Star Trek SNW: Season 2, Episode One “The Broken Circle”

Stardate: 2369.2
Original Air Date: June 15, 2023
Writers: Henry Alonso Myers & Akiva Goldsman                 
Director: Chris Fisher             

“We must steal the Enterprise.”

The Enterprise is in space dock at Starbase One. The crew is taking some well-deserved leave while Chief Fleet Inspector Commander Pelia and her team from operational support services are running comprehensive inspections, system checks, and upgrades. Captain Pike has been busy getting the Enterprise ready for all the Starfleet inspections, though he notices there is an unusual tension among the leaders at Starbase One –“the feeling that something is in the air.”

Pike begins the episode by communicating with Una/Number One via video as she has been imprisoned for lying on her Starfleet application about her identity (she is an Illyrian and was arrested in “A Quality of Mercy“). Pike takes some personal time to deal with Una’s situation. He hopes to help her find a quality lawyer (will it be Lt. Shaw from “Court Martial”?) In Pike’s absence, Spock is left in charge of the Enterprise, though he seems to be “stressed” so Dr. M’Benga suggests Spock play some music on a Vulcan harp.

Meanwhile, the over-abundance of inspections on the Enterprise causes the crew great frustration. Suddenly, Uhura receives an odd signal variant (later revealed to be a distress signal) originating from the Cajitar System, which is located on the edge of Klingon space. The signal appears to have been created by La’an Noonien Singh (who is away on leave per the events of the previous episode). The message says: “Dangerous situation on Cajitar IV. Resources of Enterprise critical. Anti-federation threat.” Cajitar IV is a prodigious dilithium mining planet located on the edge with Klingon space. Since the Klingon War, the colony has been governed by a painstakingly-negotiated treaty, wherein access is alternated at thirty-day intervals between Federation and Klingons for use of the mining colony. When Spock brings this message forward as a concern, Starfleet is not willing to risk a war just to respond to a vague message. However, Uhura believes this message is actually from La’an because she is familiar with the Enterprise’s maintenance schedule, though Dr. M’Benga notes it could be a deception or even a trap. Should the Enterprise follow orders or pursue this potential threat against the Federation?

Spock curiously suggests he and the senior officers should “steal” the Enterprise in order to investigate the situation. A red alert warning is issued for a coolant leak in the intermix chamber thus evacuating all non-essential crew and inspection officers, but a new character named Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) is skeptical about the ruse. She proceeds to the bridge and disrupts this little charade (she reveals that she actually teaches a course on warp core breaches in the Academy). However, she also knows Amanda Grayson (Spock’s mother) and so she decides to help the Enterprise officers in their escape mission where she will serve as chief engineer.

The Enterprise departs Starbase One at Warp Factor Five toward Cajitar IV where La’an is engaged in a drinking competition with a band of Klingons. She wants to meet a Klingon named Greynax for a covert weapons deal. La’an reveals that she arrived on Cajitar IV in search of the parents of the young girl, Oriana, who survived the Gorn attack in the prior season (from the episode “All Those Who Wander“). La’an tracked her parents to Cajitar IV and they thought she was dead. However, in doing so La’an has uncovered an extremely volatile situation on Cajitar IV –a new syndicate of ex-federation and ex-Klingon soldiers has arisen, hoping to restart a highly destructive war in pursuit of profit (Dr. M’Benga notes that a hundred million Federation people died in the last war). These renegades are looking for Federation technology to spark a new war. Also, there was a recent explosion at a mine on Cajitar IV (an Ion explosion which is unusual because Ion is unnatural for dilithium to generate, but it can be created by photon torpedoes).

Dr. M’Benga and Nurse Chapel attempt to offer medical help to those wounded in the mining accident while keeping a low profile, but they are quickly kidnapped by Klingons and taken to a massive underground cave which holds a secret Federation ship inside. Dr. M’Benga and Nurse Chapel infiltrate the Federation ship using a concoction which grants them super-strength so they can battle the Klingons (cue the ridiculous shaky cam scenes). They attempt to communicate with the Enterprise about what they have witnessed, but the juice starts wearing off (why would they not bring additional supply with them?) They send a transponder signal to the Enterprise and barricade themselves inside a room on the far-side of the ship. Meanwhile, La’an stages a weapons deal with Klingons (these Klingons speak Kach-Ugh, an obscure dialect).

We learn that these rebels are intending to spur a “false flag” operation by using a Federation starship to attack the Klingons. If the Klingons see a Starfleet ship, the sight will most certainly reignite a war. Before they can be destroyed on the rebel-confiscated starship, Dr. M’Benga and Nurse Chapel decide to eject themselves into space without protective gear noting they will pass out in about 15 seconds and likely freeze to death within a minute –but their EV suit signal allows the Enterprise to beam them aboard and revive them both at the last moment. At the same time, Spock makes the difficult decision to fire upon the false Federation starship and destroy it. This draws the attention of the Klingons who suggest he is acting on behalf of the Federation reawakening hostilities. But Spock manages to negotiate his way out of this quagmire, and later Spock and the Klingons share a “Klingon Toast” on Cajitar IV. Spock is then only given a light punishment by Starfleet for his reckless activities.

In the end, it is revealed that the Federation has secretly known about the potential hot war brewing with the Klingons. Spock has actually kept them from having to defend themselves on two fronts at the same time (the other front being the threat of the Gorn). Spock is a capable Starfleet officer and thus he has been let off the hook. This episode ends with an alert warning of an incoming Gorn Attack Ship.

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My Thoughts on “The Broken Circle”

Spock goes rogue! “A Broken Circle” is a highly cinematic, entertaining roller-coaster of an episode (reminiscent of the action-packed thrills of the “Kelvin Timeline” films) but this is not exactly a cerebral episode of Trek. Generally speaking, I prefer episodes that examine moral quandaries with a twist of slow-burn mystery or unique character study through the lens of smart, complex science fiction. And while this episode is a lot of fun, it is not exactly brilliant Star Trek in my view. It is a wild action thriller. On the plus side, it featured the return of the Klingons!

Somehow Spock stealing the Enterprise felt like a rather innocent affair, in contrast to the severe conflict with Starfleet in “The Menagerie” when Spock effectively hijacks the Enterprise, or when the crew steals the ship in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

My two big wrinkles with this episode include the extensive scenes of Dr. M’Benga and Nurse Chapel locked in bloody combat with scores of Klingons (and what are we to think of Dr. M’Benga, a Starfleet officer, essentially torturing a Klingon in exchange for information?) My other chief frustration is the portrayal of Spock as an emotionally unstable, erratic, romantic figure –how does this square up with Spock in TOS? Is this all a result of Spock apparently unleashing his human emotions in the previous season of SNW? Will he ever undergo his Vulcan Kolinahr purge ritual? While the conclusion shows a touching moment of Spock gazing longingly over Nurse Chapel’s body recovering in sickbay, unable to describe his overwhelming emotions, this just strikes me as antithetical to the true character of Spock in TOS.

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Star Trek Trivia:

• Pike being a “boy scout” is referenced again in this episode.
• Spock notes that all Vulcans study music for its mathematical properties in this episode.
• When Dr. M’Benga hands Spock his Vulcan harp, should we consider this an origin story of Spock’s Vulcan harp?
• In this episode, Spock uses the amusing captain’s phrase “I would like the ship to go… now” instead of Pike’s “hit it” or another captain’s phrase “zoom” or Ortegas’s “vaminos.”
• In this episode, Uhura has been promoted to Ensign.
• Dr. M’Benga shares that he previously served on the moon of J’gal during the battle of ChaKana.
• Commander Pelia is revealed to be a Lanthanite, a humanoid being who lives an extremely long life. Lanthanites lived on earth among humans undetected until the 22^nd century.
• The Klingons portrayed in this episode are shown in a return to their classic manner as featured in TNG.
• Nurse Chapel briefly mentions she may be pursuing an archaeological medicine fellowship for two months on Vulcan.
• Several different ships can be seen in this episode: Archer-class, Farragut-style, and some drone ships as well as shuttles.
• When negotiating with the Klingons, La’an pulls out an “anti-matter detonation switch” (a non-existent device La’an fabricates for the negotiation).
• The confiscated Federation ship by the Klingons is a “Crossfield Class” ship.
• A saddle can be spotted in Pike’s room which recalls his equestrianism.
• Spock and the Klingons meet to share bloodwine in the end. The Klingon toast to Spock can be translated to be: “may your blood scream.”
• This episode ends with a nice tribute to Nichelle Nichols.