Strange New Worlds’ Documentary Episode Forces Tough Question: Is Starfleet a Colonizer?
Season 3, episode 7 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, titled “What Is Starfleet?”, uses an in-universe documentary to frame a mission that involves an interstellar attack, a weaponized alien creature, and questions about Starfleet’s role. Note: [Ed. note: This article contains some spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 7.]
- Summary of the episode’s structure, main characters involved, the Kasar–Lutani conflict, the Jikaru weapon, and how the crew resolves the mission; plus where to stream the series.
Episode structure and key players
The episode alternates between scenes of a documentary being filmed aboard the USS Enterprise and the ship’s official mission work. The documentary is made by Umberto “Beto” Ortegas (played by Mynor Luken), who is the brother of helmsman Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia). Other main cast members in this episode include Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), communications specialist Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and engineer Pelia (Carol Kane). Throughout season 3, Beto’s footage has followed the crew while he records daily life on the Enterprise.
Documentary framing and on-camera actions
In the episode, Beto interviews crew members and films aboard the ship with the stated intention of questioning whether Starfleet acts as a colonial or military force. During his filming he records Uhura without her knowledge and later shows her footage intended to provoke an emotional response. He also asks crew members sensitive or personal questions, and he seeks information from Erica that is portrayed as bordering on classified. These events occur alongside the mission the Enterprise undertakes for the Federation.
The Kasar–Lutani conflict and the Jikaru
The episode introduces a conflict between the expansionist planet Kasar and its neighbor Lutani VII, reporting that Kasar attacked Lutani VII and that the attack resulted in 9 million deaths. The Federation assigns the Enterprise to assist the Lutani and to establish a new alliance with them by delivering a classified cargo.
On the mission, the crew discovers the cargo is a large, glowing, moth-like creature called a Jikaru that has been fitted with a neural controller. A Lutani scientist fires on the Jikaru and, with her dying words, says “her people were wrong to use the creature.” While observing, Spock establishes a psychic connection with the Jikaru and discovers it is sentient and has been turned into a weapon.
Outcome and Starfleet response
During the encounter the Jikaru lashes out and creates danger for the Enterprise. The crew establishes communication with the creature, and Starfleet ends up renegotiating the Enterprise’s orders so that the Jikaru will not be used as weapons moving forward. Starfleet also agrees to assist the Lutani in non-Jikaru ways, and the episode shows changes to the mission’s terms after the renegotiation.
Related references
The episode’s high-concept element—an empire or state relying on an enslaved sentient asset—has been compared by viewers and commentators to similar themes in other science fiction works, such as Yoon Ha Lee’s Revenant Gun.
Where to watch
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is available to stream on Paramount Plus. New episodes are released weekly on Thursdays.
Additional context
The episode also fits into a broader season-long subplot in which Beto’s documentary presence has been a recurring element, and it continues to feature the Enterprise crew’s routine missions alongside interpersonal moments and filmed material.
For more reporting on how the series handles wartime themes, see this piece about war crimes and Star Trek: All wars are crimes: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds under the cloak of war.
