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The possibility of hijinks is strong in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 1, episode 5 “Spock Amok”
(Image credit: Paramount Plus)
Warning: Spoilers for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season 1, episode 5.
It’s hard to believe we’re already now at the halfway point of the inaugural season of the latest live-action “Star Trek” spin-off. It makes you wish that these shows had longer seasons. However, it’s safe to say that no one, probably including Paramount, expected “Strange New Worlds” to be as popular as it is, so fingers crossed we will get lots more seasons and if the writing only improves from this point, this will undoubtedly be the smash hit “Star Trek” show that the Melrose-based studio so desperately wanted.
Moreover, each episode has surpassed the previous one, which is a surefire sign that when this show gets up to full speed, we’re really in for a treat. Or alternatively of course, it could just fall on its face, like “Picard” did, but…we have a hunch that’s not going to happen in this particular instance.
Want to watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus? Here’s a free one-month trial (opens in new tab)Subscribe to Paramount Plus for $5.99/month (opens in new tab)And as if to prove the point, episode 5, entitled “Spock Amok” opens with an incredible, unexpected and thoroughly entertaining nod to “The Original Series” — as the episode title might give away.
In the pre-credit sequence, Spock (Ethan Peck) finds himself on Vulcan preparing for Koon-ut-kal-if-fee, the Vulcan ritual, which means “marriage or challenge” and is a “passion fight” where one Vulcan challenges another over a mate, ultimately resulting in the winner getting married. It was first seen, and explored in some depth, in the “TOS” episode “Amok Time” (S02, E01) and has since gone on to become an iconic piece of “Star Trek” lore, even being beautifully parodied in arguably one of the best episodes of “The Simpsons” ever made, “Deep Space Homer” (S05, E15).
Related: Every actor who has ever played Spock on Star Trek
Enterprise Bingo, an exclusive game created by, and solely for, those crewmembers in the lower decks (Image credit: Paramount Plus)We find ourselves asking, “Uh-oh, who has Spock annoyed so much that they challenged him in a ritualistic fight to death?” But it’s a dream, of course it is, Spock just ate too much K’normian cheese before he went to bed. However, the events of the dream echo his subconscious fears and concerns, as they often do and Vulcan Spock fights a human Spock, both played by Peck, in a reflection of his duality.
It’s really inventive writing and naturally every conceivable detail has been faithfully reproduced, including the infamous score (opens in new tab) by Gerald Fried called “The Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah” that was subsequently used in a number of other second season “TOS” episodes, including “The Doomsday Machine” (S02, E06). It’s so refreshing to see the writers/producers/showrunners referencing their own franchise instead of other, entirely different sci-fi IPs. It’s not like the “Star Trek” universe doesn’t have an incredible wealth of material to use.
The USS Enterprise has docked at the revered and respected Starbase 1 for much-needed repairs, along with crew R&R after the almost-deadly encounter with the Gorn last week, which suggests this episode will be one that “Star Trek” alone has made into a sci-fi trope, the classic “shore leave” story. The majority of the pre-credit sequence focuses on Spock and his fiancé T’Pring (Gia Sandhu) as they attempt to work through some personal issues. They agree to dedicate quality time for a private dinner later that evening.
Related: ‘Strange New Worlds’ episode 4 embraces submarine-style battles
“I know what you’re thinking, did I expend the whole charge, or just half? Well, I kinda lost track myself…” (Image credit: Paramount Plus)The secondary story in this week’s episode is another “Star Trek” staple, ongoing interplanetary negotiations…and why not. The Federation is attempting to persuade the R’ongovians to join, but so far things haven’t been going too well. And now they want to discuss the issue, at length, immediately, rather than the scheduled time, which was the following morning. As such Spock misses his dinner date. Oh dear. Roll those gorgeous opening credits.
The “shore leave” nature of the episode creates some interesting match-ups with crew and represents the tertiary plot thread. Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) has got a hot date with an old flame, but the second he starts talking about taking their relationship further, she zones out and opts to go and speak to Spock instead, who’s sitting not far away in the bar. Meanwhile Lt Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) and Lt Cmdr Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) pair up and indulge in some mischief while everyone else is off the Enterprise.
Chapel offers Spock some relationship advice, which he duly follows. He creates the setting for a “soul-sharing” ritual in T’Pring’s quarters in an effort to make up for the missed dinner and thus begins the main story thread for this week. They perform the ritual exactly as intended, except they’re now in each other’s bodies with no obvious way of reversing the process. Yes indeed, we’re being served a most generous course of that classic sci-fi trope, the body-swap, along with exactly the right amounts of humor, drama and entertainment.
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