IR TV Review: STAR TREK - STRANGE NEW WORLDS - EPISODE 10 (“Hegemony”) [Paramount+-S2]
The aspect of loss, even if it is by circumstance, requires perspective. With "Star Trek", especially in this 2nd season of "Strange New Worlds", each action has an equal and opposite reaction. With the season finale of Season 2 in "Hegemony", the instinct is to do a sweeping dramatic structure that will lead into next season (which might be a ways off from being done right now with the current strike). But the reactions after "Subspace Rhapsody", the previous episode, were very interesting in terms of what the writers decided to do and how the fans reacted. But they know where the heart of the fans are but also enough foresight to give them enough of a dynamic to understand that not everything has to work out. However it needs to feel organic. While some situations are a bit much and it is dramatic in a way, it pays off in certain shots and moments. Like with the old Enterprise shot coming out of the museum at the 2nd to last episode of "Picard", there is one shot here that shows approach but also gives scale.
Anson Mount as Captain Pike does understand that all of his crew needs to shine. He understands that as an actor as well. He has a swagger as Pike without being a player. He is not a boy scout like Archer but knows his values and where he stands. Ethan Peck's Spock also knows how to hit the emotional texture of Spock with pitch perfect elements without impacting the brilliance of Nimoy or the different pitch of Quinto. Of couse, like the Temporal Cold Wars in "Enterprise", there is an overarching aspect and underlying storyline that permeates. It is just a question of if it is important enough and moves enough into canon (though this season has proven the writers know how to do this with complex aplomb) to still stay on track. Even though this is not the best episode of the series (the character based ones always are), it does keep the progression moving while setting stakes needing to be achieved. B+
By Tim Wassberg
