Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 6 recap: Kirk learns the hardest lesson of leadership

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back for Season 3, allowing Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise to engage in more fantastic missions. They will visit strange new worlds, encounter new dangers, and meet alien races, all while grappling with their individual battles that put them to the test.

This season follows the trend of continuing Star Trek adventures that are both heartfelt and adventurous. Each episode can be watched alone, which builds upon a greater narrative arc, providing space adventure that builds off the canon of Star Trek.

There is the return of characters, including Spock, Uhura, and Scotty, who we have come to know and appreciate, with the increased role of James T. Kirk. Producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have big plans for the future, including a plan for a potential spinoff depicting Kirk's first year as captain.

Episode 6, "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail," marks a significant factor in both the spinoff, as it is Kirk's first mission in command, as well as a pivotal moment in molding the captain he will grow to become.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 6 recap: Kirk's fries command test

In Episode 6 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail," James T. Kirk's first prime timeline command of a starship takes place. Serving as first officer on the USS Farragut, Kirk has wanted to experience a real command before the captain has the energy to do so.

When a large Scavenger ship destroys a planet and badly damages the Farragut - injuring Captain V’Rel, Kirk gets an opportunity when he is put at the helm as acting captain during the arrival of the USS Enterprise, but the Scavenger ship captures it.

Given a damaged ship, a hybrid crew that includes Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and Chapel, Kirk feels the burden of command. Early hesitance causes some tension, but Uhura defends him, while Spock provides insight from a parable on persistence as a Vulcan.

Kirk gains confidence as he works with the crew to create a hair-brained plan that is dangerous - using the Farragut as bait for the Scavenger ship and trapping it. On the captured Enterprise, Commander Pelia uses old-school 20th-century technology to re-establish communications to provide Pike's team an opportunity.

Also Read: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy to stay true to Roddenberry’s ideals, says co-showrunner

Hard lessons and future leadership in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

Later in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 episode, the crew’s concerted action liberates the Enterprise and explodes the Scavenger ship with photon torpedoes. But the victory comes at a cost: the 7,000 beings onboard were actually humans.

They were descended from scientists who fled Earth during World War III, only to evolve into hostile scavengers over generations. In the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, Kirk is struck with the realization that he never treated them like a sentient lifeform during the engagement.

Pike reminds Kirk that feeling empathy is essential, and a captain has to live with the consequences of every action. This episode marks a critical juncture in Kirk’s character, showing him that being in charge is more than the tactical considerations; it is about empathy.

While he has early inklings of a leader by soliciting inputs from his crew, trusting Spock's rationale, and leveraging Scotty's technical talent, Pelia leans into character as she inventively employs 1980s dial-up phones to find a solution and which provided some comic relief during the seriousness of the episode.

Furthermore, it culminates with Pike calling him "Captain Kirk," showing his growth and pointing towards the legendary Starfleet officer that Kirk will eventually become. This way, episode 6 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 comes to an end.

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Also Read: I'm convinced that Star Trek: Discovery's ending was quite underappreciated (despite a visionary approach to extend the franchise)

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