10 Star Trek Episodes That Are Beyond Words
5. Agree...Disagree...
The Ortegas episode we'd all been waiting for left the ace pilot marooned with nothing but a broken shuttle, her ingenuity and a Gorn sidekick.
Context is key for Terrarium. Previously on Strange New Worlds, Ortegas barely survived a brutal encounter with the Gorn and battled trauma in the aftermath. So being stranded with a Gorn was the last thing she needed or wanted.
But rather than descend into a battle of survival between the human and Gorn, the story is about overcoming barriers and finding companionship in the most inhospitable of places. Sure, it doesn't start well, with the Gorn using Ortegas as bait to capture dinner. And she's understandably confused when the Gorn offers to share dinner with her rather than make her the second course.
Slowly, they start to build trust through action and behaviour. And when the Gorn saves her life, it opens Ortegas' eyes to the living, breathing person behind the scales. It gives her the first building block needed to reach out...empathy.
Ortegas manages to rig up a device to understand yes and no, and their bond deepens through the limited communication. Treating wounds, sharing meals, even playing games.
The rub comes when Ortegas realises her new comrade has no wish to leave injured, knowing the fate that awaits her. And that's our first inkling that the story might not end well for the unlikely Gorn bestie, no matter how much Ortegas implores her not to give up.
Terrarium is about far more than the struggle to communicate with another species. It's about moving beyond speech and into compassion and cultural understanding. In connecting with this nameless Gorn, Ortegas faced her demon and became its friend.