Ups & Downs From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.6 - Lost In Translation 

The best part about Kirk meeting Spock was that they bonded over annoyance with Sam. Spock picking up Sam's glass and handing it to a waiter tied in beautifully with the "I will BREAK you" scene last week.

Kirk meeting Uhura for the first time in a bar and NOT hitting on her, but still ending up with a bloody nose was a nice twist on ST 2009.

Did we not catch Spock's little jab about Sam's glass being left on the table? I laughed so hard.

Kirk's promotion to First Officer on the Farragut was upcoming. He was still Lieutenant Kirk in this episode and didn't need to be on the Farragut the whole time.

I like that Paul Wesley is clearly playing the character and not imitating Shatner, or even Pine for that matter. It's refreshing in the same way that Ethan Peck isn't imitating Nimoy or Quinto

The last scenes of just Uhura, kirk, and Spock in the bar... classic

As far as the first officer of the Farragut being on the Enterprise, there was the point where Jim told Sam he wasn't first officer YET, he had to train his replacement for a few months.

Man, Paul Wesley is a prime example of "give it a chance". When he was introduced, and many subsequent times, it just made me roll my eyes. I thought "This guy is NOT cut out for the role of Kirk" and it's amazing how quickly that evolved into "He's not Kirk, but he's damn good at his role" to "Okay, this guy is a great, despite different, version of Kirk". The guy has just grown on me. He's insanely talented and I went from a "cold and irritated" stance to "I love this guy!" To me that's what it means to "Wait and see"

Did anybody else notice how she basically mirrors Nichelle Nichols when she gets a message and she touches her ear? I saw it, and automatically I thought of Nichelle. Those little details are my favorite thing about this show. She's her own Uhura, but she gives us the tiny things we love about the original Uhura.

Can we talk about the fact that they had a crew member suffering from acute auditory and visual hallucinations, and they GAVE HER A GUN and threw her on the search party?? 🤷

That scene with Pike and Uhura at the climax was amazing. I’ve been a business owner/manager for 20 years and I have always maintained that Star Trek is an absolute master class in effective leadership. It’s such a cliche at this point but everything I needed to know about being a good manager I learned from Star Trek. In this scene Pike trusts and empowers his subordinate but also takes responsibility for the ultimate decision. Absolutely perfect.

Pelia isn't just bonding with Uhura when she talks about Hemmer - it's also a character moment for Pelia - she has lost a lot of people. She comes back to this later.

I loved this episode. Kirk pointing out Spock’s chess playing really brought a smile to my face. When La’an called Kirk ‘James’, Pike’s face was priceless. That final shot with Kirk, Uhura and Spock just made me feel all warm inside.

I find it funny how Kirk and Uhura meet in a bar in both timelines, except he actually was hitting on her in the Kelvin Timeline

Did Ramones get the best Red Shirt Death ever? That actually might be a fascinating list: 10 characters, that died in their only episode, but still really affected our main characters and the plot.

I liked how Una called Pelia a “space hippie”. Reminded me of OST meeting space hippies in an episode.

I liked the call back to last week's episode when Spock finishes James' line about Sam "frustrating" as he is picking up his empty glass.

Kirk's observation to Uhura that Spock will be mated in two moves by Chapel, a clear call back to Kirk beating Spock in chess at the beginning of "Where No Man Has Gone Before", and Kirk's line from "Court Martial" that maybe Spock will be able to beat his next Captain at chess.

When I think of Star Trek and discussions of death, I always immediately think of that brief exchange between Kirk and McCoy in "The Search for Spock" after the destruction of the Enterprise. Kirk says: "My God, Bones... What have I done?" and McCoy replies: "What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live." It's just one of those lines that has always stuck with me throughout the years, and it's a perfect summation of Kirk's attitude and approach to being a captain.

Phasers have stun settings! How are you chasing Ramone (someone who is clearly hallucinating, is successfully sabotoging the ship and has done serious harm to multiple crew members) and NOT stunning on sight? Less talking, more stunning!

The conversation between Kirk and Uhura about death was probably the best part of the episode.

"If you want to say it was the C I won't contradict you." That was impossibly sweet and I adore Pelia all the more for it.

How could we not have gotten an 'Up' or a Cetacean Observation about Kirk commenting on Spock's chess game with Chapel!😜

One observation or up about Uhura's character that you would only notice if you know about Black hair care is the fact that she had a wave cap on in the scene where she was in her bed trying to sleep. Uhura has a short hairstyle with waves in it. You get the waves like hers from wearing a wave cap.

I liked that Kirk had that conversation with Uhura about facing death AND that they didn't force a "remember this!" down our throats, but at this point it's less than fifteen years since a teenaged Kirk watched 4,000 people get murdered on Tarsus IV. So he's definitely the right person to be there for her for that sort of talk. I was also afraid that final pan out was going to reveal La'an making sad eyes at Kirk having a good time with Uhura in the bar, and I'm glad it didn't. She's better than that!

I really liked this episode and the different dynamics between characters. I hope Kirk and La’an get that drink at some point.

One little up I'm surprised not to see anyone mention: At the end of the episode, when the decision is made to destroy the refinery, Uhura practically takes command and starts issuing orders to the bridge crew, in particular it's her, not Pike, who gives the command to fire torpedoes. Instead of bringing her up on it, Pike just gives a little nod to the crew to show he agrees with the order and wants it carried out, even though Uhura has no authority to issue it and the crew wouldn't do it just on her say-so, however much they might want to. There's no indication Uhura even notices. Like Spock and the glass, it's another of those tiny character moments SNW does so well.

Kirk: "As Starfleet officers, we face Death every day. Don't let Death win." Me: "Tell me you don't believe in the no-win scenario, without telling me you don't believe in the no-win scenario. Well played, sir. Well played." 🙂

Seeing the trio together at the end was so satisfying.

So. My personal TRELLIUM DOWN...is the fact that they describe this nebula as "special" because it's a stellar nursery. ALL nebulae are stellar nurseries.

This great episode reminded me of Voyagers sixth episode "The Cloud" where they also want to restock their power from a nebula until they discover that the nebula is in fact a life form and they've been hurting them.

Something that I noticed that I hadn't before this episode is how much Dan Jeannotte and Paul Wesley LOOK like they could be brothers. I don't think there could be more perfect casting for those two.

Kirk and Uhura meeting in the bar seems like a callback to their meeting in a bar in the Kelvin timeline.

I think we mainly saw Kirk from the Farragut and no one else because Kirk may have asked his captain to be on the Enterprise so he could see his brother during the mission.

See, I didn’t mind so little Hemmer in this episode. The episode wasn’t about him. It was about Uhura and her pain. He was really only in the episode because the was important to UHURA

I love that right after the cookie scene when they meet up with Sam, you can see and hear him just finishing eating something. James may be the dickish brother, but he's still a brother and probably gave him Nyota's cookie.

Seán Ferrick’s love, enthusiasm and knowledge make these videos a joy to watch. Getting the right level of cheesiness isn’t easy to do, Seán is effortless at it. Live long and present Seán.

I never noticed before, but Uhura's bright green earrings stood out to me. Nichelle wore something similar in TOS.

Another example of how strong this show is. Well acted, good dialog, excellent special effects & giving each of the main characters an episode. Kirk & Spock's meeting was classic.

I think my favorite part was the fact that they didn't go into the trope of the "crazy" person having to defy orders and beat the problem in a way that reveals they were right. She said "Here is the issue" and Pike knows her well enough to know that she can be trusted. It was a lot like in Picard season 3 when he tried to warn Starfleet about the Borg threat and, in spite of the fact that he is a wanted fugitive and believed a possible traitor, he has enough of a reputation that they stop and listen. It was too late then but it's nice to see people listening to those who have proven to be reliable when it matters.

I really loved the first meeting of Kirk and Spock. It made me think about the most important relationships in my life and how none of them started in a way that prepared me for what they would become. You never realize in the moment that you've just met the most important person in your life.

Really looking forward to Mariner and Boimler on the Enterprise.

La'an's interactions with Kirk is why she's my favorite character.

Absolutely best part was the first meeting of Kirk and Spock. Awesome job to the writers.

End of the episode when Kirk, Uhura, and Spock are together, they show a band playing and pan away as if to say we're starting to get the band together. Also, Spock's annoyance of Sam should have been an up! Lastly, this is the only episode that kicked me in the feels with alive Hemmer at the end.

Spock is forever cleaning up after Sam! I love this! I hope they make it an ongoing thing throughout the season.

I loved how Jim Kirk and Uhura, and later with Spock, you get the foreshadowing of The Original Series.

When I was in the army, the rule was if you need medical attention, then yes you must write up the perpetrator even if there is no disciplinary action.

Did anyone else get a faint echo of the two Voyager ‘Equinox’ episodes with that whole “using the aliens as fuel” thing, albeit the former was done intentionally and the latter accidentally?

I actually thrust my arms into the air and cheered when they actually used the Bussard Collectors. Like, they're there, I want to see them more!! lol

I really miss Hemmer, I'm happy that Bruce Horak return to play the character again, even if its briefly. And I'm very happy that Spock and Kirk finally meet, I really thought the episode will end without them meeting each other. I'll be hoping that McCoy, Sulu and Scott will be introduced one by one next season.

the last scene was lovely.. as spock sits with uhura and kirk i just was thinking "yes, the gang starts to get together" :) i hope we see the others soonish..

How did you not up Kirk and Singh’s scene. It’s clear she still has those feelings!

I am sure it has been mentioned before, but I really enjoy the trust Pike has with his crew when they tell him something needs to be done urgently. No questions, he reacts instantly and accepts the urgency and trust his crew’s ability

Kirk helping Uhura through her grief over her family is particularly resonant considering we know what happens to Sam AND we know what Kirk goes through in Wrath of Khan.

There was a very quick mention that James Kirk's promotion to XO (and presumably Lt. Commander) is pending him training his replacement. He hasn't started that job yet. And he's years away from being captain of anything. This version of Jim Kirk has 6-8 years to grow into the officer we saw in S1 TOS. The Great Bird of the Galaxy willing, we'll get an SNW season for every year.

One particular deep cut that could have went into Cetacean Observations is that the actual chess pieces that Chapel and Spock are using match those used in TOS episode Charlie X.

I still can't get over the death of Hemmer. Him smiling at the end of the episode really got me, maybe a bit more than his untimely death last season. :( This episode is awesome, and we witnessed in this episode the first introduction of Kirk with Uhura and Spock together for the first time.

All those mentions of death and not knowing the future of more of our favorite SNW characters has me worried, especially for Ortegas. I hope that her "episode" this season isn't going to be one of those "shine the light on the character that's about to die" episodes.

Spock and CHAPEL play 3D chess, which includes an appearance of a replica of the Ganine Classic chessmen design seen in TOS season 1 (also known as the "honeydipper" chessmen). Also gotta love the camera work on the Chapel/Spock scene. Kirk and Uhura meeting is a more positive parallel to how they met in Star Trek (2009). Some of the music felt like homages to that used during TOS without being the same exact melodies.

You missed how James Kirk kept mentioning the Cookies, then at the very end Sam steals James cookie right as he walked off

Love this series and hope it goes on for years.

This portrayal of Kirk grew on me this episode, The rapport between him and Uhura was cool. Fab episode.

What was a down for me was the fact that Kirk said to Uhura "we have to stop Ramon b4 he hurts anyone else" and wants Uhura to come along whilst she had just been telling herself that it wasn't real. He should have let her stay in sick bay. She wasn't up to it.

I have a minor "down": In Uhura's log, she talks about deuterium, and the fact that it's "basically Starship fuel". I mean, I get that it's for the audience's benefit, but that's like if i wrote in my journal "I had to go get a gallon of gas... that's fuel for my car." It's a REALLY unnatural and awkward thing to say! Still a good ep, though. Can't wait for next week!

I found it funny that Uhura and Kirk meet at a bar in both the prime and kelvin universe. Difference being in the kelvin universe, he actually was hitting on her.

I really liked this episode. I love that we got to see Jim and Sam interact. I want Sam to be a bigger character. He is super interesting, especially now that we know their dad really was first officer on the _Kelvin._ It was great to see Hemmer again. This episode really balanced all of the plots and subplots really well. And the way Kirk and Spock met was really interesting. But I like that it was just two people at a bar. That’s far more realistic than them meeting in something like a shoot out with Klingons. Im glad they resisted that urge to make their meeting super badass and instead it was just sort of mundane.

Season 2 has kicked so much butt. Every episode has been fantastic. Can't wait for next week!

I give Pelia an up for her reference to Hemmer, because Carol Kane also managed to make that moment damn funny.

This was my second favorite episode after the pilot so far. It was really good. Pike is becoming one of my favorite captains. He's an excellent leader who leads by example--firm when he needs to be, but trusts his crew implicitly. He's like the middle ground between Kirk and Picard. It's clear from SNW and Mount's portrayal why Pike goes on to be such a well loved and legendary figure, and why Spock was willing to risk throwing away his career in TOS for him. Uhura's character is also fantastically portrayed. It's clear why she goes on to be not just a support character, but a captain that also becomes something of a legend in that mysterious time between the end of TOS's movies and the beginning of TNG.

This episode was, in the best way possible, very classic TOS meets TNG Trek. I mean, you can describe most of SNW that way, really, but this really felt like it would have been at home with TNG or some of the better TOS episodes.

I really geeked out seeing the bussard collectors actually collecting deuterium. I believe this is the first time in Trek we get to see this yea?

This was a brilliant episode. It shared a lot of similarities with TNG's Night Terrors, but I think that's one of the reasons I really enjoyed it.

So, I have a thought about Kirk and Spock's first meeting. Uhura introduced him as "James" and I really really wish that Kirk replied to Spock "Call me Jim." I was half expecting to hear it! It was nearly a set up and no delivery... Great episode as they all are but that's how that meeting went in my head.

I think this episode is going to sit up there pretty high in my favorites, not just of SNW but of Star Trek as a whole. The performances this week were nothing short of stellar, Celia Rose Gooding is absolutely brilliant as Uhura, I LOVE Carol Kane as Pelia, and Paul Wesley has absolutely grown on me as Jim Kirk. The writing for this episode was extremely well done, especially how they brought Hemmer into it, I was expecting to hear him say "to fix what is broken" at some point, but every bit that we got to see him was great. I also think that the banter back and forth between Una and Pelia was great as well, especially "You're sloppy, you have crumbs on your uniform, when did you get a chance to eat?!" along with Pelia jabbing at Una about "if I had been following your orders we would have never found the sabotage." I want to come back to Paul Wesley as Kirk again in this episode, he has gone from "I don't really care for him as Kirk" in the Season 1 finale, to "Ok I think I actually like him" in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow'", to "I think I would enjoy a TOS reboot with him as Kirk". While he doesn't have Shatner's mannerisms he really does capture the confidence, the swagger, and the competency of Shatner's portrayal. I love that while this episode has pieces that tie into other episodes, it is a stand alone story in and of itself. I think SNW is really showcasing how to have serialized plot lines that are constant throughout the show and weaving that into self contained episodes. They are using the building blocks that Deep Space Nine and Voyager put down in that regard, while weaving in VERY TOS style stories and storytelling. I think I can say, unequivocally, that Strange New Worlds is everything I had originally hoped Discovery would be, this Enterprise and her crew feel new and familiar all at the same time. I really hope that we get more seasons of Strange New Worlds (I know that Season 3 was greenlit, but it already had a delay and now we have the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes) after a successful conclusion of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Pretty sure James Kirk asked for time off to visit Sam, but instead ended up helping Uhura. Thats why he was on the Enterprise this episode.

I love the bit at the end where elements of TOS start forming with Kirk meeting Spock for the first time.

This whole episode reminds me of two TNG episodes... "Night Terrors" and "Hero Worship". In NT, the crew cannot sleep because aliens from another dimension are trying to communicate in a way that disrupts the ability to sleep... just like Uhura couldn't sleep. And it eventually drove the crew insane. Then from the Hero Worship episode. The "light bulb" moment when Data basically "orders" the captain to take an otherwise counter productive action that actually saves them. Honestly surprised Sean didn't pick up on the Night Terrors vibe from this episode. Also a DOWN for me was the fact that they never had Spock mind meld with Uhura so he could see what she saw and confirm that she wasn't insane.

Love this season thus far, the episodes have been extremely amazing this season, and has somehow managed to outdo an already amazing First Season

I laughed so hard at Spock's "Frustrating" as he handed Sam's dirty glass to the waiter to take away!

This episode felt properly 'Star Trek'. A mystery, great character moments and plenty of scifi. I had the exact same feeling that I get when watching TNG, which is a brilliant thing.

the depth of character development in this episode was amazing. love this show

During Kirk's monologue about facing death, I couldn't help but think of Kirk's Kobayashi Maru solution and his own refusal to face death. "I don't believe in a no-win scenario."

I made freaking cookies today because of James T Kirk...Bastard.

I'm gonna need at least one full episode focused on Pelia. As soon as it was announced that Carol Kane was joining the cast, I lost my mind and she's been absolutely fantastic but there just hasn't been enough of her yet!

I absolutely loved this episode so much, it was so well written and the cast especially Celia and Paul were amazing. Celia is an incredible actress just perfect casting to follow the legendary Nichelle Nichols whom we loved so much and still miss in our hearts. To me Paul really became Kirk this episode I saw so many glimpses of the great Captain he will become. His friendship with Uhura was a highlight. The latinum up was perfect I loved that scene so much we got a Kirk speech from the heart. The ending scene with Kirk, Spock and Uhura was a perfect moment. Seeing Hemmer again briefly was lovely but agreed Seán not enough of him. This is such a strong season and Lost in Translation is definitely one of my favorite episodes of Trek. Thank you Seán and Kris for another great ups and downs ❤

I've been watching Star Trek so long that I was a little annoyed at the "We're hurting a life form we don't know about!" storyline. Still, it was fun to watch how they figured it out! Great episode!

I love these character episodes and it is good to see the ship becoming more lively than just a place to work.

This might be shaping up to be the best season of any Start Trek show yet. Superb.

Kirk is on the Enterprise because he has been promoted, but is not yet acting as first officer. He states that he has a couple of months training his replacement.

My one thought during the episode was that they find this crewman from the station suffering from some unknown ailment that drove him to sabotage the station and then become violent attacking crew (and even killing one), then they have Uhura suffering the same symptoms, and just let her wander freely. Should she now have been confined to quarters or to sickbay under guard, just in case the same thing happened to her that happened to the other crewman?

Ok, hang on a minute. Let me get this straight. M’Benga, KIrk, Pike and Uhura are all in sickbay. Something is wrong with a ‘station worker’. He is possessed by ‘something’. The poor fellow lashes out at M’Benga and makes a break for it. Do our main characters call Security? Do they make sure Uhura - who is suffering from the same disease - is secured so she won’t hurt herself or others? No, not quite. They arm Uhura (the other infected person) and they go after the saboteur. Really?

I absolutely LOVED this episode. It was a fantastic dive into these beloved characters' bios, which is something that I think has been sorely lacking from current Star Trek (looking at you, Discovery.)

Nice way to further tie this series to TOS. With the Kirk and La'an scenes, I honestly had Christina Chong's music running in my head. If you haven't heard it yet, you really should - it's damn good.

Loved the very end when Uhura introduces Kirk and Spock and the three of them sit down for a drink together. The start of their bond that will carry them through so many missions together. Legacy characters at their best. Loved it.

Another great episode review Sean. When Kirk and spock shook hands at the end of the episode, you could have just paused it there as we all know where that friendship goes. All we need now is for McCoy to make an appearance at some point which I'm sure he will.

My wife wants this same cast and production team to do essentially TOS s4. Or do additional episodes dovetailed into TOS. This team is just so strong, and they're doing such a great job of building the character relationships.

How did you miss Una's "space hippies" reference - The Way to Eden

Sean, you missed a neat Cetacean Observation....Just as James Kirk meets Uhura, he comments on the fact that Spock was 2 moves away from checkmate but now he's been distracted and he'll have to work harder. Kirk has always been able to occasionally beat Spock at 3D chess with a seemingly illogical approach to play that Spock has never understood. It's nice to see some of James genius at play even if he was only casually observing how someone else was playing 3D chess.

As was said already, JTK wasn't officially the first officer yet and although he may have wanted to see his brother, I feel the dog in him wanted to meet La'An after the call she made and "the drink".