Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 2x04 "Among the Lotus Eaters"
Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 2x04 "Among the Lotus Eaters"
Written by Kirsten Beyer & Davy Perez
Directed by Eduardo Sanchez
Logline
Returning to a planet that dredges up tragic memories, Captain Pike and his landing party find themselves forgetting everything, including their own identities as he confronts a ghost from his past.
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I'm a bit undecided about this episode.
Stuff that I liked:
- a strange new(-ish) world
- everyone got something to do, unlike last week
- once again some funny Spock moments
- the visuals on this show are stunning once again. The planet looked nice, the external VFX in the debris field of two celestial bodies that orbited Rigel VII several centuries ago looked nice, the Enterprise interiors look so nice.
Stuff that I didn't like:
- I'm not a fan of forced relationship dramas. Plus, from the pilot episode I got the feeling that Pike and Batel (does she even have a first name yet?) are only friends with benefits, but now Batel storms off after Pike says he wants to take it easy? Weird.
- how can a society or any sort of structure be maintained if you can't remember anything? The whole premise felt a bit off.
- the writing for Ortegas was weak. Her personal log at the beginning of the episode sounded like it was written by ChatGPT. And the stuff towards the end of the episode wasn't great either. The actor did the best she could with what she was given but the writing really didn't do her any favors.
I like the Pike/Batel relationship dynamic. I like that they're both captains with their own responsibilities, which is new and different from what we've seen in previous iterations of Trek where one is an officer and the other is left at home or something. It doesn't feel forced to me, although the question of weren't they just FWB's is an interesting one, I'd have to go back and look at the pilot. But I'm ok with buying that they're closer than that but just can't make it work because they both have ships to captain.
I would like to see more of her being a captain. Hopefully there's an episode in the future where we get to see her on her bridge doing her thing.
I'm also in the camp that liked it, Pike since his reintroduction in Disco S2 has been one of the franchises' most emotionally open captains. Most of the time we see this as this self-assured dad energy he uses when talking to his subordinates, but I think it was good to see how he can be vulnerable but still that genuine, emotionally mature guy with someone who's on the same level as him.
how can a society or any sort of structure be maintained if you can’t remember anything? The whole premise felt a bit off.
The rulers in the palace could remember, though (because of the shielding provided by some metal). And the workers/slaves remembered enough to perform their tasks.
@exscape @ValueSubtracted @UESPA_Sputnik Spoiler alert, please!
This is one of the earliest Sci-Fi themes. See: Nightfall by Asimov (1941).
I thought they covered it well in the ep. (Write things down, write things on YOURSELF, etc).