After the enjoyable premiere last week, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is back again for another episode. It’s always comforting to have Star Trek as a weekly release in this television climate. The third episode, entitled ‘Vitus Reflux“, is written by Alex Taub and Kiley Rossetter. This week, we find out that cadets are in the middle of a prank war with another school, while also battling amongst themselves to join an elite team at the Academy.
Last week, we saw some classic Star Trek tropes, from ship infiltration to delegation visits, all wrapped in the young-adult skin of the Academy. Will this next episode strike a similar balance? After the premiere’s emphatic focus on Caleb (Sandro Rosta), do the other cadets finally get a bit more time in the spotlight? I went into this episode genuinely hopeful, so let’s find out if this third outing sticks the landing!
WARNING – Spoiler discussion below for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 3 “Vitus Reflux”.
The Prank War
The episode opens with the Academy and War College cadets sharing what appears to be a gym class together. If you’ve seen a gym episode of any high school show, it’s just got a Star Trek themed coat of paint on it. It’s one of the episode’s biggest sins that the fact that it’s a part of Star Trek doesn’t factor into anything here at all. The clique vs clique of the Academy / War College dispute is childish and cliché.
By the time they’d gotten to the declaration of a prank war following a locker room scene, I already found myself rolling my eyes. Where the previous episodes were Star Trek stories with young-adult moments sprinkled in, this was the reverse. The one consistent bright spot in all of this was Chancellor Ake (Holly Hunter). A space herbology class is an interesting environment, and she encourages the cadets to think for themselves in a way that’s simply a joy to watch.
Watching her play off War College Commander Kelrec (Raoul Bhaneja) in a private setting offered a clear contrast between their characters. Ake’s age and experience allow her to be as casual as she is while still commanding the room. One of the many benefits of having an Oscar-winning lead is that Hunter plays this role so confidently and effortlessly. A tense scene, but a fun one, as she forces Kelrec to out himself for leaking the video footage of the Academy cadets.
Battlefield
The sports tryout scenes were among the episode’s more memorable shots for me. Sure, it doesn’t beat an actual battlefield, but it was visually interesting, and the shooting and ducking were exhilarating to watch. The biggest shame is that this action scene has no real stakes or danger. Outside of Caleb, the most these characters have gotten is a hero moment at the end of the first episode.
Given that his voice opened the episode, it was nice to see this be Reymi’s (George Hawkins) plot. He’s the tryhard, the jock, the guy who’s waking up early in the morning to workout. Pitting him against Lythe (Bella Shepard), who’s also similarly determined and fit, made for some nice character drama. By the time that he hands her the literal varsity jacket at the end of the episode, it felt earned, even if the trek to get there was unoriginal.
Where this plot really stood out was when the Atrium was turned into a giant playing field. On one hand, we get to see the cadets work with one another to defeat the War College. On the other, it was really nice to see the giant set being used creatively. I really loved the neon lighting throughout, crafting a nice atmosphere. Even spreading the action across the different levels was lots of fun to see.
Tarima’s Choice
One of the biggest surprises of the end of episode 2 was the seeming continuance of the romance between Caleb and Tarima (Zoë Steiner). In a show like this, such a relationship is almost inevitable. The love interest has gone and joined the rival clique, and is playing hard to get with the protagonist. This is a story we’ve probably all seen before. Sitting with why she joined the College could’ve been interesting.
It seems like it’s going somewhere cool, too. I held out some hope that it would invert some of this, especially when she asserts some agency on the basketball court and calls out Caleb for latching on and feeling entitled. Alas, what could’ve been a modern discussion of agency is nullified when they share a kiss barely 20 minutes later. I guess we’ll see how them studying in different schools affects their relationship.
A Betazoid woman exploring outside her bubble for the first time could’ve been so cool, and still could be. I hope that they’re able to bring her character some meatier material. Romance is fine, and I hope this one gets more tolerable with time. So far, this material is far more fitting of high school students than people studying at a college or university level. But that’s a problem that plagues not just this subplot, but the show as a whole.
Grow for Me
The herbology class at the episode’s beginning introduced us to the titular Vitus Reflux. It playing a role in the episode’s climax was a no-brainer. The plants, which echo the words spoken around them in a grating high-pitch, are genuinely pretty cute. It almost seems in dialogue with where we started with human-ish plants in Star Trek with the puppeteered Gertrude in “The Man Trap”. It’s amazing the difference that 60 years can make.
With most of the aliens that appear being humanoid, and most of the exterior sets being based in real life, seeing some properly alien plant life is always a treat. Utilising its protected status, speaking abilities, and adapting them to put an end to the prank war felt really cool. Then again, it was one of the few explicitly science-fiction things in the episode, of course I latched onto it.
Watching the War College cadets run from the plants infesting their dorms was a cathartic end. Ake backing Kelrec into a corner with the rulebook was just the cherry on top. While a prank war was childish, the ultimate end was satisfying. Putting the arrogance of the War College to the limit, and seeing them end the war and congratulate the Academy cadets was nice.
Leading by Understanding
Where the episode finally begins to come together is that final scene in Ake’s office. It’s still a moment between her and Caleb, but one not focused on his mother and their shared past. Instead, she’s being a teacher and a leader. It’s revealed that she masterminded their whole plan and participated in a big prank war herself as a cadet. A lot of this was obvious, but it does serve to tie the episode together.
Even better, it redeems the episode’s focus on young adult elements somewhat as she explains what her intention was. More than a prank war, it was helping them to understand their opponent, how to win and a conflict, leading with understanding and working together. At its heart, this is what Starfleet is all about. It’s a great lesson to learn, and it’s one that wasn’t immediately obvious on a first viewing.
I don’t think that bringing in the Starfleet moral code in the last 5 minutes is enough to truly elevate the episode, however. It’s still an hour of cliché and dull high school prank antics that belong in a b-plot of Glee or Gossip Girl. All it does is make it so the episode has some tangential relation to actual Star Trek. In all, it was an interesting diversion episode in a short season that leaves a bit to be desired.
Conclusion
This episode was genuinely a bit of a let down for me. While finally fleshing out the other characters is a very welcome touch, the whole focus on the prank war was very childish. It made for decent young-adult fare, but for the most part, just strip away the Star Trek skin and it could be a clique vs clique episode of any other teen drama. Sure, the dialogue between Ake and Caleb at the end was great. Instead of a thought out plan, it ends up feeling like a tacked-on Starfleet morality lesson.
All the actors are in fine shape, and seem settled into their roles. Getting away from the mystery box and spending time with the other characters allowed the show some room to breathe. But the big shift toward the teen drama stuff here made it hard for me to get too invested in it. I really hope that next week strikes a better balance, and I’d love to know where I can a set of those warp core print pyjamas that Ake was wearing.
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