7 Ups & 1 Down From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3.5 — Through The Lens Of Time

4. UP — Slightly Contrarian Documentarian

Umberto 'Beto' Ortegas might easily have been extremely annoying for crew (and viewer) this week. Instead, he was just doing his job at Starfleet's behest, however bothersome that could (perhaps should) be. Beto was there to record the Enterprise's "current roster of missions" in celebration of the Federation centennial. That meant flying his camera into a few faces and places, whether crew (and viewer) liked or loved it or not.

Asking the Captain if he could "do it again" was pushing things, nonetheless. Plus, does no one say 'please' in the 23rd (or 21st) century? A little later, forgiveness would follow not asking for permission in the first place when Beto flew his drone camera through a doorway in the temple.

That inquisitive spirit, required in any good documentary filmmaker, was the key to salvation for the away team. One must always follow the story, even into "different planes of existence". Little could be less obvious than "layered dimensional space". Without the (AI) "intuitive software" in Beto's recording device, escape might have proven impossible.