Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV Series) Under the Cloak of War (2023) User Reviews

A Dark Origin Episode That Makes You Think...

[dplowsav · 9/10 · 27 July 2023]

It can be said that whenever Star Trek has it's 'dark episodes' such as Yesterdays Enterprise, Best of Both Worlds or Balance of Terror, it brings out the best in Trek.

Under The Cloak of War explores M'benga's history with the Klingons and it proves to be a complicated one.

This episode goes heavy on the horrors of war and the PTSD effects that it has one those who suffer through it. It's a solid episode with some good writing and it can leave you conflicted.

We see a Klingon Ambassador arrive on Enterprise who speaks highly of the Federation and seeks to redeem himself from his reputation known as the 'Butcher' from a brutal colony conflict that M'benga and Nurse Chapel participated in.

Throughout the episode, it's easy to doubt the sincerity of the Klingon considering the crimes and butchery he's responsible for. This is compounded by M'benga's flashbacks to the conflict and the emergence of his PTSD, his struggles in dealing with the presence of the Klingon.

There's a message here, but it's a muddy one; the ending of the episode complicates things greatly. We see M'benga essentially murder the Klingon, albeit, after warning him to leave and wanting to be left alone. It's a tragic turn of events made even more complex by the fact that his crime is covered up with Nurse Chapel and M'benga stating that the Klingon started the fight, grabbing the knife.

This is a very bold ending because it puts these two characters in a very dark light and makes one an accomplice to murder and the other a murderer, both of whom are covering each other's tracks.

What's interesting is that we don't actually see how this fight plays out, which may suggest that more remains to be seen.

I do hope there will be consequences for M'benga and Nurse Chapel, because if not; then not only is this the wrong message to send out to trek fans, it's not very Trekky.

Dependant on future episodes

[lfrancoeur-85180 · 7/10 · 8 August 2023]

I'm very split on this episode. On one hand it was an excellent depiction of the horrors or war and the moral dilemmas that come with it, even years later. On the other, the ending was very non-Star Trek. That being said, I think there's a good chance that this episode will serve as the base for a later one. Perhaps will even lead to M'Benga becoming subordinate to Leonard McCoy.

I have a hard time with a Star Trek episode that walks away with redemption not being possible, murder is okay, and lying about it to cover it up is too. I also have enough confidence in the writers of this series to know that though, and I fully expect that the anticipated future episode that deals with the consequences of this one will address these issues (the first duty springs to mind).

The dangers of snap judgements on episodes in a hybrid story telling scheme (series long arcs, but each episode is self contained) is that we can condemn this episode prematurely. The future will shape how I look back on this episode. For now, we can all at least agree it's better than "Code of Honor" right?

Only DS9 showed the effects of war on sentients better

[mhorg2018 · 9/10 · 28 July 2023]

This episode was fantastic. Nice to see some background on characters and scenes from the Klingon war. This one episode was better than all of Discovery, most of enterprise and the first two seasons of Picard. Brilliantly written (I could do with no lens flash at all). Anson Mount is brilliant as Pike. This episode highlighted his diplomatic skills. And it's far from the first time Starfleet officers have lied or fudged facts (see: In the Pale Moonlight, one of the greatest episodes of Trek ever). Engrossing from the first second to the last. This is one of those episodes that will be rewatched again and again and again. Just superb.

Star Trek Developing Its Characters!

[maloneandrew · 10/10 · 27 July 2023]

This episode leaves the usual fun and witty vibe of Star Trek SNW and gives us a taste of the later seasons of DS9. Think the siege of AR-15 meets Jetrel from Voyager.

The episode is told in a series of flashbacks that show us life in the Frontier war zone during the Klingon- Federation War. The standout performances go to Jess Bush as Chapel and Babs Olusanmokun as the Doctor. The Doctor is a grittier take on the CMO of the Enterprise. The more the doctor is on the screen, the more complex a character he becomes. Olusanmokun has this deep trauma under a stoic and placid exterior. He brings a kind of wisdom to the table for Pike derived from his own experiences. The complexity of the character is some of the best Star Trek has ever done.

There's going to be consequences

[S3pt3m63r · 28 July 2023]

A killer doctor who has pledged to do no harm, who has covered up his past and present crimes and who has lied about it to his Captain and friend. A whiter than white nurse who is complicit in his crimes who we thought we knew and loved has also lied to cover up the doctors crimes, oh dear me, this is not the Star Trek we know.

Truth will come out, facts will be unearthed and M'bemga will be revealed as the murderer he is. I suspect that this will pave the way for others to take over the role of CMO including Leonard McCoy eventually.

The federation is far from being the more advanced society enabled to turn itself around after wars have ended. We have seen shades of this in DS9, but this is more brutal and violent. I'm not sure that Pike was taken in by M'bemgas explanation. He didn't seem sure.

Intense!!!!!!

[RjNeel · 9/10 · 27 July 2023]

I have never been a fan of Kurtzmann's Star Trek, but "Under the Cloak of War" is an extraordinary episode. There was nothing special about the episode. It had no VFX or any other exciting elements and not even dialogues, so to speak. In fact, it wasn't the conversation between M'Benga and Raa but the silence between the two that lit up the episode. War is known to be horrifying and inhumane. Sometimes it's easier to capture the feelings with silence rather than the mightiest words. This episode perfectly demonstrated the use of silence for communication. The episode was intensely dark and steadily paced. Good to see Star Trek pushing mature subjects. Hope to see more pragmatic content.

A wonderful story, but I disliked the ending

[GwydionMW · 8/10 · 27 July 2023]

As entertainment, this was serious and thrilling. You see the problems that war veterans have with confronting a former enemy.

And as an incidental, you see what looks like a preparation for winding up the Spock / Nurse Chappel romance, meaning that events will stay fairly consistent. You could even see this as the task for which Ensign Boimler was sent: he had wondered if there was one.

But what offended me was a regular character getting away with murder, and with people helping cover up. Even of the Klingon had lied about aspects of his past, he was still doing good work.

It seems to me that it is another case of the scriptwriters endorsing dishonesty as the best methods. And not showing the same commitment to peace.

M'Benga is Fascinating

[coreydingus · 10/10 · 28 July 2023]

The best thing about Strange New Worlds is that it has put sincere effort into developing its crew.

Although many people disliked Discovery, I mostly enjoyed it. However, I say that while having never finished S4 & stopped there, as I just lost interest in its characters. If you asked me right now to name the crew without looking it up, I'd remember Burnham, Saru and.... well that's it.

SNW is the exact opposite. I can instantly name Una, nurse Chapel, Spock, Uhura, Captain Pike, Ortegas, etc. Etc. Etc... even Hemmer (RIP), Sam Kirk or T'Pring! But most importantly for this episode, I remember Dr. M'Benga, who is the standout character for the entire series to this point (imo).

Older Trek ran 20+ episode seasons, so we'd get a lot of time to get to know everyone. We still haven't even hit the 20 episode mark in SNW yet, but they've already done a fantastic job exploring a lot of M'Benga's character & his unique place amongst the crew.

We were first shown he's keeping a secret from the crew, and that he has a sick daughter who's transporter pattern is being stored in sickbay in hopes that one day he can find a cure while exploring the stars in the Enterprise. We got to see he has a shared war history with nurse Chapel, which was later fleshed out in further interactions & flashbacks. We learned he was extremely skilled at combat, and suffers PTSD from his service in the Klingon War.

Now in this episode they peel back another layer of that onion, revealing he developed Protocol 12, a drug we saw them use previously, which allowed them to be temporarily enhanced fighting machines, and that he's got quite a notorious reputation that nobody knows about (aside from Chapel, presumably).

I don't want to get into any major spoilers, but needless to say, I thought this episode was excellent. I didn't even touch on the premise of a reformed Klingon General-turned Federation Ambassador visiting the ship, but that's just the vehicle use to explore more of our doctor & nurse's past.

If Deep Space 9 was written & filmed in 2023, this episode would fit right in. It reminds us of the multiple sides to Starfleet, just as there are multiple sides to people. With M'Benga, he may strive to achieve a certain ideal, but some wounds are still too fresh.

The end reminds me of what Captain Sisko said at the end of In the Pale Moonlight - "I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men... I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning think of all - I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would." M'Benga seems to feel the same way about how things played out.

TL;DR - 10/10. Love the Episode!

Exceptional episode with good story, dialogue, acting

[rickwright-94893 · 9/10 · 29 July 2023]

Frankly my wife and I are not enjoying season two as much. Some of the episodes seem silly and downright pointless.

And then this. I was genuinely moved by this episode. Great story, good dialogue with some memorable lines (why we fight), some of the best acting I've seen. What toll does war take on people? Starfleet for all its idealism and the Federation for all its "smug optimism" (to quote Garak) cannot diplomatic courtesy its way past this. War is hell. And how much can we forgive war criminals no matter how much they appear to reform?

I changed my rating from 10/10 to 9/10 because of the ending.

What's strange is how much Nurse Chapel and Dr M'Benga have become the most interesting and compelling characters in the series. And props to Jess Bush and especially Babs Olusanmokun for their acting. Credit to Melissa Navia as Lt Vargas who gets to shine for a change.

Strongest of the season for me

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 28 July 2023]

A Klingon ambassador visits Enterprise and it stirs up traumatic memories for certain crew members.

This is a strong character episode for the likes of Dr M'Benga and Nurse Chapel as we get some interesting backstory associated with both. It gives a bit more substance to the Klingon War narrative than was presented by Discovery and shows the Federation having a liberal attitude towards war criminals when it suits the politics of a situation.

It has more of a DS9 feel than previous SNW episodes. We saw characters like Sisko and Garak sacrificing lives to turn the tide of war. Here you see different motivations, but the themes of justice and revenge are similarly dark.

Comments have been made about how un-Klingon like the guest character is portrayed, but as much as I have always loved the Klingon stories, most of their character depictions have been quite similar. It is refreshing to see a different take on a Klingon here. Being a Bunny Colvin fan, I had a nerdgasm seeing Robert Wisdom in the makeup.

There is an interesting twist at the end and I think how Pike handles it might have a bearing on how you feel about the overall story. I hope this is followed up in further episodes. Will this arc have any bearing on Bones eventually becoming the Senior Medical Officer on Enterprise?

Babs Olusanmokun is on particularly great form and supported well by Jess Bush.

As always the visuals are excellent.

split decision

[nerrdrage · 7/10 · 5 December 2023]

This episode started out so well. After last week's fluffy (but very fun) episode, going darker was a good call. We haven't seen a lot of war stories from SNW, just vague hints that some of the characters have some terrible experiences in their past.

Focusing on the two medical characters, M'Benga and Chapel, was a good call. Instead of seeing Starfleet soldiers, we saw what it was like for the field doctors to have injured people beaming into their MASH unit in overwhelming waves.

And we got more hints about that green liquid M'Benga had in a previous episode, which confirms my suspicious about it (not sanctioned by Starfleet) and implies it could be put to interesting dramatic uses in the future.

However, they blew it with the ending. No spoilers here, so I'll be vague and just say the ending does not synch with the notion that Pike is a competent leader who would not shield one of his people from a suspected serious crime. Una, okay. She was clearly being oppressed but this is different.

9 for everything leading up to the ending, 5 for the ending, works out to a 7.

Best Episode of Strange New Worlds, one of the best in Star Trek

[fun_michael · 10/10 · 27 July 2023]

The Enterprise has a Klingon defector, who now is an ambassador of sorts on board. But some members of the crew were on an outpost during the Klingon wwar, where he was the commanding officer on the Klingon side.

This was a *really* intense episode. At least on par with the best of DS9, and in the way Lt. Ortegas, but especially Nurse Chapel and Dr. M'Benga were presented, it was actually even more gripping. Their contempt, even hate for the Klingon was visceral. There were several moments, where I thought "Oh my goodness".

Strange New World is generally an upbeat Series, managing to provide some character depth at the same time.

But this one was very different. Not upbeat in the slightest. But it was absolutely excellent. Amongst the large number of very good episodes in Strange New World to be this episode stands out as the very best. And for people who like their Star Trek to be a bit more "real", I would rate it under the Top 3 of all Star Trek episodes.

Needs better writers

[korpake · 6/10 · 28 July 2023]

A klingon can't die with one stab. They have multiple organ redundancies. And certainly not to the point that either medical officer couldn't have helped. They chose not to help, forsaking oaths and comitting murder. Criminal negligence at least. Both getting away with it. Ridiculous.

And that pilot getting away with subordination on a warship, that's just crazy.

The captain letting people with PTSD have to talk to a war criminal. Bad captain.

Just seems like lazy writing to me.

Overall the episode was good, giving a perspective on the war with the Klingons. Really good acting from the two medical officers.

Strange Dystopian Star Trek

[markbyrn-1 · 1/10 · 1 December 2023]

Much of the episode was devoted to retelling the horrific experience of Dr. M'Benga and Christine Chapel while at war with the Klingons and, in particular, a Klingon General turned diplomat who was aboard the Enterprise. In the final act, the General was murdered by M'Benga, and Chapel covered for him by claiming that the General was killed in self-defense. Captain Pike was dubious but didn't overly press it and that was the end of the show. What was most appalling was not the fact that the Doctor murdered in vengeance but the lying and the lack of interest to immediately conduct a security investigation that would readily and forensically determine the General was the victim. And there was seemingly no diplomatic repercussion with the Klingons. Just another day on the USS Vigilante, err Enterprise.

A Finest Hour

[cupertino666-251-324092 · 10/10 · 29 July 2023]

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has served up its finest episode so far. War trauma and post traumatic stress examined at an emotional depth that rarely is touched or given lease in a television program. On a topic where pulling punches is frequent these days, SNW goes head-long and strides further than most shows would go into traumatizing it's characters in order to get to a palpable truth on the subject matter.

Doctor M'Benga and Nurse Chapel are extraordinarily captivating in this episode, with Olusanmokun putting in his best performance in the role of the Doctor. Ragged tension cuts a jagged edge along the seams of this episode through their portrayals, yet the narrative and the lessons & realizations hold taunt throughout. This is as good as Star Trek gets at its primary purpose: examining the challenging elements of the human condition through the lens of science fiction.

One of the best

[sunflower1343 · 10/10 · 27 July 2023]

Star Trek has shown us our best faces in many circumstances, but it rarely shows us our face in war and its aftermath with the honesty of this episode. It was heart-wrenching, and like all great Trek made me question everything about what I thought I understood, and the kinds of decisions required in the face of such situations. What do we have to become in order to survive war? Can we ever recover? Do we deserve forgiveness for the worst of it?

We all think we know the answers. Star Trek often gives us the answers we want to hear. Are they even realistic? Can we reach those heights? I like to think we will always try. But damn, it can be hard, maybe too hard for even the best of us. 10/10.

Divisive

[svynronin · 9/10 · 4 August 2023]

Interesting how divisive this episode is among Trek fans. You are either going to hate or love the episode. I loved it because it dealt with real emotions and issues with PTSD and the pains of war. The silence is often deafening because of great acting and script. This is the most gritty episode Star Trek episode I've seen. For those who hated it, sure it wasn't a happy ending, but wake up, life isn't always happy. I like most people like to think I have morals and ethics but this episode tests those as you find out how two men on opposite sides of the war both did things they regret. Difference being, one killed civilians and children, the other murdered the men responsible including one who was a fraud, (no matter how good his intentions might be.) Is taking another man's life okay? Well that depends on the situation otherwise everyone who fights in a war is a murderer. Life, nor this episode makes it that simple. If you take time to put yourself in the place of those who fought against the Klingons, saw women and children butchered by them, then have to not only share a ship with one, but one specifically you knew murdered civilians then maybe you gain a better appreciation of those crew who struggled with him. Emotional scars take time to heal, but some scars take longer to heal than others. This wasn't just any Klingon who fought in the war, but one who butchered civilians then preached peace. No matter how good his intentions may have been, he was a fraud, and no amount of good intentions can be done to overcome his savage butchery of civilians. It's one thing to forgive an enemy on the battlefield who fought against you and killed soldiers, it's another thing to forgive someone who killed and tortured civilians including children. Should the doctor's actions be forgiven? Should the nurse not seeing who instigated the attack take a side? While I might not have done what they did, I can at least understand it given the circumstances. That is why this episode is divisive and while you might not condone an action you understand it. I do agree that this should not be the end. There should be consequences, how severe and what I will let the writers decide. Just know, the consequences will be just as decisive.

ST's continual war and peace story lines.

[lightheartedbeing · 9/10 · 30 July 2023]

We seem to go from fun, lighthearted in some episodes to deep and intense with STSNW following up with story-lines that mirror life in our world with perceptions from several centuries from now. Yet PTSD is still all too real in the veterans from the Klingon war. The deeper layers of torment from the horrors come forward in veterans under certain circumstances. It's why war isn't acceptable and is no solution with no winners, just profiteers. So it's the kind of episode that says "hey veterans, we get what your were called to do and what you've survived." In addition, there were/are nurses near the front lines that also have PTSD. Flashbacks are all too real. The character arcs and story lines unfolding throughout the series are really good.

The revelation and twist at the end was surprising. The last line is priceless. I think for some heroes that survive that line will speak to them, but I pray that it's not entirely true. In my work with veterans and active duty, I've witnessed lots of things that would contradict it. Admittedly, sadly, not always. Amazing performance by Babs. Well produced and directed.

Damn....that was dark

[mozillameister · 9/10 · 4 August 2023]

Maybe I wasn't expecting much and a very cliche'd story, and the quality of this episode took me off guard, but this has to be the best episode of nu Trek I've seen thus far. Rivals some of the best DS9 episodes on war and it's consequences.

Shades of grey is an understatement. Certainly a realistic portrayal on the horrors of war and how it changes a person, how nation states try to recover from the damage of others....and sometimes...those wounds never heal.

My family came from South America, and had family who died in the holocaust. Living next to Nazis in Argentina.... I can imagine they had very similar thoughts running through their head. I'd lie if I say I didn't fantasize it myself.

Some of the reviewers here a lamenting on this episode being 'anti trek' or that casting the character in question was wrong.

I disagree: Trek has ALWAYS been about the morally grey. Starfleet serves a noble purpose. No one is disputing that....but the lived experiences of another can't be discarded or assumed it doesn't have impact. It most certainly does. Doesn't justify what happened. Nor excuse it....but it is a moral debate for sure.

And that IS the purpose of Trek: if an episode left you conflicted and challenged your own perspective on morality, then it did it's job.

Solid episode - interesting ending

[codefool · 8/10 · 31 July 2023]

"Under the Cloak of War" is by far the strongest writing in SNW thus far. Despite various flaws - the M*A*S*H undertones, hints to the TOS episode "Conscience of the King," the obvious folly of land war in the age of space war, a Klingon with straight human teeth who walks with a cane but can do Klingon Judo just fine - what the episode has to say is what's poignant here.

We learn the history behind Chapel's bond with M'Benga and their apparent super-human abilities exhibited in the season opener "The Broken Circle." It's not pretty.

The story telling here is very good, told in flash-back and tight dialog, with an ending that is both tragic and ambiguous - we will never know the truth.

The only complaint I have (there had to be one) was with the casting (or perhaps directing) of Robert Wisdom as Dak'Rah. He's just too Tony Robbins for a Klingon. His lack of prosthetic teeth was distracting.

Also interesting is the use of the STD "klingons" in the recap, an abhoration thankfully ignored thus far in SNW in favor of the TMP/TNG Klingons. Please please please keep it this way.

All in all a solid episode with above-average writing and competent acting.

Well done.

Under the Cloak of War

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 27 July 2023]

This is the kind of story that has relevance in the present day. Former enemies who need to grasp realpolitik and become uneasy allies.

Dak'Rah is a Klingon Federation ambassador who arrives at the Enterprise to help negotiate a ceasefire between some warring planets. However his arrival has some of the crew on edge.

As a general during the Klingon War Dak'Rah had a reputation for his brutality and even killing his own men to escape. Later he defected to the Federation and became a negotiator.

M'Benga, Nurse Chapel, Ortega were involved in the Klingon war and are in no mood to forgive and forget.

Ostensibly about PTSD for those who were in battle and whether a person deserves a second chance. This is a dark episode and a bitter ending.

You could argue that Captain Pike is at fault for failing to appreciate the mood in his crew. Not even realising that some of the people on the ship are still damaged.

It Finally Happened!!!

[dnago-45088 · 9/10 · 29 July 2023]

Finally, Star Trek Strange New Worlds made a good episode this season. Instead of relying on cheap jokes, callbacks and cross over characters they wrote a good story and gave it to good actors.

M'Benga, played by Babs Olusanmokun, delivers a great performance pushing the line between what is morally right and what is right in the eyes of Starfleet. The episode is very different from most episodes in the Kurtzman era in that it makes you consider what is right and wrong, how would you handle a situation, in short it makes you think.

I am critical of SNW, Discovery and Picard not because I think TOS and TNG were a golden age but because the writers have so much content to review and see what works and what does not, TNG had plenty of bad episodes to learn from, so at this point to deliver an inferior episode is unacceptable but at least this one time they got it right.

So what Star Trek characters get on your nerves?

[Geekfreak13 · 7/10 · 27 July 2023]

The writers need to stop making Ortega from being insubordinate on the bridge. In fact I have to mute ever time she opens her mouth. It this were a real military ship, she would have been off the bridge in the first season.

Look back at TOS, Gene Roddenberry would not have approved of this characters smart ass comments.

I understand this is a tv series. I would to hear the thoughts of officers that have served or are serving as an officer on the bridge of a ship.

I do like this series, but having watched all the Star Trek movies and TV series, there are only a few characters I do not like.

Thank you.

Ummm woah now

[JBP_Ace · 5/10 · 3 December 2023]

Glad I'm not alone here man this episode spun me around. Most of the episode I dug; the war scenes were excellent, the acting was memorizing; and it's actually awesome seeing Klingons being the bad guys, it's a great setting for the show. Yeah there's been monstrous defectors on Star Trek before but hey it's compelling. Is this real, a ruse? So many directions to go!

Bam! Murder, right at the end there. By a member of Starfleet, and no less by the hands of one of my favorite characters!

And how's this "to be continued?" Oh it's not. I guess it's just all shrugged off? Pike and the rest of the chain of command to the top of Starfleet, plus the governing body of the United Federation of Planets, plllus each membering planet's respective rep and governing body... they're like "meh, just another Klingon, rough day for the books." Wow I hope I forget this episode. M'Benga is such a great character. Oh and maybe the Klingon deserved it? Hey bud, it's still mmmardar.

At least it wasn't shown on camera. And to try the whole "maybe it was self defense..." Please... I gotta forget the ending of this one.

Best episode of the season

[richocheis · 9/10 · 9 August 2023]

Star Trek is at its best when it makes you think. This episode does two things very well: a deep dive into character development, and a gripping story filled with grit and moral ambiguity.

Humorous stories are nice once in a while, and a little fan service gets the base excited, but it's storytelling like this that keeps you on the edge of your seat with your jaw on the floor.

It's also a nice reminder that while Star Trek (and starfleet) strive for utopian ideals, war is ugly. People can survive but rarely do so without scars, physical or emotional. And the wounds that caused those scars can reopen years later.