Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, Episode 6, “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsjust delivered a big Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) episode that included a callback to one of the Enterprise captain’s most famous speeches.Strange New Worldsusually centers on Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his Enterprise crew, but"The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail" gives Kirk the spotlightas he is forced to take command of the USS Farragut.
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3, episode 6opens with a personal log from Lt. Commander Kirk as he complains that Captain V’Rel (Zoe Doyle) is"allergic to risk.“She does things by the book, even during a routine planetary survey mission, and immediately shuts Kirk down when he suggests sending a landing party to Helicon Gamma.
V’Rel points out that the planet is geologically unstable, which makes sending a landing party down there an"unwarranted risk.“Kirk responds that"Risk is why we’re here, isn’t it?,“echoing an iconic speech William Shatner’s Captain Kirk delivered inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 20, “Return to Tomorrow.”
Strange New Worlds’ Callback To Star Trek: TOS’ Most Famous Captain Kirk Speech Explained
InStar Trek: The Original Series'“Return to Tomorrow,” the Enterprise encounters three incredibly advanced incorporeal beings who claim to be the last surviving members of their species. The beings wish to temporarily transfer their consciousnesses into Captain Kirk, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), andDr. Ann Mulhall (Diana Muldaur)until they can construct android bodies.
WhenDr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley)questions why Kirk would want to take this risk, the captain points out all of the knowledge they could gain from this advanced species. Kirk goes on to list some of the many achievements humanity has made over the years by taking risks. He ends his speech with the iconic lines:“Risk is our business. That’s what the starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail” shows a younger version of Kirk who is still discovering his command style. He’s willing to take risks, but doesn’t always stop to think enough about the consequences. Kirk’s actions (and words) while in command of the Farragut show glimpses of the captain he will one day become, setting up his"Risk is our business"speech.
Captain Kirk Learned A Lesson About Risk In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3, episode 6does a wonderful job of showcasing an important step on James T. Kirk’s journey. At the start of the episode, Kirk longs for adventure and pushes his captain to take an unnecessary risk. But if Captain V’Rel had followed Kirk’s advice, a landing party would have been on Helicon Gamma when it exploded.
Kirk feels briefly triumphant after the destruction of the Scavenger Ship that attacked the Farragut and the Enterprise, but he soon learns the devastating truth that the Scavengers were humans descended from 21st-century Earth astronauts. In the final scene of “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,“Captain Pike offers Kirk some advice, reminding him about the responsibilities of sitting in the captain’s chair.
With a script written by Bill Wolkoff and David Reed, “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail” was directed by Valerie Weiss, who also directed the excellent season 2 episode, “Ad Astra per Aspera.”
Pike tells Kirk that he will have to make a lot of hard choices and learn to live with the consequences. ButPike also reminds Kirk that"having empathy for your adversary is part of the job"and that this"empathy isn’t conditional.“Kirk didn’t think about the Scavengers as people until it was too late, and he dove into situations without considering the fallout.
While Captain Kirk will always be willing to take risks, he becomes a different kind of captain by the time ofStar Trek: The Original Series.Clearly, Kirk took Captain Pike’s advice to heart, and his experience inStar Trek: Strange New Worldshelped shape him into one of Starfleet’s greatest captains.
