WHY WE LIKE IT: Pike's Enterprise is back! YES!
WHY WE DON'T: Gilbert and Sullivan is such a science-fiction cliche.
REVIEW: If we can't have a Pike's Enterprise series right away, we can at least have some Short Treks featuring the recast crew that charmed the pants off us in Discovery's second season. Surprisingly, Q&A takes place on the day Spock first comes aboard, which causes a tiny continuity problem. Though they think of giving Number One longer hair, the uniforms don't match The Cage, and were in fact called "new" when Pike came aboard Discovery. But who cares!
There's no plot per se here. Young Spock and Number One are trapped in a turbolift and the latter almost comes to regret having told her new science officer it was his duty to ask as many questions as he could. In this extended conversation made longer by dissolves, the two "computer brains" of the Enterprise will discover they are, in many ways, kindred spirits. There's even some romantic chemistry between them, which I like to imagine is a reference to Majel Barrett having originated the role, and then following up with Nurse Chapel. Part of me wishes we'd finally gotten (canonical) answers as to what Number One IS, and why she goes by that title rather than her name. Another part of me likes that the mystery is maintained (hey, perhaps for a series in the future some time, I can dream). She does reveal one secret, and it's that she's a fan of musicals. Well, ok. Gilbert and Sullivan is a natural for characters who serve in a kind of navy, but I'm still sore about their use in Nemesis. It's a silly moment, just okay. What's more interesting is what isn't pointedly said: That Number One puts on a cold, no-nonsense front to protect her command ambitions.
She tells Spock to do the same. This "smiling Vulcan" might be off-putting otherwise. There's something poignant about Spock being told, by a friend, to keep his "freaky" in check. From The Cage, we know he won't always be able to do so. From TOS, we know he eventually does. And from Q&A, we know he finds it painful. Michael Chabon's writing is strong, no surprise there. The direction is quite nice too, though I perhaps arched an eyebrow at the turbolift flying through large empty spaces.
Pike shows up at the end and that scene's great too. Spock telling him being "at ease" isn't his strong suit, with immediate understanding. Number One making like she has to check Spock's name on a manifest and Pike giving her the side-eye like he knows exactly what's going on. Vulcans being entirely capable of awe without showing it (they are very fascinated, as a species, after all). And Spock settling into the model we know so well without a few minutes of his re-introduction. Lovely.
LESSON: Be careful what you tell a Vulcan.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium-High: I could do without the singing, but a small complaint. This Short Trek is full of great lines and moments and makes me hungry for more from this crew.
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