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We’re being hunted by the Gorn.

Which – you know – for someone who never watched the Original Series but saw the Gron through Mythbusters as they tried to determine whether or not Kirk’s cannon would work. The idea of the dude in the lizard suit didn’t really scare me.

However, this episode quickly sheds the ridiculousness of that costume for what I assume they wanted the terrifying Gorn to be in the first place.

Even when they’re not shown, they’re down right terrifying.

And I think that’s something they should have utilized in the original. Sometimes, letting the audience make up the terrifying thing while only giving glimpses of the terror is more terrifying than say, a shitty costume.

That does not do what they’re supposed to be justice.

My goodness.

I was like, the Gorn? The odd lizard dude Kirk blew up with a scrounged together canon on a random planet. That I saw in glimpses on an episode of Mythbusters as a child. That one?

Shit, they aren’t scary.

OH MY GOD.

The relentless ships pursing them no matter where they went. Forcing them to keep moving. The fact that they were willing to destroy themselves at the first sign of perceived weakness. The fact that they would just launch a child randomly into space because you happened to survive the death trap of doom.

Which is just code for starve or freeze in space. It’s not really an escape or a reward.

Just another way to die.

They’re terrifying.

Their nests are terrifying.

The fact that they just straight up appear on your planet and just snatch you up without hesitation is just terrible. Poor, La’an. Damn. I would not want to relieve that horror.

On the other hand, at least she was not alone in her memories.

She had Spock.

Which shouldn’t feel like a comfort, but he’s actually ridiculously comforting. I also would like to preface my next statement that I have seen the movies with Chris Pine, but never the Original Series. I have seen clips of Spock and the Original Series through other TV shows as I’ve grown up because Star Trek is part of TV culture and pop culture as a whole.

I have some reference for the other two actors who have played Spock.

However, I think Ethan Peck is just outstanding as Spock.

He somehow manages to feel warm and connected with the people around him. He explains the mind meld to La’an and is there every step of the way through the memory trying to help her.

Like the seemingly cold and logical forward Vulcan shouldn’t really be the person I want holding my hand during terrible crisis but he’s actually oddly the most perfect choice. Such as the episode where he manages to walk Uhura through the problem of deciphering the language while they’re in danger and here with La’an.

He’s actually very good with people.

His logical thinking is actually really helpful.

Especially here.

He doesn’t get scared because he knows that this is just a memory. It might be scary to her, but he is there with her. Every step. At her back. A warm calming presence that isn’t afraid and is able to remind her that this is a memory. It’s not happening anymore. It has passed.

Spock isn’t as cold as he appears.

I didn’t really care for the versions of the characters the movie gave me. I don’t personally think the actor playing Spock in those was bad.

But I do think he failed to convey things that both Ethan Peck and Leonard Nimoy have.

There is a warmth and level of emotion in Spock. Since watching these and reading up on Star Trek, I have discovered that Vulcans are not without emotions. They have them and they are super intense. So intense, they need to control them through a lot of learning, suppression, and use of logic. Otherwise, they would be more like the warlike Romulans.

Who once came from the planet Vulcan. I believe.

They’re related or were at one point.

One chose war, the other logic, and thus they began to differ.

Both Peck and Nimoy convey that Spock is still feeling things and is controlling those emotions. I feel like the other felt like he had no emotions until he randomly exploded over something. Whereas with these two, we can see cracks in Spock.

His sister being mentioned here, cracks his demeanor.

He cuts it off.

It is too much and too close to home for him.

I really love the subtly of that moment. Peck does an amazing job. And fun fact, while I have been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation – reviews for which are on Saturdays – I did not start this series because of it.

I heard there was going to be live action Phantom series. And I wondered who was in the running for the main character and Ethan Peck’s name came up. So I started going through his filmography and this show appeared. As well as all the praise he gets for his work in this role.

I decided to check it out and ended up loving the show so I kept watching. But Ethan Peck brought me here and I really appreciate his work. I do think he would make a fantastic Phantom. However, I understand that he might be committed here.

Regardless, I will be following his career from here on out.

Meanwhile, La’an was probably the character I was most unsure about in the last few episodes. However, this episode completely sucked me into this character.

She’s smart and brilliant and tough. She’s afraid of the Gorn – rightfully so – and yet still manages to push past that fear and do her job.

Which – you know – if she broke down in the corner and was not helpful during this crisis, I would have understood that. I wouldn’t have held it against her.

Because that’s what I wanted to do while watching this episode. It was crazy!

Watching them get hunted. Every move followed. Even as they attempt to escape and use their photon torpedoes in what they believed to be a clever way only to discover the Gorn was hoping they would do that was crazy!

I really wasn’t sure how Pike was going to get everyone out of this.

But as usual, he has a lot of help.

And this is one of the things I love about Star Trek. It’s not about one person, it’s about the ship, and the crew working together for common purpose.

Sure, sometimes one of them gets to be the hero.

But most of the time, it’s a combined effort.

It’s Uhura acting as the hands for the engineer. It’s the people trying to get to them to rescue them. It’s the doctors keeping everyone alive. Pike keeping calm and commanding the ship. Trusting that his crew and people like La’an who have more knowledge and experience than he does with the Gorn.

It’s La’an pushing past a real, debilitating fear with help from Spock.

Opening a memory her brain has kept from her for so long.

Allowing her to trick the Gorn into destroying at least some of themselves.

La’an is something else in this episode and I’m really proud of her for making it through this episode.

Una also proves to be something else as she orders the doctors to give the blood she would need to someone else. Love that M’Benga followed the orders but also helped Una out too.

I really loved that Una was willing to die for her people.

It feels like there’s always a lot of talk about officers having to be ordered to their death. That it’s one of the hardest parts of leadership. We just saw Wesley dealing with part of it on my watch through of Next Generation. That it’s a great fear of his that he would have to make that decision one day.

However, there’s a lot of compassion from the senior officers as well.

They don’t want to order anyone to their death, and they’d trade places if they could.

Here, Una can and tries to.

M’Benga just doesn’t let her.

Also, Nurse Chapel always describes things in the weirdest of ways and I’m here for it. Please never change. In fact, I know she’s playing a different character in this series, but please meet Wynonna Earp. She’d love your descriptions.

Damn.

Overall, another fantastic episode and I love that the show appears to be focusing on each character at a time to give them room to breathe. I love that. And it appears that Spock, is next! So I’m super excited for next episode!

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