‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Recap – ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Christina Chong and Paul Wesley as Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh and Captain James T. Kirk in Episode 203 of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ – ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’. (Photo Courtesy of Paramount+.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One particular question that we’ve all pondered upon or asked someone during our travels through the world… is what we would do if we could go back in time… and strike at one of history’s greatest monsters. Because each and every one of us is aware of the lasting impact and legacy of men like Hitler or Stalin, and our imaginations cannot help but wonder what the world would have become… if those monsters didn’t rise to power and kill millions without giving it a second thought. So that question allows for us to play ‘What if?’ and explore how far we would go to change the course of history for the better and think of a world without monsters, and really… that’s about as much merit as we give that discussion. For it is seen as nothing more than a fun little mental exercise.
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But… in reality… it is a question that deserves more gravity than we technically give it. Because that is a loaded question to say the least. For so much more would change in the world if by chance Hitler was taken out before he could ever rise to power. To the point where everything could change for the worse for reasons that we don’t honestly think about when it comes to that discussion. But that is of course, why fiction exists, to ponder upon such matters and teach us fine lessons we miss when we have that little chat with our friends on a casual evening, and it just so happens that this particular question is top of mind today… simply because it, and its potential consequences, served as the focus of this week’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+.

A feat that ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ accomplished by putting Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh in quite the unique situation. Wherein she found herself recruited by Starfleet’s Temporal Investigations Division to solve quite the problem. In that, someone was trying to alter the past in the 21st Century, and were they to be successful, everything would have changed. There would be no Starfleet, no Federation. Just a group of humans desperate to survive and a ship named Enterprise, that operated without nobility, complete with a surly and jaded Captain James T. Kirk at the helm and well… with Jim’s inadvertent help, La’an was swing by the 21st century (with Kirk) and uncover quite the dastardly plot. In that, Romulan agents were the ones toying with the timeline in the hopes of becoming the dominant species in the galaxy over the Federation and La’an’s quest to stop this… led to some powerful moments.

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Paul Wesley, Christina Chong, and Carol Kane as Captain James T. Kirk, Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh, and Pelia in Episode 203 of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ – ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’. (Photo Courtesy of Paramount+.)

The kind that explored… what makes La’an and James T. Kirk, tick. Since we’ve not really spent quiet time with either of these characters, not like this anyways. For they had to work together without any hope of help, and they of course… had to survive and that let us see a slightly different angle of Jim Kirk’s rambunctious and looser side and it really informed us of the kind of wonderful person that La’an truly is. And how much the Federation means to her, and how resourceful she can be when pressed up against an impossible situation, as evidenced by how she found Pelia in this era of time and how she used Pelia’s limited knowledge in this century to her advantage. Since a vintage watch from the 1980s led this duo to the endgame in question, wherein they came to learn exactly what the Romulan Star Empire wanted to change at this particular point in the timeline.

In that, they deduced that the death of Khan Noonien Singh, just a boy at this point in time, would prevent the formation of the United Federation of Planets. For without his cruelty, there would be no Eugenics Wars, and without that conflict, humanity wouldn’t wage World War III, and without that conflict, Zefram Cochrane would never build the first warp capable ship, the Phoenix, and never meet the Vulcans with an assist from the crew of the Enterprise-E. Which meant… La’an had to make a powerful choice. Let Khan die and delay major suffering… or let history take its course and let humanity find its way to peace and prosperity, and she chose the latter. Not out of cruelty or some sense of sadism, but because… the real answer to that question… is to do nothing. For history cannot be fixed. Because without those moments of darkness, nothing is learned or gained, nor is there any unity forged or value placed upon what is lost and we simply don’t grow.

Which means that instead, we should focus on rising from the suffering, rising from the darkness, and coming together to work as one. And that was… a powerful message to gleam from a powerful episode of this show. One that also forced La’an to finally deal with her heritage and featured some wondrous moments for Paul Wesley to shine as Jim Kirk, including THAT powerful moment near the end. Speaking of acting, Christina Chong (La’an) truly led the way in this episode and moved us deeply from beginning to end and well, this really was quite the engaging watch. In part because it offered a little wibbly-wobbly* time travel for us to enjoy, and that’s always fun… but also because it really did provide the viewers with a thoughtful and challenging story. One that put a deep spin on that age-old question so that we can worry less about yesterday, and more about tomorrow. Until next time.

*A common phrase our ‘SNW’ beat writer, Shae, has used and will use again when she returns from her well-deserved shore leave.

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