Strange New Wednesdays - The Broken Circle

0:04 Space the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of Strange New Wednesdays, It's continuing mission to explore episodes of Strange New Worlds, to seek out new information and new discussions, to boldly go where no podcast has gone before. Hello everyone, and welcome to the first episode of Strange New Wednesdays, where we talk everything about the current season of Star Trek Strange New Worlds. Red alert though, please be worn. Spoilers are ahead, so if you haven't seen this latest week's episode, please stop, go watch it and then come back to join us. I am David Burns and with me is Chief Science Officer Wayne Whited. Wayne, welcome, Hello, It's nice to be here again.

1:10 Um. I don't know about being Chief Science Officer, but I have seen most every episode of Star Trek most I have to emphasize that part of it. Yeah, I think I've seen probably most too, so any regardless, we also have Chief of Engineering Scott Hoffman, but he is on an away mission this week and he will be returning to us on the next episode. Hopefully he comes back with some good stories for us. Today we are discussing season two, episode one, the Broken Circle. So Wayne, I know, um, last season. We ended the with Spock having some problems with controlling his emotions. Lanne went on left the ship with the young girl I think her name was ari Anna to basically take her home. And then of course we had Una, who is number one for the Enterprise, the first officer. She um got arrested for being an Illyrian. Illyrian? Is that how you pronounced that? That racist name? You know? I'm not sure. I think you're pretty close to it. Yeah, yeah, you got it. It's really hard to say. For some reason, for me Illyrian, which is basically an outlaw, an outcast for the United Fighters and the Planets, they don't want them in there because I guess they're like, what, genetically modified where they can enhance like their bodies and something like that.

2:36 I believe, yes, that's correct. That's uh to any genetic modifying or are changing is illegal in the Federation ever since the Eugenic Swars with Cohnin and all of his men exactly. Yea, So we basically picked back up. I think it's a couple of weeks later from when season one ended where we're at. The Enterprise is docked at the space station, which I gotta say is one of one of the cool scenes of the opening when that that the camera comes swooping down and then you you get that Yes, I agree. You come around and you see the Enterprise and you get that score. Oh I love that shot. Yes, it was very very impressive shot.

3:17 I think that's supposed to be starbaseed one. I believe it's what they said, which you know, we've never seen before. And it was just a beautiful shot. Beautiful CGII there, it really was. I really enjoyed that. Um. But we've got Um in jail obviously, and then the Enterprise is getting fitted and going back over make sure everything's okay, upgraded and stuff like that, and I think, what half of the crew um is on leave, you know, on shore leave, and one of the weirdest moves I've got to say, Wayne, Um, I know, we get a little bit of Captain Pike um, but you know he talks to Una and then basically leaves. He goes to I guess find a lawyer for her that's going to represent her in court. But this is the first episode of a new season and Captain Pike is a main character. He just leaves. I totally agree. It's just it's a very weird season opener. I'm not going to call it a problem. I didn't have a problem with it because I mean, with this being the first episode, I want to see where it goes. But it's just what we The first episode just didn't feel like a season opener, actually felt like more like a season our episode three, with the next episode feeling more like the season opener it did. I was really confused by that, and I'm like, is he really leaving? And the next thing you know, he's gone, and what now? I will say, you're right, it felt like it was maybe in middle of the season or something like that later on, like you would not an opener of a

4:47 season. But what I did appreciate though, because it gave a chance for some of the other cast members to really shine. Yes, this was this was SPOX episode. There's no doubt about it. This was SPOX episode, Oh no doubt. And I truly truly thought Ethan Peck really shine in his role of Spot in this episode. I when they cast at him, I never thought that we would get another good Spot. But Ethan Peck is doing a fantastic job. He's knocking it out of the part. In my opinion, Oh yeah, he's put a completely new twist to the character. But he's still he's channeling Leonard Nimoy yep um. He's just doing a phenomenal job every every episode that he comes back, every season we've seen him. This this is actually his third season since he was on the second season of Discovery, right, He's just he's improving. He's he's showing a younger version of Spock to the one we're familiar with, one that's still trying to understand and control his emotions, his human side. This is a version of Spot we've never seen before. I agreed, you know, with him finding his emotions and stuff like that. He obviously made some choices and decisions that he would never have made if he wasn't going through that. He was wasn't dealing with his emotions like he was in this episode, because come on, Spock would never decide, hey, let's steal the enterprise. There's no way Spok would have done that before. Oh and and even like what I felt, what I was funny is when Pike told him that he was going to be in charge of the enterprise, and you could just see it. What what this

6:18 This can't be happening, and he's like, you know you're gonna be fine. You're you're in doc. You know everything's fine, You're not going anywhere, you know, everything will be fine. Sure enough, of course stuff happens. But then like the next scene, he was in the doctor's office but dearly with all his stress. I loved that so much. And you know, we're seeing the beginnings of everything that we you know, are familiar with from the original series and from the movies. Um. I liked you mentioned the scene in the the medical office. I love the fact that we saw his the origin of his his his love for music. Well love may not be the right word to use for a vulcan, but the introduction to the music with the vulcan liar, I thought that was that was just cool.

7:06 It was when when they when they introduced the doctor brought that out. I'm like, oh man, look at this, this is awesome. Um. But yeah, but to go beyond that though, Ually what happens in the episode is they have a bunch of technicians or on the ship going over it. So they get this message um from Noon and Singh that you know, a distress signal, basically that you know that she needs some help, and you know, Spock does the logical thing and ask that if they could go help her, and of course Starfled's like, no, you're not going to do that. We can't get involved because apparently where they're going this is a mining planet, I believe, and it's shared by the Federation and the Klingons, Like one month it's the Clingons and the next month is the Federation.

7:53 Was that right? Did I hear that correct? Yeah? No, that that's correct. I'm not sure. I'm always a little confused about the time periods of stuff a star Trek. I'm not sure if it's supposed to fall in like the neutral zone or something. But yeah, you're you're correct, is shared by the by both both the races. Yeah, and then this I believe this month was to cling On because he even says, you know, we'll wait till next month and then when it's our turn, we'll go. But clearly, you know it's this is a distress signal, and the crew of the Enterprise, who this uh thing is their friends, they're freaking out. And then when a Spock makes the decision, you know, we're going to steal the Enterprise, and everybody's like look at him, like, is this is this really happening? Is this spock in charge? And uh? And then comes up one of the best characters that I that I have fallen into love as fast as I did I love and I know she's going to become the new chief of engineering for the enterprise. Uh is it Paulia? I believe it's her name, um who is played by the wonderful and talented Carol Kane. Her introduction Wayne, when she came onto the bridge and like they were venting the you know, they had the red alert going off because they were ing the warp core or whatever it was, and people were leaving the ship. And she wasn't she wasn't fooled. She was smart, she was intelligent. And she walks onto the bridge just calm as calm can be, and everybody's looking her like and this bock even says, should you be uh leaving? And then she goes goes into that conversation, come on, I know what's going on here. You know, you guys are stealing their pride and then she joins them for it. I loved her character

9:24 so much, Wayne, I do too. I Well, Carol Kane's just a phenomenal actress. I've loved her and everything she's done. I was really surprised when they cast her, but but pleasantly surprised her character's fun. Um, I gotta I have to make nitche mention to her accent. That is a very weird accent. But she's playing a new She's playing a new race, of a new alien race. We've never heard of him with theirites. I think it's what it was called. And um, so you know, it's great. She she's putting her twist to the to this new race, creating a new mythology for Star Trek and I you're right. I do see her becoming the engineer of the ship, which you know that the ship needs one they have one. I don't think they have one yet, they don't know they're looking for one. Yeah, yeah, And I can't wait to see her and what they're gonna do. She didn't really appear too much in this episode, but what a couple of scenes, and think two three scenes that she was in. She really made an impact. Oh, she shined.

10:26 I laughed every time she was on screen. I mean her back and forth with Spot there at the end of the episode. I absolutely adored and loved because apparently her race is like lived to be really old, and she apparently spent some time about that. Yeah, like during the twenty first century, didn't she She was living on earth, is what they said. Actually, I think they I think it was a twentieth century, twenty twentieth first century, Yeah, somewhere around that time, around our time actually, So she's been there what two hundred years now, yeah, I think twenty three hundred years. And that's curious. I can't wait to see what they where they go with that and what that brings to the storyline. There's a lot to explore there, and I'm excited to find out, that's for sure.

11:11 So you know, eventually they make it to the mining planet, and of course the Enterprise has to stay hidden. They go down and visit Noon and Sing, and then that's where we start getting into the story of this where you know, nurse Chapel and a doctor Membinga are eventually captured. And what I like about this is because you're starting to see what's going on within this season. I believe we'll get a little bit towards what happens at the end, but we do find out that nurse Chapel and Membinga were in the Klingon War. They had served in that war, so they're kind of freaking out that they're on the edge of it happening again. Yeah, and I really love that. And I'm going to say it right now. I one of my favorite characters of all of Strange New Worlds is Nurse Chapel. I love her character so much. Not only and I'm not just saying she's just she's a beautiful woman, but she's a very talented actress. Um. She brings to the table a lot, and you know, she she when she's on screen, you can tell she's on screens. She's very powerful. She commands the screen and um, she kicks butt in this. Herd and documenting both kick button this because they take that um what's that serum call that magism.

12:26 They're like the extra strength I'm not sure what was called. I'm not sure. Yeah, but um, they take it so that they can basically kick butt with the Klingons to you know, send a message to the Enterprise to warn them of what is going on, because apparently there is someone who is trying to start a new war between the Federation and the Klingons. Which is what we discover here, right, and they have gotten some Starfleet tech, basically a ship hidden in this mind and you know, eventually, you know, it takes off into space because they cling on a bird of Prey had shown up and they basically without a Bird of Prey. Yeah, that was a D seven D seven battle cruise for thing. I know, that's one of my favorite cling On ships. Yes, so it shows up and obviously, you know, the Enterprises stayed hidden. But this faction that is wanting to start a new war between the Klingons and the Federational Planets, um, you know, bring this ship out because it's Starfleet. So the Clingons are clearly going to think Starfleet is here to start a war and they're going to try to destroy this ship and basically start that new war. And then Membinga and um, Nurse Chapel are you know, trying to send a message off to the Enterprise. They say, hey, blow this ship up, which to me way leads into one of the best scenes of the whole episode.

13:46 I don't know about you, but the scene between Nurse Chapel and Membinga when they're in the the Clingons are trying to get to them. They're on that airlock and they know they're looking for suits and there's no suits to get it, so they know that they're gonna have to be sucked out in space and they're not going to live. Basically, you know, that's the scene between the two of them when Membinga looks at her and basically says, we've been through worth and she looks back because no we haven't. And you know, you just see the emotions in the first which is going to lead me back to how talented she is. You could just see that in her eyes, her face that she knew this is it. This is the end of their life right then and there, and you know, I loved it. And they got sucked out into space. And then you go back and Spock is making this decision on the bridge that do I want to blow this ship up?

14:37 Do I want to fire? Because Membinga in chapel, I believe are on that ship. What can but I don't have a choice. He has to make a decision right there, and you see the emotions in ethan Pec's face where he knows he has to make this decision, and he tells him to fire, and when it blows up, and of course we see Chapelman being I get blown out, We'll get sucked out. Um, but uh, that the emotions in spots face where he starts crying when that ship blows up. You get the incredible score right here that is just so powerful. And then they get they then they get the message that uh you know from the suit that men Big and Chapel or with and they quickly you know, you get that swirl effect of them being transported back to the Enterprise. Yeah, that was a very unusual shot. Yeah, I loved it, but I don't think we've ever seen transporting done in that way before. No, And I thought it was so well done. Wayne, And you you're like me, you love a good music score. When it hit really powerful right there when they got warped onto the transporter pad and Spot comes running in and basically trying to do CPR on her telling her don't die, you can't die, and you get that that powerful score it there. Man. I just love that scene so much of that that's it was. It was incredibly powerful.

16:02 I mean, he got the Ethan Peck just just really showing his acting chops. Plus you got the score swirling behind him. It was just such an emotional, powerful scene, probably the strongest for the episode. I completely agree with that. So Wayne, any any favorite moments from this episode. Uh yeah, well we already mentioned the FX at the beginning of Probably I would say the one scene that kind of made me chuckle because it's it kind of brought strange new worlds into the whole continuity of Star Trek, that the whole legacy was Spocks. Well, I don't want to say it that way. His his thing, his his his catchphrase to go to war to bring the the Enterprise out into space. Um, everyone has one. Every every captain has one. Every every captain has a different one. I'm trying to to see what was cards was engaged and burned him? Was let fly?

17:00 Let's fly? Um? And you know we recently had a moment like that in the last episode of Star Trek Picard with the Seven of Nine. But uh, they very sneakily cut off before we actually heard her words. Uh so we got it to hear it and then Spock's uh what he finally decides on just maybe laugh, which it's totally spoke right, It's it's exactly him. Yeah, he looks he has just a little bit of a pride in his his eye, he's he's proud of what he said, but everybody else is like, you know, what the heck it was? That's my favorite favorite part of that episode. What was it? I would like to shift to go now, yes, now, yeah, yeah, had that now at the end and there's not the get a round up. The crew just like looking at each other and just like smiling. Was perfect because I knew, this is Spock. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Yes. I thought that was a great cast scene too, I really did. Um. Another shot that I thought was kind of cool. It was the Marian moment, which I would like to call from Raiders of Lost Arc where land Unan Seeing was drinking with the Klingon and she was trying to drink him under the table when they oh you thought eggs, Yeah she was. That was the Marrion scene from Raiders of the Lost Arc. That's exactly the way I said, is exactly what I thought. So it's like, Okay, I don't know if you were intending that. You probably were, but kudos to you for

18:30 doing that because I loved it. I thought it was pretty cool. That was the first time well we have just recently seen Raiders Went a week or two ago, so that was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw that scene. Yeah, yep, same here. Um. Another thing, another scene that I really enjoyed there was This episode was really good, I thought. Overall, I thought it, you know, with the exception of losing Captain Pipe for pretty much the whole episode, which I again I think it really weird. M Yeah. I liked the fact that the rest of the cast got to shine. I really enjoyed that. But one of the scenes that I thought was fantastic was towards the end when Spok was drinking the blood wine with the with the commander of the Klingons. You know, I just again you see the emotions of Spok, but you see him getting to enjoy a moment um when he's drinking with him, and he wasn't shy about it, you know, and because the Clingons were even like, wow, this is a Vulcan like we've never seen before, you know, and it was it was so so unique, and I just enjoyed it and made me laugh, especially that last shot when he drank again and he was just doing that like like that shouting with him chuckle every time I see that, um so. And then of course we get some more between him and um um Peleia right there, which I thought was really cool too, because that's where we find a little bit more about her race. And she she made that funny line to where um spok asked, her, uh, you know, are you are you actual Lanthite Lantha Knight? And she's like,

20:00 wow, she said, I forget the exact line, but it was like, are you really going to ask me that right now? Just playing around though, of course, But um, you know I overall, so, um, which character do you think shine the most? I already give him mine away because I love Commander Pealely. I thought she's shined the most. But who do you think shine the most? Oh, without a doubt, spot this was his episode. This was you know he I don't remember him. I mean, of course he was one of the central characters in the first season main characters, but I don't think he really had an episode where Ethan Peck could take center stage, center seat and just show exactly what his spot can be. And this, yeah, it may be a weird opening episode for the season, but he's just right off the bat established this is my spot, this is how it's going to be. He just shined in this episode, really really stood up above everyone else. I agree, you're right. This gave Ethan Peck a chance to show his acting chops to to to become the true ownership of SPOK. You're absolutely right, ryaneum if I hadn't showed Peal a spot with my second choice or would have been my first choice if Peally didn't shine as much as I thought she did, but you're right, I would have. Spot was fantastic in this and it gave him the opportunity to be put in a position of command where he hasn't been before.

21:29 But it also got to explore a little bit of a spot that we know that we grew up with with Lennonimoyne and stuff like that. So I thought that was a nice touch. M You know again, I maybe later on in the season, but I guess they can't play around with that because they got a plan. I know they've got a plan for this season. I can't wait to explore that. Um So question for you, Wayne, Yeah, we don't know what it is yet, but exactly if you could be any character in this episode, who would it be in line. Um. Okay, this is gonna be a unusual answer here. Um Captain Pike, Okay, because he left, I don't it's I okay, Well no, actually, yes, that's exactly the reason I'm I'm just not a huge I'm just not a huge fan of the Clingons um and and the Clingons stories.

22:26 I think that when when they show them as a civilization, as a as a planet and whole, they're very interesting. There's a lot I guess it all depends really on the writer of the episode, but there's a lot of differences between them. I've always thought that Star Trek some writers have a problem with showing one sided alien races where they all tend to to act the same way, and the meanytimes they all tend to dress the same way too. And we know from like the nixt generation D Space nine that the Clingons aren't like that, right, And when we show them as a whole, with a whole, as a planets, as a civilization, they're they're fantastic. Um, you know, like like episodes from the next areas like Sins of the Father Reunion. There were some Deep Space and episodes like that too.

23:11 But when you start bringing it down and you start showing just like one a few of them, it kind of they all become like boring and one sided to me. This this is my opinion. I know a lot of people love the Klingons, right, um, but I just I hope, well, I hope that we don't see too much of them and kind of, you know, give a mix of other races, because because the Star Trek universe is huge, it's right, there's so many great races and so many of them that haven't been shown very much, haven't been established, and that's what I want this show to to really do. And I think they are actually I think they're they're planning something with the Gorn, which we've hardly ever seen, and I can't wait to see that. But do you also let me say one thing about the Clingons too that I like, thank you, thank you for bringing back the actual look of the Clingons, amen, what we saw in Discovery. I'm amen. It just this is the cling Ons that we're familiar with all the way back to nineteen seventy nine, and um, I just did not warm up to the Discovery version and I was worried that that's what the version they were going to use. But I guess after having warf Um for the last what forever more five months and seeing him, Yeah, they had decided, you know, it's it's time to go back to the more familiar type of cling ons and I completely agree with that, completely agree with that. Um for Meum, Nurse Chapel, I'm gonna keep going back to a lot and you're gonna notice that throw probably during the podcast for this season. I love her character just so so freaking much.

24:44 But you know, she is amazing, but she got to kick button this episode. You know that the whole shot where she's her face is all bloodied and she's just a badass in this man. I loved her. She was fantastic. Um. But but to forward what you're talking about, Um, you mentioned the gorn because that's how this episode ends. You know, uh, we see the two I'm guessing were the admirals. I believe they were admirals discussing at the end because you know they said, you kind of let Spock off easy about sealing their price and stuff like that, because well, we can't be attacked on two fronts, so it's good that he was able to take care of that. And then it moves in on that map and it shows uh, the battle cruiser Gorn Um. So we clearly know that Gorn's going to be a big element of season two, which I am a static about because one of my favorite episodes from first season was that very scary, creepy Gorn episode. Do you remember that episode where they were one?

25:44 Oh my god, I love that. That's probably the scariest episode I've ever seen of Star Trek. I was on the it was like Aliens. It was so good. Yeah, so I'm excited to get to see the Gorn some more various static I'm sure. Yeah, they've really never I mean those that goes all the way back to the original series and then they only appeared one time. We've hardly ever touched. I think they were appeared on Enterprise at one time. But I'd love to see more about them. Where did they come from? What's their plan? Look like you know, exactly what are they? What are they about? Yeah? Exactly? Well, Um, did you get a chance to take a look at what's coming up on episode two? What are we seeing? I did? I did get to see the trailer. Yes, okay, so I believe the episode is called ad Astra per Asperrio, and I believe I think that's right, and I believe it's about we're gonna get to see Captain Pipe finally, we're gonna see where he disappeared from the crew, and I guess we're gonna get to see him finding that legal assistance for first officer. Who knows what it looks like.

26:41 To me, it looks like it's going to be the straightforward courtroom episode. Uh yeah, they all have it. They all ever, all the Star Trek series have at least one or two courtroom episodes. I mean, and you know, there's nothing wrong with that because with Like You Go back to the Next Generation, Major of the Man is one of the best episodes of the entire series. But you know it, I think we're going to learn something, though I'm curious. I mean we I think we're going to learn something about Number one yep that we never heard of before. I don't think it's all been revealed yet. This storyline may may last a few episodes.

27:21 I'm not sure if it's all contained to one episode or not. But I feel that she's hiding something still that it's beneficial to the storyline, and I'm looking forward to seeing what it is. I mean, you know, I'm looking forward to exploring her character some more in depth because we've not had the opportunity to go there. So you know, I always love a good story, even courtroom drama. I don't mind know them because that's where we get to explore characters and we get to find out what drives them and makes them more important. It makes us feel for them. So I'm looking forward to it for sure. It's the episode that I think we all thought the season was going to open up with. Exactly. Yeah, we thought so too. I think we even mentioned that before we're talking about the podcast, that we thought it was going to open up with the courtroom drama. But we were pleasantly surprised, were we not. Yeah? So, um, Wayne, let's let's talk about what we think are our thoughts and predictions of how the season's going to go. What do you think, Well, it's still too early to tell that what the season's main story is, but um, I mean, obviously Number one is going to be cleared of her charges, or maybe not cleared, but she's going to go back to duty.

28:26 The thing is with this season, and this is what I what I wanted to mention was The writers really have have the work cut out for them, because with season one it was a breath of fresh air for us. You know, we had went through two seasons of what we what I would classify as mediocre Star Trek with the Discovery season three, which started off great and fell flat on its face, and with Picard season two, which was just a disappointment. And then Strange New World Season one came and it was just phenomenal. This was the Star Trek that we were familiar with. It was a home run we've been yes, that we've been craving for many many years now with season two, we it is airing after Picard season three, which was home run out of the park, phenomenal and but just absolutely phenomenal.

29:18 But this series and that are two completely different monsters, and you know, I'm looking forward to seeing what they have coming up this first episode. If they continue on with the quality that we saw in this first episode, I feel that we're in for a great season of Star Trek. I think you're right, man, I'm looking forward to what they're going to explore, and you're right, see stranger in the world with a breath of new fresh air. I mean, we hadn't seen this kind of Star Trek in a long time, and it really felt like it was recapturing the magic of the original Star Trek and Star Trek the next generation and getting to see some of the people we had fallen in love with over the years, and getting to see you had a federation of planets like we used to see them. It was nice to see that again was strange in the world. So and with Pocar season three knocking it out of the damn park, which it did, Um, we're gonna get to see, you know, some of these characters, new characters and old characters getting to explore strange new worlds. You like that and get to get to enjoy some characters because I can't wait to see what's in store for us, Wayne can't wait. All right, well, um open up. Let's open up a channel. Give us your thoughts, predictions and questions on social media, and I would like to end this kind of like this episode did Ford and Schell, who was first through the door and showed us the stars hailing frequencies forever open. If you would like to leave a comment, discuss what's next, or even half suggestions, you can find

30:51 us at www. A film by podcast dot com, a film by podcast at gmail dot com. If filmed by a podcast on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks to everyone. Thank you,