The first ever musical in Star Trek history has hit the stage with the penultimate episode of Strange New Worlds‘s second season, and it’s a stunner.
1. This Crew Has Got the Pipes!
This is far from the first time a beloved t.v. series has decided to throw down and make a musical episode (See Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Flash, Community, Fringe, and many more). Thankfully, unlike the majority of those other shows, most of the cast of Strange New Worlds has a singing and stage background and you can really tell. Even some of the main actors who you can tell maybe aren’t as well trained as the standouts, are still really decent. Even one of the most beloved musical episodes of all time, Buffy‘s “Once More, With Feeling” can’t escape the fact that most of that show’s cast simply could not sing very well. And while, like “Subspace Rhapsody,” it is an external entity forcing our characters into song and dance, there are times that it does take away from that episode’s quality. (I fully and truly love that episode and, yes, some of the bad singing does add to the purposeful humor of it, don’t @ me.)
As soon as the first number began this week, I knew we were in for something special. Everyone can carry a tune, either beautifully, or quite well. Maybe that adds to the fantastical side of things, but I don’t care. This was so much fun, and seeing these actors fully throw themselves into it was the cherry on top. This will absolutely be in my regular re-watch rotation. As someone who grew up a fan of musicals and even worked in stage production on them in my teens, the words “musical episode” can still send a cringe down my spine, and I can say with pride and gusto that this episode was great. Mileage may vary for those who usually detest musicals, but I hope they find something fun in this. The writing is outstanding between the plot, the dialogue, and the lyrics. An incredible amount of work went into this.
Having the device of a subspace anomaly causing a supernatural effect that makes the crew of the Enterprise, and then all of Starfleet, and eventually a good half of the Klingon Empire, break out into song is the perfect way to get viewers who aren’t musical fans to at least be on board with the concept that this is a thing being forced up upon them, rather than that we are simply watching these characters perform in a musical version of their world for one episode. Even the reasons for characters to sing at any given moment had to be laid out during a staff meeting.
2. So Much Romance and Heartache
As with any classic musical, there are broken hearts, unrequited romantic feelings, and arguments between lovers strewn about all over the place. What other reason is there to sing?! Yes, the episode is comical and silly, but with all of that comes the pain behind the smile. It is all done incredibly well here and while at times it almost felt too tied to and too indebted to having seen the entire second season, rather than standing completely on its own; it is the character knowledge that gives these moments their power. I had to remind myself of that a few times. It is why we’re here after all. It is why we are sitting down to the ninth episode of season 2 and getting invested in this musical episode.
3. Power Ballads Galore
That’s it. That’s all I’ve got for this one. It’s all power ballads and then a final very standard stage musical number for the finale. It’s all great and while, yes, 98% power ballads, they do range in style and tone throughout the episode, so that’s good.
4. The Science of Song
Watching Uhura and Spock figure out why the anomaly would have reacted in this way, deducing the how and why of who will break into song next, and how to stop this madness before secrets are leaked through song, and eventually the death of Starfleet and half the Klingon Empire is classic Trek science stuff. It’s so fun watching this silly plot get SCIENCED! by two of the best characters to do it. The mixing of it being two beloved characters, now portrayed by two fantastic actors, and the entire idea of it is just a 10/10 joyous moment.
5. Explosive Showstopper
Once our heroes figure out that the only way to put an end to this musical epidemic is to do a ship-wide, full crew absolute show-stopper, we get just that. And it’s so much fun. It basks in its silliness, cheesiness, and absolute romanticism in the best way possible. And the fact that this huge number with its final bow literally causes the subspace anomaly to EXPLODE was just the best punctuation on this raucous moment. This is funny Trek at its best. Silly, tongue-in-cheek, and yet still poignant by the end.
