6 Ups And 3 Downs From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3.6 — The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail
History literally comes calling in The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail.
As we tip over into the second half, we return to the middle ground. In a season (so far) of hits and misses, The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail is neither. On the one hand, it is a perfectly good episode of Star Trek. In fact, and much like Hegemony, Part II before it, it has all the elements to be a classic. On the other, the episode is, at times, remarkably staid, as 'by the book' as everything Commander Kirk would reject.
In that, "the sehlat who ate its tail," and corresponding "the dog who caught the car," become unfortunately fitting metaphors. Not unlike Kirk, suddenly captain, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds itself achieved great success from the very beginning. Now, it seems unsure what to do with it. It is torn between genre-bending and set-up for a spin-off.
There is still a lot to enjoy in this episode. It benefits from a solid premise with a surprising conclusion. The cast's performances are, as nearly always, irreproachable. Whatever the intent moving forward, it is also (mostly) a delight to see a good handful of the TOS crew interact as they do with a certain future captain of the Enterprise. The rest is (very) personal.
10. UP — Kirk Is A Jerk
Many a true word is spoken in jest, as the proverb goes. Practical joke of the affected Enterprise computer of The Practical Joker, is there some semblance of sincerity in "KIRK IS A JERK"? The answer is never so simple as something you can also now slap on the back of a shirt. At the start of The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail, Kirk certainly acts, or rather talks, like a jerk. That doesn't make him one in perpetuity.
The episode presents Kirk in all his brazenness, in all his hubris, only to have him learn a valuable lesson in humility (and humanity). If this is a backdoor pilot, it is also good character development. We can excuse Kirk a little posturing boredom and poor decision making, safe in the knowledge of what's to come.
There is equally something so shamelessly accurate in "I just think the book would be more interesting if I got to write it". The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail almost wants us to shout at the television what we know to be true — that, yes, it would be, or rather, it will be. And that is exactly the right amount of jerk.