Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 3 Recap and Review - Humor. It Is a Difficult Concept

Spoilers approach for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 3, "Human Best Friend." In this episode, Ortegas and Scotty (played by Melissa Navia and Martin Quinn) take center stage as their longstanding animosity erupts during a comedy-themed escapade. As tensions run high and a crucial peace negotiation looms, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and First Officer Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) decide that "Alpha Shift" requires a respite.

Thus, they orchestrate a quick trip to a resort planet where peculiar atmosphere induces a state of intoxication for all who land there.

The episode attempts humor, but it often teeters on the edge of inappropriateness and logic-breaking, straining the Star Trek universe. For instance, when a sober Ortegas interacts with Spock (played by Ethan Peck), he exhibits a Spock-like demeanor. "I apologize for the mess," he remarks as he adjusts a chess piece by a mere centimeter.

This subtle moment is one of the funnier aspects of the episode. However, later scenes, such as Captain Pike sporting a tattoo, appear to blur the lines between the Star Trek universe and reality, with Mount's exaggerated portrayal of the captain feeling intoxicated.

Each character's unique role in this episode comes to the forefront. Workaholic Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) becomes the ultimate relaxer; Una sings Klingon karaoke power ballads; Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) attempts a Cocktail impression; La’an (Christina Chong) assumes a commando stance; Chapel (Jess Bush) plays bingo, and so on.

Some of these performances are delightful, while others are merely eye-rolly. The episode manages to succeed due to Navia and Quinn's excellent chemistry and character development. As they collaborate to deliver a letter to the captain ("A piece of paper?!") and locate their missing shuttle, their characters subtly reveal that they may have been at odds because they are, as Scotty says, "not so different after all."

Despite the logic flaws, "Human Best Friend" attempts to subtly convey the message that the crew's differences are not as significant as they initially believed. However, the episode's core concept - faking their way through high-stakes negotiations while drunk - is ultimately unconvincing and undermines its purpose.