Anika and Liz don their finest cloaks, hoods and masks and beam down to a planet we’ve seen a few times before to find Anisha Mir and discuss the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s second season, “300th Night”.
- We know the second semester goes by fast, but this is ridiculous!
- Caleb Did Nothing Wrong
- Genesis is wrong about Caleb, but in an understandable way
- Sam 2.0 is a little more complicated, and that’s a good thing!
- The following actors are underrated: Sandro Rosta, Tig Notaro. That is all
- Lura hasn’t been around much in the second half of the season, and obviously the role requires heavy make-up and discomfort … so PROPOSAL: Lura Thok Animated Series
- The trip to Planet Star Wars hits a lot of racist alien planet tropes AND features lazy costuming (after we recorded, we learned from Avery Plewes’ Insta that her costume plans were impacted by the FedEx strike and she had to improvise, so, um, sorry, Avery!)
- Venari Ral Toastmasters
- “You’re music.” Caleb can break up with us ANY day
- Nahla/Anisha (enemies to lovers, slow burn, co-parenting, hate sex, there was only one Caleb)
Transcript
(Please note this transcript was generated automatically by Apple Podcasts, and though it was edited by a human, some errors may remain.)
Anika: Welcome to Antimatter Pod, a Star Trek podcast where we discuss fashion, feminism, subtext and subspace hosted by Anika and Liz. Today, we’re discussing Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, “300th Night.”
Liz: I can’t believe that it’s the end of the academic year already.
Anika: I know, it came quickly.
Liz: They say the second semester really flies, but I think this is a bit ridiculous.
Anika: I will say that the second semester does in fact fly. And it’s funny – Anika’s Academia Corner – it is true that the time from post spring break, like the first week back to commencement, is a freight train to the end. It is always a speeding bullet right there. So it’s kind of funny that they were just like, we’re gonna have one episode. And it’s like, okay, you know, I guess they were trying to give us all that feeling of I am rushed and out of control because that’s what happens.
Liz: I mean, I guess, but this is where I started to think Star Trek: Starfleet Academy needed a minimum 12 episode season, and I think more like 15 episodes.
Anika: Yeah, I do think last week’s episode was perfect. And as you said, it was a perfect bottle episode. But I do think that if we had an episode or two on either side or two after that, that was a really great place. And I want to see how Sam gets from there to here. I think she’s the one who was the most…
And Tarima too, because Tarima’s completely now assimilated into Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and has her own friends. They’re not the people we know. So it feels like a lot happened in the post credits of last episode. And it’s so, it was shocking.
Liz: I’ve been thinking about it. I think what we need at the very least is a second Calica episode, because we went through all of this stuff of making the team and learning to play and all of that.
Anika: Yeah.
Liz: And who are they playing against? Who is winning the matches? What is the league like? Is it an inter-university thing? Yeah. And how does Sam integrate with the team, now she is sort of a different person? And what about Tarima, who was on the War Academy team? And does she still play for them or has she lost her place?
I just feel like we could have a classic school story sports chapter where someone is injured and Tarima has to step in to play against MIT or Harvard or whatever.
Anika: And that would be that bridge of Tarima is making friends and Sam is having groin pains that we’re sort of presented with instead of seeing. And also the way that Caleb plays with his hoodie. There’s a lot of stuff that he’s doing with his hands and his micro expressions in this episode that I also think we could have teased out a little bit more.
Liz: Yeah, I think the actors have done a really good job of conveying that time has passed and they’ve gone through character development, but what if that character development was on screen? We’ve spent so much time with Darem and a lot of time with Jay-Den, but I almost feel like Caleb got lost in the mix a bit there. And so it’s suddenly like, oh yeah, his mom.
Anika: I think the issue is that Caleb had become a supporting character. And I’m not opposed to that. I want it to be an ensemble piece. But because the season is bookended with a very personal story for Caleb, we do need to see, even if it’s just him continuing to, as we learn in this episode about all the ways that he and Nahle have been looking for her.
And again, we’re sort of presented with it instead of ever, it was introduced in the beginning. And now it’s these are all the things we’ve been doing. And it’s like, cool. And I mean, I understand that we needed to wait for Sam to have her Eureka moment for him in order for that to work. But I still think we could have had a little bit more build up.
Liz: Caleb has certainly been a presence through the whole season, but a lot of it has been about his romantic stuff. And I feel like losing his mother is in the subtext of all of that, that he has trouble connecting and reaching out to people because of that loss. But I wish we had more about specifically losing Anisha than just his pestering Nahle about it before everyone goes on spring break.
Anika: I also think, and I know that, I know this is just me and my Nus Braka obsession, but I think that if in those scenes…
Liz: Anti-obsession, more like.
Anika: In the scenes with Nahle and Nus Braka in that episode, if Anisha had been mentioned there too, it was, again, it was implied that she lost her son and then she took a son away from another mother, but it could have been actually text, and that would have been another bridge between the beginning and the end, because it’s like, hey, remember Anisha exists? And she was like, yeah, yeah, apart, like I am part of that story too.
Liz: Yes. And certainly, we see at the end of this episode that the connection and hostility between Anisha and Nahle is very real and very palpable, and Nahle feels a lot of guilt. But what if Nus had twisted the knife a little?
Anika: Right, right. I just think that there were-
Liz: I can’t, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but what if Nus was a little worse?
Anika: Well, I just think that there were opportunities missed, that the parallels weren’t paralleling enough.
Liz: No, I agree. And some of this is small moments that could have been slipped into other episodes, but I just think we need at least an extra two eps for this second semester half of the story.
Anika: Yeah. And again, I’ve liked every episode.
Liz: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Even the ones that I think are kind of weak, I’ve really enjoyed watching.
Anika: So I don’t know. I mean, since Star Trek: Discovery originally had a few more episodes, they’ve really – but like, like literally with Star Trek: Picard, which is the next one, they were like, no, just 10. That’s it. Paramount is not going to give you more than 10 episodes. I just think that that’s become a thing. They didn’t even do it with Star Trek: Lower Decks, which I feel like is a less expensive show.
Liz: Yeah, which is weird because Star Trek: Prodigy did get 20-episode seasons, but also the cost was shared by Nickelodeon, which is a separate branch of Paramount. Yeah. And given everything that Paramount is doing right now, and the politics and the review bombing, I feel like we’re lucky to get 20 episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
And I really hope we get an extra two seasons because this is a built-in four season series. But I would not be terribly shocked if it was cancelled. And the worst thing is that the most horrible people in fandom will be absolutely gleeful about it.
Anika: I’ll just make their lives hell. That’ll be my new goal.
Liz: This episode, we have the end of semester. And I do kind of love that these nerds, they’re not partying, they’re not getting massively drunk. Well, Darem is, but that’s enzyme related. But they’re doing this very quiet Klingon ritual.
Anika: So sweet.
Liz: And I love that Jay-Den basically echoes what we’ve been saying all along, which is that chosen family doesn’t have to replace your family of origin. They can coexist.
Anika: Oh my gosh. But Jay-Den is so precious. He is such a gift to this fandom in every way. It’s really amazing because Klingons have been around from the beginning and he has added so much richness and depth just by existing as him, you know, just being Jay-Den.
Liz: And it’s like he’s the first Klingon we’ve ever had, the first regular Klingon character who is completely comfortable in Klingon society. It’s just that his ambitions were not suited to what the Klingon situation is right now. Like, I do think that if Qo’noS hadn’t been destroyed, he would have gone to, the University of Qo’noS and studied science with a minor in disembowelments or whatever.
And it’s because his family are refugees and because that the Klingon scientific community is so fractured, if it still exists, that’s why he had to join Starfleet. And I think that’s really interesting and I love him.
Anika: I love him because he is shy, you know, it’s not easy for him, I think, to put himself out there necessarily. But he feels very comfortable with these people to the point where he wants to welcome them into his house. And that is just such a wonderful — we’ve seen, you know, the Worf welcoming Picard, right? But this, it’s just these kids doing the ritual in their own way and just in a room. And, but it being so powerful to them at the same time.
Liz: They take it very seriously. And I appreciate the respect that they show. And I appreciate the respect that Jay-Den shows to them. But it’s also completely understandable that Caleb, for him, he’s not ready to have his chosen family co-exist with his family of origin because he needs his family of origin.
Anika: I’m just going to start banging the gavel now. Caleb did nothing wrong.
Liz: No, no, no. I completely agree. I think his actions, even stealing the shuttle and all of that, you know, he tried to do the right thing first. And throughout, his actions are reasonable.
But I also think it’s reasonable what Genesis says to him, that men your age would be pulling away from their family and forging their own identity, because that is also true. But I don’t think Genesis fully understands the depth of Caleb’s trauma.
Anika: And again, like we were saying that he doesn’t let people in easily.
Liz: Yeah. Yeah.
Anika: You know, even in the ceremony, he’s like, OK, I’ll do this, but I don’t really want to do this. I’m going to have to do this and then I’m going to bounce. And that’s fair. I’m mostly mad at her for the line about him being determined to stay a traumatized child. And I would just like to say Genesis, you were not a traumatized child. And so you don’t get it. And you don’t get to have that rant. Sorry. Until we find out.
Liz: I agree with you.
Anika: That Genesis had a traumatized childhood, which would require us seeing anything more about Genesis than no.
Liz: Truthfully, I think Genesis is filling the role of the kid who grew up in a safe and loving environment and who doesn’t yet have the skills and the context and the ability to empathize and to understand what Caleb has gone through. And that’s not a fault on her part. But I do think that that level of imagination is something that people have to grow into.
And also, Caleb hasn’t let her in. Tarima, who has literally been inside his head, is the only person who fully understands what has happened. And beyond that, it’s actually Jay-Den who knows the most. All Genesis has seen is that he’s constantly reaching out to his mum and pulling away from others. And I don’t think she even knows how violent their separation was. She doesn’t have the full story and she shouldn’t be judging him, but also she’s 17. And judging is what 17-year-old girls do.
Anika: That is true. I was just mad at her.
Liz: No, no, I think she’s definitely in the wrong, but I understand why.
Anika: Yeah, I do want to end and it’s well done. I mean, it’s not like he was cruel to Tarima and Genesis. Like he absolutely lashed out at her.
Liz: And especially to Genesis.
Anika: So yes, I understand why she would be upset and why she would come back with her. Like you were psychoanalyzing me, so now I’m going to psychoanalyze you. I just think that as you say, she doesn’t have the context to actually do it correctly. That’s not his real issue.
Liz: He knows her better than she knows him, which is how he can go for the jugular in that moment. But also, I think all through their relationship, there has been an element of Genesis has a lot of unexamined privilege, which has been subtextual throughout. Like we see it in “Ko’Zeine”, where she’s manipulating him to help her break into the bridge. She must have known that if they were caught, he would potentially be in way more trouble than her, because his position is more precarious, and he’s the one with a criminal record.
Anika: I think that happens often. I think there are those little moments. And it’s like, I think that’s great. It’s great characterization and relationship building for those characters. So this isn’t a story complaint. This is just, I have feelings.
Liz: No, no, no. I think that developing this flaw of Genesis, that where she is aware of her privilege, she really uses it to lift people up. And where she’s not aware of it, she is just kind of privileged and oblivious, as so many rich white girls are. I think that’s a really interesting flaw for her to have to overcome. And I think that makes her a richer character. So, yeah. Actually, we needed the second Calica episode to see Genesis as the captain, holding her team together.
Anika: Right. Because I do think-
Liz: As Sam fractures, and Tarima is knocking from the outside.
Anika: And also because she doesn’t get to be on the command track, like that was taken away back from her. But she still has that, right? And so like-
Liz: Yes, yes.
Anika: I feel like, yes, we need those moments from Genesis, because in this one, I was like, okay, okay. You know, when she said like, I’m just going to become captain, just so I can like screw you all over.
Liz: Which was great.
Anika: That’s when I was like, snaps.
Liz: Relatable.
Anika: Snaps, Genesis. It’s not like I want her to not succeed at being captain. And so I do want to see her, because in this episode, she takes charge and she has like, I don’t agree with her reasons, but I do agree with her being like, okay, if you’re going to leave, then I’m going to take these people and make sure that they’re okay.
She does sort of take over the mission in a way for two seconds because they’re immediately captured. But I am interested to see the different leadership skills that Genesis and Caleb have.
Liz: I was just thinking they make a good Captain First Officer team in that Dal and Gwyn way where they can swap roles when they have to.
Anika: And that’s great.
Liz: Yeah, she has a lot of growing to do because she’s 17. And I don’t want to be harder than her than I am on anyone else. But also, Genesis, shut up.
Anika: Exactly.
Liz: Whereas Sam is kind of going through an identity crisis, like, she’s a new person, it’s such a universal experience to go through that phase of looking at your younger self and going, what an asshole, what an idiot. I hate that kid. I’m going to do better.
Anika: Exactly. Sam was so interesting in this episode because, okay, so yes, she has this whole — she’s pulling back, she wants to a single room, she wants to work on herself, quote unquote, you know? And it’s like, again, snaps for Sam, but she doesn’t like realize that that has repercussions for other people. That’s an interesting arc.
And then she’s the one who sees through Caleb’s bullshit immediately and absolutely disarms him with that hug. Like he was coming in for the kill and she was like, nope, I’m just going to hug you immediately. And he was completely, he was like, oh, I can’t say a word now. I’m done. It was just…
Liz: Yeah. However much she’s changed with her childhood now and her second set of memories, she’s still basically Sam.
Anika: Exactly.
Liz: But it’s because we’re recording a few days after “The Life of the Stars” dropped. So a lot of people are talking about Sam. And I saw a really great post on Tumblr about how everyone’s like, “oh, Sam is so happy. She’s so joyous. She brings so much life.” And yes, this is all true.
But also she was hiding her glitches and she was hiding her existential fear and her very deep injury. And this is kind of the way black women are expected to be uplifting and joyous and, you know, save the world, but to keep their pains to themselves.
Anika: She’s such an amazing character.
Liz: Yeah. And this is, she’s still sort of doing that. But she’s also 17 and she’s really 17 now. So she’s totally right to feel like she needs some time alone. She’s totally entitled to ask for a single. But also, that does impact Genesis. And that’s something they do need to talk about. And that is just so typical of kids their age.
Anika: Yes. Especially because Genesis is so attached to Sam. Like they have a really…
Liz: I wonder if that’s sort of the issue. That Sam now feels like she maybe needs a little space to be her own person and maybe she feels like she’s become Genesis’ sidekick.
Anika: And that’s… I think that’s fair.
Liz: Is also… Yeah, yeah. And that’s another very relatable 17-year-old girl feeling. I’m going to say, especially if you’re the short round girl and your friend is the most beautiful woman on earth, as my best friend is, and you do kind of wonder, are people seeing me or am I just a reflection of her? And when you’re younger, you don’t really know how to process those feelings.
Anika: And I just, I have to say that I love this Sam and the Doctor now.
Liz: I was like, oh no, they’re the best family ever. There was really only two or three moments where it was like the Doctor coming in being like, Sam’s gone, she went on this crazy death mission, like what? And then at the end when they were hugging it, I was just like, she was like, you know, and he was like, never do that again.
Anika: And I was just like, this is so good. I didn’t know I needed it.
Liz: I’ve been dismissing the Doctor the entire time until last episode and now I’m just like, thank God the Doctor’s in this.
Liz: Kerrice Brooks and Rob Picardo have such great dad-daughter chemistry.
Anika: So good.
Liz: Now, and they kind of, they made us wait for it, and it’s really worth the wait. And the bit where she says off handedly that she stole her dad’s codes.
Anika: Yes, yes.
Liz: Last week she was saying she wanted to be a rebel and now she has a dad to rebel against.
Anika: It was so good. It was so good. There were these little moments and it was just peppered in and I was just like, okay, they’re my new favorite family. Which is so ridiculous.
Liz: That’s actually a pretty high bar because there are a lot of families here.
Anika: Right. But amazing. Amazing work in like three minutes. The two of them. All the snaps.
Liz: Yeah.
Anika: So I’m actually interested to see how Sam grows now because, again, we didn’t get those two episodes. So I’m hoping that this isn’t just something that she’s going to get over next episode but it’s going to continue and we’ll see her explore herself.
Liz: I think there are definitely subtle differences in Kerrice Brooks’ performance that make me think she is always going to be a slightly different character. These first seven episodes were like a prologue. Seven, eight episodes were like a prologue. One day we’ll look back and be like, oh yeah, that second Sam, Sam 2.0, that’s who she was meant to be.
Anika: Sam 2.0.
Liz: It’s like she’s out of beta.
Anika: Yes. She’s going to be more powerful. It’s going to be great.
Liz: I mean, it’s good because, and we’ve seen just because she has this childhood and she has a better grounding to move into adulthood, she’s still making young person errors, and that’s important.
Anika: Right.
Liz: I keep talking about how this is a series about learning to fail.
Anika: Honestly, the speech that she gave to Caleb too, when they were on the shuttle and she was like, no, you need me. I also think that original Sam wouldn’t have been as confident, she wouldn’t be able to do that in the same way.
Liz: No, I agree.
Anika: I agree. It’s like she needed that grounding to be able to make this episode happen, really, because she was the catalyst. Obviously, it was Caleb’s away mission, but Sam was the one who figured it all out.
Liz: And that’s really good writing, because if you just go, Caleb and a bunch of his friends go off to save his mom, it’s like, well, why would they join him?
Anika: Right.
Liz: And it’s like, because Sam won’t let him go without her. And then they kidnapped Genesis and Darem, because, honestly, because they can.
Anika: Darem was drunk. And Genesis was, I loved, I loved his line, Oh, are we kidnapping Genesis? That was so good. I was like, yeah, you are.
Liz: Yes.
Anika: Against her will. It was correct.
Liz: They needed her leadership. Can I say that Darem, lacking the enzymes to digest certain foods and consuming them anyway, to me as a lactose intolerant person who loves ice cream, it’s extremely relatable. And I’ve never seen myself more in Darem.
Anika: I know. Darem was sort of, other than his amazing speech about Jay-Den, but he was, he was sort of there. You know, he was a little bit of the humor and he was a little bit of like the, he was there for reasons, but he didn’t have like a central role at any point. He never was the main character on screen, but he took advantage of everything. All of his stuff was gold.
Liz: I was like, this is great.
Anika: And that one speech, I mean, I cried. I was like, oh, okay. You really love Jay-Den. It was just so sweet.
Liz: Honestly, Kyle has a lot of work to do to deserve Jay-Den more than Darem at this point.
Anika: Legitimately, at this point.
Liz: And I would not have said that a few weeks ago.
Anika: That’s because Jay-Den wasn’t there. He was like standing up for Jay-Den and Jay-Den’s culture and Jay-Den’s feelings.
Liz: Yeah, yeah.
Anika: Without any – like, to get nothing in return.
Liz: And for such a selfish character, that says a lot.
Anika: Exactly.
Liz: So, Nahle is not really in this episode much, but we see her working with Kelrec. And I love that they both have this senior moment of he’s forgotten that Navar has rejoined the Federation, which dude, it was like a few years ago. You should keep up. But she’s forgotten that they changed their name from Vulcan. And I’m like, this is info dumping. But again, relatable.
Anika: Relatable.
Liz: It’s like how my mother still talks about Czechoslovakia.
Anika: Exactly. So, like when the Olympics were, I was in an Olympics fantasy thing. And I had to explain to someone that the Czech Republic and Slovakia were two separate countries. They were like, since when? And I was like, I need you to like read some news sometimes.
Liz: Did you know that there’s not a Soviet Union anymore?
Anika: Exactly. It’s like, I don’t know where to begin with this. Have you heard of Ukraine?
Liz: I really love that Nahle, that she’s working with Kelrec, then she’s working with Jett and the whole, we’re not here bit. But I especially love that Caleb went in to tell her that he knew where his mother was. And then he leaves and he does it himself because he doesn’t want to put her in an impossible situation. And then at the end, she does the same thing to Vance. Because they’re the same person.
Anika: It’s such good storytelling. I cannot get over how well-crafted this show is. Like I can have these nitpicks and I can have like, oh, there should be more here or there should be whatever. But the underlying beats, the character beats and relationship beats. And I don’t care. I never care as much about plot as I do about character and relationship, and they understand these. And so do the actors. It’s just really well played.
Liz: But also, I think the plot is effective. It’s very simple, but it’s well told and it serves the characters while building the universe. Like that’s what you want.
Anika: It’s good storytelling. It’s just good. Like when I say I don’t care about the plot, it’s like because I don’t want to be like seeing the plot. You know what I mean? I just want this story to happen. And so, if you don’t want to see the wheels working, if I’m like not paying attention to the plot, that means that it’s a really good story because I’m like paying attention to what’s happening instead of worrying about it or thinking about it or like wondering about it.
Liz: You’re immersed.
Anika: Yes. But yeah, and it was so sweet too because you could see like it was also info dumping. They were chatting and he was eavesdropping, but you could sort of see on his face the wheels were turning already. Like he was going to try to sneak out without her even seeing him, but she was like, hello, I’m Nahle. So I know you’re there. So again, that was just like – these really small moments that I think were really well played by the direction.
Liz: I want to shout out Sandro Rosta’s performance too.
Anika: Amazing.
Liz: Because I have seen a lot of complaints about Caleb that I think are unfair, that he’s too tropey or he’s just your standard rebel character or he’s Dal 2.0. And I think none of that is true on the writing level, but also Sandro Rosta’s performance is always so good.
Anika: Like I said earlier, he was doing so much in every single scene. He was acting every single part of like he was using his body and his eyes and his like everything, his understanding of where he was in the place. It just felt very present the entire time. My eyes just went to him in each time. And the scene where he finds his mom, then she holds the knife to him. And then he just says mom over and over again. And she’s just like, that whole thing, that whole 30 seconds of time, was art. And…
Liz: It was so good.
Anika: I was just like, put that in your reel, because you will get every role. Cause there were so many emotions. And I think that’s why I was so mad at Genesis. Cause I was like, you do not understand, you were not here for this scene. If you were here for this scene, you would understand.
Liz: No argument. And then Tatiana Maslany is so good as Anisha. And we knew that she would be good. Like I said, way back in the first episode, you don’t cast Tatiana Maslany for one scene.
But I saw her and I was instantly like, I cannot believe that we thought she was going to be the villain and the real big bad, because we were so wrong. And I’m so delighted to be surprised that she really is just a woman on the run, trying to live her life as best she can.
Anika: It was, oh my gosh. She did amazing. Sandro Rosta, Tatiana Maslany and Holly Hunter, like they could have like four episodes of just the three of them. I would be there for it. Because I was like, there is so much drama happening. And again, it’s literally like 30 second scenes that are just riveting.
Liz: Yeah. Like the scene at the very end, where Nahle is walking into Sickbay and Anisha sees her. And just the fear in Tatiana Maslany’s face is amazing. It’s horrifying. All three of these people are deeply haunted. But it’s Nahle who is haunting Anisha.
Anika: And okay, so when they’re beamed on and Caleb is kneeling down with his mother who’s unconscious and having been hit and Nahle walks over to them and sees that she’s been injured. And the look that Caleb gives Nahle of desperation and like, I found her, but now she’s going to be taken away from me. And, and like, thank you, but also can you save her?
There’s just so much and there’s no talking. It’s just again, those two actors just looking at each other. And I’m just like, there is an entire book of emotion happening here and communication. And, and we’re just lucky to wait a set.
Liz: I also think that Sandro Rosta’s performance is going underappreciated because it doesn’t feel like a performance.
Anika: Right. That is a hard part to play because he has to be the sweet cad at the beginning with Tarima in their scene.
Liz: Yeah.
Anika: And then the like lost little boy, and then the mean hurt child who lashes out at Genesis. Like he has to play so many parts in this episode. And he does them all so well. And then when he does the holding up the communicator so that you can like tell Nahle what’s going on while distracting the crowd. And I was like, that is why you’re going to be captain, young man. It was just-
Liz: Yes.
Anika: A page out of every Star Trek captain’s book. And again, he has to play all of these different things. And obviously the actor gets to have time in between scenes and things. But the character is going through like 50 emotions within the span of an hour.
Liz: It’s a lot. I hope they got a nap on the shuttle, frankly.
Anika: First of all, I think I deserve a medal for not immediately watching the next episode. Because I was like, we’re going to record tomorrow. I can wait to see the end. I want to be able to like guess things that then I’m wrong about. And you know what I mean? Like I want to be authentic. And so I need to not watch this, but I really, really wanted to watch the next episode immediately. And I’m going to as soon as we’re done recording.
Liz: I completely support that. I watched this last Sunday. I had some time to kill before I left for the Lorde gig. So I watched it. And then I was like, I could be late to Lorde and just watch the next episode. That’s fine. And then I could think of nothing else until Thursday night. When I rewatched this episode and I sent you my notes, and then I watched the finale. And that is all I have to say on the subject.
Anika: Okay. But at the same time, I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I was talking about it with you. And now I’m like, oh, wow, this was actually brilliant. a lot happened and it was all good. Even the things that I’m slightly annoyed about, like Tarima and Jay-Den, who are amazing.
Liz: Everything Tarima and Jay-Den do is perfect and I love them.
Anika: But also they were like, literally put in a room and like sent off screen for the rest of the episode.
Liz: I was like, what?
Anika: But even that, it doesn’t take away from how amazing everything was. And the setup is just really good. And the tension is really strong. And Tig Notaro, oh my god. The way that she delivered every single line was amazing. And she’s so dry all the time. You know what I mean? Like that’s her whole shtick. And yet, and yet there was nuance to all of it.
Liz: She’s another one where I think it’s too easy to go, oh, she’s just playing herself. It’s not really a performance. Because yes, often Jett is just there to make wry observations. But when she has to perform, Tig is really good.
Anika: Yes, she was doing a lot of nonverbal acting in this one. And you know, I have to say like, shout out to Jonathan Frakes, because he, I like, I have to believe that it was directed and that the camera shots were chosen for certain reasons.
Liz: None of that happens by accident. And Frakes is a particularly intentional director. I think he’s, it’s kind of funny because when he directs stuff outside of this franchise, he’s kind of mediocre, but he is so good specifically at making Star Trek.
Anika: The camera would would go to Tig reacting and she would do so well. The reason I remembered that was the end when it’s just blank screen and the credits start and it’s her voice calling for. Yeah. I was just like, I need to watch right now.
Liz: I think that’s especially effective because Tig is so rarely put in that role of carrying the story. Yes. Like if it was Nahle or if it was the Doctor, that would also be really compelling, but it’s not shocking. It’s like, this is going to sound mean, but when you’re relying on Jett Reno to save the day, something has gone terribly wrong because she has deliberately put herself in a career where she doesn’t have to save the day.
Anika: Right. I mean, it was just incredible. And like you said, she’s not the one to carry the emotional. Yeah.
Liz: You know?
Anika: And she did. And she was like asked to, and it was so good. It worked.
Liz: And certainly this isn’t the first time that she’s done it. And you consider her conversation with Hugh. Was it Hugh or Paul? No, it was a conversation about her marriage and marriage in general. Yeah.
Anika: I was just going to say, I think that people forget that she has this really tragic story.
Liz: I know.
Anika: Because she’s always used as that sort of one-off, wry, dry humor. She’s used for that a lot. But when she is asked to bring the trauma and the tragedy, she’s good at it. And she’s quiet about it too. she’s not showy. There are comedic actors who were dramatic actors all along. And then there are comedic actors who see it almost like, I don’t know how to describe it, but don’t see it as non-comedic in some way. They’re just living. And they’re like, it’s all the same.
Liz: And I think Tig’s comic comedy persona is quite close to her real personality. And then she’s friends with Alex Kurtzman and he created this role for her. So in a lot of ways, it’s not a stretch, but that makes the quality of her work when she does have to play the dramatic parts even better.
Anika: That’s one of my things where they’re like, oh, these people are so typecast. And it’s like, yeah, but they’re good at it. So why are you complaining? If they’re happy. And so what I mean for Tig Notaro is like, yeah, maybe she couldn’t play Captain Nahle, but she’s not supposed to. So it’s fine.
Liz: No, it’s a bit like Whoopi Goldberg. I remember seeing media stuff when Guinan, from when Guinan was announced and people were like, oh, she’s just going to be funny. She’s going to be doing stand-up. It’s going to be crude. And then Guinan is this really wonderful, understated character who really gave Whoopi Goldberg opportunities to stretch her dramatic skills.
I think that Jett Reno does something similar for Tig Notaro while being a completely different type of character. Whereas on the other hand, we honestly have not seen much of Lura this season. She was really front loaded at the first half of the season and we haven’t seen much of her since.
Anika: Yeah. I mean, I don’t know. Like you have mentioned how they allow people to do other things or anything for whatever reason. Jay-Den’s whole cold last episode was a little weird. I couldn’t understand what was happening. I thought it was set up for a joke that Kyle was sick. That’s all I thought. I don’t know what was going on. It was weird and it just seemed weird. I was just sort of like, was he just not available for all the scenes for whatever reason? Okay, fine.
Liz: It was so uncharacteristically clumsy that I almost wonder if Karim Diané was unwell and they had to write him out of the episode.
Anika: Anyway, with Lura, so I’m just sort of like, I feel like she’s doing something else right now.
Liz: I don’t know. I feel like it’s either that or they’re trying not to put Gina Yashere in the makeup too much because that’s a really burdensome amount of work. I respect that, but also I love Lura and I want to see more of her. Well, give us a Lura Animated Series.
Anika: There was no Ocam in this episode.
Liz: No, no. For good reasons.
Anika: I can imagine that he’s on Betazed being like, oh yeah, Tarima’s in the bathroom right now. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. That’s my personal explanation.
Liz: And then the call from Lura comes in to be like, hey, we sort of lost your daughter. And the Betazoid president just turns and signs, very pointedly, at Ocam.
Anika: Exactly.
Liz: I mean, that’s the other reason I think that we needed an extra couple of episodes, because we do have this big supporting cast, where is Kyle? How is he recovering from his sunburn and also seeing his friend killed in front of him? How’s Dzolo? What’s happening there? All of that. If we had 13 episodes, I would want an entirely War College POV story. Let Dzolo be the protagonist for a day.
Anika: Yeah. And have the speak over voice over.
Liz: That’s what it’s called. Yeah.
Anika: I’m like, that’s not the right words. But you understood me.
Liz: I understood you perfectly.
Liz: Yeah. We’ve been podcasting too long. I can basically read your mind now.
Anika: All right. So I think that we have talked about a lot of this, but I do need to talk about the actual place that they go to. Yeah.
Liz: This is the big problem of the episode for me, the set design of Uzdec, because it’s kind of hitting some racist foreign market tropes. Not as badly as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds does, but you’ve got the vaguely Asian flute music and the, oh my god, some kind of bird meat hanging up in a marketplace. That’s terrifying. And it’s like, have you been to Chinatown? It was just a bit…
Anika: The quote unquote alien language everywhere in the UK.
Liz: Yeah. Oh my god, people are speaking another language. Call ICE.
Anika: I mean, the written language. I described this as the away mission to Star Wars, because it was. I feel like, I’m not crazy to call this a very Star Wars-esque. And it’s not the first time we’ve had… You know, where Raffi was stationed, I’m sorry.
Liz: Yes.
Anika: In season three of Star Trek: Picard was also very much like this. I understand that they’re trying to create a hostile alien culture, but it would be cool if they didn’t use non-Western cultures as the blueprint.
Liz: Yeah. Also, until the Venari Ral actually turn up, it doesn’t seem that hostile. People are just going about their business, buying food and making trades.
Anika: It is…
Liz: And it’s like, is this a terrifying hostile world or is this just commerce?
Anika: It is literally the same planets that Obi-Wan goes to in Obi-Wan.
Liz: Yeah. Sorry.
Anika: The same planets. Just saying.
Liz: Yeah. And again, it’s fine.
Anika: Sci-fi, whatever. Space opera. I was like, where’s Obi-Wan? If Ewan McGregor had a random cameo or the Stormtrooper who was passing around his helmet, I was looking for that guy because I was just like, this is literally the same planet.
Liz: And you’re saying they’re going to planet Star Wars, and you’re right, but also Star Wars has the same problem where what if we go to a non-Western space and it’s really scary?
Anika: Fully, fully, fully. I mean, Star Wars almost created the problem. So, but I do want to talk about it in comparison to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And I looked at the name of that planet and I wrote it down. Let me see where it is.
Liz: I spoke something.
Anika: So, Uzdek and Skygowan are the same, except one is the dark and gritty version where literally every single person wears black. And the other one is the bright and shiny version where you’re in lots and lots of different colors.
Liz: And then everyone that gouges their eyes out.
Anika: But I was having the same cultural problems. And legitimately, their costumes are identical except in black. Caleb’s turtle thing that he was wearing is the only thing that was not the same. And that was weird. I love the costuming of this show, generally speaking.
And I will say that Genesis’s outfit, I was like, I would wear that. That looks fun. It’s like all in black, but also a little cute. So yes, but they all had the head wraps and they all had the, it was just in a, it was wrapping all around in different places and flowing in other places and big sleeves and I was just like, could we maybe not do that?
Liz: It’s definitely a little bit what if the Middle East? Yeah. Which I don’t love. And now I’m thinking about how we’ve seen these sorts of outfits like our characters go undercover a lot in New Trek.
And I think I’m going to do a Tumblr post where I look at the different outfits they wear from going undercover on Qo’noS in the Season 1 Star Trek: Discovery Finale to the Klingon human colony in the Broken Circle, which is again a lot of black and drapiness and headgear. And I think Christine also wears a really cute green dress. But, you know, Christine’s the only one with any fashion sense here. And everyone else is like, oh, are we going outside the Federation? Okay, it’s going to be weathered. It’s going to be baggy and draped and with a hood. And that’s how foreigners dress.
Anika: I get why Anisha and Caleb have to be wearing face masks and hoods. And I understand that it’s part of the plot. And that a disguise is going to be a better disguise if it shows as little of your features as possible. There are practical reasons, but just the way that it’s presented, that’s not the feeling I’m getting.
Liz: Especially because this is a setting where people own hoodies. You can cover your head without going to all this trouble. And also, we see humans, and we see Ferengi out here. So, Genesis and Darem, they do not need to pretend to be anything other than what they were.
Anika: And these are children who are not, it’s sort of like there’s potentially, maybe you’ve seen some, Starfleet propaganda with Captain Pike in it, and so maybe he has to be in disguise. But these are children who are not known for anything. So, wow.
Liz: Right, right. This is silly. And yet, I really liked the bit where Anisha spots that these kids aren’t from around here because Genesis’ nails are so clean and healthy, because that is such a subtle detail.
And it reminded me, going all the way back to Star Trek: Voyager Season 2, “Resistance”, the episode with Joel Grey, where Janeway spots that the undercover fascist security forces are there because they haven’t changed their shoes. They’re still wearing jackboots, which is a real thing, by the way. In general, undercover forces don’t change their shoes because they know their shoes, they’re comfortable.
So anyway, fun tip for you. It’s a bit of OPSEC, not that you would need it. And yeah, so that was a really nice detail, and it shows how observant Anisha is and how these kids didn’t know what they didn’t know in terms of fitting in.
Anika: And also, just to go back to Caleb and Anisha’s face masks, that also felt very, you know, Star Wars, you start at a desert planet a lot. And so it’s like, that’s a reason to be wearing that. And then it’s like, this is just a market. This is just a, you know, something out of Blade Runner. And you don’t necessarily need that.
Liz: Yeah.
Anika: So.
Liz: Are you guys being COVID safe or what?
Anika: Yeah.
Liz: What are the reasons?
Anika: What are the reasons? I get it, I get it, but also I don’t.
Liz: This is the weakest bit of a really good episode. And I think it kind of highlights how, in a lot of ways, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has really been skimping on small background details. And we see that with errors in the display screens and the possible use of AI for the comic in “Come, Let’s Away.”
And even if it’s not AI, that job was given to a storyboard guy instead of contracting comics, people who work very cheap and are very grateful for any job they can get. And now this where the set design is really just, here’s a bunch of stuff we have already, here’s no new ideas, and for once the costumes are kind of half-assed.
Anika: The mean lady who is in charge and asking people to beat up on Darem reminded me a lot of the high ground lady, just wanted to say that.
Liz: Oh yeah, yeah. She reminded me of, you know, What’s Her Face, the blonde lady in Andor, you know, Fashy Barbie, but with really odd line readings. I was like, what is happening here and are we going to find out more about you next week? I expect to know. But yeah, what’s up with this diction?
Anika: Yeah, I think that’s what it was because it felt like both of those, like in the high ground too, she sort of stands out from the other way that other people talk and stand. And that was obviously a choice and I’m not like opposed to it, but it was just noticeable. But I guess that lady, she was like, I’m going to be memorable in this random villain Star Trek role.
Liz: It feels like she was giving a 90s Trek performance in a modern Trek context, which is interesting. I’m not mad about it. But I also wonder if because she’s Venari Ral, she’s kind of speaking in this affected way to align herself with Nus Braka.
Anika: Maybe. Yeah. Right. It makes sense to me that there’s a I’m Venari Ral person, like there’s an affect. Yeah.
Liz: In addition to being a space mafia with an army, they also have elocution and public speaking sessions. They do a lot of Toastmasters in the Venari Ral.
Anika: Amazing. But the rescue was fun.
Liz: Oh my gosh. That was so good. Like we really haven’t gotten to see Nahle as the captain doing captain things since the first episode.
Anika: Right. I’m amazed that that ship can be run with three people.
Liz: I think this is like that 32nd century technology. And even though Jett has a throwaway line about how this is a system she’s testing.
Anika: Right. It’s just like, okay. Like again, it’s one of those things where I will, yes, I will accept it as 30, you know, super for our future. Sure. It’s fine. We’re lucky to have people at all. It was just really, really funny to me because it’s such a big ship.
Liz: I know. I know. Also, I guess the atrium, if no one’s in the atrium, it’s basically inert. It’s only for school stuff. It’s where the classrooms and dorms are. Without that, we see them lose the atrium and I am concerned, but…
Anika: They’re not going to give up on that set. It’s going to come back. It’ll be fine.
Liz: Oh my god. No, no. Even if it’s blown up, we’ll get a new atrium that looks the same as the old one in season two. Maybe a slightly different color.
Anika: I will forever and ever love a giant spaceship appearing in the sky. It’s in my favorite episode of Battlestar Galactica, “Exodus” Part 2, which is also like, we’re going to run this giant ship with just the three of us. It’s going to be great.
Liz: But what could go wrong?
Anika: I mean, it was just, it was so fun. And everybody gets something to do. Darem gets to be the one who’s beat up and takes it, which of course, of course he is. And Sam, her delight at the ship is just, it was so lovely. And I already mentioned Caleb’s captain moment.
And I was just so happy to see Anisha. The way that their scene ended, he’s turning and walking away and we don’t see what she does. So I thought it was going to be Caleb coming back and he was giving up his mom because he can give up his friends for his mom, but he can’t give up his friends to death. That’s a different equation.
But the fact that she wasn’t going to give up her son, which is like, that’s the moment where I was like, oh, even if she doesn’t heal to her next episode and turns out to be the big bad, she loves her kid. And so it’s fine. She is prioritizing her child and being with her child than anything else. And that’s all I really wanted.
Liz: Whatever else happens and whatever else she’s done, there is a basically good person in there.
Anika: Exactly.
Liz: Probably. Is it time for shipping news?
Anika: I think so. I think so.
Liz: I don’t know if Caleb and Tarima have a future, but if they don’t, if this was a breakup, it was a really good one.
Anika: It was just so sweet. He was saying goodbye, thinking that he was never gonna see her again. and wanted to let her know that she mattered. It’s sort of like the opposite of what he does for Tarima and Genesis, right? Cause he’s trying to force them away, but he went to her to say, whatever happens going forward, I need you to know that you were important to me. That’s what that whole speech is about.
Liz: And it was a speech about her, not about his feelings for her. You deserve a good life.
Anika: Yeah, I mean, I think it was sort of like, he was saying, you think I don’t see you, but I do, and everyone should see you.
Liz: Yeah, and you deserve to be the wonderful, brave, brilliant person that I see when I look at you. I would let Caleb break up with me any day.
Anika: But just the concept of your music is like, Oh my God. Wow, that is profound and beautiful.
Liz: I’m going back to the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Valentine’s that I made two weeks ago, and I’m adding an extra.
Anika: Oh, it was beautiful and it’s perfect.
Liz: So good on them.
Anika: And yeah, I don’t know, not know what will happen next with any of these relationships. They’re all sort of crazy. But I would be fine with whatever Caleb chooses in the end, not just now, but also in the end. It’s going to be like, I would be happy with Dreamer. I would be happy with Genesis. It’s all good. Yay. To introduce somebody in season 2 that I’m going to fall in love with. I just want Caleb happy. That’s all I want.
Liz: Plot twist. The OTP of season 2 is Caleb and Kyle.
Anika: I’m sorry. That would ruin so many people’s lives. We can’t do that.
Liz: Tumblr would be so mad. I’m kind of into it just for that, to be honest. You know, I love trolling Tumblr. Speaking of not Kyle, Darem and Jay-Den and Darem cares about Jay-Den and protects him even when Jay-Den is not there to see it. And I love that.
Anika: And it was from the heart.
Liz: Yes.
Anika: It was so good because he wasn’t speaking up for himself. He wasn’t saying like, you’re leaving me behind because he knows that he’s an asshole and Caleb doesn’t like him like that, which, you know, it was also sweet that he said, you know, it’s amazing that I’m saying that I want you to be in my family. But I think that was also sincere. It was a joke, but there’s truth in jokes kind of thing.
But anyway, back to, but he was just like, I don’t care if you do it to me, I don’t care if you do to Genesis and even Sam, but you can’t do this to Jay-Den, you know?
Liz: I think what makes it especially sweet is that Jay-Den is perfectly capable of standing up for himself against Caleb and has done it before.
Anika: Yes. Right.
Liz: Darem doesn’t need to be the protective guy, but he doesn’t want Jay-Den to be hurt, and I think that’s sweet. Then Caleb and Genesis, and I don’t think that he would have said such hurtful things if he didn’t care about her.
Anika: Oh, no.
Liz: Yes. He is the most personal. He doesn’t get to be mean to Sam and thank God, because I would have actually reached into the screen and killed him. But with Genesis, it’s that level of specific harm because he cares about her and he knows of her weak spots and he’s a dick, but I love him.
Anika: But I also think, and I know that this is me, but I also think that part of what he’s doing there is trying to make them so angry at him that they don’t think about staying and trying to get him back.
Liz: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s pushing them away and he wants them to be angry enough to turn and walk away because everyone else walks away from him one way or the other.
Anika: And he doesn’t realize the same as what he was doing for Nahle, that he’s doing it for their benefit. It is dangerous for them to be there. They should get on the shuttle and leave.
Liz: Yes.
Anika: He’s like, I don’t need you to be Starfleet and care more about my life than yours. I need you to get on the shuttle and be safe.
Liz: Yeah. But also I think he’s been the good little Starfleet boy for so long that maybe it felt a little bit good to be a dick. Yeah. I don’t think he relished causing pain, but I think sometimes it’s good to let it out.
Anika: I mean, there’s going to be some truth in all of that.
Liz: Yeah. I think what he says to Genesis is way too harsh, but there is a core that if she’s going to move forward into adulthood, she needs to accept that at some point her dad is going to be disappointed in her. That’s just a fact. Success or fail, you can never please everyone all the time.
So I’m looking at your list and you have Nahle and Kelrec. Do you mean Nahle and Vance? Because then you’ll notice they were always so close and he wasn’t even really in the room.
Anika: Kelrec wasn’t in the room. He kept flipping in and out.
Liz: Oh my god. I’m so dumb.
Anika: You’re right. Because that was the thing, is that they were practically touching constantly, but they made a point of it showing that he was a holo. He was like him, he was a holo-him, whatever. It was also weird, it was like, why is he a holo-him?
I guess they were on their way to Betazoid and they didn’t take the War College with them. Is that what happened? It was weird. I mean, I don’t know why he was a holo-him, but he was a holo-him and yet they were constantly touching.
Liz: No, you’re right. Yeah, yeah. No, you’re so, you’re so right. I don’t, I don’t really ship it, but I know that there are Nahle/Kelrec shippers on Tumblr and they seem to be having a good time. And I am open to their views. I’m interested in hearing their arguments.
Anika: Yeah. I was just like, this is for those people. This was noticeable.
Liz: So yeah, yeah. No, my OTP coming out of this is Nahle and Anisha. Obviously, Anisha being terrified of Nahle is not a good start, but I think they can get over that. And how about some hate sex? How about Caleb has two moms and he wishes they weren’t actually dating?
Anika: Enemies to lovers. I’m, yeah, I’m a big fan. And this, this is one that I could very easily get behind. And that the thing is that, yeah, I think that Caleb in specifically, like I said, that he has that moment where he’s looking at Nahle, like you have to save her. This is why we were brought back into each other’s orbit. So you could fix her right now because he cares about Nahle.
It is clear in this episode, it is clear in every episode that he has a connection to her that he is open to having whatever that relationship is, maternal-ish with her and looks up to her as someone good and that is a mentor, but at the same time has all these feelings about how it all went down. And choosing Anisha over Nahle is almost easy, right? Because that’s quote unquote the way it should be. But I don’t think he wants to, he wants both. He wants Anisha back, but to keep Nahle. And so I’m like, there’s an easy solution.
Liz: Anisha and Nahle need to get married.
Anika: Anisha and Nahle need to get married and everything is fixed.
Liz: Yep. Simple solution. Excellent. Glad we’ve worked this out. I do wonder if Anisha continues to be part of his life. Does that mean that his relationship with Nahle becomes less intense? And can she move from surrogate mother figure to mentor?
Anika: Yeah, but it’s… You have brought up that Tatiana Maslany is 19 years older than Caleb, right? So she would have had him when she was 19. Which is young. And especially when you factor in that Nahle is like 400 and something. There is not a bad way for Nahle to mother both of them.
Liz: Look, this is true. This is true. I don’t really want Nahle to be mothering Anisha. I think that would make the shipping weird, but I am not opposed to a grandmotherly role.
Anika: Yeah, I’m just saying that I think it could go in different ways, and it doesn’t necessarily have to become less familiar or less intense. It could just change.
Liz: No, you’re right. Yeah.
Anika: I’m sorry. I will show them too.
Liz: No, no, no.
Anika: I just can also see that.
Liz: My other note about Tatiana Maslany, I just don’t like the wig that she’s in. No. It is a bad wig.
Anika: Why would you have that hair? This is my question. Why would you choose that? I don’t think you would.
Liz: I know. I know. It’s like they went through the Orphan Black Archives and got one of the really cheap shitty wigs that Sarah wears when she’s going undercover and doesn’t have time to…
Anika: Though, the spiky stuff at the bottom is no, just no. No. You don’t have to do that to her.
Liz: That is a lesser clone wig. We deserve better and so does Tatiana.
Anika: Yes. Just because I mentioned being wrong about next episode, I just wanted to say that Tarima and Jay-Den were sidelined and showed it to a room off screen. But they’re there. They’re on that ship. And I think that that’s going to be important. I feel like Tarima’s abilities and or Jay-Den’s connections to Klingons is going to be important.
Liz: Klingon fleet comes in to save the day with the Klingon music and all of that.
Anika: They’re there and they didn’t do anything in this episode. They’re going to do something next episode.
Liz: I do need to know what they talked about in the shuttle bay. Because I don’t think they’ve ever interacted.
Anika: I know. She runs in because she was like, that was weird with Caleb. And so I gotta find out what’s going on. And he was figuring it out on his own. And then she just doesn’t like because they’re not friends and they’re not like they don’t have this, you know. So she just turns and runs off.
And he did the same thing he did in “Ko’Zeine”, where he was like, I guess I have to go. And I just really like that. I like that Jay-Den is shown as someone who is not impulsive, who makes the decision to do the crazy thing. I just really like that for him.
Liz: He makes wild bonkers choices, but he thinks about them very carefully first.
Anika: Exactly. He has that moment of, is this crazy? Yes, I guess I’m doing it anyway.
Liz: And that is why he is the most Klingon of all Klingons.
Anika: Exactly. I approve. It’s such a great character trait for a Klingon.
Liz: Yes.
Anika: I just love him.
Liz: Thank you for listening to Antimatter Pod. You can find our show notes at antimatterpod.com, including links to our social media, credits for our theme music and transcripts of our episodes. You can follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, TikTok, Instagram and Blue Sky, all at antimatterpod, and on Mastodon at antimatterpod@tenforward.social.
If you like us, leave a review wherever you consume your podcasts, or tell a friend. The more reviews, the easier it is for new listeners to find us.
And join us in a week when we’ll be discussing this first season finale of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, “Rubincon.” And if our screeners have come with a typo in the title, I’m going to make fun of Paramount Plus even more than I already do.