Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations” wraps Season 3 in a way I didn’t suspect. We’ve got the return of a familiar face…or is it all that familiar? We’ve got a new life form, and we’ve found a new civilization. There’s also an extremely Star Trek idea wrapped in an unusual package. There’s a lot to take in, so let’s put a wrap on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations.”
Return of the Vezda
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations” takes us back to the fifth episode of the season, “Through the Lens of Time,” and resurrects Ensign Dana Gamble. That is, his physical body anyway. The Vezda needed a vessel and reconstructed him from backup transporter patterns. Yes, I know it’s a thing Star Trek has done in the past, but it’s frustrating that so much of this happens off-camera and somehow has gone completely unnoticed by our crew. You’d think recreating another human from a transporter pattern would create a bit of a ruckus.
That quibble aside, the Vezda is truly intimidating, and we’ve got some real horror movie vibes happening here. The ritualistic eye-gouging is a trope of the horror genre, but it is no less effective for being a trope. I don’t think I’ve ever watched an episode of Star Trek where I had to look away because I got grossed out before. Well done to the effects department on that, and massive props to Chris Myers as Gamble/the Vezda for his stellar dramatic performance.
The Vezda’s return should have been seeded earlier in the season. The last time we got the impression that perhaps things weren’t done with the Vezda was at the very end of “Through the Lens of Time.” But that’s literally the only hint, and they’re not mentioned again in the following four episodes. Thus, this reveal feels out of nowhere, and honestly, I don’t know what point it serves, other than to provide an elaborate off-ramp for Marie Batel. More on this in a moment.
MORE: Read our Strange New Worlds season 3 reviews—Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4.
Batel’s Battle
Captain Batel makes her exit in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations.” Her exit isn’t entirely unexpected, considering she’s not in Star Trek: The Original Series, but I didn’t expect her to leave in this way. Melanie Scrofano gives an excellent dramatic performance here. Batel’s courage in the face of her destiny is incredible. I failed to notice in “Through the Lens of Time” how the guardian statue looks human. That knowledge is bittersweet and humbling. Could I have the courage to lock myself away for an eternity if it meant protecting not only those I love the most but also the entire universe? It’s a tough pill to swallow. That kind of courage never ceases to inspire me.
I do quibble with the lack of explanation of just how Batel is able to stop the Vezda. Batel goes from having glowing Captain Marvel hands to magically turning into the protector statue. I can accept some mystery, but in a season where so much explanation is missing or hand-waved into place, it’s a bit disappointing. That being said, let’s move on to what does work well in this scene—Batel and Pike’s “cut scene.”
MORE: Check out our Strange New Worlds season 3 reviews— Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, and Episode 9.
Light You Cannot Vanquish
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations” provides some bittersweet closure on the Batel/Pike relationship. What I expected was a big pew-pew battle of Marvel Cinematic Universe proportions. What I got instead is a “cut scene” of the life Pike and Batel could have shared together, and perhaps for Batel’s purposes here, they did share it.
Anniversaries, a child, surviving Pike’s “fate,” watching that child grow up, old age, and finally, the passing of a partner. Was it all real? Was it all in their heads? I think the point is that it doesn’t matter. Batel says she couldn’t face her fate without having lived all of that. When you are standing in a room that allows you to traverse time and space, perhaps this is a universe where Pike and Marie did get to have their happily ever after. And while that may not be the universe we are living in now, it will have to be enough.
The emotional beats of this scene hit just right. Spending your life with the partner you love, raising a family, growing old together, and being with that person until the very end is a gift. Loving the people in your life well, be they a partner, a child, a family member, or a friend, is life’s most important work. As Marie says to the Vezda, “There is light you cannot vanquish. Love is brighter than darkness.” When we choose love over hatred, we cast out darkness. It’s a message that we are in desperate need of now more than ever.
MORE: You’ll want to watch our interviews with Christina Chong, Jess Bush, Ethan Peck, and Babs Olusanmokun!
Final Finale Thoughts
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations” is a mixed bag for me. There’s a good blend of action, gorgeous costuming, and set pieces. All the performances are top-notch. No notes there. There are some nice bits of levity with the Kirk/Spock mind meld, with Scotty getting slightly hazed at his first dinner with the Captain, and Pelia commenting about her year running around with a time-traveling Doctor…though she won’t say Who…
However, the hand-waving of just how the Vezda came back and how Marie was able to defeat them takes me out of the episode. I appreciate the ideas put forth about the unvanquishability of love and facing your fate, or whatever life throws at you, head-on, even if it’s not what you want or expect. Those are ideas fortified with courage, which are desperately needed right now. If folks take away those ideas from the episode, then I’m able to forgive the parts that didn’t work quite as well for me.
MORE: Check out our interviews with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Celia Rose Gooding, and Melissa Navia!
Final Season Three Thoughts
With a few standout exceptions, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 is a very “safe” season. While there are some high points and certainly no complaints about any of the performances given by the cast, Season 3 lacks the courage of Season 2 in many respects. It feels downright tame when compared with season 2. There are some comedy episodes, like “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans,” to stack against “Charades” and “Those Old Scientists,” but they pale in comparison with their season 2 counterparts. About as close as we get to a classic Star Trek message, like what we got in “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” is in “Terrarium.” The former argues for equality and understanding, the latter advocates for peacemaking, understanding, and cooperation.
“What is Starfleet?” asks the philosophical question behind the Federation’s guiding principles, reminding us that principles must not be mere words on a page, but carried in the hearts and minds of those who would govern the Federation. That being said, season 2 is a conga line of straight-up bangers; season 3 feels too cautious and less bold than its predecessor.
Where Will We Boldly Go?
My hope for Seasons 4 and 5 is that we see a return to form. Star Trek has historically and consistently pushed boundaries to show its audience how we can truly be the best of humanity if we advocate for justice, equality, peace, and cooperation. Art has the greatest capacity to shape people’s hearts and minds in this manner. May our art, especially our Star Trek, always remind people to be the change we want to see in the world.
In our current socio-political moment, it is easy to fall into despair, and Star Trek can serve as a healthy escape. I don’t mean this as a pejorative; it is healthy to unplug and escape reality from time to time. The key is to take what we have learned during our recharging period and bring it back to the world around us.
While Season 3 of Strange New Worlds has provided some escapism, it has only rarely pushed the envelope of optimism, justice, and equality in the way that Star Trek has historically done. My hope is that we will course-correct, see some “strange new worlds,” and make Star Trek about the business of boldly going where no show has gone before.
What did you think of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 10 “New Life and New Civilizations”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
All episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are streaming now on Paramount+.
