Posted in: Review, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Anson Mount, Christina Chong, Melanie Scrofano, paramount, Rebecca Romijn, Review, star trek, strange new worlds, yetide badaki

Strange New Worlds S02E02 Review: Ms. Chin-Riley Goes to Washington

Rebecca Romijn and Yetide Badaki shine in the compelling courtroom drama that was Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S02E02 "Ad Astra Per Aspera."

Published Fri, 23 Jun 2023 07:37:15 -0500

by Tom Chang

Last updated Fri, 23 Jun 2023 08:36:16 -0500

Comments

Not that Star Trek hasn't gone there before, but unless you've lived under a rock, the franchise tends to transcend beyond being just a "traditional sci-fi show." The theme/style of this week for Paramount+'s Strange New Worlds is a courtroom drama in the episode "Ad Astra Per Aspera," which puts Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) on trial for hiding her origins as an Illyrian, which violates Federation laws for genetically engineered beings. If you're looking for some glorious space adventure of the week, then you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for some seriously gripping courtroom drama with some stellar performances spearheaded by Romijn & some very familiar faces, then this one was definitely a keeper. The following contains minor spoilers, so consider this a fair warning.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Legal Prize Fight

What comes as the biggest surprise is that neither lead council is a crew member as Pike (Anson Mount) travels to recruit a former colleague of his Number One in Illyrian civil rights attorney Neera Ketoul (Yetide Badaki from American Gods). Meanwhile, prosecuting the case is Pike's girlfriend, Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano). The cases presented tie into the lore that helped define the franchise, as we heard several times before as Federation laws tie to the infamous Eugenics Wars. Seeing Badaki and Scrofano spar back and forth allows them to shine where the cast takes more auxiliary roles – with Adrian Holmes' Admiral Robert April returning for the trial.

Strange New Worlds S02E02 Review: Ms. Chin-Riley Goes to Washington — Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/Paramount+

There's not much to deduce when it comes to the episode's predictability, but as any fan of a procedural, it's always been about the journey, especially when it challenges the ethics of the foundations of the Star Trek franchise. Written by Dana Horgan (Supergirl, Once Upon a Time) and directed by Valerie Weiss (Outer Banks, Monarch), "Ad Astra Per Aspera" is nuanced about how the franchise confronts prejudice from unexpected places with exemplary performances, especially from Badaki, Ethan Peck, Mount, Romijn, and Christina Chong. It's a testament to how powerful the storytelling of Strange New Worlds is when it doesn't lose momentum when it crosses into a different genre. If Star Trek can pull off the courtroom drama this well, I wouldn't mind Dick Wolf making a spinoff called Law & Order: Starfleet with Badaki fronting the series (okay, maybe I'm joking about the Wolf part, but definitely not about the Badaki part).

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 2 "Ad Astra Per Aspera"

Review by Tom Chang

9/10

Not that Star Trek hasn’t gone there before, but unless you’ve lived under a rock, the franchise tends to transcend beyond being just a "traditional sci-fi show." The theme/style of this week for Paramount+'s Strange New Worlds is a courtroom drama in the episode “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” which puts Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) on trial for hiding her origins as an Illyrian, which violates Federation laws for genetically engineered beings. If you’re looking for some glorious space adventure of the week, then you’ll be disappointed. But if you're looking for some seriously gripping courtroom drama with some stellar performances spearheaded by Romijn & some very familiar faces, then this one was definitely a keeper.

Credits

Director

Dana Horgan

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