When the Enterprise investigates an attack on a colony at the edge of Federation space, Captain Pike and his crew face the return of a formidable enemy.

If you’re not sure of the episode title’s meaning (and I had to look it up), then as well as being the name of the Gorn’s governmental body, hegemony describes the dominance of one group over another. In this case, it’s the battle for power of humans over the Gorn, or vice versa. Or maybe it’s Star Trek’s dominance over other sci-fi franchises, because on the evidence of both Picard Season 3 and now this stunning conclusion to Strange New Worlds Season 2, Trek is currently the victor.

We start with the Captain’s Log of Marie Batel of the Cayuga – the vessel is assisting the colonists of Parnassus Beta, and Christine Chapel is helping out en route to her new posting. And then communications cut out and a shuttlecraft drops out of the sky.

Starfleet instructs Pike not to take the Enterprise across a demarcation line, fearing that it could exacerbate an already delicate political situation. But this is personal, and with all the brilliant minds on the vessel, there must be a way to rescue the survivors without being spotted.

There’s not much more I want to say about the plot of this episode, beyond it being an absolute cracker. It’s of a scale that harks back to The Best of Both Worlds in terms of scale and jeopardy to the crew. The visual effects are stunning, there’s an exciting zero gravity fight and… oh, you’ll see.

Verdict: An excellent ending to an excellent season. Just take my money and give me Season 3 immediately! 10/10

Nick Joy