Chris Connor reviews the ninth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has tinkered with the Star Trek formula across its two seasons, with an episode where a storybook comes to life, several alternate reality based storylines and a comedic crossover with Lower Decks. Perhaps the most radical departure yet is a full blown musical that oddly enough succeeds at exploring some of the core emotional beats from across the two seasons, developing a number of central relationships and driving the narrative forward, all while acting as a musical interlude that could quite easily be dismissed as a throwaway gimmick.
The scenario arises after Uhura and some of the crew listen to the old Jazz standard Anything Goes, creating an improbability field where the Enterprise crew spontaneously start singing about their emotions. This seems to mirror the events of a musical. Rather than make light of what is a seemingly preposterous plotline, all involved double down on the story-beats and how to integrate this into the overarching themes and narratives of the season.
Spock learning of Nurse Chapel’s research fellowship and La’an and Kirk’s relationship are addressed through the medium of song but handled in a way that feels natural and handles the difficult nature of both sets of relationships that have been lurking in the background across the season, in a sensitive and fun manner. It helps that the cast have clearly put their heart and soul into performing the songs and the associated choreography making them hugely entertaining and not awful musical numbers meaning their subtext for each of the crew doesn’t suffer.
It is another hugely inventive episode that is the latest in a long line for this particular stretch of the Trek universe and the most ensemble episode of the season to date. While this means we get closure or further developments for a number of sub plots, the only slight drawback is a more limited amount of screentime for Anson Mount and his compelling work as Christopher Pike, something that will hopefully be addressed in the in-development third season.
‘Subspace Rhapsody’ is a terrific musical episode of Star Trek and far from being a betrayal of Trek or a departure too far, feels wholly at home in the more expansive and experimental second season of the show. What could quite easily have been a horrid misfire, excels due to its performances and the commitment of the crew to make this radical experiment, live up to its maximum potential. Fans will no doubt wait with anticipation for what the next genre episode might be and how this stellar series will wrap up with its finale.
Chris Connor
Originally published August 3, 2023. Updated August 4, 2023.
