This is the first Strange New Worlds episode with two returning writers, Bill Wolkoff of “Ghosts of Illyria,” and Robin Wasserman with “Spock Amok.” The two are joined by Arrowverse director Andi Armaganian, who also did some work with Discovery, but those are seasons 4 and 5 which means they’re not worth mentioning. I believe a large portion of people didn’t adore “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” and I can see why. It is a bit more of a slow episode about conspiracy and Pike shagging his way across the universe with an old flame from his days as a Lieutenant.

Returning to the Majalan system after 20 years (Pike looks good for 40+), the Enterprise is set to help and check in on the idyllic Majalis. As it turns out when the crew gets there, a ship with the crown prince is being attacked by someone unresponsive to the hails of the Enterprise. Worry sets in as Uhura struggles with her security duties, firing the ship out of the sky. The government rep for the kid (and Pike’s old flame) along with the kid’s dad (also his doctor) all get transported aboard. The mystery sets in on who was on that ship.

It isn’t a bad set-up for a story, and quite frankly it is a more advanced version of the basic stories found in the original series. I think the trouble with “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” is that the suspense and action don’t feel like they are grabbing you by the pips and shaking you around like a rollercoaster. That’s a nice way of saying it is rather predictable and lacks something to pull you in unless you enjoy the underlying story about M’Benga and his daughter or the romance subplot of Pike and Alora being turned on its head.

Signposted like the Venetian Resort’s utterly useless Sphere, the twist and protagonist/villain turns don’t really work because they are based on that classic style of plotting. I don’t mind predictable plotlines as long as you bring something fresh to it. If I’m honest, dead kids, romance, and Spock being impressed by a kid aren’t that fresh after we see Kentucky Fried Child. “Oh no, the dad is standoff-ish with Starfleet,” Yes, he is there to quite literally protect his child from something that is blatantly said to be a sacrifice. Meanwhile, we have M’Benga begging the universe to give him the cure to save his kid.

“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” is an odd episode because I want to like it. I think there is something there, but I’m more interested in the B and C plots of Uhura and La’an as well as M’Benga and Husein Madhavji’s Elder Gamal. The A-plot for the most part is centered around the conspiracy and how that affects Pike and the kid who are both trying to do their best. Neither of which is interesting. Sitting back and thinking about it, I have one conclusion throughout all of it. Pike, Ian Ho’s First Servant, and Lindy Booth’s Alora are very childish, while La’an, Uhura, M’Benga, and Gamal are trying to be adults.

Pike is played more as an idiot infatuated by someone with red hair and some bumps on her face. That’s the Kirk special, as I believe it is called in the Star Trek writer’s handbook. The kid is quite literally a kid. However, he is a genius from a planet of them, despite being plagued with the inability to solve their societal problem. Meanwhile, Alora is a cackling villain wearing the mask of an innocent a little too loosely for the twist to really take the desired effect. On the other side, M’Benga and Gamal are serious parents, and Mystery Inc. is recast with women of color, so it probably annoys someone without brain cells.

Olusanmokun’s reaction shot when Rukiya is taken back into the transport buffer due to the automatic timer is genuinely heartbreaking. The story of M’Benga and Gamal has more emotion in it within moments than all of Pike’s pining for Alora, which I think is one of the largest disconnects between the two stories. They are two stories that mirror each other in the theme of trust, both passing each other in different directions as two emotionally come to understand each other while the other two with (with very little chemistry) started nowhere and went nowhere.

Trying and failing, the episode attempts to throw a gray cloud over Starfleet with the statement from Alora when questioned by Pike over this child sacrifice problem, ” Don’t children in poverty suffer in your federation?” No, that’s literally the opposite of how the Federation works. It is a post-scarcity society from the human portion, meaning there is little to no poverty at all. Across trillions of peoples, possibly hundreds of species, yes there will be some poverty and suffering. Statistically, that will happen across a society that large. Majalis using a kid to fuel their computer another year(?) with a slow and painful death while claiming superior intelligence isn’t the same, it is worse.

As the title would suggest, “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” is supposed to be an episode that projects and proposes a philosophical idea, but “who cares if we kill a kid if everyone else gets to live on Corson V?” isn’t a question to ask. I think the Kentucky Fried Children and their parents might argue it is a problem. It also goes against every idea of Starfleet as a concept: A scientific utopia of peace and equity. At best, it is a litmus test to see if Pike could handle the worst-case scenario he’ll find, a society that is unable to change due to his influence. Sadly the paper has turned blue.

Despite aspirations to be the city of Happiness from Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, the religious tome from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, or James’ philosophical question, “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” is little more than an imitation of those stories. Suffering from the 50-minute runtime, the exploration of the idea and the simple concept of posing the question fails at engaging much for a viewer. It isn’t a bad episode or story. It is simply the lack of a full stop (or period, for Americans) that makes an otherwise salient point shallow and blunt.

On the surface (or from a superficial level) I think I still like “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” as it tried to do something by posing a hard question. Sadly, I struggle to say it is good because it stumbles across the line. It also attempts to wave away questions against Pike by giving him Kirk’s eventual position as a missionary for exchanging bodily fluids. Between the acting and the writing, I can’t get on board with the eventual point aimed at, as the two never fully come together harmoniously across the board. That makes for a disjointed but interesting episode that somewhat missed the target never mind the bullseye.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

SNW "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach"

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• M'Benga's story truly is a spark of light in another otherwise dark episode.
• La'an taking Uhura under her wing.

Cons

• The captain who shagged me.
• A vague attempt to photocopy The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.