Destiny Knocks: Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 3 Finale

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds closes the book on its third season with “New Life and New Civilizations.” The season 3 finale serves as a send-off for Marie Batel while tackling themes of destiny, fate, grief, and how we view loss. The stakes are massive, but the narrative feels more personal and introspective. And while there are certainly a few tear-jerking moments, there’s an air of hopefulness to it all.

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Is Our Fate Written in Stone?

Ever since Pike saw his future in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, a good chunk of his arc on Strange New Worlds has been about grappling with the inevitable. Initially, he tries to avoid his fate. Now, he’s slowly learning to accept what will come to pass. What happens to Batel actually forces him to embrace the present and squeeze every second out of life … because the present is a gift. (Get it?)

In “New Life and New Civilizations,” Batel asks Pike if he still believes that their fates are written in stone. This is before Batel discovers her own destiny as the “warden” of the prison on Vadia IX (which is also the corporeal homeworld of the Q, as we learned in “Wedding Bell Blues”). She readily embraces her fate, citing that working in Starfleet doesn’t quite fit her anymore.

The episode is a reminder that we’re constantly evolving. What once fit like two matching puzzle pieces might not feel right for you down the line. Sometimes, your “purpose,” if you believe in that, comes later in life. The season 3 finale sees Batel become the Beholder statue and imprison the Vezda, leaving Pike to grieve in the aftermath.

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In Another Life

Before this, though, Batel and Pike are blessed with an Up-style sequence as they live out the rest of their lives in domestic bliss. It’s a well-crafted scene that carries a lot of emotional weight. The constant knocking on the door serves as a delightful storytelling device and an indication of life changes.

However, the knocks could also serve as a reminder that Pike and Batel’s cozy married life is transient. They’re on borrowed time. There’s an undercurrent of avoidance here, too, as both Pike and Batel almost ignore the knocks on a few occasions in favor of staying with each other. A shooting star also appears multiple times as a nod to this being an alternate life or a vision of sorts. It’s also reminiscent of The Magicians’ “A Life in the Day.”

Pike sees the shooting star in the episode’s final moments after Batel takes her place as the Beholder in perpetuity. He delivers stirring narration about memories being as real as the present. When those we love pass, we often look for signs from them — signs that they’re in some sort of afterlife. It helps us keep them alive. Pike noticing the shooting star and finding his apron in his quarters allow him to keep Batel alive.

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Jim and Spock-o

I’m a Spirk girlie, so I’m always down for more Spock/Kirk scenes. Strange New Worlds has been deftly cultivating their burgeoning friendship for two seasons now. “New Life and New Civilizations” sees them taking the next step in their relationship in the form of the Vulcan mind meld. That’s how you know you’re real friends — you’ve read each other’s thoughts. The scene is a nice bit of levity to break up some of the episode’s heaviness. It’s also much-needed dynamic building, especially since we know these two will serve on the same ship together.

Kirk even urges Spock to call him “Jim.” That’s big, y’all. That’s what you say to a man who saw what you did on Orion’s second moon. (No judgment here.)

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Don’t Call It a Callback

Narratively, “New Life and New Civilizations” is a continuation of the story from “Through the Lens of Time,” season 3 episode 5. It also sees Chris Myers reprise his role of Ensign Gamble/Vezda. Myers is as formidable as ever while bringing the terrifying Vezda to life. From his physicality to his vocal inflections, he plays an ancient, malevolent species well.

Additionally, the outing circles back to Dr. M’Benga and Gamble’s sweet friendship before the Vezda seizes control of Gamble’s body. M’Benga ventures to Skygowan, where the Vezda has amassed quite the following, to confront the latter and put this business behind him. Babs Olusanmokun imbues M’Benga with such nuance and gravitas.

Pike & Batel

Other notable performances include Anson Mount and Melanie Scrofano. Scrofano delivers her show-best work yet for Batel’s swan song. As a long-time Scrofano fan, I’ve always loved how natural her performances are — they look so natural that it seems like she’s not acting. This ability translates into her portrayal of Batel.

Mount is great at conveying what’s between the lines. He does conflicted well. Pike has spent so much time resisting his destiny. It takes Batel’s sacrifice and his life lived with her in the vision for him to truly switch gears. In the vision, Batel and Pike live well into old age, so it’s fascinating that Pike somehow carries that in his gait in the episode’s final minutes, post-vision. This weariness. He remembers it all. I’m curious to see how he handles his grief in season 4.

Whovian Allusions?

Circling back to callbacks (see how I did that?), Scotty participates in his first captain’s table. The others haze him by lying about the dress code, so he shows up in his nicest kilt. It’s a fun callback to Uhura’s first captain’s table in season 1.

This one might be a stretch, so walk with me here. At the captain’s table, Pelia mentions spending time with a time-traveling doctor. The Whovian in me wants it to be a Doctor Who reference. A few episodes ago, in “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,” we can see what appears to be the TARDIS trapped inside the scavengers’ ship with the Enterprise. So, is this the second Who nod in season 3?

On the flip side of that, Doctor Who makes Star Trek canon by mentioning the long-running sci-fi series. The Fifteenth Doctor makes a remark about it to Ruby Sunday in “Space Babies.”

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Good versus Evil

As a franchise, Star Trek loves to explore those morally gray spaces. Of course, there’s a natural predilection for science and logic (LLAP), but it understands the complexities of human beings. Not everything is black and white. However, “New Life and New Civilizations” tackles religion, particularly religious zealots, along with “good” versus “evil.”

The Vezda, who doesn’t have eyes, persuades his followers to remove their eyes, which they do so without question. There’s a “blind leading the blind” element to this, something that should resonate profoundly today. The Vezda is a politician in a way, one who overpromises and will most certainly underdeliver.

Roger Korby mentions that notions of good and evil are intrinsic to religions across time and space, for as long as time and space have existed. Pelia warns that the Vezda is truly demonic. There are bona fide evil beings in the galaxy. The idea of demons in this universe, of “magic,” as it were, feels like the antithesis of science, but perhaps science is really just magic. Strange New Worlds doesn’t really seem to feel strongly one way or the other about good and evil, but it’s in line with this franchise to explore new horizons.

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A New Five-Year Mission

In the season 3 finale, Korby discovers uncharted planets aplenty on Skygowan. There’s enough to explore for a new five-year mission for the U.S.S. Enterprise. So, what new frontiers await our crew for the last two seasons? Hopefully, the Star Trek/Doctor Who crossover I’ve been asking for. Which iteration of our Gallifreyan did Pelia meet, I wonder?

We know there’s a puppet-themed episode coming in season 4. I hope Pike’s hair surpasses Johnny Bravo’s in height. Maybe we’ll continue to explore Ortegas’ Gorn-related trauma. Perhaps we’ll get a Spock/La’an/Kirk love triangle. I mean, Kirk’s expression after La’an leaves does broadcast potential feelings for her. Remember when she told him that she fell in love with the alternate version of him in season 2?

Could we see a Chapel/Korby engagement? We know it’s an inevitability for her. Maybe the introduction of Sulu? (Or they could save him for season 5.)

Regardless, I’m strapped in for more stories in this big, bold universe.

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