Strange New Worlds has been having a rough go of it this season. From tonal misfires to episodes that have swung for gimmicks over engaging with the material questions they raise, the show has traded depth for breadth in terms of the sheer variety of spaces it explores. But one thing has become clear over the course of the season that becomes crystal in its penultimate episode: the only time the show is willing to knuckle down and really focus is when it wants to ride on the coattails of the Trek that came before it.

Now this is something that the show has done to great success before—mostly by going beyond that initial step of fawning context in relation to the original season. Its first season finale , “A Quality of Mercy,” nailed a pitch-perfect mirror to one of the all-time

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