The USS Enterprise crew comes face to face with their demons when their landing party is stranded on a barren planet with a ravenous enemy.

I guess it was only a matter of time before Strange New Worlds moved into Alien(s) territory, but the popular ‘monster on the loose’ theme is given new life here because we genuinely care about those in trouble.

Uhura is getting ready to return to Earth after the completion of her training rotation, while Spock and Chapel are ever more aware that there’s a ‘thing’ developing between them. This is against the backdrop of a crashed vessel that the Enterprise is investigating, discovering that many of the crew have been ravaged and others are missing.

Ripley… oops, I mean La’an has history with the creatures that have caused the devastation and discovers a young survivor called Newt… I think you get the picture. And when the creatures emerge, things get very nasty, but as is the strength of Star Trek, adversity is overcome through smart people working out smart solutions.

I’ll say no more about the story, suffice to say there’s more going on than the A-plot, and if anything, this feels like a season finale. I can’t wait to see what’s been saved to round off the first year.

Verdict: What initially appears to be a well-trodden story actually delivers much more in an exciting and emotional hour. 8/10

Nick Joy