Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.09 "Subspace Rhapsody" REVIEW

BEYOND THE RIM OF THE STARLIGHT, Strange New Worlds does a musical episode!
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[@normantodd7001]

Keep in mind that the actress who plays Ortegas lost her partner. In the Ready Room last week she talked about her crying in between filming. She may have not had the capacity to do too much

[@Donnagata1409]

She did? Oh, how awful!

[@Esco33]

@@Donnagata1409 Yes, they named the nebula (Bannon's Nebula) in Lost in Translation 2x06 after him.

[@vulc1]

Brian Bannon died already in 2021, is Melissa still crying about it ??

[@aaronsibley]

​@@vulc1he died only like 2 months before they filmed season 2

[@rieyuki]

@@vulc1it’s clear you’ve never had a close relationship with anybody

[@Stress-Free-K]

When Spock sings in his best Bauhaus - Peter Murphy voice ... "I solve for Y in my computation" "But miss vital information" "The variable so devasting ------" "I'm the X". I was so impressed. It's fitting and character-building for the rest of Spock's arc.

[@bryancash8251]

I like the first line though he asks “why” then “I’m the ex”.

[@thomasinajones6684]

I agree, that was definitely giving Peter Murphy Cuts You Up vibes. I loved it!

[@Stress-Free-K]

@@bryancash8251 Yes. so clever. so Spock. He goes. "For her, I set aside" "My need to analyze" "Now I'm wrecked and searching for why" "I'm the ex" Spock will never ever love again.

[@Stress-Free-K]

@@thomasinajones6684 Ethan Peck should do more angsty music like this. It could be a thing.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

In my head canon, Spock didn't apologise for singing. He apologised for ending on a spoken lyric. 🧝🏾

[@calroy9108]

The cut to M'benga and Chapel in Una's "keeping secrets" song happens at the point where the lyrics mention being cut by a knife, obviously alluding to episode eight and the fight with Rah.

[@threeofeight197]

I’m really hoping they don’t just drop what happened in episode 8.

[@IanZainea1990]

Good point!

[@intrinsical]

With regards to Ortegas not getting much character development, I get the feeling it might be due to Melissa Navia loosing her partner this year. Maybe the show is giving her time to grief?

[@darkglasses87]

Her partner passed in 2021

[@knoahbody69]

@@darkglasses87 Still it could be too soon.

[@RedBladeStudios]

@@darkglasses87 She said her acting in season 1 was due to the support of her partner, and season 2 filmed very shortly after his passing, and so she was very much feeling the strain of work in his absence. One of the producers/directors checked in on her during a meeting of some kind, everyone was very protective of her. I've heard her and read articles telling her story, and it hits every time. Honestly, it was surprising, a bit, in her last Ready Room interview, Wil asked her a particular question about military/grief representation, and you could see her sort of rebooting in her head to start the introduction of her partner and his story, and how her history has informed her acting and the responses she's gotten. I'm sure it's not easy for her to tell it over and over.

[@rieyuki]

He traveled out to be with her while filming, so he was there everyday, for Season 1

[@Quasimodo-mq8tw]

It is in particular difficult because Ortegas seems to be the antithesis to grief.

[@heatherfyffe3618]

Just in regards to the complaint about people singing by themselves aimlessly alone in their rooms -- that was actually part of the story. There was a lot of solo (or small group) songs happening, personal emotional moments, but what was missing was the connections between everyone. In order to break the improbability, they needed everyone to unite, to feel their connections, and do a big final number. The theme of the episode, the theme of the musical, was about people feeling alone and disconnected, vs coming together as a team, as friends, as a crew. That was reflected in La'an's conversation with Kirk, for instance. So while you might feel like those solo alone songs were less interesting, I think it was actually essential to have those, as it's demonstrating the alone-ness of the individual crew members, their disconnection, before they come together in the end.

[@lilszard]

I think Ethan Peck did great as singing Spock... his voice reminds me a little of David Bowie's. Also...love the story they're building into Spock and Chapel's history. The way Spock is always brushing her off in TOS has new meaning when we learn that she once broke his heart. Anyway, fun episode.

[@susanleslie6178]

I had exactly the same thought.

[@Stress-Free-K]

I was getting Peter Murphy from Bauhaus vibes but Bowie certainly works. Two sides of the same coin.

[@ainmosni42]

Not just broke his heart, just make him retreat into his Vulcan side. This fixes the broken Spock Boimler was so afraid of.

[@mateovncnt7411]

I think he needs a metal band!

[@threeofeight197]

@@mateovncnt7411. I was really hoping the Klingons would drop some metal in. But. Nope.

[@cantantenoel]

I burst out laughing when the Klingons sang, NOT because of the "lol comedic interruption of the finale" thing, but because hearing them sing in that style was so unexpected. I assumed we were going to get some Klingon opera when they finally sang, and the subversion of my expectation was what got the big laugh.

[@rayscotchcoulton]

Learned that none other than Bruce Horak played the Klingon commander!

[@cantantenoel]

@@rayscotchcoulton that's AMAZING ahahahahahaha

[@darricshhh]

Best scene of the episode

[@AzaleaJane]

I died. One of the best moments of the episode.

[@PxsDD]

Earth needs a Klingon boy band

[@PrinceGastronome]

The existence of this musical makes me angry...not that it's bad. I love it! I am angry that it took THIS long. The TNG cast had professional singers and dancers...such a lost opportunity!

[@winespringinc.9447]

AMEN!!

[@The_Jovian]

The world wasn't ready for it. But we did get a bridge crew cover of "I don't want to set the world on fire"

[@misterjoshua5720]

Jesse is the kinda gal who, if she won the lotto, would buy up a bar in the middle of nowhere just so she could que up Faith of the Heart on the jukebox every hour, on the hour to inflict on her regular patrons until they all started singing along and agreed to Enterprise marathons on Friday night.

[@jasonkennedy9143]

really thought the finale was gonna be Faith of the Heart

[@busterandloulou]

I really enjoyed that Bruce Horak came back as the Klingon Captain and was singing with his crew about being dishonored and destroying the crew of the Enterprise.

[@claytonberg721]

ah, I knew I recognized that voice.

[@jasonmast7769]

lol I was hoping this was where Klingons learned to love opera.

[@MythicFables]

Did we watch the same episode? I thought Ethan Peck was one of the best singers, lol! He's the very first singer and his voice set an amazing first impression for me for the rest of the episode. Also his solo song is my favorite in the whole ep. I think Anson and Babs struggled a bit, but Ethan's voice felt very natural and has a great timber to it.

[@DawnDavidson]

AGREED! The writers were struggling to work with Anson Mount’s voice, though they did manage with the Rex Harrison style talk-singing. But Ethan Peck did a great job, IMNSHO.

[@beaver6d9]

He was one of the strongest without a doubt!

[@DellaKujo]

His voice is definitely an acquired taste. I dunno that I'd say he was a great singer but he worked for me.

[@gemmamoon5998]

He has a nice tone, but he’s untrained, and that can be disruptive for some listeners. He has the sort of voice that sounds pleasant to some (I don’t personally like it, but I can imagine sounding good with pop-rock), but his voice is noticeably weaker than Christina’s, Jess’, or Celia’s. I’d put him on equal footing with Rebecca Romijn, personally.

[@paulscott2037]

Without a doubt Peck is an amazing singer. His song gave me chills.

[@TheTimberwolf44]

Personally, I was blown away by Christina Chong. I had no idea she had pipes like that. What a performance in her solo song!

[@catloverberlin1515]

I was afraid this might be a cringeworthy episode, but found that I absolutely adored it. Great episode, and resolving a lot of the emotional storylines in a really clever way. The Klingons were hilarious. One of my favourite episodes!

[@forrestpenrod2294]

I think what subverted cringe was everyone on the cast sincerely gave it there all!

[@lubricustheslippery5028]

I think the Klingons where cringe and I also wanted a new take on Klingon opera.

[@threeofeight197]

I cringed the whole time and had to fast forward through most of the songs. I tried. But. Bleh.

[@ffreed]

@@lubricustheslippery5028I liked that the song the Klingons sang wasn’t the opera or death metal genre people might have expected. I thought it helped explain why they were so outraged at the song outbreaks.

[@DavidTShaw]

My adult son was bursting a gut. He pointed out that Klingons have a deep register and it seems to be a rule that they never speak above a certain octave. And then we get the boy band...@@ffreed

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

La'ahan's first song gave me chills. Uhura's solo felt very Niche,le Nichols to me. Very Uhura legacy. I was so disappointed that Carol Kane didn't get a song.

[@wilhelmhedin8845]

Not only did I like Spock's song, I thought his range shown with the base dip he does. So sweet! And fun. 😊

[@DawnDavidson]

Yeah, I don’t know who was having an issue with Spock’s song/singing. I LOVED his “I am the X” song, and thought he had a lovely voice.

[@beaver6d9]

That dip was fantastic

[@iancurrie8844]

Imagine not knowing that's all autotune.

[@pookhahare]

They were smart in letting Cecelia Rose Gooding close out because she by far had greatest musical talent

[@lubricustheslippery5028]

I think it felt odd that Pike said it was no one better than the communication officer to inspire the whole ship. I think Pike should have made some excuse that she should do it (because she is better at it) even if he is the captain and have the role to inspire the ship crew.

[@srose615]

I saw her in Jagged Little Pill in 2019, and I spent the entire episode waiting for her part because I knew it would be the best. I was SO glad that Star Trek finally did a musical episode!

[@knoahbody69]

@@lubricustheslippery5028 You know what's funny is Nichelle herself, as well as others, and also in the Movie Galaxy Quest they talked about how they communications officer is kinda second tier, but they took that and blew it out of the water. Since they don't have a computer voice like Majel Barret Roddenberry, Nyota as the "voice of the Enterprise" is fitting and a title of merit.

[@jojoone1099]

She was fantastic!

[@claytonberg721]

@@steverigatones7264 Christina Chong has an album out and it's pretty good.

[@jackdavinci]

I loved the little Once More With Feeling easter egg when Mbenga has a theory about bunnies

[@ImBigDave79]

I admit that I may have sung a little bit of the bunny song

[@DawnDavidson]

I literally LOLed at the bunnies reference. 😂

[@sael91]

Star Trek is based in science, true, but it is also based in exploration, not just of the stars and the new worlds and new civilizations that inhabit them, but also what it means to be alive and human. A musical episode is, imo, a wonderful way of exploring an element of our culture that Star Trek hasn't plunged into so completely until now. I love SNW, and S1 is as close to a perfect season for me as Trek has come, but if I had to find one thing about it I would critique, it would be that it leaned heavily on tried and true plot-types that we had seen before in other Trek series. This season has spread its wings a bit more, and for my money, at least, this episode has been a wonderful showing of how many places Star Trek can still go.

[@christopheralthouse6378]

To me, it makes sense that Season One did play it so straight so that older fans wouldn’t feel alienated right off the bat. That was one of Discovery’s biggest mistakes, being so completely different from mainstream Trek that one could be excused for thinking it’s a completely different thing altogether. Now that Strange New Worlds has found its footing and secured its fandom, it’s the perfect time for them to experiment a bit and I’ve honestly enjoyed every one of these sorts of episodes this season, from “Among The Lotus Eaters” finally exploring Rigel 7, to “Those Old Scientists” bringing in both Boimler and Mariner from my OTHER favorite NuTrek show Lower Decks to now “Subspace Rhapsody”…😁 They’ve stepped the game WAAAAY up and I’m ALL for it! 😁

[@rieyuki]

Well put re: how Star Trek is about what it means to be alive human

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

My favorites are the Uhura songs, there's no doubt about it, Rose Gooding dedicated all of her songs to Nichelle Nichols.

[@Donnagata1409]

They both are (were) extraordinary singers!

[@RampKing22]

If this episode alone doesn’t win a Emmy I will be very disappointed. This new show never fails to amaze me with his writing.

[@gregcampbell4467]

Ethan Pecks singing a performance is superb. He glided from head voice to chest and back like the best of pros and may merit another aspect to his career. And the joke of making the musical break-down/break-out section of the musical finale be Klingon-Pop (aka K-Pop) is brilliant and hilarious (K'Pla)

[@tjzambonischwartz]

I love that the technobabble explanation for why they're singing is lifted straight out of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy I feel like Under the Cloak of War did the most to develop Ortegas' character and it wasn't even an Ortegas episode.

[@Donnagata1409]

Let's hope we'll have a proper Ortegas episode in the future.

[@DonaldLivingston]

I was thinking the same thing, I kept wondering if another HHGTTG reference was gonna drop any moment, or see the Heart of Gold fly past.

[@DawnDavidson]

I cannot like your comment right now, because it has exactly 42 likes. 😂😂😂

[@jasonkennedy9143]

Yeah, infortunately that development was more racism.

[@DawnDavidson]

Ok, I can like it now that someone made it no longer 42. :D

[@bhmth]

The first song, the opening credits, La'an's torch song, and Chapel's number were great. Uhura's song and the finale were outstanding. The fact that both La'an and Uhura's songs were devoid of exciting choreography is a testament to Christina Chong and Celia Rose Gooding's impeccable musical talents. I think that, given a little time to build up some nostalgia and for the standout numbers to sit in people's memories, this one will rise up into the Pantheon of best musical episodes ever. I don't have nostalgia for the Buffy or Scrubs episodes, having just watched both for the first time in the last week or so, and in my mind this one is already up there. (Also - I didn't realize that the poster for this episode is kind of an homage to a similarly-styled poster they did for Once More with Feeling!)

[@initiatinreallife]

I actually like that ortegas is just... a normal person. I love her. I dont want her to have a sad backstory honestly. She is a top tier side character.

[@foxesofautumn]

A sad one, no, but everyone has a past.

[@TyrMcDohl]

With the M'benga and Chapel cutaway during the Una/La'an anti-grav song, the lyrics that Una sings, "The secrets you keep safe inside/Might keep you awake and cut you like a knife" are nodding to last week's episode with the Klingon ambassador and M'benga's struggle with the Dak'tagh.

[@andybiz4273]

OMG as a professional musician who has played in many pit orchestras, this episode had me beaming with happiness!!! And the Klingons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@cnc9716]

I really wish they went more in with the Klingons with Pike and Uhura convincing the Klingons to join in the singing to close the reality. Coukd really went in with the opera. Would of had a fun diplomancy song and give reason for the Klingons being in the episode.

[@kokirivivi]

Agreed. I think i would have preferred at least a couple of lines of Klingon Opera. An operatic musical threat would have been nice. The K-Pop reference felt a little bit forced and seemed like someone in the writing room may have been a little to proud of their joke. "K-Pop. The K stands for Klingon".

[@BigDungeonEnergy1]

@@kokirivivi I agree. If they had done a Nightwish-type operatic heavy metal number I think it would have been incredible!

[@threeofeight197]

@@BigDungeonEnergy1. Yesssss. What a let down. Klingons aren’t pop. They are metal and Klingon opera.

[@Esco33]

While the Klingon gag had the intended effect on me, I too was hoping for something sounding Opera'esque, but to be fair the anomaly was initiated by the "American Song Book'. While the Klingon song wasn't traditional American Musical, and I know Jessie likened it to a 'K-Pop' sound, to me it was more in the vein of Hamilton, except with a type of Hip-Hop or Trap music beat.

[@christinacody8653]

​@@Esco33I picked up on the hip hop vibes over K.pop as well. That was my laugh as well. I also wished they had gone with metal opera as that. We hear about Klingon opera often and I would have loved to see it in action. It would have been even better to hear it in Klingon and we get the writing on the bottom.

[@scwebb]

I have total confidence that Ortegas’ ongoing character note of “I fly the ship” will pay off in a future episode where she’s called out and realises she needs to get a life. Hijinx will undoubtedly ensue.

[@Esco33]

That would be nice. And she has another moment in the Season trailer not yet seen, so must be in episode 2x10.

[@knoahbody69]

IDK, I think they are saving that for later. They really need to get into her backstory. I think she was having a relationship with another crewmember and she was killed in a battle with the Klingons. Maybe Ortega had to repel boarders and has PTSD from that.

[@rieyuki]

@@Esco33(silence) then “Woohoo!” 😅

[@jasonkennedy9143]

Daystrom brings on the M-4 to fly the ship for her

[@MousePounder]

Interesting...I found Spock's singing to be among my favorites. Spock and Chapel were my 2 biggest highlights from the episode. The Klingon's get their own special little award for their number being so unexpected. I loved it, but it was a goof where as the Spock and Chapel songs had me feeling many feels.

[@ArtemisPearl]

This episode brought me so much joy. Love how Strange New Worlds is not afraid to go full camp. Its so refreshing from most of today's shows.

[@axelbeier9293]

For me Subspace Rhapsody is a highly creative, superbly acted and very entertaining episode. This is for me one of the best Star Trek episodes ever - and I have been a Star Trek fan for about 50 years. Do I want to see more Star Trek musicals? A resounding No. But I admire the courage of the creators and the performance of the actors here. I think the overall performance of the second season of SNW is remarkable and I'm already looking forward to a third season. I don't find the "unusual" episodes quirky, but experimental and daring. And who dares, wins. More of this creativity, please!

[@Dragondude2525]

I feel like the driving force behind La’an’s solo song was that because of her upbringing, personal history, and training, she’s become a very strict by the books person and she doesn’t allow herself to falter or go outside the boundaries that she’s imposed on herself. While that does mainly feed into the storyline of her time travel shenanigans with alterna-Kirk, it still relates back to the person she’s shown to be since her introduction.

[@DHuckDesigns]

I think the Klingons were more upset that this thing had them all sing their emotions and not singing about battles or victories necessarily, but may of had them singing their desires and wants...which we've seen them hold back due to Honor Code.

[@jeffengel2607]

Yes, my thoughts exactly. They lost control - singing wasn't something they did, to express the feelings they wanted to, but something that _happened to them_, forcing expression of things they take pride in keeping to themselves.

[@yippeekaiyaymofo]

Ethan Peck singing as Spock was my favorite thing throughout this- you bought that this was Spock and he was singing

[@jobervelasco8614]

Loved this episode! I hope in the upcoming season of Lower Decks, one of the weirdly specific references is Mariner and Boimler talking about that time the Enterprise crew broke out in dance and song and Boimler wishing he could have been a part of that. We already know from the trailer they reference the "Pike thing".

[@Seanginty1]

I'm disappointed the relationship between Spock and Chapel ended so quickly. After all the build up, we hardly got to see the interacting as a couple before the plug was pulled. I would have preferred to see what the issues were instead of being told they were having issues. In other news, I loved this episode, and I think that's the power of the series' episodic structure. They can take risks and try different things. There really has been something for everyone this season.

[@MovieTvDrama]

Spock's X song is my favorite, his usage of math for the double meaning in expressing his relationahip woes is on point. It's extra tough being dumped via a public musical, though she did attempt to postpone the talk to a more private time. Paul Wesley is doing a great job of giving Kirk the vibe he has a flirty connection with everyone he's around lol. His brotherly bickering with Sam is funny too, as well as bittersweet knowing what happens to Sam.

[@Aeolusdallas]

OMG the Kligons singing. I am not sure if I have ever laughed that hard

[@wolf_ceit_witch]

I really loved this episode. There were easter eggs for Buffy that had me jumping for joy... Like the bunny reference. I was wondering when they were going to get around to talking about Carol.

[@IndySkyFan]

I actually thought Ethan Peck had the best of the male singing voices and that's why they did a lot with him singing. Definitely not one of the top ten of all-time Trek episodes but still good. I thought it was an excellent decision to have La'an and Kirk have a talk rather than singing to each other so that she made a choice rather than being forced to show her feelings.

[@Bananahammock681]

I don't think the Kilngons were mad about singing in general, it was the 'type' of singing that was dishonourable to them. Klingon Opera is indeed very beloved, revered as this noble art form even. But just singing out of the blue about things when on a ship? Not the same thing, it's distracting from their Klingon-y pursuits. The fact it was out of their control, influenced by something external and unnatural as opposed to choosing to enjoy opera organically when they wish to, yeah I can see why they would be mad and wanna blow it up in anger. All in all this was a lovely episode, much much better than I thought it would be. I love the fact we have had so many chances now to see how Brilliant Uhura is, and why she isn't JUST the space phone lady. But when she IS the space phone lady, she's heckin amazing at that, too!

[@EnterpriseGeek]

Loved this episode, amazing as i am a very music person. Fantastic orchestrations, 3-4 Stand out Songs, Chapel, Spock, Laan and of course Uhura with "i'll keep us connected" as she finally found her reason to be on this ship. So beautiful!

[@arbjbornk]

I think the "dishonor" the Klingons were experiencing was being forced to sing human music. Remember, Uhura sent the "American songbook" into the subspace fold, so everyone was following the rules for human musicals. It was great seeing Bruce Hudok back on SNW, as Klingon General Garkog.

[@capnbob2326]

Great review (as ever). A couple of points… I think the Klingons singing pop (non-Opera) is why they were feeling dishonored by the improbability field (it WAS improbable). Also if you read the subtitles for Spock song, they push the double meaning so first time they spell out “searching for WHY” and “now I am the EX”. The second time through they subtitle “X” and “Y” to make sure we get the algebraic meaning too (in case it wasn’t obvious).

[@Pentarax]

Something I've loved about Wesley's portrayal of Kirk is that he's playing Kirk; not Shatner playing Kirk. He's nailing the characteristics and mannerisms without leaning into Shatnerisms. PS: Chapel's number was the best.

[@melindahall5062]

I’m seeing that too. It’s a bit of Shatner’s arrogance but it’s the way he moves his body and his flirtatious, tongue in cheek attitude that nails him as Kirk. At first sight I thought, “No way, what are they thinking.” But I’m seeing it more and more. I think I might be able to live with this.

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

There's a John M. Ford Original Series novel, "How Much For Just The Planet," which includes heroic Vulcan poetry about the Pythagorean theorem. I liked Spock's "I am the X" as a possible homage to it.

[@Arnold-l1k]

If you can find a copy of it, after you read the book this episode will make a lot more sense, after you finish picking yourself up off the floor from laughing

[@asteven8]

Ngl, I liked Kirk but things shifted for me when he talked about his on/off relationship Carol AND HER BEING PREGNANT. I went from “La’an and Kirk should get together even if it doesn’t last” to “La’an, get far and away from that man! You deserve better!” For emotional + character development, I liked La’an and Spock’s songs. Best song in the episode for me: Christine, hands down.

[@friendlyotaku9525]

Honestly I wasn't feeling the best this morning so this episode came out at the perfect time and I turned it on and watched it and it put me in such a good mood, never underestimate the power of music! So feel good and such a blast, my favourite of the songs has to be Uhura's "Everywhere I go I'm good with solo" Celia Rose Gooding is such an amazing singer, just fantastic!! This is exactly what I needed and I'm so glad they did this!

[@mgrids455]

Regarding the Klingons considering singing a dishonour I wonder if the anomaly forced all affected by it to sing HUMAN music given it was an Earth tune that initially triggered the rift. Klingon Opera they’d love but singing anything from an inferior species would make the Klingons very unhappy. Just a thought!

[@JessicaDuane]

I've been looking forward to this since the trailer dropped, and I've been sick so this REALLY lifted my spirits this morning. What a fantastic and savvy musical episode.

[@JeshuaSquirrel]

Regarding Ortegas, I liked her realization in the memory loss episode of her core identity as the pilot. Others were using family or love or trauma as their core memory. For Ortegas, she's not _a_ pilot but _the_ pilot. Where I feel the emphasis isn't "I _fly_ the ship" but rather "_I_ fly the ship." Maybe I'm not explaining it well.

[@jeffengel2607]

It works. It's - I think - that it's not an incidental slot she happens to fill but having that skill, that responsibility, that role really is important to her and fills her identity needs.

[@dragoninthewest1]

In the 23rd century, the K in Kpop stands for Klingon

[@Starbush69]

It’s definitely not surprising that a full on musical episode would happen in Star Trek, when you’ve had moments like Kirk, Spock, and McCoy singing Row-Row-Row your Boat together in Star Trek 5 as well. 😂 Loved your singing btw. Much better than my singing voice. 😅🩷

[@doodledibob]

Ethan Peck's musical shortcomings are perfectly in-line with Leonard Nimoy's musical ability, making for a beautiful continuity of Spock-actors who aren't good at music. I say this as someone who loves Nimoy's rendition of "Bilbo Bagins".

[@lennoxwilliamsart7387]

I just googled that and it's .... interesting

[@tyronebibbins7957]

JG: You've got faith of the heart. Rock it!

[@progKansas]

Would it be great if Paul Wellesly sang William Shatner's version of " Rocketman"?

[@Mark_o_Helm]

Ortegas is like Toph. She's cool, as she is. No development needed. That reminds me of. Sokka: "Take the wheel." Toph: "Great idea. Let the blind girl fly the airship." Sokka: "I was talking to Suki." Toph: "That makes more sense." 🤣🤣😂

[@pookhahare]

I loved how when the fold dissolved it went into Courage's Star Trek theme.

[@Seal0626]

Really evoked the atmosphere of a cast still on stage after the curtain's come down, and they can hear the orchestra playing the audience out on the other side of it.

[@pookhahare]

These Klingons are not yet later Klingons. But i dont think it was singing but it made you expose your inner emotions which a Klingon would consider dishonorable. Remember La'an considered it a security risk due to this.

[@polkad3v]

I loved this episode, you learn so much more about the characters background than with just talking. The writers get a massive recommendation from me.

[@VulcanTrekkie45]

Couple of my thoughts: 1. It all depends on how they resolve this in the season finale, but I got the definite feeling that the reason Spock is so emotionless and cold with Chapel in TOS is because she broke his heart, and now that Corby's dead is coming back to him, which really makes me think a lot less of Chapel. Again, this is all dependent on how they handle things in the season finale, but still, that left a bitter taste in my mouth. 2. My biggest regret around this episode is we didn't get a Kirk brothers duet. How amazing would that have been? I mean we see them working on the transporter together, why not go all the way? 3. I feel like this episode, with a little bit of reworking, would've been better as the season finale rather than just a mid-season show. 4. We're still waiting on that Ortegas flying the shutle bit we got in all the previews, which I'm guessing is coming next week. And if that's the case, then maybe that's the Ortegas episode we've been waiting on?

[@bekkers29]

Can we talk about the fact that there was a reference to bunnies, though? I SWEAR I half expected Anya to show up at that moment! I laughed so hard that I had to pause the episode.

[@nathanielmonroe3057]

This episode was definitely a mixed bag. The fact we did not get Klingon opera was such a huge swing and miss for me. I got so excited when they mentioned the rift spreading to Klingon Empire and the payoff fell flat. Though that being said, the dishonor note I don’t think was about the music per se. I remember it hit around the confession of feelings that came with the singing. That was what I read the dishonor being about (though if they were singing K-Pop style and not opera, that definitely qualifies too). Finally the way they colored the TOS Spock and Chapel interactions was a really interesting decision and I am not sure I like it. Still need to be sold on that one. Open to being but I just have some concerns with how we get from here to TOS

[@anvalisok]

Finally back from STLV and got to watch this episode and Jessie's reviews. Jessie doing "Faith of the Heart" is joyous!

[@BigNoseDog]

It was a fun episode, I didn’t think there were any bad singers in the bunch, and I liked that the songs were character based instead of built on Star Trek tropes. No song called Spatial Anomaly or one character singing with dancing red shirts in the background. That said, I have three main problems with this episode. First, it made Chapel look bad. Just 4 episodes after starting a relationship with Spock, she’s dumping him for a career opportunity. And to do the breakup publicly? Cold. It’s as if the writers took all the goodwill they built up for this character and decided to throw it in the trash. They should’ve tied this to the revelation from Boimler. Show that Chapel broke up with Spock because she learned their future was doomed anyway and she was holding him back. Second, I wish there had been a scene between La’an and Spock. They feel like two halves of the same coin. La’an wants to show her vulnerable side while Spock has vowed to do the opposite. He should’ve been drinking with her, not the Klingons. Which leads me to number 3. The Klingons breaking into song and dance looked like something straight out of a Bollywood movie. It was like watching an SNL skit. All in all, I’m glad Star Trek took a chance and did something different. Just don’t do another musical.

[@wendyheatherwood]

I didn't get the impression that Chapel meant to break up with Spock publicly. It's established that people are singing things they wouldn't normally say out loud, so my guess is that she would have talked to him privately about it if the anomaly thing hadn't made her sing a song about it first.

[@cantantenoel]

​@@wendyheatherwood that was my take on that scene as well. she asked Spock if they could talk about it later, he persisted in asking her about it right then and there instead of letting it drop, and the anomaly is causing people to confess private feelings in song whenever their emotions are heightened. I also felt like breaking up with him at this point was pretty in character for her anyway. (not the part where she did it publicly, just the breakup itself.) the show has already established that she has a hard time getting serious with anyone and that she's kind of impulsive about jumping into/out of relationships, so it makes total sense to me that she'd be a little disillusioned that this thing with Spock already wasn't working out the way she'd imagined, and she'd see getting this fellowship as the perfect opportunity to bail. I'm curious how they're going to work the whole Korby thing into the plot, given the way they've portrayed her up to this point.

[@BigNoseDog]

@@wendyheatherwood I should clarify. It’s not that I think Chapel deliberately chose to break up with Spock publicly. Clearly, she wasn’t in control of herself. But there was no follow up where Chapel apologizes to Spock. I was hoping to see such an exchange in episode 10, but it was actually Spock who apologizes to Chapel.

[@Kolossus03]

Extremely enjoyed uhura singing

[@jenbdiamond]

Did all you Buffy fans catch the "bunnies" reference? I giggled.

[@tonybmw5785]

I was worried when I heard about a musical, and absolutely loved the episode. I just loved the silliness and the songs did give a great insight into the direction of characters.

[@salenstormwing]

This was an amazing episode. It features the often maligned "space wedgey" but instead of technobabble saving the day, the day is saved by unity, technobabble, and SONG! Oh, and there's some nice lore continuity in there for the lore nerds too! But mostly singing. PS: Wait... the Klingons were doing K-POP? Is it because Klingons start with K? Is that why?

[@yamagata008]

I just had to come over here, because I figured this would be the place to spread the love for this season of ST SNW. This season has been stellar, especially the last 3 episode. Thank you for your channel. I love Ansom Mount and he does have the best hair of all the Star Trek captains.

[@cassielfsw3815]

The thing I immediately noticed about Spock's song was that it's a sad reprise of Chapel's song (in terms of tone, not quality). I think that was the only song in the episode where they did that? It tore my heart out for poor Spock though. 😢

[@Vipre-]

I got pretty strong "oh she's dead" vibes from their last scene also but I like Batel and hope she makes it.

[@sergioaccioly5219]

As I remember, Chapel was engaged to Corby, not married to him. I grok the Klingon position. It's one thing to do something because you want to. It's quite another to be forced into it. Personally, I thought this episode fell short of the mark, but that's ok. They tried and the franchise needs to try new things. My greatest problem is that they can't do it again anytime soon, and THAT is a shame. I really want to see Cristina Chong singing properly - preferably opera. Those few notes she sang in 1x8 (The Elysian Kingdom) gave me more chills than her entire song this episode.

[@silverharloe]

When you said the Klingons shouldn't have considered it such a big deal to sing and not talked about it like a big dishonor, you missed one thing: the songs were all revealing internal and often hidden feelings and motivations. The grave dishonor was probably not the opera itself, but what they sang.

[@Eccentrus]

not to mention it's not the venerable Klingon opera, but a human-derived banality of Klingon pop, which lore-wise makes so much sense

[@meander112]

The people united will never be defeated! ✊

[@17R3W]

19:15 A quote from Vaush somehow gets folded into this strange new worlds review.

[@Parmen0901]

I saw a great interview with the song writers. They were in lock step with the episode writers on character beats. Plus, they had 5 weeks to write the songs, including demoing the cast for their vocal acuity. I love musicals. I was afraid to watch this one. When I did, i cried with joy. Wonderful swing at it, fun and “Wicked”. Given this started as Star Trek CW, this episode tells me they are shooting for the moon. And I like it.

[@johnfielder2064]

As a fan of musicals as a kid, watched all the oldies in B&W when i was a kid, and star trek, a loved its, laughed so hard a cried, so far this series has been great

[@Mike19737]

I SOOOOOOO wanted Klingons to start singing Death Metal but NOPE it was POP! 😂😂

[@stevenmcmullan409]

You know, I've been literally saying since the beginning regarding Spock and Chapel that they were going to tear out our hearts and twist the knife with a smile on their face and a song on their lips. I had no idea how literal that was going to turn out to be.

[@Kels1701e]

What a great episode & what a great voice Cecilia Rose Gooding has. Well written, with quite in depth things happening within the story. Strange New Worlds is simply the best of New Trek.

[@johnhmaloney]

I thought the episode was really fun and I love SNW for being willing to tackle so many genres. I liked Ethan Peck's voice, though I agree that Anson Mount was the weak link vocally. My favorite moment was the bunnies gag in the conference room scene. Seeing them shoutout Once More With Feeling that overtly just made me ecstatic.

[@tommogaz]

they wrote a whole musical episode to retcon kirks knowledge of his son

[@AFringedGentian]

I sang along with you, Jessie, and the musical episode was my absolute favorite SNW!

[@TerenceLight]

I didn’t catch it until I heard the two songs back-to-back listening to the album release; Spock’s “I’m the X” is actually a dark reprise of Chapel’s “I’m Ready” - the same basic melody reworked into a more somber version.

[@ryderlynch2281]

I rather liked this episode, though I will point out that it was Uhura and not Spock that transmitted the music into the subspace anomaly. All of the actors and actresses did well in their vocal performances. I only hope that the songs performed by the cast are included on the Season 2 soundtrack whenever it's released. And I too received a strong sense of bisexuality when Chapel sat between the two female crewpersons. We've known since last season that Chapel was bisexual. In fact, in the episode where it was revealed I definitely saw an on screen chemistry between Chapel and Ortegas. But that was most likely just me. It would have been nice if the producers and writers had pursued it, but it didn't diminish the show that they didn't. As for Ortegas being reduced to her "I fly the ship" line, I can't help that in the past there would have been more time for character development. Past Star Trek shows had 20 to 22 episode seasons on broadcast television to build characters. Nowadays, it's "You have 10 episodes. Deal with it and make it work." Granted, the production values and quality, and expense, have dramatically increased for a show like Star Trek, but one thing I miss about older Trek shows is that extra screen time. Not because it meant more episodes, but because it allowed breathing room for character development. It wasn't always perfect - you mentioned the sex ghost candle episode - but it meant more time with the characters. All that aside, I liked the references here: Chapel's eventual husband, Carol and David Marcus, etc. Sadly I will be out of the country for next week's "Hegemony", but I will definitely watch in when I'm back.

[@jewishautisticnerd3874]

The soundtrack for subspace rhapsody is already out

[@winstonllamas5163]

I'll never look at Klingons the same way again. Who knew? Christina Chong! She can sing, she can act, she's the whole package. And Cecelia Rose!

[@BuckBenny]

Christina Chong has an EP coming out and already has three songs you can listen to. Here is a link her second single with a video about her and Kirk. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp2Vk3idfMZ1lbM

[@pookhahare]

I wanted Klingon opera 😅

[@Donnagata1409]

Yes, there should have been some. We were expecting it!

[@alicewoodcock6327]

i loved the La'an got the obligatory 'I want' song in this musical because it's often the emotional core of the story and obviously her character arc is about becoming emotionally vulnerable as you said. i cracked up at the Klingons at the end of the episode!

[@Words_from_the_Void]

Listen. I didn't know I needed this in my life BUT OH MY GODS! I want the album NOW!!! I already watched it thrise because I wanted to listen to them again and yes, I already started learning the lyrics (caught myself lipsynching in round three xD) Spock sent me places with those bass drops (no matter the quality, the man clearly has range). Uhura also sent me places but with the long high notes (they also gave her a great melody). And rapping boygroup Klingons? K-Pop reinvented XDDD

[@martinrooney5525]

kirk was quite good folks ❤

[@ZoeMalDoran]

I didn't know how much I needed to hear you opening and closing a video by singing "Faith of the Heart". Thank you for being amazing, Jessie 🖖 Now, I haven't seen the episode so I may be well off the mark, but perhaps the Klingons consider the Musical Reality effect to be dishonourable because they're not singing of their own volition? Well, that or they're upset about being forced to sing the wrong genre or something 😉 Oh well. Live long and prosper, Jessie 🖖❤

[@Kolossus03]

I enjoyed pike and spocks singing

[@agathajohannbuenorosa175]

I must confess I even sang along to a feel of the songs on this episode, I just couldn't help myself, never an episode of SNW brought me such a joyous feeling

[@jeffdonnelly7428]

This is why actors should never have a say in production. Worst episode ever! I tuned in for Star Trek and got a terrible episode of glee.

[@newtonewell5172]

20:00 - wait for the "Rocky Horror" episode of SNW. /s

[@kami_in_the_skye]

Yes! Enterprise theme! EDIT: And the full version at the end! You have a lovely singing voice!

[@JeffreySquires]

I took the Klingon dishonor part after the K-Pop cut to be that they are singing songs not in their style. Think Sister Act, you have "Church" music, and this person is trying to do "Pop Church" music.

[@azndemonlord54]

I love how they used the musical as another tool to show us that connection is important.

[@adrenalynn1015]

Jessie! Thank you for serenading us! ❤️‍🔥🤩