Star Trek: Starfleet Academy finally returns to the series’ main arc in this week’s episode. Entitled “Come, Let’s Away”, there are immediate echoes of the bloody and treacherous end of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Written by Kenneth Lin and Kiley Rossetter, it sees the show’s cadets run into trouble during a training exercise on a derelict ship. Meanwhile, Captain Ake (Holly Hunter) resorts to depths she never thought she could reach to get her students out.
There are old enemies on the horizon, an ever-present sense of danger. Will Ake be able to save her cadets before it’s too late? How far will she go to bring them home? Or will it be the cadets themselves who save the day? Let’s find out what lies ahead in this week’s episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
WARNING – Spoilers below for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season One Episode Six “Come, Let’s Away”.
Love and Intimacy
The episode opens with a non-diegetic song, namely “UFO” by Olivia Dean. It’s not something I’m against the franchise doing, but it’s hard to not point out how unusual it is. Between this and the Wainwright needle drop in the premiere, the licensed music is something that Starfleet Academy in particular seems to have adopted. On the bright side, a song about the intricate complexities of love definitely fits the interspecies action happening onscreen.
There’s no way around it; even while tame by the standards of the broader entertainment landscape, this is perhaps the most sexually explicit that Star Trek has gotten. But actually discussing and respecting those cultural and biological differences, bridged by genuine love and affection, was handled so well. For a franchise that’s all about respecting those differences, that was great.
While Caleb (Sandro Rosta) is human, Tarima (Zoë Steiner) is not. As a Betazoid and a powerful one at that, she brings a strong psychological element to the scene. Through her bond with Caleb, she can delve into his childhood memories, and we get an echo of the first episode. Beyond being a well-directed sequence, with the expansive flower field being quite pretty, the following discussion on boundaries and expectations was also really respectful.
Enemies Old and New
After the sweetly named USS Miyazaki is boarded by the “Furies” during the cadets’ training exercise, the episode really begins. The costumes and prosthetics are gorgeous, with the horror accentuated by the minimal lighting throughout most of their screen time. Even on an auditory level, their communications are so unsettling. I’d be disappointed if this were their sole appearance, especially after the end credits’ horrifying soundscape.
Of course, they’re not the only villain this week. After being advertised as the main antagonist and being absent half the season, Paul Giamatti returns as Nus Braka. He’s brought in as a sort of ally to see if he can be of any use in dispatching the Furies. Being Braka, however, he has something far more sinister in mind. Where Hunter was in control through the premiere, Giamatti owns his scenes.
I’m glad they didn’t try to make him redeemable, as he doubles down on the depravity and insanity. This episode re-establishes him as a menace after how seemingly easily he was dispatched in the series’ premiere. While his return was spoiled both by promotional material and the episode’s opening credits, it still manages to be exciting. I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve for the season finale.
Cadets on the Bridge
Meanwhile, on the USS Miyazaki, the cadets are in existential danger. Despite Ake’s efforts on the Athena to organise a rescue plan, it is the psychic connection between Caleb and Tarima that ultimately saves them. After the character spotlights of the last few weeks, seeing the cadets help themselves has so much more dramatic weight. Even the death of B’avi (Alexander Eling) ends up packing a punch.
Speaking of him, while it’s likely a longer, separate discussion, the use of comic books was very well done. These “Tales of the Frontier” are as much a part of the propaganda network as the war comics of the Golden Age. Having Caleb reject it as state propaganda while B’avi found it inspirational raises interesting questions about the line between entertainment and propaganda. I wish the episode had lingered with this more, but as-is, it’s already quite morally crowded.
The ingenuity to seal themselves on the ship’s bridge and activate the shields may not have defeated the Furies, but it did buy them time. Defeating the Furies took the uninhibited powers of Tarima. Between her heroic call to action here and the emotional depth of the intimacy scene earlier, this is definitely Steiner’s episode. Watching her plough through the horde of Furies was satisfying, and the coma she found herself in only served to add to the hopelessness the episode ended on.
Trauma Loop
Despite everyone credited in the intro surviving, it’s hard to argue that Starfleet actually won this week. This was Braka’s big return, and he left nought but chaos and destruction in his wake. Tarima’s telepathy expenditure, as glorious as it was as a display for Betazoid capability, has left her in critical condition. Not to mention the disabling of the USS Sargasso, the massacre at Starbase J-19, or the fact that Ake seems to blame herself for all of it.
She’s comforted somewhat by Vance (Oded Fehr), who tries to shield her from blame. It’s a touching scene, as he comforts this crushed figure he convinced back into Starfleet to bring hope to the next generation. While all the massacring happened offscreen, Hunter’s performance of devastation is enough to sell it after the deception we’ve witnessed over the last hour. It hits the emotional beats well here. I can’t wait to see how they reverberate through the coming episodes.
The fact I viscerally hated Braka as he returned virtually to brag, and tease another return, is indicative of how good Giamatti is in the role. With the mysterious experimental technology he’s stolen, anything goes for what this return will ultimately entail. Needless to say, it tees up the finale really quite well. After this week’s crushing defeat for the Federation, I’m left wanting the next episode now.
Conclusion
Any criticisms I have of this episode feel almost like nitpicks. This was a great mid-season episode that tees up a massive scale finale. After being defeated in the first episode, Braka establishes itself as a manipulative force to be reckoned with. Backed by Giamatti’s scenery-chewing performance, it’s a delight to watch. Not only that, but cadets were in very real danger here, and seeing them work together now that we’ve gotten to know them better was great.
It’s a bloodbath, where injuries and death have real weight. Even the interpersonal drama felt like it was building, in particular for Tarima. They’ve elevated the series dramatically, making it far bigger than I anticipated. Under Holly Hunter’s star power, the impact is felt even when the action is offscreen. Needless to say, I’m very excited to see how the back half of this season plays out!
We’re into the second half of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy now. Only four episodes of the first season remain.
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