Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 3 Reaction: Episode 9

Star Trek Strange New Worlds 

Season 3 Reaction: Episode 9

Terrarium

An Ortegas episode.  We haven't really had one of these in a while.  The storyline of a crewman on a shuttle crashing and getting the stranded and following them as well as the ship trying to rescue them is very classic Star Trek, while also being a refreshing change at this point in the series.  Love seeing the crew working together, WITHOUT conflict and bickering-something that series like Discovery and Picard had too much of.  Also really liking the idea of Erica after all of her pervious trauma in Hegemony working together and forging an understanding with a Gorn.  Reminds me a little of DS9s "Duet" with Kira and the Cardassian, or TNGs "The Enemy" with Geordi and the Romulan.  The episode definitely gives some real depth to the episode and the character of Ortegas.  Interesting change to see Spock in the captains chair and Pike at the helm.  The twist at the end with the Metrons watching the human and Gorn struggle - wow!  Nice references to the events of TOS "Arena" yet to come (6 years from now).  Also cool effect with the frozen in time transporter beam.  I kinda would have liked to have seen the female Gorn live, but I guess her death was part of the story too (not to mention the canon ramifications...).

Observations: The shuttlecraft has blast shields-is that a Lower Decks reference?  Nice little reference to the USS Constellation from TOS "The Doomsday Machine" and Captain Decker.  Well done with showing us the metron, yet making it so that Erica doesn't remember the meeting, thus not blowing canon all to hell.  

Overall a very good episode.