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A routine mission to visit a Federation colony goes horribly wrong when the Enterprise discovers that the sinister Gorn have expanded their hostile incursions into Federation territory. This shocking attack comes as Chief Security Officer La’an Noonien-Singh recalls her own traumatic history with the reptilian species; an incident that continues to haunt her years later. And with the Enterprise outnumbered and outgunned, Captain Christopher Pike will have to make desperate decisions if he hopes to lead his crew out of this confrontation alive.
As the Enterprise crew reflects on those that paid the ultimate price in their service to Starfleet on Remembrance Day, the crew is puzzled to find a Federation colony seemingly abandoned, with its communication systems inhibited. Number One decides to personally lead a landing party to investigate, joined by Singh. As the landing party discovers the disturbing signs of a wholesale massacre at the colony, the Enterprise encounters a mysterious spacecraft orbiting the planet, with the crew of the approaching vessel identifying themselves as refugees from the colony.
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As the Enterprise welcomes the surviving refugees onto the ship, Singh realizes that the attackers are the Gorn, noting that she barely survived in her own previous encounter with them. This realization comes too late, as the Gorn take advantage of the Enterprise’s lowered shields to accommodate boarding the refugees to launch a surprise attack on the two starships. The Enterprise sustains heavy damage, with Number One and Chief Engineer Hemmer wounded, while the refugee ship is destroyed in the assault.
Singh advises Pike not to attempt to flee or engage the Gorn directly as the enemy still holds a considerable upper hand against them while pressing the attack. Pike has the Enterprise enter a nearby brown dwarf which will interfere with both the Enterprise and Gorn’s ship systems, helping mitigate the Gorn’s advantage. With the Enterprise’s phasers and shields out, Pike has helmsman Erica Ortegas maneuver the ship over the Gorn to manually drop a photon torpedo on the vessel and destroy it.
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While Pike’s strategy was successful, the Gorn allowed this to learn the Starfleet vessel’s location, with three additional Gorn warships now in active pursuit of the Enterprise. Pike orders the Enterprise to move deeper into the brown dwarf, believing the drastic increase in pressure will affect the Gorn ships faster than his own. After the Gorn lose a ship to the increased pressure, Spock and Singh investigate the immediate area outside the ship in shuttle craft. While piloting the shuttle together, Spock carries out a Vulcan mind meld revealing details about Singh’s past encounter with the Gorn. Afterwards, Spock privately admits to Singh that he is still haunted by the apparent death of his sister, Michael Burnham.
With the two remaining Gorn ships still in pursuit, Pike has Ortegas slingshot the Enterprise around a singularity at the heart of the brown dwarf, successfully accomplishing the maneuver despite the escalating damage to the ship. Having effectively outmaneuvered the Gorn, Pike is confident that Starfleet will be better prepared for any future skirmishes with them, though Singh remains visibly concerned. As the crew picks up the pieces from the harrowing battle, Number One and Hemmer recover from their wounds as Singh faces the future, a little less uncertain of how to face the horrors of the cosmos and no longer alone.
Created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.
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