Chris Connor reviews the eighth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3…
While Strange New Worlds, like much of Star Trek has often been built around self-contained stories, there are overarching plot threads, and ‘Four-and-a-Half Vulcans’ is a sequel of sorts to the season 2 episode ‘Charades‘. That episode saw Spock become fully human leading to all sorts of chaos, and in the case of this episode several of the crew – Pike, Chapel, Uhura and La’An – become fully Vulcan for a mission, and while it is a success, the quartet have issues turning back.
As with the previous story, this lends itself to all sorts of comedy with the cast clearly revelling in the new elements the changes bring to the characters and how they differ both in small and significant ways to their usual selves. They’re more forthright and perceptive, enjoying their newfound intellect and abilities.
The whole cast brings a real comedic value to the fore, in what is one of the most fun episodes of the show to date and one of the funniest. The chemistry of the crew has always been one of the shows strengths and the interplay here is a particular delight. What could on paper be a gimmick does still manage to push forward the arcs of the series as a whole with relationships challenged by the transformations and lasting friendships formed as a result of the incident.
With just two episodes remaining there are a few loose ends for Strange New Worlds’ third season to resolve; however ‘Four-and-a-Half Vulcans’ is another strong entry that makes the most of the unusual situation the crew find themselves in, allowing the cast to play completely different versions of the characters. It is a reflection of how different Human and Vulcan cultures are and the value of the crew in their main guise.
‘Four-and-a-Half Vulcans’ is one of the most hilarious entries of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to date, with plenty of surprises up its sleeve, and as is often the case with the show, even seemingly throwaway plots have a deeper meaning.
Chris Connor
