Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 4 Review: A Space Adventure Hour

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 4, “A Space Adventure Hour,” is a campy homage to The Original Series, complete with holodeck hijinks. There’s a lot of love injected into this, and it’s evident from the jump. The outing is an amalgam of diverse visual elements, from the classic sci-fi feel/color scheme of The Last Frontier sequences to the ’60s murder-mystery simulation in the holodeck. 

Galaxies, the Last Frontier

Paul Wesley nails his Shatner impression, from his mannerisms and vocal inflections to his facial expressions (that damn squinting). Sure, at times it feels a bit SNL-esque, but once you understand that Maxwell Saint is not supposed to be a good actor, the over-the-top nature of it all makes sense. The satirical take on Shatner’s performance works. 

Other standout performances include Christina Chong. La’an takes center stage in “A Space Adventure Hour,” adopting the persona of Amelia Moon to solve a mystery in a prototype of the franchise-famous holodeck. Chong does a great job of portraying La’an’s growth as a character. This season, we see La’an embracing change and stepping outside her comfort zone. It’s wonderful to watch her flourish as she moves beyond her trauma. We’re seeing more of her personality. 

“A Space Adventure Hour” also takes La’an and Spock’s bond to the next level. Whether they decide to label it remains to be seen. Listen, Chong and Ethan Peck boast an easygoing yet steamy chemistry. It’s undeniable. That said, I’m not a fan of La’an being a rebound. She deserves her own, separate love. 

Art Is Important

This episode is clever commentary on the state of Hollywood and the studio system, particularly the cowardice of these studios and their refusal to take big creative swings. Joanie Gloss’s monologue, delivered beautifully by Celia Rose Gooding, drives this home. It’s a touching love letter to this franchise and its endurance, too. More than that, it touches on the impact of art and its innate ability to heal. 

We see this in action with La’an and her love of the Amelia Moon novels. They helped her cope after being rescued from the Gorn as a child. The aforementioned monologue feels even more relevant now, given the meteoric rise of AI in the industry and beyond. We need art made by people, for people. 

Holo-dilemma

Outside the holodeck, Scotty’s prowess is put to the test with Pelia briefly out of the picture. We haven’t spent much time with this (younger) version of the character yet. Martin Quinn taps into Scotty’s anxiety well, and admittedly, it’s a blast watching him interact with Gooding’s Uhura. “A Space Adventure Hour” addresses Scotty’s own trauma instead of brushing it under the rug. It’s a nice bit of continuity on the writers’ part.

Additionally, both narrative arcs feed seamlessly into each other — the Enterprise and the holodeck shenanigans. While the stakes don’t feel quite as pressing as they should (we know everyone, at least the established characters, survives), the creativity that goes into the holodeck mystery makes for delightful escapism. It isn’t afraid to get silly. 

In that same vein, the actors in the simulation get to stretch their acting wings and showcase their versatility. Anson Mount has a blast portraying a Gene Roddenberry-type figure, while Rebecca Romijn seems to play a Lucille Ball-esque character. Well, only in that Ball is essentially the Mother of Star Trek, and was instrumental in saving TOS from cancellation. Romijn’s holodeck character is a producer of the TOS parody. 

“A Space Adventure Hour” keeps it light and fun for the most part, with a smattering of romance. If there’s one thing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds excels at, it’s deftly balancing its inherent silliness with its thought-provoking, grounded exploration of real-world themes.

In the case of this outing, thank the Koala that Amelia Moon saved the day (even if all that murder sounds the death knell for The Last Frontier). 

Stray Observations: 

• Maxwell Saint attempting the Riker Maneuver in the outtakes is absolutely hilarious. It’s made all the better knowing that Jonathan Frakes directed this episode. 
• Someone needs to take a screenshot of Paul Wesley squinting and make it a meme template. I promise I’ll use it for everything. 
• I love that Jess Bush gets to use her natural accent here. 
• It’s funny that TK Bellows calls Westerns a dying genre when Anson Mount starred in five seasons of Hell on Wheels.
• As a Community fan, it always tickles me that Abed based his Dreamatorium design on the holodeck. 

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.

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