What Is Starfleet?

I'm not sure why there is often a compulsion to create documentary-style episodes on fiction shows, but they always fall flat. This is no different. The questions asked by the interviewer are so juvenile and offensive that it's hard to tell if it's a consequence of bad writing, or intentional to display his ignorance. The questions the crew put up with wouldn't have been tolerated in any reality. The amount of stuff that was "declassified" that would not have been was silly. I would've rated it higher if the premise had been a documentary that Starfleet refused to release.

The moral ambiguity that was the main theme with the episode was this episode's redeeming quality.

I'll say this about this episode: it's clever and unusual to do a faux-documentary about Starfleet (can't recall that this has ever been done before) and critiquing the militaristic aspect of Starfleet does address a longstanding controversy: are Starfleet officers explorers or warriors?

Trouble is, there isn't much to this critique. If you want to explore, you will run into surly aliens who will shoot at you. Case closed.

The ending of this episode slammed right into a different and more interesting critique, right under the writers' nose: Starfleet is a bunch of moralizing prigs who get themselves into trouble by steamrolling over alien cultures who don't live up to their lofty standards.

The original series wasn't guilty of this too much but it's been in evidence from TNG onwards. Remember all the obviously-wrong aliens that Picard lectured and then flew away? Remember how the Federation used the Bajoran wormhole to colonize what turned out to be Dominion space and then rather than just sensibly retreat, decided to fight about it?

No wonder Starfleet officers have to be warriors with that kind of high-handed attitude. They can get away with it because they have a big alliance and a lot of firepower. That doesn't make them right or smart.

What's going to happen the next time the Federation want something from the Lutani? They're going to get a cold shoulder, that's for sure. Maybe they'll become allies with the Klingons.

I was waiting for some kind of rationale why Starfleet was even getting involved in somebody else's war. I figured they didn't want the combatants to ally with the Klingons or they had a moon made of dilithium or something.

A little more detail about the warring sides, and how desperate each might be, would be warranted. If the Lutani were battling for survival, that puts a different spin on their moral ambiguity and makes Starfleet look like a bunch of jerks.

Someday maybe Star Trek writers will develop more self-awareness in their writing. It's pretty unsophisticated and surface-level right now.

While I liked the episode the screenwriters of season 3 seem determined to create some of the most annoying characters of star trek since Discovery. I spend most of the episode wishing to take Beto and the wannabe Indiana Jones to the nearest air lock and flush them. So far season 3 is well below the first two season thanks to poor writing.

Strange New Worlds employs another gimmick. It is the documentary episode but at times it seems more like found footage.

Beto Ortegas is the director and angry at Starfleet. He does not see Starfleet as a benevolent peaceful organisation. Beto is also angry at them for taking his sister Erica away.

Captain Pike is on a top secret mission in a war between the the Lutani and the Kasar, where the Lutani ha suffered massive casualties.

There is an ethical dilemma as Pike learns that the Lutani are using a lifeform called the Jikaru as a weapon, against its will.

The documentary aspect is too gimmicky although Beto scepticism is worth exploring. The new Star Trek series is not shy about exploring the dark side of Starfleet.

The attempts to communicate with the Jikaru and its aftermath redeemed the episode somewhat.

TV shows need to stop doing this. It's the lowest rated episode every season when The Rookie does it. It's gonna be the lowest rated episode for this season. Stop doing documentaries of your characters in TV shows. It's really stupid. Such a waste of an episode. The only thing you can say that's good about this episode is that it's visually stunning, looks great.