This week, we have a noir episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. My favorite part is that they offer a great, Star Trek-y answer to why everything is in black and white. Plus, the long coats and the hats. I’m in. Let’s go!
A Federation probe, Angelo 1, has shut down and drifted into Klingon territory. The Enterprise has been tasked with collecting Angelo 1, but the ship itself is too big and would risk discovery. A shuttle has been sent, led by Number One on her first mission as Commander. (I guess I should stop referring to her as Number One, huh? Ok, Chin-Riley it is!) With her are Dr. M’Benga and Uhura.
Uhura is disoriented due to the black and white. Doc explains that it is due to the “infrared black-bodied specter from the Mat’aaran star.” But that only affects how they see color (or don’t see color).
Uhura finally made the reset successful, and the Angelo 1 is now propelling back to Enterprise. But then they get a warning. Chin-Riley calls Pike and tells him that the D7 is blocking their return path and diverting to Mat’aar XII is their only way to stay safe. Pike assures her that they have the Angelo and agrees that they should divert until they find a safe way to get them back. He warns them to stay out of sight—the Federation cannot be seen here.
They begin their descent and are notified that there is an electromagnetic atmospheric barrier that they have to go through. A full planetary detection system. And the planet is fully inhabited. No place to hide. They know someone arrived, but not who. The best plan is to hide the shuttle and try to blend in with the people.
The inhabitants come out in long jackets, hats, and nice noir-ish clothing. Uhura has an important question: if this is a Klingon planet, why are there no Klingons? No one has the traditional Klingon characteristics but there is a Klingon hologram warning people that they must show their paperwork otherwise they will be subject to “search and seizure.”
A young local spots Chin-Riley and addresses her as Nevette. He calls her “boss” and laments that they thought she was dead. Chin-Riley plays along. “Well, clearly, I am not.”
The local, Roman (Demore Barnes), tells Chin-Riley she picked a good time to come back. Doc introduces himself and Uhura as “new recruits.” When Roman asks Uhura why they have no armbands, she quickly comes up with “we were undercover.” Chin-Riley assures him that they are out there investigating the report of an unknown ship crossing into Mat’aaran airspace. Roman suggests they go back to HQ—he has something else for them to “handle.”
HQ turns out to be a high-end club, complete with a player piano, people drinking, people playing cards, people chatting. Doc says that their new friend is “proud”—the exact type to collaborate with Klingons. He has the Klingon armband to prove it. Chin-Riley asks Doc how many Klingon-occupied planets he has been on. He admits none.
Roman addresses Chin-Riley, “introducing” them to a “traitor” with an EMF scanner. Clearly a member of the resistance, not working alone. They need that name of her accomplice. Chin-Riley suggests he leave the “traitor” with her, alone. She’ll get the info they need.
Doc and Uhura sit at the bar, watching. Uhura is concerned about what Chin-Riley is doing, but Doc assures her it is not her first time pretending to be someone she’s not. Doc knows that this is Uhura’s first time. “Of all the gin joints…” Uhura says. Doc tells her to keep her surname and any information she gives close to the truth, and take notes with her eyes—and keep an eye out for others who are taking notes with their eyes.
Back on the Enterprise, La’An and Spock are debating over a probe from Angelo 1 that they “went to great lengths to get back.” She wants to make sure they didn’t bring on a Trojan horse. Spock doesn’t think it was gone long enough. The scan is complete, allowing Spock to move back to the probe. They begin the physical examination, and La’An notices that a chip has been dislodged. La’An discovers the data from the chip is missing. He is looking for the most benign explanation; she is full of paranoia.
She takes this to Pike. “You think we have a Klingon spy?” She doesn’t think that it is necessarily a spy, but that someone tampered with it. La’An thinks it may have been tampered with while being transferred. Pike says she is the security officer; if she thinks it is a problem, she should go “sniff” it out.
One thing I will mention here is that the stuff on the Enterprise is all in black and white, too. Later, they make mention that they are within the radiation spray to get the effect as well, but I think it would have been better if it had just been shot in color. (Also, I think the stuff on the Enterprise is weak-sauce.)
Back to Chin-Riley, who is interrogating the “traitor.” “I have secured the reading,” she whispers adamantly—which Chin-Riley insists means nothing to her. The room freezes when Commander Kor (Andy McQueen) walks in, a Klingon who is a direct descendant of Kahless the Unforgettable. Doc assumes he must run this outpost.
Chin-Riley and the traitor have begun talking again. “It must be you now. 34.6 megahertz,” she hisses before the traitor’s suicide pill takes effect, and the traitor falls to the ground. Kor approaches Chin-Riley. He is annoyed that the traitor died, but Chin-Riley insists she did what she had to do. Kor accepts this. He commands that the remains be annihilated; traitors deserve no glory.
Heading back to Doc and Uhura, Chin-Riley puts on her arm band. Doc informs her that Kor is a member of the Imperial Family. He will not be easy to deceive. They all agree: this is bad. Chin-Riley decides that they are safer if they hide near the shuttle and wait for the Enterprise.
They go back to the shuttle and come across a new checkpoint. A guy is shot dead for not having any documentation. Uhura rushes to the man’s aid, but the Klingon stops her, warning that “compassion is unacceptable.” They tie her up and perp-walk her out of there.
Chin-Riley and Doc start walking on their own when someone stops them: the bartender from the club. He greets Chin-Riley as Nevette, saying that her disappearing act gave them quite the fright this time. He introduces himself as Che’Lim (Albert Chung) to Doc, and wants them to meet at the café, where they will free her friend. He makes mention that Chin-Riley is the “leader of the resistance.”
Meanwhile, Uhura is being held for questioning. She claims she is a villager from the outskirts, and her family died when she was young. She knows nothing about a resistance. Her Klingon captor wants to know what the resistance wants from the Neo-Dianeium munitions facility. She again denies any knowledge, and he threatens her with a mind-scanner.
In the bar, Chin-Riley and Doc watch the different ways the resistance has become resourceful, with machines emitting a strange tone, or pickpocketing a Klingon commander. Chin-Riley desperately needs to know where the ID card is for her friend. Che’Lim says they have enhanced the security clearances. He warns Nevette that she should keep her ID on her at all times. She claims it is in her office, and Che’Lim promises that the office is kept safe with their surveillance. He realizes that “the girl” is her inside contact, and promises to get the card.
La’An needs a cadet to listen to a transmission signal for her. She notices a relay response, and can trace the origin. La’An goes to Scotty and Ortegas, and tells them she traced the origin to Scotty’s room. Ortegas takes the blame, but Scotty says things around here aren’t quite normal. The same thing that is causing them to see in black and white is also causing the D7 ship to be virtually unreadable on their radar. He added a transmission signal to it that will notify Ortegas if they are close enough to get their people back. The signal has nothing to do with the probe. He does find a weird, hidden signal, though.
Back with Uhura, she is getting mind-scanned to all hell. “Your resolve is strong. I will enjoy eroding it.” The interrogator then turns and speaks in Klingon to another baddie.
In Nevette’s office, Chin-Riley and Doc are looking for her ID card. There is a scanner, which recognizes Chin-Riley’s face and reveals a secret room—but first locks the door to the regular room. Inside, Chin-Riley finds a navigational database, built from Nevette’s work with the Klingons. “If the resistance is a network, Nevette is the nucleus,” Doc ponders. Perhaps she fled. A picture reveals Che’Lim has a daughter, and they discover a chip. On it, they find blueprints to the munitions factory Nevette was supposed to break into. And photos of Mat’aar XII before the Klingon invasion. They realize the resistance is planning an EMP attack. That’s why they need a proximity detector.
Chin-Riley opens a cupboard and finds Nevette’s ID. If this is here, then where is she? Behind a curtain, they find a container. Inside, Nevette is frozen and dead.
Later, Chin-Riley and Doc are sitting in the club, discussing how it was like looking into her own casket. The traitor said “34.6 megahertz” before she died. Chin-Riley suspects that is the frequency the detonator needs to set off the EMP.
Uhura’s ID card has been verified. She is free to go. She meets up with Chin-Riley and Doc in the club. The Klingons are planning a military takeover in 24 hours. That’s what they said when they were speaking in their rare, regional dialect. The Klingons will have control of the only portal in and out of the planet. The citizens will be trapped. Doc suggests they return to their shuttle and leave. Then the Klingons enter, singing, and everyone in the club starts clapping along. This angers the Klingons. Chin-Riley can’t leave, not yet. Doc tries to convince her this is not her fight. She is trying to atone for her family, who didn’t want to fight when colonizers took over her town. “I know how to pretend I’m something I’m not,” she insists.
Back on the Enterprise, La’An tells Spock that Scotty thinks someone encrypted a transmission in his relay. Spock tries to downplay her fears, saying she has been paranoid lately, but La’An isn’t having it. She storms out.
Kor insists “Nevette” have a drink with him. They have much to celebrate. She is one of his best subordinates. She already knows, “my new recruit filled me in.” He is surprised; she wants clear communication at all times. She is mad that he laid a trap for them. Kor is almost getting turned on as he describes how, once the planet is in full lockdown, there will be no Mat’aarans in a position of power, how the Klingons will decide where they live. “Fear is the only effective way to lead,” Chin-Riley assures him.
Uhura and Doc are coaching Chin-Riley as she breaks into containment room 6G. She is getting the proximity detonator. She gets it, no problem, but she doesn’t know how to activate it. Uhura assures her it will activate once it crosses a Klingon checkpoint. It’s a suicide mission. Roman appears behind Chin-Riley, gun drawn. He is the one who killed Nevette, and plans to do so again. Kor told him to go after her. She disarms him, beats him up, and throws him to the ground, gun in his face. Then she relents, and asks him to help the resistance. “Nevette would have killed me,” he hisses before running away.
Back on the Enterprise, La’An is explaining to Chapel everything she has gone through. Chapel asks if she checked the transporter forensics, and La’An finally realizes it was Chapel. The Angelo 1 has sensitive information about Starfleet. Yang, a medical ship, crossed into Klingon territory, unsanctioned, to answer a distress call. If the info had fallen into any hands—even Starfleet—it could have major repercussions. Chapel begs La’An to be a friend, not a security officer.
Roman rushes up to a Klingon, insisting he has important info about the resistance, while Chin-Riley admits to Che’Lim she doesn’t have the detonator. Roman has it and when he rushes past the checkpoint, it goes off. The whole force field goes down.
In the club, the people cheer. Che’Lim asks her how she did it. She planted it on Roman, knowing he would go straight to the Klingon after his experience with her. Chin-Riley warns Che’Lim that he doesn’t have much time, punishments will be severe, etc. Che’Lim is still a bit in awe. Chin-Riley makes Che’Lim the leader now.
La’An meets with Pike, to give an update on the possible security problem. La’An says with regards to the probe, there is no cause for concern. Pike dismisses her. See, this Enterprise nonsense was totally boring.
Chin-Riley, Doc, and Uhura are on the shuttle, leaving. Chin-Riley wonders if she did the right thing. They are leaving Klingon space, and the color slowly seeps back into frame.
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