Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, Episode 8 – “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”Four-and-a-half Vulcans aboard the USS Enterprise proves to be four too many on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Directed by Jordan Canning and written by Dana Horgan and Henry Alonso Myers, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 8, “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans” is a hilarious, eyebrow-raising comedic romp, and Strange New Worlds‘ third Vulcan-centric farce in as many seasons.
When Nurse Christine Chapel’s (Jess Bush) process to turn herself, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) into Vulcans can’t be reversed, the four become different kinds of pointy-eared menaces aboard the USS Enterprise.
From Vulcan Captain Pike’s intense efficiency, to Uhura’s manipulative relationship tactics, to Chapel choosing logic over any personal contact, the rest of Starship Enterprise’s crew nearly goes out of their Vulcan minds dealing with this overload of logic. However, it’s La’an who emerges as a scary threat when her Vulcan DNA unleashes something innate within her.
“Four-and-Half Vulcans” may be an illogical misnomer, as there are actually six-and-a-half Vulcans in the episode, but here’s how it all shakes on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
What Captain Pike’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Crew Learned From Being Vulcan
Christopher Pike as a Vulcan was more efficient, much louder, and his hair achieved even greater heights. But Chris placing his starship on an insane schedule rotation, and his bluntness with his girlfriend, Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), and her human scent, proved a pointy-eared Pike does not make for a better Captain of the Enterprise.
Vulcan logic heightened Nurse Christine Chapel’s brainpower, allowing her to overcome her insecurities. Unfortunately, Chapel also decided her human relationships – all of them – were not logical. Christine broke up with Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O’Sullivan) and decided to sever ties with the rest of the crew. Upon regaining her humanity, Chapel understood Spock better, and she and Korby are back together.
Ensign Uhura was also embolded as a Vulcan to pursue a relationship with Beto Ortegas (Mynor Luken), but on Nyota’s terms. The young filmmaker’s humanity had to go, and with the help of a mind-meld, Uhura turned Beto into her “lapdog,” although he was still not as compliant as a real lapdog.
Thanks to a Vulcan philosopher named Doug (Patton Oswalt), who was able to reach their katras, Pike, Uhura, and Chapel reverted to their normal selves – and were filled with the very human emotions of regret, shame, and remorse over their behavior as Vulcans. They also learned that Vulcans can be “jerks,” a fact Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) has coped with since childhood.
While the solution to “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans'” dilemma was a too-pat deus ex machina, and occurs off-screen, the joy was in the journey… for the audience, not for the four Vulcans or their crewmates aboard the Starship Enterprise. For Spock, it was also affirmation that his human side is a boon that balances the worst aspects of being Vulcan.
Why La’an Needed Spock’s Help To Stop Being Vulcan
La’an didn’t behave like any of the other Vulcans because the infusion of Vulcan DNA unleashed something innate within her: the augmented genetics La’an inherited from her ancestor, Khan Noonien-Singh (Ricardo Montalban). As a Vulcan, La’an became sinister, violent, and schemed to start an intergalactic war.
Christina Chong wholeheartedly embraced playing a nefariously Khan-like Vulcan La’an, and it was one of her finest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds performances.
Doug couldn’t reach La’an’s true self within her katra, but Lieutenant Spock could and did. La’an’s affection for Spock, and vice versa, turned their psychic slugfest into a romantic dance that allowed La’an to reclaim her humanity and choose to stop being Vulcan. Spock and La’an’s brawl-turned-cavort was also one of the sexiest sequences ever in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Vulcan La’an finally showed why Lieutenant Noonien-Singh feared the aspects of Khan within her. Amusingly, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds essentially found a novel way for Khan to appear in season 3 in the form of La’an. La’an’s strategic takeover of the USS Enterprise echoes Khan’s future attempt in Star Trek: The Original Series. As Security Chief, La’an’s plot may even have been more diabolical.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Reveals Number One’s Past Relationship… With A Vulcan
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introducing Patton Oswalt as Doug also finally gave Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) a backstory Star Trek fans have waited 60 years for. 15 years prior (circa 2246 – about a year after the launch of the Constitution Class USS Enterprise), Number One was in a relationship with Doug.
Una becomes a different person, and can’t control herself due to her attraction to Doug, which the Vulcan reciprocates with mutual desire. Poor Lieutenant Spock was roped into a cover story that he was Una’s husband and father of their two children, a lie that Doug quickly saw through but was fascinated by.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 8 ends with Una rejecting her original plan to work aboard the Enterprise instead of taking shore leave so that she can hook up with Doug. After three seasons of Strange New Worlds, it was great to learn more about and see this new side of Number One.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Set Up Captain Batel’s Exit
Captain Marie Batel’s (Melanie Scorfano) dinner with Pike and Vice Admiral Pasalk (Graeme Somerville) ended with her exploding in anger with the two Vulcans, but Pasalk came away impressed with Marie, regardless. Pasalk offered Batel his job as Judge Advocate General of Starfleet’s Judicial Department. Marie’s career as a starship captain is over.
Captain Batel was Starfleet’s prosecutor when Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley was on trial in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2, “Ad Astra Per Aspera.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds set up Captain Batel leaving the USS Enterprise and moving on to her new legal career. It’s not clear if this is also a means for Melanie Scrofano to exit the series or if she will continue to guest star as Batel in Marie’s new capacity. Meanwhile, Batel’s storyline as a human/Gorn hybrid, and all that entails, still needs to be resolved.
Kirk’s Team Up Gives Scotty His Favorite Star Trek: The Original Series Hobby
Lt. Commander James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) beamed aboard the Starship Enterprise on leave from the USS Farragut, and Scotty (Martin Quinn) joined him for a drink. Inviting La’an along turned out to be a mistake, as Scotty and Kirk were the first to discover the Vulcan La’an had fiendish plans for the Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 shifted to a La’an and Spock romantic pairing, and “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans” seemingly resolved Kirk’s romantic interest in La’an. James likely got the hint after La’an cold-cocked him before Scotty’s booby trap subdued the increasingly villainous Vulcan.
Paul Wesley drinking whiskey as Kirk is a sly nod to Paul co-owning Brothers Bond, his own popular bourbon brand, with Ian Somerhalder.
Adventuring with Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 6 turned out to be a bad influence on Scotty. The Scottish engineer didn’t like to drink, but after facing down the “scary” Vulcan La’an, Scotty realized he enjoys whiskey. In Star Trek: The Original Series, Scotty (James Doohan) will prize Scotch almost as much as he loves the USS Enterprise.
