‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Omega Glory’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I will never forget the controversy that followed the release of Star Trek Into Darkness. Not the part involving Khan mind you, because the unexpected anger over that is another topic for another day. No, what I’m referring to is the disdain that came about from having Admiral Marcus turn his back on the ideals of the Federation and give into fear. Because so many saw that as a betrayal of what Trek stands for and that there was zero chance that a Starfleet Admiral could give into more primal instincts in that manner, but I thought this was a brilliant twist. After all, the people who serve in Starfleet are indeed human, and the right kind of trauma can impact anyone in negative fashion and while this twist seemed revolutionary at the time, it’s not like it was without precedence within the framework of the franchise.
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After all, Commodore Matthew Decker fell to pieces and risked the lives of the crew of the Enterprise in ‘The Doomsday Machine’, after watching his crew die horribly at the hands of that device, and while that relates more to vengeance and immediate trauma, his journey set the stage for further explorations. For the next episode of Star Trek decided to do a deeper dive into what would motivate a Starfleet officer to abandon the principles of the Federation and well, that made ‘The Omega Glory’ quite the unique venture when all is said and done. Especially when one considers that initially, it seemed as though this story was going to revolve around another mysterious space virus, since Kirk and company came to discover that the crew of the U.S.S. Exeter was reduced to dust thanks to a virus from the planet below and the only cure it seemed, was to live on the planet’s surface.

However, a voyage to said planet revealed that the Captain of that doomed ship, a man named Tracey, had done whatever he needed to in order to survive and that’s not a good thing by any means. For the death of his crew did indeed shatter his psyche and he was so concerned with not losing any more lives that he lost sight of everything he swore to protect; and worked to change the course of this planet’s future. Which was, stunning to say the least, but it felt in many ways like the logical progression of Decker’s arc. But what I truly appreciated about this aspect of the story was the sheer fact that even a Starfleet captain isn’t immune to fears of death or survivor’s remorse and it really was powerful to see him try and sell his wild ideas to Kirk and do what he believed he needed to in order to heal his broken soul. But while this made for some powerful television, the episode does fail the audience with an odd twist that shows up late in the tale.

For the Yangs and the Kohms, the two species present on Omega IV, are eventually revealed to be descendants of human beings from the United States of America and China, and they eventually brought forth the horrors of nuclear and biological war upon one another, and this society is what grew from the ashes. And that twist exists in this particular tale so that James Kirk can take the time to remind Tracey and in turn the audience, of embracing bigger ideals that are inclusive and how forgetting those can lead to disaster. Yet while this is lovely and patriotic and understandable during the times, it’s very ham-fisted in its presentation and a little over the top, and sadly, it does overshadow everything else that the story tried to accomplish. Plus, it’s a little weird that we are just left in the dark when it comes how the heck these folks from Earth even made it to Omega IV, and that really is something the show should have addressed.

If anything, it’s best to just declare this one as an uneven entry at best. Because the exploration involving a God complex and a fear of death, as a direct result of trauma, makes for some compelling television. And you honestly feel for Captain Tracey since it’s obvious from the get-go that he’s in need of serious help from what he’s just experienced on his watch. But the story really does go off the rails thanks to the weird ‘Go America’ moment at the end. But honestly, I applaud the show for taking the time to explore the darker stuff and for setting a precedent for the future because this is something that I think the franchise could stand to dive into more. For humans are complex creatures, and while we do engender good, fear and pain help us revert to more primal instincts quickly, and it would be interesting to see more stories in this vein down the line, just to put a more modern spin on it. But in the here and the now, this is just another episode that flirted with genuinely powerful storytelling and that’s okay. Because it made a grand attempt to do something deep and that’s more than some shows can say. Until next time.   

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