. But as this sad mystery unfolds, along the way, Strange New Worlds tips its hat more than once to various Star Trek stories of the past. Here are all the easter eggs and references we caught in “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach.”

“Last Here Ten Years Ago”

Pike’s log entry mentions that he was last in this star cluster 10 years ago. This would put the incident in which he rescued Alora from a pulsar in the year 2249. According to Pike’s service record, briefly glimpsed in the Discovery episode “Brother,” Pike became captain of the Enterprise in 2250, a year later.

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Lt. Pike

Alora refers to Pike by the rank he held when she first met him. If it was 2249, this would mean that “Lt. Pike” was Captain Robert April’s first officer. Something interesting to note here is that Pike introduces Una as “Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley.” Although most people call her “Number One,” it’s possible that some might call her “Lt. Chin-Riley,” making it sound like her rank is a little lower than it actually is. So, in 2249, was Pike “Lieutenant Commander Pike” or just “Lieutenant Pike?” In The Original Series , Spock was the first officer of the USS Enterprise , and, like Una in Strange New Worlds , also held the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Pike’s Uniform

Questions about Pike’s rank and position get even deeper! Alora mentions that Pike’s uniform is “very yellow,” and he corrects her by saying it’s “gold.” This is a small easter egg that references two things. First, the actual color of Kirk’s uniform in The Original Series was closer to green, but in the first season, it didn’t show up that way on camera. Second, in the Deep Space Nine episode “Trials and Tribble-ations,” Sisko mentions that in the 23rd century “command wore gold.”

Interestingly, Alora’s comments that Pike is wearing “yellow” could either mean that in 2249 Pike was wearing a different division color — implying he was wearing operations red or something — OR that in 2249, most of the crew of April’s Enterprise was rocking the all-blue Discovery – era uniform. We haven’t seen a flashback to Robert April (Adrian Holmes) on the Enterprise yet, but it feels more likely the crew would be wearing the Discovery uniforms, rather than the modified TOS uniforms we saw later in Discovery , or what they’re wearing now.

In the Short Treks episode “The Brightest Star,” set in the year 2239, Lieutenant Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is wearing the blue Discovery – era uniform. Was the Enterprise crew wearing that uniform 10 years later?

Rigellian Tiger

Pike and Uhura talk about La’an’s references to a “Rigellian tiger.” There are a lot of planets called “Rigel” in Star Trek canon, perhaps, most notably, “Rigel II,” the location of The Original Series episode, “Shore Leave.” In that episode, a tiger does attack several crewmembers, however, it is a robot tiger , created from telepathic suggestions. La’an (probably) isn’t talking about that exact tiger, simply because that story is in Star Trek ’s future at this point.

Grappler

The attack ship trying to snag the shuttle doesn’t use a tractor beam, but instead, shoots off some metal cables. This might seem weird in a Star Trek context, but this comes from canon established in Enterprise . In the 22nd century, before the tractor beam became common, the NX-01 Enterprise used a “grappler” to tow objects. So, this technology isn’t wrong, it’s simply old.

Klingon Ships Have a “Scuttle” System

La’an tells Uhura that some Klingon ships have a “scuttle” system. “Scuttle” is a naval term that refers to destroying or sinking a ship on purpose. The idea that Klingons would rather have their ship destroyed than be captured totally checks out.

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It’s Not Set to Stun!

Pike warns the fleeing guard that his phaser is not set to stun. In an earlier scene, we saw Pike activate his phaser briefly. The sound effect used is the same phaser-activating sound effect established in Discovery .

Pike’s Flying Tackle — Kirk Style!

When Pike tries to stop the rogue guard, he uses a flying tackle. This is a very Captain Kirk-esque move, which was famously used in both “Space Seed” and “The Gamesters of Triskelion.”

Sam Kirk, Conflict-averse

The idea that Sam Kirk — the brother of James T. Kirk – is conflict-averse is just hilarious.

“Rare to Know What’s in Your Future”

Pike reveals to Alora that he knows the details of what happens to him in the TOS episode “The Menagerie.” He also, once again, refers to the incident as happening in “10 years.” This is very interesting considering that we currently think of “The Menagerie,” as occurring in 2267, which would put it eight years after the events of Strange New Worlds . Because we don’t know exactly what time of year “The Menagerie” occurs, there’s some wiggle room here.

On top of this, it is possible that “The Menagerie” happens later in The Original Series than we thought. Not all the episodes of TOS are shown in the order in which they occurred, so it’s possible that “The Menagerie” actually happens in 2269, and we just never knew that before now.

Still, the slight difference in years does make a hardcore fan wonder — could there be a wrinkle with Pike’s vision? Will it occur earlier than he believes, but right on time for us?

Beaming off the Transporter Pad

When the First Servant gets beamed off, he’s beamed off the transporter pad by someone else. This happens a lot in Star Trek canon, starting with “The Cage” in which Number One and Yeoman Colt are transported off the pad by the Talosians.

Mugutan Breeding Stones

When La’an talks about teaching cadets to “leave no stone unturned,” she mentions “Mugutan breeding stones.” This references the Mugato, the horned ape first seen in the TOS episode, “A Private Little War.” More recently, we saw some Mugatos, um, breeding in the Lower Decks episode “Mugato, Gumato.”

Alora Confronts Pike About the Federation

At the end of the episode, we learn that on Majalis one child is sacrificed to uphold the entirety of the culture. The tech here isn’t made entirely clear, but aspects of it are similar to the way Spock’s brain was used to run an entire planet in the episode “Spock’s Brain.” Obviously, the tone of this episode is much more serious and hits upon a strange paradox about the Federation. We know Majalsis isn’t a Federation world, which means Pike cannot legally do anything to stop them from using the First Servant as a human sacrifice to their weird tech god. But what’s even more interesting is the fact that Alora points out that suffering does exist in the Federation. She also implies pretty strongly that the suffering of children comes from Federation history, which, of course, would directly apply to the history of Earth.

Suffering in the Federation in the 23rd century might be at a minimum. But, the history of how Star Trek ’s rosy figure got to the point, comes from our own painful present.

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Ian ho: first servant, photos .

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Susan oliver: star trek’s first captain love interest explained.

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Captain Pike's 3 Strange New Worlds Love Interests Explained

Why star trek has 3d chess & how to play, clever doctor who season 14 line strongly hints mrs. flood is a time lord.

Susan Oliver's role as Vina in Star Trek's unaired pilot led to a love story with Captain Pike in "The Menagerie".
Vina and Pike's storyline in "The Cage" was canonized by "The Menagerie", paving the way for future Star Trek series.
Susan Oliver, who played Vina, had a successful career in TV and film, with a late career connection to Star Trek: TNG.

Susan Oliver played Star Trek 's first ever captain's love interest in the unaired Star Trek: The Original Series pilot, "The Cage". Rejected by the network for being too cerebral, "The Cage" saw Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) get captured by the Talosians, who believed that he could be a worthy mate for Vina, and tested the couple in a variety of scenarios. Pike's resistance convinced the Talosians that he and Vina would not repopulate their planet after all. After Lucille Ball saved Star Trek by convincing the network to give it another chance, "The Cage" was repurposed for "The Menagerie", which gave Pike and Vina their happy ending .

If production on Star Trek: The Original Series season 1 hadn't fallen behind, then it's possible that Vina and Pike's Enterprise crew could have been lost to time. Because "The Menagerie" canonized Star Trek 's unaired pilot , it allowed Star Trek: Discovery to reintroduce Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and even Vina (Melissa George). This led to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds being commissioned, which now bridges the gap between the events of "The Cage", the second TOS pilot and Pike's happy ending with his first Star Trek love interest.

Captain Christopher Pike may not be the sort of infamous lothario that Captain James T. Kirk was, but he’s had a few important romantic relationships.

Susan Oliver Played Vina In Star Trek’s Original Pilot “The Cage”

In Star Trek 's original pilot, "The Cage", Vina was the sole human inhabitant of Talos IV, following the crash of the SS Columbus in 2236 . The Talosians were able to bring the ailing Vina back to life. However, the Talosians' lack of knowledge about human physiology meant that, while physically healthy, her body was scarred and misshapen. Because of this, Vina opted to remain on Talos IV instead of leaving with Captain Pike, because she wanted to keep her illusion of youthful beauty. She would later be joined by the critically wounded Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) at the end of "The Menagerie".

Susan Oliver was the stage name of the actress Charlotte Gercke.

Susan Oliver was cast as Vina at the suggestion of studio executive Oscar Katz, who became the subject of an on-set joke due to his " religious " avoidance of set visits. Susan Oliver carried around a sign which read " Oscar, Where Are You? " which appeared in several set photos. Oliver had a prolific career as a TV guest actor , becoming one of many Star Trek actors in The Twilight Zone , when she played a Martian in "People Are Alike All Over". Susan Oliver was also a pilot, and was nominated for an Emmy for playing 'Snookie' in the 1976 NBC TV movie, Amelia Earheart .

The 2014 documentary The Green Girl was a feature-length tribute to Susan Oliver's life and work, which contained a surprising revelation about a late career connection to Star Trek: The Next Generation . In the 1980s, Susan Oliver tried her hand at directing television , with one episode of M.A.S.H and another of Trapper John, M.D. on her list of credits. When TNG entered production in the late 1980s, Oliver offered to direct an episode, but was rejected due to her inexperience with visual effects.

Vina Returned In Star Trek: Discovery

Discovery season 2, episode 8, "if memory serves"..

Over 50 years after Susan Oliver's portrayal of Vina in "The Cage", Melissa George played Vina in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 8, "If Memory Serves". Set three years after the events of "The Cage", Captain Pike returned to Talos IV to seek the Talosians' help with restoring the damaged mind of Spock (Ethan Peck). Vina aided Pike, Spock and Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) in evading Section 31 operatives . Pike traveling to Talos IV to save Spock ultimately set up the Vulcan's own mission to return to the planet to save his former captain in Star Trek: The Original Series , reuniting Pike and Vina for good.

Star Trek: The Original Series

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

Star Trek Reveals Origin of a Vital Federation First Contact Device

Star Trek has revealed the origin of a vital piece of technology, one that can lead to better first contact situations.
Nurse Chapel, from Strange New Worlds, invents a device that allows people to pass as members of another species.
Future generations of Federation researchers will benefit from Nurse Chapel's work.

Warning: contains spoilers for "Facemaker," appearing in Star Trek Celebrations: Pride!

In the Star Trek franchise, first contact situations are dicey propositions, but fortunately, the Federation has protocols and technology aiding in the process–and now the origin of one vital piece has been revealed. In the story “Facemaker,” in Star Trek Celebrations: Pride , Nurse Christine Chapel is on the verge of a major breakthrough, one that would facilitate Starfleet in first contact scenarios.

“Facemaker,” appearing in Star Trek Celebrations: Pride , was written by Mags Visaggio and drawn by Tench. Nurse Chapel, working for Project:Chimera, is growing frustrated over her inability to create a way for Federation observers to pass undetected in pre-warp societies. Her work involves genetic modification–which is illegal under Federation law. Chapel is venting to her lover, Ensign Lozana, about her frustrations.

In the end, it is Lozana, who uses subdermal patches for a variety of tasks, including estrogen production.

This gives Chapel the “push” she needs, and she is successful in developing a new technology called “QERPEM.”

First Contact Situations Are Critical to Star Trek

The federation was seeking safer ways to initiate first contacts.

First contact situations can be nerve-wracking, not to mention dangerous. Federation and Starfleet law prevent interference in the development of pre-warp and non-aligned worlds. Federation observers first examine a world by passing as members of that species. These observers then decide if the planet is ready to learn about extraterrestrials. When initiating first contacts in the past, as Chapel notes in this story, the Federation would apply prosthetics to researchers, but these came with a host of problems on their own. Nurse Chapel, and Project Chimera, were looking for a way to make this easier.

When fans meet Nurse Chapel in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , she has largely perfected Chimera’s technology, and this story shows her “eureka” moment. As Chapel worked night and day on the project, she continually ran afoul of Federation law. Thanks to humanity’s nasty history of genetic engineering and eugenics, which was carried to its horrifying extreme by Khan Noonian Singh, it has been outlawed throughout the Federation. Chapel needed to find a workaround, and it was her partner who provided the spark and inspiration she needed.

Star Trek Confirms the Final Frontier Is Secretly a Trap

IDW's flagship Star Trek title has been redefining what the "final frontier" is over the past two years--but now it may be a terrible trap.

Future Generations Owe a Debt to Nurse Chapel and Her Lover

First contacts will go much smoother in the future.

“Facemaker” shows not only how a vital piece of Federation first contact technology came to pass, but is also a testament to Nurse Chapel’s intellect and drive. She hit brick wall after brick wall, but never gave up. Her trans lover, who used subdermal patches for estrogen production, breast growth and gamet production, was the one who helped Chapel crack the code. Future generations of researchers in the Star Trek universe owe Nurse Chapel and Ensign Lozano a huge debt, as they helped make first contact situations just a little bit smoother.

Star Trek Celebrations: Pride is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

Star Trek Reveals Origin of a Vital Federation First Contact Device

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'Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire': Release Date, Cast, Trailer and Everything We Know So Far

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When is the release date for 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire', will 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire' have a theatrical release, is there a trailer for 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire', who's the cast of 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire', what is 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire' about, when did 'rebel moon' film, who's making 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire', was 'rebel moon' always a two-parter, what will 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire' be rated, will 'rebel moon — part one: a child of fire' have a director's cut.

Streaming powerhouse Netflix will be teaming up with Zack Snyder after the unprecedented success of his movie Army of the Dead . After Zack’s lengthy run at Warner Bros and DC, he's found a new home with the streaming service promising an array of exciting new projects. His next project Rebel Moon has been touted to be an epic two-parter with the likelihood of spin-off properties. A lifelong Star Wars fan, Snyder initially intended Rebel Moon as a Star Wars movie. He had the idea to pitch Rebel Moon as a more mature take on the universe created by George Lucas. That idea was shut down after Walt Disney Co. acquired LucasFilm in 2012. Snyder then set up a deal with Deborah Snyder ’s production company Stone Quarry and Netflix for Rebel Moon to be reworked into an entirely new universe.

Rebel Moon represents a slight shift for Zack Snyder into a distinct sci-fi subgenre that is set in a peaceful colony on the border of a faraway galaxy. The one-time peaceful colony faces an existential threat from the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius. Residents of the colony in a bid to repel this great evil send out a young female dispatch rider named Kora who has a checkered past to solicit the help of different warriors from neighboring planets. Below are all the details regarding the cast, trailer, release date, plot, and everything we know so far about Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire .

Editor's Note: This piece was updated on December 8, 2023.

When a peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, a mysterious stranger living among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.

Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire will hit Netflix just in time for Christmas on December 21 at 7 PM PT . The movie was previously scheduled to release on the streaming service a few hours later, at midnight on December 22 , but was moved up a few hours to let fans watch the movie even sooner. This has become a trend for Netflix to release a buzzy title in the days leading up to Christmas. In the past, hit films such as Don't Look Up , Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , Bird Box , and 6 Underground were released on the service during the holiday season.

The sci-fi epic had its first official public screening on December 1, 2023, during the film's panel at CCXP.

Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire will have a limited theatrical release on December 15, 2023. Snyder's previous film with Netflix, Army of the Dead , screened for one week in May 2021 across 600 theaters in the US. The limited theatrical release will also include a run of 70mm screenings which will occur across four cities (Los Angeles, New York City, Toronto, London).

The first teaser trailer for Rebel Moon was unveiled during a presentation at Gamescom 2023 on August 22, 2023. Running at over three-and-a-half minutes long, the trailer gives fans a real good look at the world of the film, as well as all the high-octane action and slow-motion that many have come to expect from Snyder.

The full trailer for Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire was released by Netflix on November 12, 2023, as part of their 'Geeked Week '23' event. Set to a remixed version of T.Rex 's "Children of the Revolution," the trailer gives us a better look at the story as the outcast Kora travels across the galaxy to recruit warriors to take down a tyrannical intergalactic force.

If you enjoyed the Geeked Week trailer, check out Zack Snyder's break down. He gets into all the nerdy technical and story aspects of the trailer that you might have missed.

A behind-the-scenes featurette for Rebel Moon was unveiled during Netflix's Tudum event on June 17, 2023, previewing the film's massive scope and several of the cast members' reactions to working with Snyder on the film.

The first pieces of footage for the film were released in a sizzle reel for Netflix's 2023 film slate.

Sofia Boutella plays the role of Kora, the young woman burdened with the task of marshaling a defense force to stand against the forces of Regent Balisarius. Boutella is best known for her role as Gazelle in the action spy comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service . She is also known for her portrayal of Jaylah in the Sci/Fi action film Star Trek Beyond . Her other film credits include Atomic Blonde , Climax , Hotel Artemis , and The Mummy .

Two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins will be playing the voice of Jimmy, a JC1435 sentient mechanized robot who once protected a defeated king. Snyder described the character as a 'wild card' who is 'on a journey of self-discovery.' Snyder also compared Jimmy to Lancelot , stating that he brings an Arthurian element to the sci-fi fantasy film.

Fans familiar with Hopkin’s work would suggest his role on Rebel Moon is keeping in line with the career trajectory of the acclaimed thespian. Anthony Hopkins is one of the most renowned and respected actors in the industry and is best known for his role as the frightening Hannibal Lecter in the film The Silence of the Lambs - as well as its sequels Hannibal and Red Dragon . He also played the role of Mission Commander Swanbeck in the film Mission: Impossible II . He won his second Academy Award in 2021 for his leading role in Florian Zeller's acclaimed drama The Father .

Djimon Hounsou will be on the cast of Rebel Moon , as General Titus. Details about this character are relatively still unknown. Hounsou is an actor of incredible talent and expertise - he is best known for his roles in films like Blood Diamond and Amistad . Hounsou also has starred in several MCU titles including Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel as Korath the Pursuer. His other movie credits include Shazam , In America , and Furious 7 .

Ed Skrein plays the role of Regent Balisarius, the ferocious and cunning interplanetary warlord who plans to lay siege on a colony in a distant galaxy. Skrein is best known for his role as Daario Naharis in the third season of Game of Thrones . He is also quite popular for playing the villain Ajax (Francis) in Deadpool . Skrein’s other movie credits include Born A King , Alita: Battle Angel, and Barry Jenkins ' If Beale Street Could Talk .

Other cast members of Rebel Moon include Charlie Hunnam ( Sons of Anarchy ) as Kai, a mercenary starship pilot, Ray Fisher ( Zack Snyder's Justice League ) & Cleopatra Coleman ( The Last Man on Earth ) as Darrian & Devra Bloodaxe, Michiel Huisman ( The Flight Attendant ) Gunnar, a farmer and friend of Devra, Jena Malone ( The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ) as Harmada, a spider warrior, Staz Nair ( Game of Thrones ) as the noble servant Tarak, Doona Bae ( Kingdom ) as the cyborg swordmaster Nemesis, newcomer E. Duffy as Millius, Fra Fee ( Hawkeye ) as Regent Balisarius, Corey Stoll ( Ant-Man ) as the Veldt patriarch Sindri, Ingvar Sigurdsson ( The Northman ) as Hagen, and newcomer Charlotte Maggi as Sam. Cast in undisclosed roles are Stuart Martin ( Army of Thieves ), Cary Elwes ( The Princess Bride ), Alfonso Herrera ( Ozark ), Rhian Rees ( Halloween ), and Ray Porter ( Zack Snyder's Justice League ).

Zack Snyder’s penchant for grandiose storytelling is put on display in Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire . The story is set in motion when a relatively tranquil colony on the edge of a galaxy is threatened by the vile Regent Balisarius. In a desperate attempt for redemption, habitants of the colony dispatch a young woman with a cryptic past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to aid in the resistance.

The official synopsis reads:

After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld. Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.

Filming for Parts One and Two of Rebel Moon commenced in April 2022 and wrapped on December 2, 2022. Production mainly took place in California.

The producers for Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire are Zack Snyder along with Deborah Snyder and Eric Newman for his company Grand Electric. The epic sci-fi fantasy will be produced by Eric Newman (who produced Snyder’s first feature debut), Deborah Snyder, and Zack Snyder. The script for Rebel Moon is co-written by Kurt Johnstad who worked on 300 with Snyder and Shay Hatten who also co-wrote with Snyder on the Army of the Dead .

Snyder will also be handling the cinematography for the film, as he did with Army of the Dead . Tom Holkenberg , who worked with Snyder on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Zack Synder's Justice League , and Army of the Dead , will be composing the film's score. Academy Award nominee Dody Dorn , who also worked with Snyder on his last two films, will be editing the film.

As mentioned earlier, Rebel Moon is broken up into two parts, with this first filming being part one. Deborah Snyder did explain how the script went from being one film to two , saying:

Originally, the script was one movie, but it was in ‘Zack form. It was 172 pages. (Chairman of Netflix Films, Scott) Stuber was like, ‘On the service, under-two-hour movies really do better for some reason,’ even though you’ll binge-watch a series of eight episodes. “Zack said, ‘If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I’m going to lose all the character. You won’t care about these people. It’s a character story about how people can change, and redemption, and what are you willing to fight for…’ So he said, ‘What if I give you two movies?

While many of Zack Snyder's films have received R-ratings, such as 300 , Army of the Dead , and Watchmen , the initial release of Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire will be PG-13. The film officially received the rating in October 2023 for sequences of strong violence, sexual assault, bloody images, language, sexual material, and partial nudity.

Zack Snyder is no stranger to extended cuts, and Rebel Moon will continue the tradition of the now iconic "Snyder Cut." The director has revealed that R-rated versions of Rebel Moon Parts One and Two will be available to stream , saying:

The first version of Rebel Moon to hit screens will be a fantasy adventure that anyone can enjoy and watch. The later cut will be strictly for adults. I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that’ll be fun for them.

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Elder and First Servant - Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6

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M’Benga: So, in theory, your implants might realign peptide bonds within any degraded protein. Gamal: At the bare minimum. M’Benga: If this is true, disease and suffering will be things of the past. Gamall: On Majalis, we have a saying, ‘Let the tree that grows from the roots of sacrifice lift us where suffering cannot reach.’ We have no disease of any kind. Permalink: On Majalis, we have a saying, ‘Let the tree that grows from the roots of sacrifice lift us... Added: June 06, 2022

Pike: Are you the boy’s father? Gamal: Strictly in the biological sense. Permalink: Strictly in the biological sense. Added: June 06, 2022

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6/9/22 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6 Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach

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COMMENTS

First Servant
The First Servant was a "very special child who served as a holy figure in Majalan society." The First Servant was chosen at birth by lottery to embody the Majalan maxim: "science, service, sacrifice." Once chosen, the First Servant gave up their own biological family on the account that everyone on Majalis was the First Servant's family. Throughout his life, the First Servant was protected by ...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Who Is the First Servant?
During the entire episode, the Majalans treat the First Servant as a holy being whose life is precious, and all signs point to the ascension being a type of coronation ceremony. Members of the ...
Recap/Review: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Gets Thoughtful In "Lift
The First Servant made a hopscotch game using noble gasses and the different colors ... wars — they'll all be gone within the next fifty years" is a Troi line in Star Trek: First Contact, co ...
RECAP
Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1, Episode 6 to follow! As the U.S.S. Enterprise approaches the remote Majalan System, ... Back in the briefing room, Alora explains that the boy is the First Servant, a holy figure chosen by a lottery to serve the Majalan people. Alora suspects the descendants of a nearby alien colony wished to ...
The Classic Sci-Fi Short Story You Should Read After This Week's Star
As shocking as this turn of events might be, the story "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is telling has roots in a classic science fiction work. Prolific and celebrated sci-fi author Ursula K. Le ...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 6 Review
Alora, now a Majalan leader in her own right, oversees a being known as the First Servant, a holy child chosen by lottery to embody the maxim of their people ("science, service, sacrifice ...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 6 review: "Familiar
The most interesting member of the party, however, is a child known as the "First Servant". Extending a long tradition of kids in Star Trek (and sci-fi in general) with disarmingly high ...
Preview 'Strange New Worlds' Episode 106 With Photos And Trailer From
Huse Madhavji as Elder Gamal, Ian Ho as the First Servant, Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, and Babs Olusanmokun as M'Benga of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr ...
'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds': Who Is the First Servant?
Episode 6 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes audiences on a surprisingly haunting moral journey through a society that seems too good to be true, and the...
'Strange New Worlds' takes a big swing toward something profound
This week, it takes a hard turn toward the weighty, with an episode that tries to cover a whole host of stuff in its 50-minute runtime. In some ways, this feels like the most The Next Generation ...
First Servant and Father
On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6, the First Servant (Ian Ho) and his biological father, Gamal (Huse Madhavji) are rescued by the Enterprise. 0.0 / 5.0 1
I think The First Servant of Strange New Worlds was inspired ...
I think The First Servant of Strange New Worlds was inspired by a doctor who episode. So I have just started watching Star Trek: strange new worlds and in the episode S1E6 "Lift Us Were Suffering Cannot Reach" there is a child who is named the first servant who is to supposed to ascend to save his planet. Later in the episode we find out ...
The First Servant had second thoughts! : r/StrangeNewWorlds
A spoiler-friendly place to discuss the TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ... Yeah, when he sees the former first servant being taken away on a pathetic stretcher underneath a grotty sheet he had a sudden realisation that, maybe it wasn't for him! You'd think they'd have a nicer way to transport them haha.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1
The first season of the American television series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the starship Enterprise in the 23rd century as they explore new worlds and carry out missions throughout the galaxy during the decade before Star Trek: The Original Series.The season was produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout, Weed Road Pictures ...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1E06 "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot
Child Prodigy: The First Servant seems to know more about subspace technology than Spock.; The Chosen One: Harshly Deconstructed and Played for Horror, as the First Servant is chosen to be jacked into the system that powers Majalis, draining the poor kid into a desiccated husk.; Continuity Nod: The warship explodes when it attempts to go to warp while held in a tractor beam.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — 1x06 "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach" Reaction Thread . ... and the explicit revelation that the First Servant isn't just some Dalai Lama figure but somehow responsible for keeping the islands afloat, the correct response was surely not to send the kid right back when discovered. And the ostensible reason ...
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Episode 6 Recap
"Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach," the sixth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, is the first of its debut season where things conclude on a pointedly bitter, inconclusive note for ...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 6
This is a small easter egg that references two things. First, the actual color of Kirk's uniform in The Original Series was closer to green, but in the first season, it didn't show up that way ...
STAR TREK STRANGE NEW WORLDS S01E06
A mysterious but injured child comes aboard the Enterprise along with a visitor that is familiar with Captain Pike in this segment from Star Trek Strange New...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV Series 2022- )
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV Series 2022- ) Ian Ho as First Servant. Menu. Movies. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. TV Shows. ... Star Trek a list of 28 titles created 09 Oct 2018 See all related lists » Share this page:
Susan Oliver: Star Trek's First Captain Love Interest Explained
Susan Oliver played Star Trek's first ever captain's love interest in the unaired Star Trek: The Original Series pilot, "The Cage". Rejected by the network for being too cerebral, "The Cage" saw Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) get captured by the Talosians, who believed that he could be a worthy mate for Vina, and tested the couple in a variety of scenarios.
Star Trek Reveals Origin of a Vital Federation First Contact Device
Star Trek has revealed the origin of a vital piece of technology, one that can lead to better first contact situations.; Nurse Chapel, from Strange New Worlds, invents a device that allows people ...
I think doctor who inspired the first servant of Star Trek ...
[Opinion] POLYGON: "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is upending canon for its new engineer. Carol Kane plays the the mysterious, hilarious chief engineer Pelia. In the season premiere, "The Broken Circle", she's already upending everything we know about Star Trek's alternate history of humanity.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise focuses on the first long-term manned Starfleet expedition and follows the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew in the years preceding the birth of the United Federation of Planets. 4 seasons • 96 episodes • 2001-2005 . Cast of Characters. Jonathan Archer.
First Servant
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6 Quotes M'Benga: So, in theory, your implants might realign peptide bonds within any degraded protein. Gamal: At the bare minimum.
'Rebel Moon Part One'
Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire will hit Netflix just in time for Christmas on December 21 at 7 PM PT.The movie was previously scheduled to release on the streaming service a few hours ...
Elder and First Servant
On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6, Elder Gamal (Huse Madhavji) and the First Servant (Ian Ho) sit in sickbay.