Jaw-Dropping Finale & Epic Cliffhanger Unveiled in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Finale - "Hegemony"

Summary

Captain Pike is confronted with a daunting dilemma as he is forced to decide between obeying orders and abandoning his crew, who would then be held captive by the Gorn, or defying orders and endangering their lives.

Captain Batel has contracted the Gorn infection, resulting in the growth of juvenile reptiles within her. Nurse Chapel tirelessly strives to discover a remedy that could rescue Batel's life.

In "Hegemony," the season 2 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Captain Christopher Pike is forced to make an impossible choice regarding the rescue of the captured Enterprise landing party, with the exception of Lt. Sam Kirk. Assisted by Lt. Scotty and Commander Pelia, Pike tries to replicate a Gorn transponder in order to save their friends. Directed by Maja Vrvilo and written by executive producer and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, this intense episode leaves viewers on the edge of their seats as it concludes with a gripping cliffhanger that puts the fate of beloved characters in jeopardy.

Captain Pike Faces An Impossible Cliffhanger Decision In Strange New Worlds Season 2's Finale

Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) discovered her true worth as Communications Officer on Strange New Worlds' musical episode, empowering her to team up with Commander Pelia (Carol Kane). Their mission was to destroy the Gorn beacon on Parnassus Beta. Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) embarked on a spacewalk to the remains of the decimated USS Cayuga, where he attached rockets to the saucer section. This plan aimed to crash the section into the planet's surface, obliterating the beacon. The destruction of the beacon allowed Captain Pike, Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), and Lt. Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn) to teleport onto the Enterprise. However, they quickly realized the severity of the ongoing crisis with the Gorn. This breakdown outlines the major events of the season 2 finale of Strange New Worlds and their implications for season 3.

Upon his return to the USS Enterprise's bridge, Captain Pike found himself in a dire predicament. Admiral Robert April's urgent Starfleet message instructed him to disengage from battling the Gorn. However, Pike had already violated the Gorn's established demarcation line around Parnassus Beta, leaving Starfleet confined to their designated area. The Gorn retaliated after realizing that Starfleet had once again crossed the line by destroying their beacon on the planet's surface with the Cayuga's saucer. Pike's ship faced overwhelming odds, with Gorn hunter and destroyer ships vastly outnumbering and outgunning them, and reinforcements en route.

When the Enterprise identified the absence of human life signs on Parnassus Beta, Captain Pike came to the realization that the Gorn had transported the survivors, including his own crew members, onto their own ship. Now, Pike finds himself grappling with an unenviable quandary - should he comply with orders and retreat, thereby leaving his crew as prisoners of the Gorn, or should he defy orders and engage in combat, risking the lives of everyone on the Enterprise? In the thrilling finale of Strange New Worlds season 1, titled "Balance of Terror," Captain Pike sought to establish peace with the Romulans, only to inadvertently ignite an everlasting war. As Season 2's finale unfolds, Pike faces a seemingly insurmountable predicament, comparable to the real-life Kobayashi Maru scenario, which serves as a test to determine his true mettle as the captain of the Enterprise.

Captain Batel May Not Survive Infection By The Gorn

Captain Pike led a landing party to Parnassus Beta to rescue Captain Marie Batel, only to find her strangely distressed with him. However, the reason behind her distress became clear when a Gorn juvenile confronted Batel but refrained from attacking her. It turned out that Marie had been infected by the Gorn, and she carried the unsettling burden of unborn alien reptiles within her. This haunting predicament became the central challenge for Pike and the rest of the Enterprise crew in episode 9, "All Those Who Wander," of Strange New Worlds season 1. In order to protect his friends and crew members on the Enterprise, Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak) tragically chose to take his own life after the Gorn infected him with their eggs. Determined not to let Batel suffer the same fate, Pike refuses to give up on her.

Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) has administered sedatives to Captain Batel and is currently holding her in a stasis field while diligently working towards discovering a cure. Despite Marie's instructions to "take me out" if she begins showing symptoms of the baby Gorn, Chapel has decided to disregard them. Since the commencement of the Gorn crisis in Strange New Worlds season 1, Starfleet has devised new weaponry to combat these cannibalistic alien reptiles. However, it remains uncertain whether Starfleet Medical has made any progress in their research on Gorn physiology. Chapel, who previously served as a battlefield nurse during the Klingon War in Star Trek: Discovery, might be able to make a breakthrough and save Batel from the Gorn residing within her. Nevertheless, there is also the possibility that Batel may lose her life when Strange New Worlds returns for season 3. Given that Fleet Captain Pike (Sean Kenney) is alone in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie," this could potentially mark the tragic end for Batel. However, Strange New Worlds may pleasantly surprise us and discover a method to rescue Marie.

Which Strange New Worlds Enterprise Crew Are Captured By The Gorn

Regrettably, the remaining members of the Enterprise's landing party found themselves unexpectedly transported to the Gorn vessel rather than the secure sanctuary of the Federation's flagship. Presently, Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), Lieutenant Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), Lieutenant Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte), along with several inhabitants of Parnassus Beta now find themselves held captive by the extraterrestrial reptilians. This distressing turn of events particularly haunts La'an, as she carries the scars of a prior childhood ordeal involving a Gorn abduction.

However, all members of the Enterprise landing party, excluding Kirk, have served in the Klingon War, and their valuable experience in battling the Klingons can potentially make a difference in their confrontation with the Gorn. Additionally, with Sam being abducted, it now becomes evident that he was the first Kirk to encounter the Gorn, rather than his younger brother, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), as depicted in the "Arena" episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. This unfortunate "honor" falls upon Sam, distinguishing him from Jim. Nonetheless, it is highly likely that the Kirk brothers will reunite in the future, as Sam's canonical demise only occurs seven years later in the TOS episode, "Operation: Annihilate!".

How Scotty & Pelia Can Save The Enterprise

Scotty possesses crucial knowledge that could potentially save the Enterprise and assist Captain Pike in rescuing his crew from the relentless Gorn. As a junior-grade Lieutenant stationed aboard the research vessel USS Stardiver, Scotty encountered a life-or-death situation when it was unexpectedly ambushed by the Gorn. Remarkably, Scotty discovered two vital pieces of information about the Gorn: their behavior appears to be influenced by coronal mass ejections, potentially leading to their swarming and subsequent attacks, and he successfully deciphered the workings of Gorn transponders. Utilizing this newfound knowledge, Scotty ingeniously constructed his own Gorn transponder and managed to flee undetected on a shuttle, effectively evading the Gorn's sensors. Unfortunately, his invaluable transponder was irreparably damaged upon crash-landing on Parnassus Beta. Nevertheless, Scotty undeniably possesses the expertise required to fabricate another transponder aboard the Enterprise.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Scott proved to be one of Commander Pelia's top engineering students at Starfleet Academy, while also receiving some of her lowest grades. This mirrored the experience of Number One (Rebecca Romijn), who held a grudge against Pelia for years due to the Lanthanite instructor's reluctance to award her with top marks. The season 2 finale of Strange New Worlds marks Scotty's inaugural step onto the USS Enterprise, the starship that he would come to adore and serve aboard for a remarkable three decades. However, the urgent crisis at hand necessitates Scotty and Pelia's swift replication of his Gorn transponder. Equipped with this device, the Enterprise will be rendered invisible to Gorn sensors, thus providing them with a fighting chance to rescue their captured comrades.

Spock & Chapel Fight A Gorn 7 Years Before Kirk In Star Trek: TOS

After surviving the destruction of the USS Cayuga, Nurse Christine Chapel's supposed demise perplexed Spock as he embarked on a mission to outfit the saucer section with rockets. Wearing a space suit, Chapel unexpectedly encountered Spock and, to their astonishment, was attacked by a Gorn soldier who also donned a space suit. Acting as a united front, Chapel and Spock engaged in fierce combat with the Gorn, ultimately causing the lizard's face shield to shatter. The Gorn's demise effectively disproved the prevailing Star Trek theory that these reptilian creatures were capable of surviving in the unforgiving vacuum of space. Together, Spock and Chapel successfully carried out their mission of attaching rockets to the Cayuga's saucer, resulting in its collision with Parnassus Beta and the subsequent annihilation of the Gorn beacon, all in accordance with Uhura and Pelia's meticulous plans.

Spock and Chapel's encounter with a Gorn in close combat occurred six years prior to Captain Kirk's battle with a Gorn Captain in Star Trek: TOS. This retcon significantly influences Spock's behavior in "Arena." In a musical episode of Strange New Worlds, Spock and Chapel ended their relationship after Christine received her three-month internship acceptance in archeological medicine under Dr. Roger Korby, who is Chapel's future fiancé as per Star Trek: TOS canon. At this point in Strange New Worlds, Chapel and Spock are unaware of this fact. However, due to the ongoing Gorn crisis and the fate of Captain Batel, any resolution to the romantic difficulties between Spock and Chapel will have to wait until season 3 of Strange New Worlds.

When Will Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Return For Season 3?

Regrettably, fans may have to endure a much longer wait for the arrival of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3. The commencement of filming for season 3 was originally scheduled for early May but has been halted due to the ongoing Writer's Guild of America strike. This strike has impacted the production of various television shows and films, including all live-action Star Trek series. To add to the turmoil, SAG-AFTRA initiated their own strike in July, causing further disruption in the already struggling film and TV industry. Given the indefinite nature of these strikes, it is uncertain whether Strange New Worlds season 3 will meet its anticipated 2024 release date.

The production of Strange New Worlds season 2 was concluded in mid-2022, unaware that there would be a demand for better conditions from writers, actors, and performers, leading to strikes against studios and streaming services in 2023. Unfortunately, this means that the heart-stopping cliffhanger at the end of Strange New Worlds season 2 is particularly unfortunate, as there is no way to predict when the strikes will end, production can resume, and Strange New Worlds season 3 will be able to premiere on Paramount+. Star Trek fans experienced a few months of anticipation in the summer of 1990 until the resolution of the Borg cliffhanger in "The Best of Both Worlds" on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the wait for Strange New Worlds season 3 will undoubtedly be much longer. You can now stream Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 on Paramount+.