Time and circumstances imply that earlier than the wonders of Strange New Worlds, the considered seeing Star Trek Captains Pike and Kirk collectively was an unlikely factor. Pike, in any case, solely existed within the realm of Trek’s unique pilot, itself then re-engineered for an episode that eternally closed the door on his future on the present. But Strange New Worlds relished its alternative to thrust these two legends collectively.

Ask a Star Trek fan about their favourite captain and positive, they could provide you with just a few noble causes, however they’re in all probability simply as prone to elevate their selection by disparaging the opposite captains which have led technology after technology of Star Trek exhibits. We can’t assist typically however think about that, for our decide to be as genuinely good as we expect they’re—the best of Starfleet—the opposite captains we’ve met need to be flawed ultimately.

So when Strange New Worlds’ pleasant first season finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” made the shock transfer of introducing Paul Wesley’s Captain Kirk a bit of sooner than we’d anticipated, I mentally braced myself in a approach that stunned me. Was Strange New Worlds about to do its personal hero a bit of soiled, now that it might get its palms on essentially the most iconic Star Trek character ever? How would the collection, already doing so a lot in its finale, have interaction with the specter of Kirk’s legacy whereas placing him up towards the captain we’ve come to know and love over this primary season?

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And for only a second, it virtually appeared like “A Quality of Mercy” was going to go there. As the episode’s run-through of the plot of Trek icon “Balance of Terror” reaches a climax from the basic episode—the Enterprise chasing down its Romulan foe by utilizing the wake of a comet to see by way of its cloaking know-how—issues take a flip for the more severe with Pike in Kirk’s unique position, the latter on this alt-retelling of the situation aboard his personal command on the united statesS. Farragut. Hoodwinked when the Bird of Prey is nowhere to be seen as soon as the 2 ships navigate across the comet, Pike hesitates the place Kirk reacted on intuition within the unique episode—and is duly rewarded for his pause with a shock assault from the Romulans, one which cripples the Farragut and leaves the Enterprise badly compromised within the course of. After the required choice to evacuate the Farragut crew to the Enterprise is made and Kirk thanks Pike for his help, the 2 share a personal speak in Pike’s quarters… and Kirk goes in on Pike for his hesitation.

It’s the frankest we’ve seen a Strange New Worlds hero go towards considered one of their very own. But crucially, “A Quality of Mercy” doesn’t deal with this like a failure for Pike, or maybe simply as crucially, that Kirk is within the unsuitable for desirous to have been extra tactically aggressive towards the Romulans, as he in the end is in “Balance.” A lesser episode would’ve both painted Pike’s overriding willingness to search out compromise and convey a peaceable finish to battle as a naive flaw, or Kirk’s aggressiveness as a base, impulsive streak that Starfleet officers ought to rise towards. A lesser episode would’ve certainly made Kirk and Pike’s foil on this regard a wedge of battle between them, however fortunately, it’s not what we bought. Instead, Kirk and Pike’s respective weaknesses are performed not as such, however as strengths, and the 2 captains by no means argue over who has the correct concept. They’re simply each good males with two completely different approaches, and that they’re allowed to co-exist as a substitute of the episode presenting come what may as the right path to success emphasizes that bond of respect we see develop between them.

Because actually, we in the end see on this new timeline that neither captain’s method labored out. Pike’s want to deliver the Romulans to the desk and negotiate a peace not seen for 100 years is noble, however it stops him from being as tactically minded as Kirk in understanding the Romulan ship’s objectives. And although he comes so near discovering frequent floor for the Federation and the Star Empire to construct on, his plan might by no means account for the truth that there’s an entire bunch of different Romulans aboard that ship prepared and prepared to begin a struggle. Even Kirk, who performs up his aggressive techniques by marshaling a fleet of distant mining vessels to behave as Federation backup when Romulan reinforcements arrive, can’t discover a gap towards the overwhelming aggression of the Praetor and her forces. Both males’s perception in the best way out of their state of affairs hits up towards a wall in that typically, issues simply aren’t going to go the best way you deliberate, and typically failure goes to be the one choice. The Enterprise and Kirk escape badly wounded, however the Romulans are victorious, and emboldened to begin a struggle with the Federation that, ought to this timeline persist, declare the lives of billions.

And but regardless of that, Pike and Kirk half methods on the finish of “A Quality of Mercy” with a sober respect for one another. As brash and as sore a loser as we’d characterize Jim Kirk in our heads as typically, he by no means gloats to Pike of their demure farewell that his approach would’ve labored. Pike alike by no means lambasts Kirk over the truth that his aggressive tactical acumen offered too little, too late, or escalated the state of affairs to the purpose it broke as dangerous because it did. They settle for that the opposite merely had completely different concepts with benefit, and share a remorse that they didn’t get an opportunity to get to know one another sooner past an virtually no-win situation just like the one they discovered themselves in.

In doing so, Strange New Worlds navigated considered one of its largest proverbial elephants within the room with aplomb. Who wants Pike vs. Kirk when you can merely simply have the each of them?

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