The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail

I was super happy to have an episode that really feels like Star Trek. We had an actual adventure! They also managed to still have the Strange New Worlds quirkiness in there too, so I'd vote this episode as one of their best efforts. Fingers crossed that they can hold this course for the remainder of the season. It's been a rocky road, but now I've got some hope.

For me, this is the best episode since Season 1's A Quality of Mercy, and the only episode of Season 3 I've felt compelled to watch twice. Simply put, this felt like Star Trek - a fun, multilayered adventure with a clever twist and a timely reminder that we're not so different from our enemies.

Interestingly, my two favourite Strange New Worlds episodes so far both feature Kirk, even though I'd much rather the writers focus on Pike, Una, and the crew. I don't mind the slow build of Kirk's world, but it shouldn't come at the expense of Pike and Una, who seem noticeably under-utilised this season.

I'm still not a huge fan of Pelia, but her rummaging through antiques and rewiring the Enterprise had the charm of the quirky, lighthearted moments we used to see in The Next Generation.

The resolution to this week's problem (and the episode's title) was once again a little unsatisfying - it prompted a "wait, what?" and rewind moment just to decipher what had happened. Kirk also went from being lost to suddenly having all the answers in a manner that felt unearned. And what was with the enemy ship's jaws and teeth? Still, these were minor missteps in what was otherwise a great episode.

I imagine writing Strange New Worlds isn't easy, with the constraints of canon, timelines, and the sheer number of prior plots - not to mention the harshness of a vocal minority who, somewhat ironically, seem to keep their phasers permanently set to kill. But when the show remembers its roots - hopeful, character-driven science fiction - it really shines. More of this, and less gimmickry, please.

How did Caption Kirk become the Captain loved in TOS?

This episode goes a long way in explaining that. Kirk isn't just some brash young Captain in today's Star Trek and he's already way more mature than the character we observed in the 1960s.

I loved this episode and personally I think that if today's cast redid an old episode some folks would still say it is horrible writing.

Personally, I would ignore every bad review bc in my world, my make believe, space flying, sci-fi loving world.., there is no such thing as a bad episode of Star Trek! And I also know that if you are a Trekkie, yeah, I know you agree!

An episode like this was needed. Not that S3 has been bad, actually the contrary and that's my point. They needed an episode as fantastic as this to really put a spotlight on how absolutely embarrassing it must be for the haters of this show to whine week in and week out. The very first user review on here of this weeks episode was a 3/10 whining about Paul Wesley as Kirk.

Just admit you don't actually watch the show and spare us having to weed through your objective lies and culture war nonsense.

The Sehlat that Ate It's Tail tells the story of Kirk's first big mission in a captain's chair and cleverly gives all his future TOS friends something to do alongside him. Wesley is fantastic in the episode, the special effects and dread level of this weeks alien problem are absolutely top notch. Spock felt the most like Spock he's ever felt in this series. The character work earns every single beat, and everyone has something interesting to do. This episode was so good I'm shocked that it was only the 6th episode. It has "season finale" levels of suspense oozing from every level of its production, and the ending is very Trekkian and has something important to say about the human condition.

If they thought an episode was a better one to end the season than this, I can't wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds. Easily a top episode of SNW.

Two good episodes in a row, for the first time since "Those Old Scientists" and "Under the Cloak of War" in season 2.

A real recommendation for a Pre-TOS series. Strong interactions between the cast, familiar dynamics, it was just really fun.

At the same time, however, the other half of the episode was entertaining and intellectually and morally challenging. The concept presented to us, the casual genre mix, and a big question that makes you think back to Voyager-the episode demands a lot, but it also shows a lot and gives a lot back. A little uneven in places, but the questions remain at the end, and that's a good thing.