I am South African and grew up during Apartied. This episode brought back the reality of the many struggles we had to endure during that time. The mention of Apartied made me think that, yes, it is still relevant today, but will it still be relevant in such a far future. Things are changing in South Africa, and many of the young people are becoming oblivious to the struggles of the past. I hope that stories like this, even if they hit hard, are made to remind the younger generation that the past is still important. We should never forget what we had to go through to be who we are today. Thank you, Sean, for this incredible review of a brilliant episode.

This was a FANTASTIC scene where Ortegas and Doctor M’benga are watching Spock and talk. It’s furthering what we’ve already seen and know of M’benga on TOS, his special knowledge/expertise on Vulcans. He says, “Can’t you sense the tension? Vulcans may not give much, but you can tell a lot from their body language.” This was gold character showing. Absolutely what M’benga would say.

The inclusion of the illuminated handrest that serves as a lie-detector mechanism out of "Court Martial" was a really nice touch. It never gets explicitly mentioned or explained (as if hard-core fans would need an explanation), but the camera cuts to a close-up of it when a witness is being reminded that they are under oath to remind viewers of its function. Very nicely done.

This is going to be one of those episodes that is remembered forever. This will be one of Strange New World's touchstones. The way this story reverberates across all oppressed peoples 👄🤌

I'm 76 and watched TOS, every episode, first-run. At that time I embraced and felt a kinship with Gene's direction which informed his vision of the future. That was the template that so many episodes followed. Think the classic Frank Gorshin black/white epp. So MY big and first 'up' for this episode: no pew-pews, no monsters, no existential threats to all life in the galaxy, just a very cerebral, quiet (a whisper can shout) and brilliantly acted -- thanks to a stupendous script -- episode that deeply moved me. But what gave me literal goosebumps as I watched your (as ALWAYS) spot-on takes, was when you mentioned how you felt like you were watching an episode straight out of TOS because as *I* watched it this afternoon, that was part of the emotional connection I had with the epp. I actually spoke to my computer screen and said, "YES!" when you brought that up. I may be old, but I haven't talked to my computer screen until tonight. Thank you so much for the work you put into these, I look forward to the ups and downs EXACTLY as much as I do the episode each week. If this is geeky, I'll take another scoop, please.😊

All I could hear during this episode: “And so I say to any creature who may be listening: There can be no justice, so long as laws are absolute. Life itself is an exercise in exceptions” Thank you Jean-Luc

I’m surprised you didn’t mention this in cetacean observation, but the whole trial fits in nicely with O’brien’s line in DS9 of “there hasn’t been a case like this in a hundred years” in the DS9 episode when Bashir is outed and because I knew this, I felt a sense of dread when Neera says “It’s a start” because the audience that has seen all of Star Trek will know, the problem still exists in the 24th century. Its eerie listening to Neera say that at the end when a hundred years from then genetic augments are still being discriminated against.

Watching this as a lawyer Trekkie was just *so good*! Like… I normally like the courtroom episodes but this… this was so much closer to how law actually works in the real world and it was *so good*. There’s an old expression among lawyers- especially litigators- if you have the law, pound the law. If you have the facts, pound the facts. If you don’t have either, pound the table. Batel has the law. Neera has the facts (and the table)… until it turns out that no, she also has the law… so freaking good! Just beautifully done. And the commentary- this was in the best tradition of Star Trek morality plays making a point about civil rights issues. Beautiful. Una and Neera’s actresses *killed* it! Absolutely killed it.

I have noticed that most reviewers have missed what I consider to be an homage to the character of Samuel T. Cogley from the TOS episode “Court Martial.” As portrayed by Elisha Cook, Jr., Cogley gives an impassioned speech about how the ancient concepts of law and the intent of those who wrote them can only be found in the old law books. In the final scene, when Neera presents her final argument to save Pike and Una, it’s based on an old Starfleet code found in a book.

Can we all just agree to peer pressure Paramount into approving ~8 more seasons of this show already??? SNW is genuinely one of the best shows on TV regardless of genre

If I didn't know Mariner and Boimler were coming, I would easily say this was the best guest starring role of the season. Neera was a damn force, and she was spectacular in a stand-out episode. This was absolutely pure classic Star Trek at it's core, and we should all be celebrating it.

ST is full of action. Full of fighting. Full of danger. At the end of every episode, there is a parable about the human condition. The courtroom episodes in every series of ST is a reflection of the human condition, fictional, past, and present, reminding us of what we have learned during the series, and how to be better. This was the culmination of every season that came before, sitting down and taking a hard look at the what, why and where humanity is coming from and heading towards with the possibilities of being better. ST was always about being BETTER humans to others and to ourselves. That diversity isn't a hinderance, it's "a tide that lifts all boats". It is unfortunate that some of the kids that grew up watching ST have lost the message.

The tactic Neera used involving April...is actually a very logical and legitimate thing. I firmly believe she KNEW it was going to get April's testimony thrown out.

Strange New Worlds is doing what Star Trek was always meant to do. It’s like watching TNG and DS9 in a TOS setting. The modern series based format with an episodic structure based on either a moral dilemma or a slice of life “hanging out with the crew” story. Absolutely amazing. This should be the flagship series of Star Trek going forward.

I've never heard Spock lash out like that before. I now see his human side so clearly. Truly, his emotions have gotten the best of him.

For me, I thought this made a better ep 2 than ep 1. Having a lighter ep 1 was a good intro back into SNW and it was nice, for a change, that a cliffhanger wasn't immediately resolved in the first ep. It gave this episode much more gravitas... for me as I say. Excellent episode all round.

A latinum "Up" for this episode as well as a huge"Up" for Sean's analysis, which was spot on. As a senior citizen star trek fan from the 60's, I have become concerned over the amount of violence in today's trek. This episode is the epitomy of fantastic writing and acting.

Ad astra per aspera is the motto of Kansas. As a Kansan, born and bred, I am most happy to learn that Kansas is the birthplace of Starfleet.

I"m 70 and TOS was really important to me as a teenager since it spoke to all the upheavals in the current social and political landscape. Then, BAM, here comes SNW to do exactly that now. This felt just like TOS to me, too. I absolutely loved it. And Happy Pride Month to you, too.

The best episode of Star Trek since DS9. I didn't think they could make episodes like this anymore.

Any veteran of the military knew that La'an's order to Uhura was unlawful....and that Uhura was correct in refusing to obey it. That is exactly how it works.

This episode joins the list of great Star Trek courtroom based scenes. One very subtle connection to an original series episode caught my attention. Neera uses a hardcopy book of the Starfleet Uniform Code Of Justice. This book is present in the courtroom and she uses it well in her defense presentation. I immediately thought of Kirk's lawyer Cogley and his books in Court Martial. He makes a passionate argument for physical books instead of just having everything on a computer screen. Cogley : Books, young man, books. Thousands of them. If time wasn't so important, I'd show you something. My library. Thousands of books. Captain James T. Kirk : And what would be the point? Cogley : This is where the law is, not in that homogenized, pasteurized, synthesized... . Do you want to know the law, the ancient concepts in their own language, learn the intent of the men who wrote them, from Moses to the tribunal of Alpha 3? Books. That's where the law is!

Sean, I understand your thoughts about this episode vs the season premiere. However, there was a very good reason the first episode didn't feature much of Pike. The writers/showrunners specifically worked it out so that Anson Mount could have a couple extra weeks off before coming on set to begin shooting Season Two with the rest of the cast. This was done so he could have extra time with his recently (at the time) born daughter. Season 2 started filming in February of last year, and Anson's baby girl had just been born the December prior.

Sean, I'm a retired US Navy Seabee veteran, i got thru boot camp because of my love of Star Trek, with the Naval and Star Fleet parallels. I love your ups and downs, I look forward to watching you each week. One of your fans, Chris (Pappy) Pappas

Literary got emotional while watching this episode. What an episode!! The acting, the dress uniform designs, the atmosphere, good lord. Outstanding!!

Really loved this episode. It will be an episode talked about in the Trek fandom for a very long time! It also does what Trek does best…reflecting humanity’s flaws. 🖖

Any episode that through its plot brings light to topics current to our present day society is a win in my opinion. This episode has done that in spades!

An absolutely cracking episode. Courtroom drama, genuine jeopardy, beautifully written, acted and produced. One of the classics. I loved the "sure it pretty-much flies itself" quote at the end 😎

One of the best Star Trek episodes out of all the different types of Star Trek shows. It brought to the forefront what we are fighting for today in the real world. Equal rights for EVERYONE. EVERYBODY EVER-PERSON. EVERY Individual. The dissertation about the Law was fantastic. Slavery was a law. Very impactful episode.

Really loved this episode, and I also think it feels better as a season opener. I really think the writing was so well done and Mount’s turn at Pike is so dang good! The lawyer really drew out some great themes as to why I love the stories Trek tells!

This is what Discovery is missing no matter how hard it tries. This balance, this way of getting you to the point.

Exact comment I made to my husband as we watched, "I love this ship". It's futurist but warm and homey at the same time. Beautiful interior design and architecture.

1. Excellent breakdown. 2. I was watching Trek in the 60s- old man now and this easily could’ve been a Roddenberry story. 3. Don’t let the writers of these shows get stolen by some other franchise. 🖖🏻

This episode proves why we love Trek. A great message of when you can be wrong but want to do right, and love your fellow people

Due to work schedule and all that, I choose to wait until Friday night here in PDT to catch the episodes. I just want to thank you Sean and crew for the enjoyment of watching Ups & Downs as my way of a post-show after party. Truly appreciate you!

Fantastic Episode, I was honestly in tears at the end of it.And Yetide was so good as Neera. Really great performance

If this was episode 1, there would have been no La'an in it, which would have taken a lot away from the emotional resonance in it, since she is Una's protégé and they'd have also had to get rid of the investigation plot of who it was who told Starfleet about Una. Plus the scene with her and Uhura wouldn't have happened. I think it was a good idea to keep this episode until she was back on the ship.

I must disagree that this should have been episode 1 of the season. I feel it was perfect as the 2nd episode. Why? It did not fall into the "must resolve the cliffhanger on the first episode" agenda most shows utilize. I felt it was nice to be thrown off of that normal trajectory and get into something "kinda" random, and still have something juicy to look forward to the next episode. Actually, now that I think about it, the first episode resolved the Hemmer cliffhanger, if you consider that a cliffhanger (which I do). Who was going to be the next Chief Engineer? How would things shake out in that respect? Wow, just realizing as I make this comment that, yes, there were two cliffhangers from the last episode of S1! Sorry, not sorry, but SNW is doing all the "right things" as far as these two episodes are concerned, IMO.

This episode felt like core Star Trek. I loved it! if the rest of the season is like that, we are in for a treat :)

This episode was superb - well acted, well written! I loved La’-an being relieved of her internal pain by Neera! OMG. Having a Latinum Down on the set design was irrelevant - all other aspects of the show mattered more .

Thank you for this. I thought that this was just a phenomenal episode. So well done. Moving and very powerful. Gene Roddenberry would be very proud of this show and this episode, I think.

Can I just say here the most impressive thing about the writing in this episode is how they navigated a difficult canon minefield.

For those of you old enough to remember or young ones who like classic shows. Yetide Badaki's performance in this episode as Neera was giving me Diahnn Carroll vibes as the Original Dominique Devereaux in Dynasty. I was there for every second of it.

This will go down as one of the classics, a superb episode all round. Beautifully written and acted by all involved, I loved this episode so much it was just incredible. Standouts we’re Una, Meera, Batel and La’an, I so hope that Meera returns she’s an absolute star. I cannot stress enough how much I love this show, easily one of the best episodes of Star Trek of all time. Powerful story and so relevant, thanks Seán for pointing out the links to our current situation with human rights. Brilliant up’s and downs as usual

Spock didn’t STEAL the Enterprise in “Broken Circle”. He merely wanted the ship to go. Now. I was perfectly fine with it. In fact, it was fun. I did pick up on the re-used set for the courtroom. Meh. Another great episode. The dress uniforms were great, and they even brought back the lie-detector chairs from TOS. And those TOS-era data cartridges! Spock’s apology to Ortegas and M’Begna was OLD SCHOOL TREK!!!! And their humorous observations are EXACTLY what well-acquainted co-workers would do in “the real world”. I felt for Adm. April when he was on the witness stand. Everything about La’an is golden. And I can’t wait for the reveal that La’an is a genetic superwoman. Christina Chong is SUPERB in this role. Rebecca Romijn truly shined in this episode. Truthfully, I am in no rush to see the crew of “Kirk’s Enterprise”. Why? Because Pike’s Enterprise is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. We all know that TOS lies ahead in the 23rd Century. Getting there is going to be great fun. I disagree that Ad Astra should have been the lead-off episode. After a season hiatus, we needed to see our heroes doing something interesting together. We got that in Broken Circle. I enjoy this channel.

Absolutely loved this episode, up there with Measures of a Man and Drumhead for best courtroom episodes 10/10 🎉

This was one of the best episodes of the new trek. Classic trek episode where you are made to think about heavy stuff. Someone in the writing staff knows what they are doing ;)

One thing about the scene with the 'vulcan confrontation' in the mess hall that nobody mentions is Spock can hear everything Ortegas and the doctor have been saying, so he is sort of poking them in the ribs a little bit and they are quite aware of it (thus the laughter)

I like these more intellectual episodes. They show what real Star Trek is about, and what it was until 2005. This one also had some obvious influences from previous series. The writers seem to be doing more of their homework than so many others these days.

Someplace, somewhere, The Great Bird Of The Galaxy stood to give this episode a standing ovation. THIS episode is indicative of why Trek lives on 57 years later.

This episode was So reminiscent of TOS and brought me back to my childhood. It was brilliant 🙌🏼👊🏼🖖🏼

I think what Sean sees as insignia are more like the ribbons you see on today's uniforms. That way, it would make sense that (a) everyone has a different design and (b) more senior officers tend to have a larger cluster.

Am I the only one who would like a prequel to SNW where April is in command of the Enterprise ?

It’s reminder, how far we have come, and how much farther we need to go given that it was written in America for a world audience. Let it stand for a reminder on what Star Trek originally stand for.

I think this episode was perfect and deserved a perfect score with no downs. Another courtroom drama that deals with social issues of today. A quick mention in the observations about the set would have been enough, certainly did not warrant a down. Thank you for another fantastic review. This is my first stop after each episode 💖🖖

Of course, we were all waiting for Una's salvation, and I, too, was disappointed having to wait for it, even though Spock's storyline in the first episode was great, and I loved it. But, for one, La'an had to be back first. Her being related to Khan, this issue is also essential to her character. The scene between her and the lawyer tells us so much about her fears and why she so often appears repressed. Secondly, this civil rights episode, as a first episode of a season, brilliant as it is, is a bit heavy for starters. So I am absolutely happy with it as it is. I watched TOS as a teenager and have followed all series, but this episode is easily one of the best ever. Aside from that, Spock's apology for his "outburst" had me in tears from laughing.

I'm so glad y'all made Neera the Latinum Up! She (and the actress, Yetide Badaki, a self-proclaimed, life-long trekkie) are among my top 10 favorite guest characters/actors in Star Trek.

This episode made me cry. Like I wiped tears at the end of the episode. It hit hard, being about hidden identity. I'm a Jew, born and raised. I have a whole third of my dad's Ashkenazi family that didn't survive the Holocaust. My mom's family had to flee Spain during the Spanish Civil War because they were Sephardic (which doesn't mean black Jew). It's easy to hide the fact that I'm a Jew behind my whiteness. I've heard people I thought I respected who didn't know I'm a Jew make antisemitic comments in front of me. They've said things that would get my post deleted by the KZfaq automoderator if I repeated them here. In 1987 during our family Passover seder, my grandparents had a cross burned in their yard. They moved shortly after that. Yes, it is easier to be a white-outward-facing male than to be an individual of color, but we still face our own silent challenges in a world that still hates us, thinks we control the banks and governments and is intent on either converting us to Christianity or getting rid of us entirely. Bravo Star Trek, bravo. 🖖

When you brought up don't ask don't tell it hit a chord with me, I served under it for 12 years. Part of this episode resonated with me as I would have loved to serve and be myself to my fellow soldiers, but I couldn't because of hatred; bigotry; and laws that were wrong. I retired, and have a great life; but I left with a lot of mental trauma and the regret that I never was able to serve openly.

This is your best video so far, Shaun. The topic of the episode was deep, and so were your observations. Well done!

Sean, its crazy how much our ups and downs align in every episodes. I so look forward these every week thank you so much for making them!

So appropriate this episode aired during Pride Month. Born this Way! Well done SNW. Thanks for the review, Sean.

This episode had me in tears more than once, for all the right reasons. 🌈❤

Loved this week! Was very Measure of a Man/Drumhead meets Scandal/How to Get Away With Murder. Keep it up SNW team, you're smashing it!

This is what Trek has always done best. To build an analogy of injustice in the “real” world and deal with it in the constructed context of the Federation. This is why Star Trek is such a good series.

I really related to it as someone with autism because it was by birth and how una was discriminated against because of being augmented reminds me of being bullied in school because I’m autistic but that was just how I interpreted it others may interpret it differently

Gene started the court-martial drama TV genre with his court procedural episodes of "The Lieutenant" which depict UMCJ courtroom procedure (JAG, NCIS). All the 60's Star Trek "court room" uniforms are inspired by the US Fleet's Dress Blues and Dress Whites. This Start Trek Strange New Worlds episode #2 had the characters discussing "illegal orders" and the other heaviest of topics as if they were real Officers of The Fleet being overheard by real enlistees as they weigh the moral conundrums. The episode takes it back to snapshots of the GG Bridge from those familiar Fort Baker (from Sea & Air) and Fort Mason (from Land) vantages which surely Gene, as a WW2 aviator serviceman, would have seen firsthand from being on leave during (and afterward in demobilization) his experience with The Pacific Theatre. For Gene, the haters made it rough for him in his refusal to go along with "hating Japs": To shoot at and to be shot down by the Japanese Imperial Navy... I would like to think the spirit of San Francisco itself which gave Gene 'The Star Trek SOUL' required to hire George Takei to play the character entrusted to fire the USS Enterprise's weapons: HAPPY PRIDE WEEKEND, SEMPER FI ! ! !

Want to add a comment about La'an. Was a bit unsure of her in the first season, but actually starting to think of her as one of the best characters in this series. Could she become a Trek classic character in time? More depth and levels than most!

Totally agree this should have been the first episode, also Yetide Badaki was brilliant, hope we see more of her!

I don't know if this is a better episode, but it has me in tears... This episode brought up very personal issues for me.

Honestly I think this was the best Star Trek courtroom episode yet. In episodes like The Measure of a Man and Drumhead, it was Picard who delivered the big speech that gave us clarity. I think it was brilliant that it was Una's lawyer who did it this time. One of the best guest star characters in all of Star Trek.

Absolutely perfect. It is so refreshing to watch something like this in nowadays streaming world. And yet, it looks like a 60s episode from TOS. What a time to be alive. That's how I feel every week with Strange New Worlds.

After 3 watches, this is now my favourite episode of trek ever (so far). Nuanced, masterfully acted and poignant. Hats off to Yetide Badaki for a brilliant performance. In my view the law is just the beginning, An attempt to regulate society but it should be ever changing (through case law) to match the world and society around it. Also...no 🐬 obvs for the glowy hand lie detector????

Absolutely loved this episode and love the ups and downs every week!!

This episode exemplifies one of the things that Star Trek does best - being a commentary of what is going on now in the real world. While there were bad augmented people who tried to do harm, people like Una and the future Dr. Bashir and Dal are good people who are being punished for who they are. Sounds like a similar fight going on in many US states today. I felt this story was so well done, and each member of the crew got to have their say and take on things. Another beautiful thing to note here is the support that Una has from her family on the Enterprise. Seeing the love and support from all of them for Una is an example of how family should really be. I absolutely love this episode...very well done!

Best Trek courtroom scene since TNG Drumhead. Loved it!

two things 1 - probably one of the best trek episodes of all time imo 2 - maybe its cause of my lack of 32c disco watching but I didn't even realize it was 32c ESD honestly

I wasn’t crazy about last week’s episode, this episode was amazing. I loved the issues this addressed. Sean you are amazing as always! Thank You!!

This is, without a doubt, my favorite episode of this show so far. The writing and acting were a cut above what I've seen previously on this show. Bravo. The issues raised were handled in a compelling and realistic manner.

This was a really good episode. Stealing the Enterprise is practically the charge of admission. Both episodes this year have been great.

So it’s interesting. My dad watching this episode made a general sigh about talking about rights for oppressed groups instead of the show just being about being entertaining . While we are all for treating everyone with kindness, he just doesn’t like it being the focus of tv, which he thinks should just be entertainment. But I like that you pointed out that this could’ve been an episode of the Original Series. Because yes, that show dealt with social issues and encouraged discussion.

Yetide Badaki is always going to be my latinum up, incredible performance.

Courtroom episode are the highlights of Trek for me. Nothing better than discussing social matters in a very distinct way and with inspiring speeches.

One thing that I wish had been brought up as a heavy thing is that this is the 3rd time that Starfleet is responsible for the deaths and/or persecution of Illyrians. Technically, the first is pre-Star Fleet, but Archer's act of piracy being the first, there was the aftermath of what happened to what some Illyrians were forced to do if they wanted to join the Federation, and now this one. I also wish that they had mentioned what happened in Enterprise there because that seems like a mess waiting to happen...even more with the Denobulans being Federation members who essentially do the exact same thing with their own biology. There were other references to species using genetic engineering that had nothing done about it even being Federation members.

I thought it was a great episode. I'm not bothered by the set reuse. "Cookie Cutter" building design is a real thing. So if you have a design it works, it makes sense to reuse it. I agree with all your ups.

This is how you do A) Trek, and B) a civil rights episode. Trek has finally found at least one good writer and shaken off the rust. This whole episode was frankly amazing. I'd give the episode 10/10. The only things I can say against it is the whole red herring about "who sold out Una", and Laan trying to get Uhura to execute an illegal order. However, those both are incredibly coherent - it all feeds into the focus on the law and ethics. They're uncomfortable...and that's the point. Again, 10/10. I can't wait to see LegalEagle's take.

I found this episode to be very emotional for me. Aside from the usual emotions I have felt during (almost) every episode in both seasons - largely rooted in the nostalgia I have for this whole series as it so beautifully mirrors TOS. Being 62 puts me squarely under the influence of TOS as a child. That said, this was particularly emotional because of the painful parallels between this episode and how I have been feeling in the past couple years as an openly gay man. Una's "it's time" reference took me back 24 years to my "it's time" moment, but it was Sean's "doing the right thing" comments that amplified it all. Neera's references to peoples' religion, race, gender, sexuality and so forth was spot on. These are issues that continue to plague us as marginalized groups are still being attacked for their religion, race, gender, sexuality and so forth. After Apartheid, MLK, Stonewall and so many other supposed turning points in history - where we thought we were making progress to equality - we still find ourselves dealing with horrific moments like George Floyd's death that show us that we are moving backwards. I cannot speak to other marginalized groups or people, because I am not part of those groups. But I am part of the Queer world. When I went to my first Pride Parade in 2000, there were about 5,000 people in and around the event. By 2019, there were 80,000 people in attendance in my Canadian city of less than 1,000,000. The feeling was electrifying. Finally, we were making progress! But now, my community is being openly targeted in legislation, politics and violent attacks against us - for what? Because we are different, we are feared for reasons that are beyond my comprehension. This episode leans strongly on whether or not laws are just and whether or not those making them can be trusted to enforce them justly. Clearly, they are not and cannot. This is NOT Gene Roddenberry's Utopia. Sorry for the longwinded diatribe, but this hit a very raw nerve for me. I hate the hate that engulfs our world. We must do better. We must stand against this hate and not put up with its divisive force. To coin a phrase inspired by Michelle Obama, "When they go lower, we must go LOUDER!" Live long and prosper! 🖖

Sean, there was a callback to the tOS lawyer that loved using books instead of technology as well since Neera requested a printed volume of the code instead of using a Pad or any other tech means. Just my observation.

Well Seán. I think this was the best episode of the two seasons so far. The story line was just amazing. Hats off to the writers of this one. Love your ups and downs as your observation and comments are a welcomed addition to every episode and I look forward each week to your show too.

I love episodes like this so much, its peak Trek, tackling contemporary issues head on and being unfearing in its values ❤

This is my favorite episod of this season. it is on parr with the cross over with lower decks. I've watched both of them at least 3 times, if not more. I still cry with ad astra per aspera.

It couldn't be the first episode as La'an did not rejoin the crew until the end of the first episode, which would have meant that she would not have been able to be in this one, which would have required a massive reworking of the episode overall....

I guess i'm the only fan of this channel that remembers that Spock and Pike learned last year on the Ghost planet that the Vulcans were responsible for the Illyrians genetic engineering in the first place. I thought that was why the admiral went so hard for the max penalty cuz he wanted to bury Una and Pike to try and keep that a secret.

If it was not in the middle of the work day, I would take a shot every time Sean says “give out”, or some variation, thereof. It’s a direct translation from the original Irish, meaning “to complain”, or “to tell off”, and is so deeply ingrained in Irish English, that we cannot imagine anyone else not using it.

I adored the computer terminal with the yellow data insert chip thing. They were on TOS.

Loved it so much...retro at its best

I know this can be an allegory for other groups as well but as a White Presenting Jew it spoke to me on such a personal level. The thing about Passing is that it's an active choice that requires a trait you didn't ask for, but it's still a choice. The more I became recognized as a Jew by others, as though it mattered, the more I latched onto that identity but there are times I worry I passed when I shouldn't have. It's a difficult struggle and even within our own community there's a struggle because there are Jews that cannot pass because they are POC (they usually refer to themselves as JOC to me). Thank you so much for this episode

This was such a great Star Trek episode! Was crying through most of it.

THIS was Star Trek at its best. Never a show to shy away from social issues…so much better than the opener.

I totally missed the parallel with X-Men and Rebecca Romijn! Thank you for pointing that out, Seán! Also, surprised you didn't notice how long the camera lingered on Una and Neera's hand hold near the very end. I know they established that they had once been friends, but...that hand hold seemed to suggest to me that there might have been more than just friendship between them.