10 Star Trek Characters That Gained SUPERPOWERS

4. Emergency Medical Super Soldiers

M'Benga using Protocol 12
CBS Media Ventures

Remember that dream you had when Dr M'Benga and Nurse Chapel took super-soldier serum and fought their way through a ship full of thugs? That actually happened.

During The Broken Circle, Chapel and M'Benga find themselves imprisoned on a salvaged Federation starship that looks like it might have been ordered from Temu. Realising the Broken Circle syndicate intends to use the ship to provoke another war between the Federation and the Klingons, they decide to put a stop to them...with a little help from Protocol 12, a drug created by M'Benga that temporarily turns the user into a super soldier. Increased adrenaline, heightened aggression, pain suppression and physical prowess; it's all there.

On the one hand, it makes for a fast-paced, action-packed adventure, featuring two fan-favourite characters. On the other hand, the more you dig, the more problematic it becomes.

It feels like an odd fit for the same series that presented the trial of Una Chin-Riley. Ad Astra per Aspera meticulously weighs up the rights and wrongs of Una's circumstances as a genetically modified officer, while the previous episode has M'Benga and Chapel use a drug that turns them into fighting machines without sanction.

It also leaves the universe in a bit of a pickle. The introduction of Protocol 12 begs the question...was it ever used again by Starfleet? Not even off the books? Not even in times of war? And if it was disavowed, then what does that say about our Starfleet heroes who willingly used it? It's a tangled web...which, to be fair, many viewers enjoy getting caught in.

While other entries in this list warn against wielding unnatural power with all the sincerity of Faramir spurning the One Ring, Strange New Worlds has its healers supe up and wreak havoc. Star Trek has been telling us for years that the ends don't justify the means, but this story is all about survival at any cost.

Contributor

Katherine has been boldly going since childhood, when the BBC Two 6pm Star Trek slot changed her life. She was drawn in by the franchise's optimism, compassion and flair for character-driven storytelling. She's been writing stories since she could pick up a pen and has spent far too much time immersed in television, films, books, music and theatre. She loves any chance to talk or write about her favourite fandoms, of which there are many. When not busy writing, she can usually be found playing video games or explaining why the concept of a transporter is actually terrifying.