Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1×02 “Children of the Coment”

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x02

“Children of the Comet” (5.1.22)

Directed by Maja Vrvilo               Production Company: CBS Television Studios

Starring Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Dan Jeannotte

The crew of the Enterprise is trying to save a planet from a collision with a comet, but an alien force is preventing them from carrying out their mission, and Cadet Uhura may be the only one able to save them.

Opening Thoughts

So I just got home from my annual trip to Realm Makers last week, and I was reminiscing about my first trip there back in 2019. For those of you who don’t know, Realm Makers is an annual conference for Christian authors of fantasy and science fiction. I heard about it from a friend, who knew that I was an aspiring author and encouraged me to check it out.

I was fascinated by the concept. A conference just for Christian geek authors?? I’d never heard of such a thing, and with the severe lack of nerds in my church it sounded like a dream come true! I decided I had to check it out, even though I’d never been to a writer’s conference before and didn’t know a single person.

I was terrifically excited at first. I labored for weeks over my elevator pitch and making catchy one-sheets describing my in-progress novel. I boarded my plane set to dive in headfirst. Then, there was, shall we say, a speedbump.

The first half of my flight went without incident. Then I landed in New York City to change planes to go on to St Louis. We sat on the tarmac for a couple of hours before the flight ended up being cancelled due to weather. I was rescheduled on the next flight to St Louis, which unfortunately was not until mid morning the next day, and I was stuck in NYC for the night. I joined a phalanx of people trying to find lodging for the evening (everyone’s flight had been cancelled) and wound up in a seedy airport motel room that had suspicious stains on the carpet, peeling wallpaper, and no wifi. Oh, and there was what felt like a massive tsunami pounding the place shortly thereafter, I seriously thought the place was going to fall down. I was sure this was some kind of sign from God that I was making a terrible mistake.

Then I began suffering from a gigantic case of what we in the creative world call “imposter syndrome.” Meaning, I began thinking I had no right to attend this conference at all, my writing was garbage and people would notice that right away. I wasn’t prepared enough. And what if some well meaning person asked me more about my writing and I didn’t know what to say and looked like an idiot? Horrors!

After a sleepless night, I arrived at the Realm Makers conference, timid and tongue-tied, waiting to see how long it would take for everyone to realize what a sham I was and that I didn’t belong there at all. I was surrounded by a crowd of publishers, authors, and published authors, and I felt about two inches high and completely out of place. That is, for about thirty minutes, before I actually started meeting people and realizing how accepting and welcoming everyone was. Realm Makers ended up being one of the most encouraging, affirming experiences I’d had in a long time, and I have made dear friends through it.

One of those dear friends recommended Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to me, and here’s what God showed me in episode 1×02, “Children of the Comet.” After you finish reading my thoughts, I hope you go back and give it a watch yourself, and see what he shows you!

SPOILERS for ST:SNG “Children of the Comet” here!

Captain Christopher Pike is throwing a mixer for his crew and Cadet Uhura, one of the newest crewmembers on the Enterprise, is in attendance. At one point during the discussion Uhura confesses she is unsure about her future with Starfleet, explaining that the only reason she is there is because of her parents’ death. Captain Pike thanks her for her honesty, and expresses hope that she will “find a place where she will fit,” whether it is with Starfleet or elsewhere. Later, Commander Spock suggests that if she does not feel at home in Starfleet, perhaps she should step aside and let someone else take her place, someone who really wants to be there.

The crew discovers that a comet they’ve been observing is in danger of colliding with a planet, Persephone III, which would cause disastrous loss of life. Pike decides to take steps to move the comet away from the planet. However, when the crew fires at the comet, it raises a force field to protect itself. Pike sends an away team of Spock, Uhura, La’An Noonien-Singh (Security Chief), and Sam Kirk (a xenoanthropologist) to beam down to the surface of the comet to try and find some answers. On the comet they find a golden egg structure inside a cave, which injures Kirk when he touches it. They lose contact with the Enterprise and Spock encourages Uhura to try and decipher the runes on the egg’s surface.

Back on board the ship, Pike and his crew have another problem. An alien ship, crewed by a race that call themselves “Shepherds,” is threatening to attack the Enterprise if they attempt to move the comet again. The Shepherd calls the comet “M’hanit,” and refers to it as a holy thing. Pike tries to reason with them, telling them that if the comet hits Persephone III, many people will die. The Shepherd states that if that is the will of M’hanit, then it will be so.

On the comet, Spock notices that when Uhura nervously hums a childhood song, the cave around them mimics the sound. Uhura is able to figure out the cave speaks in song, and when she sings to it, the egg opens and the force field disappears, allowing the team to return to the Enterprise, which is still being threatened by the Shepherds. Pike dispatches Spock to use a shuttlecraft to guide the comet away from Persephone III, and as he does, a large chunk of ice breaks off and heads toward the planet. The ice morphs into water vapor, which descends on the planet, changing its atmosphere from arid desert into one with a more fertile ecology.

Uhura and First Officer Una Chin-Riley discern that the comet and the Shepherds never meant any harm, and that the comet was never in danger of crashing into the planet. Rather, its mission was to sustain and provide for the dry planet by providing water, and that it used Spock to accomplish this. Uhura speaks with Spock, and he praises her actions on the comet’s surface, telling her that while she still may decide to leave Starfleet in the future, they are fortunate to have her with them now.

So What Did God Show Me?

-While in the comet cave, Sam Kirk asks Uhura about the markings on the golden egg, and she expresses uncertainty as to their meaning. He reminds her of her gift for linguistics and that she is there as a part of the away team because of this. “You’re here for a reason,” he tells her.

We are all on our own “away mission” while here on Earth. It is where we reside now, but it is not our home. Like Uhura, we are part of a team on a mission, a holy mission for God, and he has given us all gifts and talents to assist in that mission. Maybe you’re good with languages, like Uhura. If so, that’s great, because translation of God’s Word is always needed! Maybe you’re a writer like me. Maybe you’re a mechanic, or a doctor, or a chef. Whatever your talent is, we need to know the reason we’re here on Earth is to use our gifts to help accomplish God’s mission for the world. We also need to be ready to use our gifts when times call for it, even if we feel unprepared.

-As pressure to figure out the code and escape from the comet builds, Uhura feels more and more helpless. Spock tries to give her his Vulcan version of a “pep talk,” but she responds, “I’m not even supposed to be here. You all should be relying on someone who’s prepared. Someone actually Starfleet, not someone who’s gonna get us all fried to a crisp.” Spock, recognizing her fear and lack of self-confidence, responds gently (for a Vulcan). “Confrontations with our mortality often cause us to see ourselves as if from the outside. Such perspective can be a unique opportunity. You did not intend on being here, but you are here. Hypotheticals are irrelevant. Today, you are, quite simply, the only person for the job. Will you rise to see it through?” Spock doesn’t try to build her ego by telling her how talented she is, or make light of how serious their circumstances are. He acknowledges that they are in an actual life and death situation, and that while she may not be the best or the brightest person for the situation, all that is required of her at the moment is to be willing to try. Like Esther, Uhura is there for “just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)

Later, when Uhura hums (which she does when she gets nervous) the cave copies her song, which helps her find a way to communicate with M’hanit and allow the team to return to the Enterprise.

-Meanwhile on the Enterprise, Pike and his crew are dealing with the Shepherds, who declare that the comet, or as they call it, M’hanit, is preordained, an instrument, an arbiter (judge), and that his will is absolute. The shepherds are ABSOLUTELY faithful to M’hanit and his protection. They accept their mantle with honor, and are willing to fight any enemy and die protecting M’hanit. Pike dismisses the Shepherds as zealots and is frustrated by their lack of understanding. He tries to explain that the Enterprise crew means no harm to M’hanit and they just want to help the people of Persephone III, but the Shepherds will not budge.

Later, Pike takes matters into his own hands, commanding a returned Spock to make a risky maneuver to nudge the M’hanit comet away from the planet, which works. The comet, instead of colliding with the planet, releases water vapor into the planet’s atmosphere, changing its ecological system from desert to (potentially) tropical. The crew stands amazed, finally understanding that M’hanit had indeed come to “bring life,” proving the Shepherd’s earlier words correct.

“You have seen the glory and the mercy that is M’hanit.”

“You’re right. We witnessed…a miracle.”

“Perhaps in the future you will not be so quick to judge the faith of others.”

I recognize that there are many groups in the world today that use religion as a weapon, and their zeal for their beliefs causes harm rather than help. But I also believe there are many times when we don’t understand what God is doing, and we try to make things happen ourselves because he doesn’t seem to be moving or acting the way we want. Maybe we’re low on money, or we’re having a health crisis. But the important thing to remember is God is always working, sometimes in ways we can’t see or understand. It may look like he’s allowing disaster to happen, and as much as we plead, nothing happens. It’s only afterwards that we can sometimes see his work in our life’s circumstances. And, yes, there may also be some things that only make sense in eternity.

-First Officer Una Chin-Riley and Uhura reveal at the end of the episode that a decoding of the message generated by the comet M’hanit reveals that not only did it intend to pass by Persephone III without injuring it, but that it intended to use Spock’s actions to accomplish its mission, even before Pike gave him the order to act.

God can use us even when we’re not aware of it. He can use rash actions and even what we perceive as “mistakes” to accomplish his will. We are never out of his hands, and he is always in complete control of any situation.

 

-Pike muses, “I am left to wonder who made the comet? How many more like it are out there? Was it coincidence that fostered the chance for more life on Persephone III? Or something more?” Star Trek is a saga that is known for its travels through the vast unknown reaches of space. Despite being surrounded by mystery and unexplainable things, it is not a genre that readily acknowledges the possibility of “something more,” but rather relies on scientific explanations and depicts unsolvable circumstances only as something that humans have not yet discovered. It was refreshing to me for Pike to hint at the idea that there could be a greater power at work. We know, according to the Bible, that God made not only us but all the things around us, including the stars and vast galaxies of space. (Psalm 8:3, Psalm 19:1, Isaiah 40:26) Their mysteries are not hidden from him, he is the architect of all. He reveals to us mysteries, (Daniel 2:22) and I love this verse in the Message translation: “God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things.” (Proverbs 25:2)

Closing Thoughts

Anyone familiar with Star Trek probably recognizes Uhura as a capable crew member, confident in her linguistic abilities. But I really liked this peek at “baby” Cadet Uhura, who is just figuring out how to do all of this Enterprise scary stuff. A fun parallel with the actress Nichelle Nichols, who played the original Uhura, tells the story of how the actress, after the first season of Star Trek, considered leaving the show to pursue a career in singing. A meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King changed her mind, however, when he shared how inspiring and important her character was to so many. We don’t always see the impact our lives and actions make on others, and that’s probably a good thing…it keeps us humble 😉

So I went back to Realm Makers this year as I always do, but in a way different capacity. This year, the Realm Makers Conference combined with the Christian Game Developers Conference for the Realm Makers Expo, and for the first time I was there with a table, promoting this blog. And again I struggled with that old familiar feeling of “Oh my gosh, what the heck am I doing here?? I don’t belong here!”  Everyone around me seemed to be offering more valuable product than me. Podcasters, video game designers, authors, animators, filmmakers, graphic designers and other sundry, you know, professional people who actually know what the heck they’re doing. Meanwhile I’m over here with a table full of action figures and old Starlog magazines, being all, “Please read my blog!” I felt really unsure of myself and this blog, and was pretty sure that I was in waaaaaay over my head. But pretty quickly I realized that it wasn’t about me or what I could produce, at least, not completely. My blog was and continues to be the simple sharing of what God highlights to me in movies, TV shows, and other media, and my mission is to encourage others to be open to letting Him do the same for them.

So, dear readers, my prayer for you today is that while you may never feel like you’re prepared or equipped enough to deal with what God’s put before you, all that is required of you is to simply step out in faith, making use of your God-given talents in the mission he’s sent you on.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? Do you believe that God has (or will) lead you to where you’re supposed to be?

Reading:
1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

Challenge:
Reflect on what your special gift or talents are. Ponder on why God gave you those particular talents and where he might put you to use them best.

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