Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 1 Review: A Jurassic Choice

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 4, Episode 1, “Valles Marineris,” is a solid springboard for what’s on the narrative horizon. It’s not the show’s strongest outing. Still, it incorporates dinosaurs (which makes the kid in me smile) and Martians living simultaneously 65 million years ago, La’An punching one of said dinosaurs, a new Vulcan (or Romulan?) cadet, and more. 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “Valles Marineris” 

While this series is primarily episodic in nature, it still balances the overarching story elements, such as character development. Losing Batel in the Season 2 finale still weighs heavily on Pike, and thankfully, “Valles Marineris” doesn’t brush his grief under the rug.

We see him trying to avoid feeling those feelings by throwing himself into mission after mission; however, it all catches up to him. His conversation with Commander Cassell is proof positive that it’s a fresh wound for him. Anson Mount conveys this well, as only Pike can — he’s never one for over-the-top displays of emotion, so his pained looks speak louder than words ever could. 

Saffron Burrows has such a compelling on-screen presence, and though I wish we could’ve seen more of her as Cassell, she makes the most of her scenes. The moral dilemma at the core of this story is pure, unadulterated Star Trek, and Burrows’ character is the perfect representation of that. 

A Rock and a Hard Place 

Sure, we get the inherent campiness of classic Trek with the dinosaur plot, but strip away that levity, and you get a tale of monumental, life-altering choices. Pike abides by the Prime Directive (and rules of time travel), even though the Martians technically are outside of that, and allows Cassell to launch an antimatter bomb at the Dol’drm homeworld while ensuring her own destruction as well.

Our Enterprise bridge crew watches an entire planet and a ship explode almost simultaneously, leaving Pike to absorb the gravity of his choice. It’s a profoundly relatable moment. We’ve all trusted our instincts and made the right decision, but that decision can still feel like an albatross around the neck. We have to live with whichever path we take. 

As if that wasn’t enough, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds makes a narrative choice that one could categorize as “boldly going” there. The Enterprise is essentially responsible for the creation of humanity on Earth. By letting Cassell steal from the ship and blow up a planet, they sealed the dinosaurs’ inevitable fate (RIP, dinos), as the debris from that explosion formed the asteroid that wiped them out.

Thinking about this, as trippy as it is, also wrinkles the brain in the best way. Well done, writers. 

In the Now 

Pike’s wrestling with his inner demons, coupled with a gutsy choice that ensured humanity’s survival, allows him to finally let go of the past and the future. The Pike we’ve seen thus far has spent time in both, but rarely has he been present. In the now. This moment of growth for the character feels organic and earned. 

“Valles Marineris” is a fun premiere, filled to the brim with action, spectacle, thought-provoking themes, and a smattering of comedy. Boy, I’ve missed this show. 

Stray Observations: 

• Scotty watching Spock and La’An at the beginning of the episode was so funny. The Engineer sees all; he knows all. 
• So, Pelia was definitely traveling with the Doctor, right? This isn’t the first time the show has referenced Doctor Who, and the latter also referenced Star Trek in Ncuti Gatwa’s first episode a few years ago. It’s all canon, y’all. 
• La’An punches a dinosaur. That’s a sentence that’s probably never been typed out before … until this episode. 
• Watching this story play out and contemplating its ramifications feels like taking an edible — mind-blowing and perhaps a bit too heavy for my pea-sized brain. 
• Pike on a horse just feels right. Takes me back to Anson Mount’s Hell on Wheels days. 
• Martians on Mars during the prehistoric era? It feels very Battlestar Galactica-esque. 
• Curious about La’An’s augmented DNA coming into play. Is she a superhuman now? 

---

What did you think of this episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

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

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!