Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3’s Finale – “New Life And New Civilizations”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale packs a powerful emotional punch as Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Captain Marie Batel’s (Melanie Scrofano) love story comes to a bittersweet ending.
Directed by Maja Vrvilo and written by Dana Horgan and Davy Perez, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale, “New Life and New Civilizations” is a sequel to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 5, “Through the Lens of Time,” that resolves Captain Batel’s destiny as the true foe of the evil Vezda (Chris Myers).
The Vezda, the body of Ensign Dana Gamble, resurfaces on Skygowan, taking over the planet’s inhabitants as it attempts to free its brethren from their dimensional prison on Vadia Nine. Captain Batel accepts her mission to stop the Vezda, at the cost of becoming the malevolent horde’s warden.
Here’s every major and emotional beat in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale and what they mean for the brave crew of the USS Enterprise going into season 4.
Captain Pike Gets His Happy Ending Before Losing Batel
When Captain Batel asserted her powers as the Beholder, she used her newfound abilities to create a new reality for herself and Captain Christopher Pike. In this future, Pike and Batel defeated the Vezda, married, and moved into Chris’ home in Mojave, California.
In Marie’s hopeful reality with Chris, Captain Pike is never horribly disfigured in a freighter accident, with no cost to himself or the universe. Instead, Chris and Marie live a life of genuine love together, and they have a daughter named Juliet (Anna Mirodin), who grows up and becomes engaged to Elijah April (Eric Miracle).
Despite a constant knocking on the door that’s ultimately revealed to be the Vezda, Chris and Marie stay together until old age. On Batel’s deathbed, Pike realizes this was an alternate reality created by Marie. Batel did it to give Pike and herself the happy ending they deserved together. Marie had to live this life first before she could embrace her destiny against the Vezda.
Captain Pike’s destiny to be trapped in a wheelchair is inevitable, but Batel gave him the gift of living the life with her that cruel fate must deny him. Pike and Batel’s alt-reality has echoes of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Inner Light,” but Pike lives his own alternate future while Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) lived the life of a man who died long ago.
Captain Batel’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Destiny Explained
Captain Marie Batel’s destiny was never to be a starship captain or Starfleet’s Judge Advocate General, as neither role “fit” Marie. Batel realized what she was always meant to do was become the Beholder, the force that would fight and imprison the Vezda, fulfilling a function that existed long before she was born.
Batel’s Gorn infection fusing with her DNA and turning her into a hybrid, plus Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley’s (Rebecca Romijn) Illyrian DNA, along with the treatments from the Chimera Blossom on Kenfori were a cocktail that allowed Marie to tap into the abilities of previous races that fought and defeated the Vezda.
Captain Batel accepted her destiny without complaint. The Vezda were imprisoned on Vadia Nine by a race that utilized ancient advanced technology beyond our understanding, where effects precede cause. Marie realized that, in a way, she was already the Beholder, and she had to take the steps to become what she already was.
Melanie Scrofano now stars in Revival on Syfy.
By becoming the Beholder and essentially committing to be the Vezda’s eternal jailor on Vadia Nine, Captain Batel effectively exits Star Trek: Strange New Worlds after 3 seasons. Perhaps Melanie Scrofano may return as Batel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seasons 4 or 5, but “New Life and New Civilizations” marks the resonant end of Marie and Pike’s romance.
Kirk & Spock Share A Mind-Meld Before Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale reveals that Lt. Commander James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) were closer than fans knew before they became the top dogs of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series.
To open the portal to Vadia Nine on Skygowan and allow Captain Batel to confront the Vezda, the USS Enterprise and USS Farragut needed a coordinated dual phaser blast with pinpoint precision. Spock’s solution to enable this feat was to mind-meld with Kirk, syncing them both perfectly to fire phasers successfully.
Spock and Kirk’s mind-meld opened up their past experiences to a greater understanding of each other. Spock’s respect for Kirk rose, despite learning of his questionable behavior on Orion’s moon. In turn, Kirk learned about Spock’s romance and “dance lessons” with Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), to her horrified chagrin.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale further lays the groundwork for Kirk and Spock, who vow to remain friends and continue their 3D chess game, which James is better at than the Vulcan. Kirk and Spock hope to serve on the same ship someday, and destiny will grant their wish on the Starship Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Love Stories Will Continue Into Season 4
Although Captain Pike’s relationship with Captain Batel has ended, the other love stories aboard the USS Enterprise look to continue in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4. Perhaps even Number One’s (Rebecca Romijn) rekindled romance with Doug (Patton Oswalt).
Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) and Dr. Roger Korby (Cillian O’Sullivan) will keep making their long-distance relationship work. Korby remained on Skygowan to research the Vezda’s ancient knowledge as they are now safely imprisoned. The subtle hints of Korby’s dark side may come to a head in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4.
Spock and La’an look to keep dating and dancing together in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, and Jim Kirk is happy for them. Perhaps Carol Marcus, who wasn’t mentioned in season 3, will appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4.
Although he didn’t appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale, hopefully Beto Ortegas’ (Mynor Luken) budding love story with Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) resumes next season as well.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Finale Teases A New Five-Year Mission For The USS Enterprise
Poor Captain Pike will mourn losing Marie Batel for a while, but the Starship Enterprise will fly on. Dr. Korby’s research into the Vezda revealed hundreds of uncharted planets worth exploring, “enough for a five-year mission.” This sounds like a setup for what’s to come in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 5 is also now in production, with the final six episodes resolving everyone’s stories and planning to synch up to the start of Star Trek: The Original Series, as Captain Kirk replaces Captain Pike aboard the USS Enterprise.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 was a bold and experimental season that threw itself headlong into multiple genres, although a segment of fans pushed back that the show had strayed too far from traditional Star Trek for their tastes.
Yet Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale stayed true to the prequel’s core values of vivid characterizations, emotional resonance, and willingness to take big swings and expand what Star Trek can be.
Here’s hoping season 3’s excellent finale roots Star Trek: Strange New Worlds back to its primary mission to seek out new life and new civilizations.
