Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "The Sehlat That Ate Its Tail." Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
Every new episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a thrill to watch, but lately it's also been a reminder that there are only so many left to go. The series will end with Season 5, though co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman started talking about an upcoming Trek spinoff pitch he has called Star Trek: Year One, which would keep it going. I don't think there's a better case for that happening than the latest episode, which shows how Kirk's early years as Captain make for great television.
Not that I'm sure the entire fanbase needed straightforward convincing of that, but I do know there's been some debate about whether a Kirk-led Enterprise series should get made when the original series (TOS) already exists. I think "The Sehlat That Ate Its Tail" proved there's good reason for this spinoff pitch to see the light of day, with way more stories to tell about Captain Kirk and the Enterprise than what we've seen.
Kirk Is Thrust Into Command Of The Farragut, And It Is Almost A Disaster
When a tech-hungry ship attacks the USS Farragut and takes Captain V'Rel out of commission, First Officer James T. Kirk is then left in charge of the vessel. As luck would have it, the USS Enterprise is close enough to provide assistance. Pike sends over Spock, Chapel, Uhura, Scotty, and La'an to assist with the injured and help get the Farragut up and running well enough to get out of harm's way.
it starts off well enough, with Kirk using his bravado and confidence to issue a plan Scotty tells him is "virtually impossible." It goes well enough at first, but the plan goes haywire and ultimately leaves the Farragut and all injured on board and stranded with their lives in peril. The result rattles Kirk, and suddenly, he's left stammering and unsure of what to do.
Kirk's inability to act gets so bad that the Enterprise crew privately discusses protocol for usurping his command, but Spock decides to try and counsel him. As one might guess, it's no surprise that one of Star Trek's best characters is able to snap Kirk out of his funk, and they end up rescuing the Enterprise and getting the Farragut to safety.
The scavenger ship is destroyed thanks to Kirk's command, but he's left shaken after learning they killed a crew of 7,000 humans running the ship. Captain Pike gives him another pep talk about the consequences of calling the shots as Captain, and Kirk seems relieved to relinquish command back to Captain V'Rel when it's all said and done.
Star Trek's Showrunners Nailed Proving Why A Kirk Spinoff Would Be Compelling Television
We're so used to seeing James T. Kirk be the most confident person in any room, even in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. To see him so shaken and upset after his first taste of acting as captain was truly jarring, but ultimately made for one of the most compelling episodes of Season 3.
I'm Just Now Realizing Something About Star Trek's Latest Announcements That Has Me Concerned
Paul Wesley has told CinemaBlend he would love to star in a Kirk spinoff, and while I had my doubts about that ever happening, co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman has given me hope. He's been actively talking to fans about the idea of Star Trek: Year One, a pitch he has for a spinoff highlighting Kirk's first year as Captain of the USS Enterprise.
Similar to how Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has slowly watched Spock, Chapel, Uhura, M'Benga, and Scotty grow into the idealized versions of themselves seen in TOS, this series would show that continued development along with the work Kirk has to do to become one of the greatest captains Starfleet has ever seen.
Sure, we have TOS, but television in the 1960s wasn't equipped for the type of storytelling it does now. I want to see Kirk's failures, his insecurities, and the wins along the way to coming into his own in the role. I think other Trekkies can agree we're not done with watching shows set in the original era either, so hopefully the new executives at Skydance agree and give this spinoff pitch a green light.
New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stream on Paramount+ on Thursdays. We're officially over the midway point in the season, so here's hoping the rest of the episodes are as great as the first half was.
