WHY WE LIKE IT: The Star Trek ethos wins out even in these circumstances.
WHY WE DON'T: Some scenes crammed in awkwardly (we miss the limited show lengths of yore).
REVIEW: A comedy episode - fine - but also an ensemble story, despite starting on what seems like a Darem spotlight - the resident A-hole, so one of one hand, he needs it, on the other, he's no one's favorite. Darem's got some very severe parents to deal with, but then, parental problems aren't uncommon (Genesis has a similar drive to his). In fact, she immediately becomes his rival more so than Caleb. She has more discipline than he does and every time he makes a boast, she's right there to take him down a peg. Even when you think they've thrown us a twist by having him win the captainship of the "Calica" team (we don't play Parisses Squares anymore), only to realize no one wants to follow where he leads, or that he doesn't actually have what it takes in terms of discipline or strategy. His impulsive challenge to the War College is made in anger without checking with his team, then leading them into a massacre. He at least has the wherewithal to hand the captaincy over to Genesis (STILL my favorite), and then the grace to apologize and ask her to be HIS captain. Good moments.
That's the heart of the story. The PLOT is the inevitable rivalry between the two schools, especially since they share a lot of the same installations and even some of the more physical courses. The W.C. is, of course, going to be better at combat (which Calica is, so that was dumb of Darem), and they sneer at the more all-around education of the Academy students. In the end, the Starfleet philosophy will prove its worth by showing more imagination and various skills the W.C. cadets don't "waste" time on. Though Chancellor Ake at first seems to be acting a little weirdly, we'll come to understand that she's in on the prank war, and her opposite number at the W.C. - as strict and OCD as she is informal and messy, they are very amusing together - pushed for this war, and once HE'S helped them, she gives her side hints. She cheats less, in my opinion, because her "clues" aren't all that obvious. Kalrec's "yield" is a nice way to let us know the cadets on both sides were put up to it. The one War College cadet who doesn't come off as a jerk is the Betazoid Tarima, there as the typical "will they, won't they" of the show (with Caleb), and we answer the question of why she would enroll in the W.C. (she wants to learn to control the Phoenix Force), though the mystery of her abilities continues to linger.
And since this is all rather silly, the episode leans hard into comedy. The "sport" has cadets wearing goofy mascot suits (a Mugato and and a Lapling from Kivas Fajo's collection in "The Most Toys"), which explains the banners we've been seeing around campus. The rivalry starts with some fun trash talk (my only sports ability, honestly). Jett Reno and Lura Thok aren't just funny, once again, but are apparently in a relationship! Did they imply it in the previous episode and I didn't realize it? Kalrec's "tea fetish" turning out to be more involved than I could have imagined. Ake's warp core p.j.'s. Mocking flowers that repeat everything you say. And the heist vibe they give to the cadets' final prank. Love me a heist. Surprised they didn't get the Doctor in there since he's generally comic relief, but then, NuTrek often makes me feel like the "unlimited" duration make the episodes take breaks to fit in scenes that would normally have been left on the cutting room floor (and this one is no different), so I'm not actually asking for MORE scenes.
LESSON: Puns can be code.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Fun, but necessarily fluffy.
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