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Summary: I didn’t like it. “What is Starfleet?” has a framing device that I could tolerate and a reasonable plot, but the changing cameras are disorienting and make no sense. It’s so distracting that the tense moments aren’t tense. An indie filmmaker is supposed to be getting deep insights into Starfleet, but we don’t learn anything new. Everyone talks about how they have to follow orders and then… Captain Pike (Anson Mount) just doesn’t follow Starfleet orders in the end (oops, spoiler). Let’s talk about the premise and a little bit about the plot.
“What separates the Federation from an empire? Or a starship from a warship?”
The premise is that the entire episode is shot and edited by an independent filmmaker/journalist, Umbeto Ortegas (Mynor Lüken), Erica’s brother (Melisa Nevas). Like all civilians on a warship (or is the Enterprise an exploration vessel?) he’s skeptical that the Federation is out doing good in the galaxy. “Colonizer” is even mentioned. He’s supposed to be asking tough questions, but that doesn’t really happen. That’s not my big complaint, though. The primary problem is we get footage from Beto’s cameras, 2-3 drones, one handheld, I think. He also shows up a dozen times in his documentary about Starfleet. I get it that all documentaries are really about the filmmaker (Werner Herzog, Errol Morris), but this is ridiculous.
This is supplemented by security camera footage that he must have obtained with a FOIA request to the government. The security footage has perfect audio and the video is perfectly framed and lit, but has a horizontal grid overlay because… why? It’s so we can tell it’s security cam footage.
There are security cameras everywhere so you can get good angles and coverage. The indie documentary stuff captures some amazingly intimate moments, even from inside officers’ quarters, like La’an (Christina Chong) and Spock (Ethan Peck).
MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD, BUT YOU SHOULD READ IT ANYWAY BECAUSE IT’S SHORTER THAN HAVING TO SIT THROUGH THE EPISODE
The plot is that there are these aliens, the Lutani, executing massive asymmetrical warfare against the Kasars (who we never meet). The Lutani have a secret weapon that is a giant alien space animal called the Jikaru. Cool! Enterprise is supposed to tractor beam and tow the giant Jikaru to another Lutani planet, where I’m sure they will use it for good and not evil. The whole thing really seems like it’s supposed to be a metaphor: the Lutani = Israel and the Kasars = Palestinians. The Federation is on the side of the Lutani and so helping them militarily makes much of the crew cranky. And Beto. This isn’t unusual for Star Trek to do a fictionalized take on a modern political issue, but It is clumsy here.
The whole operation goes wrong (surprise!) and Pike tries to communicate with Starfleet about what a bad idea this is but, you know, he’s gotta follow orders. Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Spock figure out that the animal is intelligent and can communicate, so they try to communicate with it instead of shooting it. It doesn’t work and Spock is gravely injured and put into a medically induced coma (don’t worry, he’ll be magically healed next week). So Uhura tries again to communicate with it via some telepathic device. The Jikaru has long been tortured by the Lutani for too long and wants to die. The Enterprise shoots a single low-yield torpedo at it so that the creature will chase the Enterprise, which leads it to the system’s sun. Apparently, the Jikaru couldn’t find the sun.
“What separates the Federation from an empire? Or a starship from a warship?” Beto the indie documentary filmmaker, asks at the end in a VO. You’ll hate the answer that Uhura gives, answering neither of the questions. He really could have used an editor on his project.
Not every episode of any show can be a winner (unless it’s Andor) and that’s especially true of Star Trek.
NerdScore
3.0/10
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — “What is Starfleet?” (S3E7, 2025) Review
A rare stumble: SNW’s experiment in meta-commentary blunts its own dramatic edge, asking big questions about Starfleet without finding satisfying answers.
Season 3, Episode 7: A philosophical detour challenges the crew’s ideals and public image, but the meditation on Starfleet’s mission lands unevenly.
IMDb
6.3/10
Metacritic
—/100
Rotten Tomatoes
—%
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck (Actors)
- Chris Fisher (Director) - Davy Perez (Writer) - Alex Kurtzman (Producer)
Let me know in the comments how wrong I am!