We’ve got a high stakes episode of Star Trek this week! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude” puts our crew in a life and death scenario, but not in the way you might think. There’s an admiral on the bridge, but is he admirable? Jim Kirk gets caught in the crossfire and we’ve got a years old scandal to unravel. Let’s get started with my review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude.”
Admiral or “Badmiral?”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude” gives us one of the biggest guest stars the series has seen yet. Admiral Reegur is played by sci-if legend, Joe Morton! And yes, I do mean Joe Morton the inventor of SkyNet in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. However I know him best, as Henry(?) the mechanic from Eureka. It’s always nice to see Star Trek land some science fiction royalty with their guest stars. Morton gives a killer performance in his role as Reegur. And yes, use of the word “killer” is a choice here.
Reegur enters the ship with prestige due to his war record, and he uses the reverence the crew already has for him to his advantage. Further he freely gives praise to the crew to further cement himself in their good graces.
Removal at Any Cost
However, his increasing demands begin to show the frays in the fabric of his plan. First, stranding the landing party, which includes the Captain and First Officer, to pursue this cloaked ship is suspect, but is somewhat easily brushed off by leaving a comms buoy. But then issuing General Order 24? That’s another thing entirely. It forces our crew, in particular Kirk, to push back against Reegur’s desire to be judge, jury, and executioner for this ship. Reegur is emotionally compromised, and needs to be removed, which reminds me of Kirk’s actions in Star Trek (2009) where he needed to remove Spock from command for the same reason. However, I think Kirk’s methodology for removal is a bit questionable. More on this in a moment.
Do I understand Reegur’s motivation? Absolutely. But his anger and desire for revenge are unbecoming to his position. Considering this and the later reveal about his character, this is a dangerous man to have in any such leadership position.
MORE: Check out our reviews of episode 1, episode 2, and episode 3!
Stick (Up) the Landing (Party)
The landing party is dealing with their own problems in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude.” The set-up here feels a bit contrived. Perhaps the thing that is the most unbelievable about any Star Trek away mission is that the Captain and the first officer would leave the ship at the same time. However, Strange New Worlds would be far from the first Star Trek show to do such things. The distress call the crew is responding to is, of course, a fake. If I may be forgiven for referencing the other Star franchise, as the great philosopher, Admiral Ackbar would say, “It’s a trap!” That being said, it’s interesting to see former Starfleet officers gone rogue. We rarely see this sort of thing in Star Trek. It forces us to ask why someone would leave Starfleet.
Trek Tropes for a New Era
Even if this part of the story feels contrived, it is very satisfying to watch Uhura kicking butt on this unnamed moon. She pulls off a nice bait and switch with the Andorians, which allows them to get the medical supplies needed to save Cadet A’Sha. However, after this mission, it’s A’Sha who is leaving Starfleet. It’s the only logical choice for her.
Even so, I’m not sure if this is the last we’ll see of A’Sha. But if it is, I genuinely don’t understand the function of bringing her into this series. And this isn’t a slight to the actress, Bianca Nugara. Nugara does well with the little she’s given to do, but it feels like she is there only to serve Uhura’s storyline. And while yes, Uhura’s promotion is certainly deserved after her valor in this episode, I wish that they had given A’Sha a more developed storyline rather than just use her only slightly to boost Uhura’s.
MORE: Anson Mount chats being part of Star Trek’s 60th and more, along with Rebecca Romijn and Carol Kane in this roundtable interview!
A Tactical Scandal
Back to Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude.” Chekov’s proverbial cordrazine is in play from the first moment of the show when Kirk gets a dose from M’Benga. Kirk recalls the effects of the drug in higher doses and loads Reegur’s coffee, which heightens his already existing paranoia. However, it’s M’Benga that took the fall for Kirk’s choices. I understand why M’Benga chooses to do it. In his mind, it’s recompense for keeping silent at the behest of Kirk’s father, George. George never said anything about how actually won that battle, because he was concerned about the greater good of Starfleet morale. To paraphrase the great philosopher, Jim Gordon, George Kirk is not the hero we need, but the hero we deserve in that moment.
M’Benga is effectively doing the same thing, taking the fall for Jim Kirk. He sees Jim’s potential and knows that he is willing to make the hard call, even if it means rebelling against a superior officer. He knows from these choices that he will do what is necessary for the good of his crew and for Starfleet. Kirk cares so deeply about acting justly that he will not stop at mere disobedience of an immoral order. He will take the superior officer off the playing field. In this episode, we see shades of the Captain that Kirk will become.
MORE: Watch our interview with Ethan Peck, Christina Chong, and Paul Wesley HERE!
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude” puts before us the choice of “just following orders.” But what happens if those orders violate your own personal ethical and moral code? What happens when those orders seem to violate the organization you work for? “Just following orders” didn’t fly at Nuremberg and if it didn’t fly there, then it absolutely shouldn’t fly here or anywhere else.
With M’Benga choosing to take the fall for Kirk, it’s now put him at odds with Chapel. For someone who doesn’t like to be tied down, she certainly does love the stability of M’Benga’s friendship. It’s difficult to say with complete certainty what exactly is going on here. But as M’Benga knows from his own experiences in “Under the Cloak of War,” a lie, even with the best of intentions, will never truly help anyone.
Finally, what’s going on with Kirk and La’an? La’an puts on the watch, not to dress up for the Admiral’s presence on the bridge, but to have a talking point with Kirk. And Kirk is there seemingly to track her down as well. It’s all very intriguing. We’ll have to keep watching to find out if they will or they won’t.
Overall, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude,” is a very solid episode with a traditional Trek premise. I hope to see more of its like in the future.
MORE: Read our reviews of episode 4, episode 5, episode 6, and episode 7!
What do you think of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 8 “Orders of Magnitude”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will air on September 17, 2026, on Paramount+.
