“Through the Lens of Time”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds visits an ancient temple containing an evil that may endanger the galaxy.

It’s a reductive yet entirely fair criticism that the show features very few actual strange new worlds. Most episodes take place on previously explored planets, aboard ships, or at Starbases; settings that feel familiar rather than truly alien. The title may be more homage than promise, echoing the iconic monologue, but the issue isn’t just semantic. The show rarely engages with the unknown in a way that challenges its characters’ assumptions or expands their understanding of the universe. In short, it struggles with some of the fundamentals that define Star Trek.

Having an episode that, at least on the surface, returns to the franchise’s core ideals by featuring a genuinely strange new world is more noteworthy than it should be. That kind of premise has become an anomaly in Strange New Worlds, which often sidesteps exploration in favour of character drama or familiar settings. I’ve noted in previous reviews that the show struggles to modernise classic Trek concepts, as seen in the derivative handling of the Holodeck in the previous episode. So whether it can truly put its own stamp on the idea of confronting the unknown remains an open question.

Judging by this episode, the show still can’t deliver on the promise of exploring the unknown. That doesn’t make “Through the Lens of Time” a failure, but it is held back by misplaced focus and a tendency to divert attention from its more compelling elements. One recurring distraction is, as always, relationship drama. Chapel talks to La’an about her casual relationship with Spock in a way that suggests jealousy, despite currently being involved with Roger Corby. La’an questions whether Chapel is the type of woman who can’t stand to see an ex move on, even when she has moved on herself. Chapel insists that isn’t the case and claims to be happy with their arrangement. She expresses a similar sentiment directly to Spock, but the undercurrent of discomfort remains.

Once the relationship drama is cast aside, the episode has a lot to offer. There’s compelling surface-level tension around who gets to make the decisions. Spock, as the ranking Starfleet officer, quotes protocol, while Corby reminds him that he isn’t bound by Starfleet and has no obligation to follow Spock’s orders. Chapel resolves the dispute by pointing out that N’Jal (Ish Morris) should have final say, since they are all guests of the Makroon [sp?]. It would have been easy to fall into the trap of framing Spock and Corby’s disagreement as a romantic rivalry, but instead, it’s a professional conflict that makes sense given their differing roles. Their later conversations, when forced to work together, are similarly grounded in contrasting worldviews and approaches to problem-solving.

The mystery of the temple, built by an ancient civilisation that had mastered dimensional science, is competently handled. In essence, the landing party is caught in an escape room and must solve a series of puzzles to get out. It’s Strange New Worlds doing Indiana Jones, though it leans less heavily on that influence than has become the norm, even if the comparison is obvious and unavoidable. The puzzles are simple but follow clear logic, making them easy to follow. Placing the characters in the same location on different dimensional planes, each holding a piece of the solution, ensures that everyone has something to do. The pairings allow for brief but meaningful conversations that keep each character from fading into the background.

There’s a welcome variance in perspectives. Roger Corby brings a non-Starfleet viewpoint, while Beto, the civilian observer, offers another angle. He’s unaccustomed to danger and understandably terrified by the prospect of dying in an ancient temple. Uhura draws on her experience to calm him, reassuring him that everyone is fully focused on ensuring a safe return to the Enterprise.

As functional as these pairings and conversations are, there’s still very little depth. It’s a positive that no one feels like they’re included just to fill out the numbers, but there were clear opportunities to enrich the dynamics. Spock’s boundless scientific curiosity could have unsettled others who felt the focus should be on survival and escape. La’an’s strategic mindset might have slowed progress by avoiding risks with unfamiliar technology. Beto’s fear could have disrupted the puzzle-solving process. These aren’t exhaustive suggestions, but they illustrate how distinct character traits could have shaped the story more meaningfully. Instead, the script keeps things neat and efficient, but misses the chance to fully utilise the characters in line with who they are.

There’s a loose metaphor at play, with the temple representing the group’s difficulty in working together effectively. Early in the episode, there are disagreements and an undercurrent of tension, largely driven by the relationship drama the writers tend to favour. The temple forces the characters to collaborate, and that teamwork is what ultimately brings them back together. The final challenge is a leap of faith they must take as a unified group. As a thematic through line, it works well enough and pays off within the context of the puzzle-box narrative. However, the initial lack of cohesion feels contrived, which makes the resolution seem hollow.

While the temple forces the landing party to confront their differences and work as a unit, the Enterprise faces a more existential threat. This one challenges not just teamwork, but the very nature of morality and identity. The B-plot focuses on an ancient evil entity hollowing out Ensign Gamble (Chris Meyers) and possessing his body to threaten the crew. His opening log entry, along with M’Benga expressing his fondness for him more than once, is a clear attempt to create emotional investment. It doesn’t work because it’s rushed. Gamble has only appeared once before, so he is barely more developed than the random red-shirted security officer killed in this episode.

The intended emotional impact could only be achieved if Gamble had been a recurring character with recognisable dynamics involving at least some of the crew. Investing in that groundwork would have allowed this moment to land with real weight and contributed to natural worldbuilding. It would have shown the Enterprise as a lived-in workplace where every crew member matters and relationships extend beyond the core cast. Gamble’s death is tragic in a basic sense, because any loss of life is a tragedy, but there’s limited reason to care beyond the factual.

Far more successful is the possessing entity and what it represents. It is impressively eerie to hear it use Gamble’s voice to taunt its victims, tapping into their inner traumas to unnerve them before striking. Its callous disregard for life, shown through stealing Gamble’s body and casually murdering crew members, effectively conveys the malevolence it embodies. The entity is a relentless and unsettling presence that resists any conventional approach to dealing with hostile threats.

Pelia’s visceral, instinctive reaction to an evil older than anything she has ever encountered is particularly noteworthy. Her age becomes an asset in conveying this, as she has lived through centuries and experienced a great deal. Seeing her affected on such a primal level by the threat they face makes the danger feel tangible. Batel’s response adds another layer, rooted in her recent Gorn hybridisation. When confronted with the Gamble entity, she springs into action as if a reptile-brain survival instinct has overridden her rational mind. This adds texture to the threat, showing how it triggers deep, buried instincts in characters uniquely attuned to danger.

It is a strong use of Batel’s medical situation, and her later concern about no longer being fully Human adds weight to the uncertainty surrounding the radical treatments that saved her life. Her uncontrollable reaction to the entity conjures believable fear and grounds the high-concept idea of becoming part reptile in a compelling, character-driven challenge. It becomes a story about adjusting to a new normal after a life-altering medical event. Beneath it all is a question that lingers: is the cost too high, or is this new reality a fair price to pay for survival?

The Gamble entity provokes the beginnings of a meditation on the concept of evil and whether it can exist in a pure form. Pike expresses his belief that good and evil are relative terms, while Pelia counters with unflinching conviction that true evil exists and should be feared. It is an intriguing idea within the context of Star Trek, where tolerance, negotiation, and understanding are core values. Pike consistently embodies Federation ideals, believing that any threat can be reasoned with and that peaceful resolution is always possible. Pelia’s assertion that pure evil exists directly challenges everything Pike stands for, so it is unfortunate that the episode doesn’t confront him with this idea more directly or force him to reckon with it.

Star Trek‘s best stories take an idea and force the characters, along with the audience, to consider it from every angle while challenging their assumptions. Pike being confronted with an entity that wants nothing more than to kill his crew, release others like it, and spread destruction across the galaxy should shake him to his core. It is a direct challenge to one of his foundational beliefs. That kind of realisation should terrify him on a primal level and push him to question everything he has held as unassailable truth. Unfortunately, the episode avoids this by keeping Pike at a distance from the threat, missing another opportunity to dig deeper and explore difficult questions. In short, Strange New Worlds falls short of being Star Trek once again.

It’s all wrapped up a little too easily and left as a problem to be solved at a later date. Scotty traps the entity in the transporter buffer as it’s the closest they have to a dimensional prison and distorted computer graphics suggest that the story isn’t over. Whether this is to be picked up later in the season, in future seasons or never is currently unclear but the resolution is very neat and sweeps any meaningful discussion aside before returning to the day to day.

The episode poses plenty of open questions: Batel’s humanity, the existence of pure evil, and whether some corners of the final frontier are best left unexplored. But given this show’s tendency to drop threads, it’s likely much of this will come to nothing. The enduring frustration is that this show often asks -or at least implies- the big questions, but seems unwilling to wrestle with the answers.

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Verdict

A functional episode with a competent plot that poses compelling questions and gestures towards meaningful ideas, but misplaces its focus, leaving its deeper potential unrealised.

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