Stardate: 2177.9
Original Air Date: August 21, 2025
Writers: Kathryn Lyn & Alan B. McElroy
Director: Sharon Lewis
“What separates the Federation from an empire?”
“What Is Starfleet” opens with an announcement that the United Federation of Planets is issuing a “Freedom of Information” alert –the rest of the episode becomes a documentary that has been declassified by Starfleet Command in the spirit of transparency. The declassified documentary/hit piece has been created by Erica Ortegas’s brother, Umberto “Beto” Ortegas. The Enterprise is dispatched to Lutani VII which has been attacked by its sister planet Kasar, a planet which is attempting to lay claim to the Lutani System and its resources. This leads to 9 million Lutani war casualties and 119,000 Kasar war casualties (note the significant imbalance in casualties between the two planets). The Enterprise has been instructed to help the Lutani –even though they are apparently in league with the Klingons– by transporting a Jikaru, a large angelic alien that has developed the ability to travel through space, to the Lutani (it makes noises akin to a whale).
One Lutani scientist, Dr. Gyud, suddenly attacks the Jikaru but he is badly wounded. He then dies in sickbay aboard the Enterprise. The Enterprise crew learns that the Jikaru’s neural dampener was destroyed when Dr. Gyud attacked, thus rendering the Jikaru weakened and in an emotionally unstable state. Spock attempts to make a Vulcan neural link connection with the creature inside the Galileo, but this harms Spock’s brain, so Uhura attempts to communicate with the Jikaru and she learns that the Jikaru’s brain chemistry has actually been altered in order to focus solely on violence and destruction. In other words, the Jikaru has been transformed into a living weapon for the Lutani. However, she (the Jikaru) does not want to live as a weapon. She asks the Enterprise to help her commit suicide by casting herself into the nearby sun (with reaffirmation from the Enterprise that Tychus-B will now be made a sanctuary planet for the Jikaru, thus protecting her children, and that the Lutani metamorphosis program will be shut down).
In the end, Pike technically disobeys orders and helps the Jikaru commit suicide as Beto ends his documentary with various testimonies from the crew about what Starfleet means to them (Beto’s central thesis in his documentary has been that Starfleet is actually a malicious colonial/imperial project, no different than any other occupying force).
“Someone once said space is dark and cold and full of death. Our job is to bring light, bring warmth, bring life to where we go. That’s our mission” –Una Chin-Rieley
My Thoughts on “What Is Starfleet?”
Generally speaking, Beto Ortegas is an annoying character who has been unhappily wedged into this season for reasons unknown. “What Is Starfleet?” offers an unexpected moral interrogation of Starfleet which has become alltoo common in the NuTrek era. It asks: is Starfleet really a peace-keeping force? Or is it actually a private army? And likewise, is the Federation a noble community of united planets? Or is it a vast colonial empire? Is the Enterprise a starship? Or actually a warship? These questions and many others have long been debated by fans, yet somehow the examination misses the mark in this episode.
“What Is Starfleet?” is a darkly cynical episode that portrays Starfleet/The Federation as essentially an authoritarian force perpetuating evil in the cosmos, even when Pike disobeys his orders. This is hardly the inspiring message of Gene Roddenberry’s original vision for Star Trek. Apparently, the Jikaru cannot be fixed (the crew doesn’t even try) and in a final act of nihilism, they assist the Jikaru in its wish to commit suicide by casting itself into the sun. This is a sad ending to a subversive story, admittedly one with an emotionally gripping ending, but this declassified “documentary” concludes with every single crewman describing the positive aspects of Starfleet. But it’s a flat, bland conclusion to an episode that lacks the dynamism and inspiration we have come to expect in Star Trek.
And no review of “What Is Starfleet?” would be complete without acknowledging the obvious allusions to current world events: Israel’s settler colonial project in the occupied Palestinian territories and Russia’s colonial invasion of Ukraine. Who are the real “good guys?” Why did Starfleet order the Enterprise to get involved in this war in the first place? And, more to the point, why in the world would Pike allow a silly new character like Beto to document intimate, private moments aboard the Enterprise bridge and elsewhere on the ship? Answers are never really given.
Despite bearing elements of emotionally potent ending, this episode is not really a highpoint for Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek Trivia:
- The Enterprise is identified as NCC-1701, flagship of the United Federation of Planets, a Constitution-Class Heavy Cruiser, weighing 190,000 metric tons, with a length of 442.6 meters, and a crew of 203. The ship has six phaser banks, two photon torpedo tubes, and hull deflector shields.
- Spock references his childhood friend Sovrek who was asked not to fraternize with Spock because he is half-human, half-Vulcan.
- Jikaru (the Lutani word for “starlight”) is livestock the Lutani intend to use in their rebuilding efforts. The Jikaru have lived on the oceanic moon Tychus-B. One has shown signs of a transformation; it may be able to move through space like large angelic beings.
- Dr. M’Bega’s codename in Starfleet Special Forces was “The Ghost.”
- Uhura’s friend at Starfleet Academy was Ensign Elena Cho, she was aboard the Cayuga which was destroyed in the conflict with the Gorn.
- Pike describes a bronco he had at age 14 he had to put down.
- Erica Ortegas says she joined Starfleet in order to regain control of her life, her mother was dying.
The distinctions between the supposedly good side and the obviously bad side may get a little blurred for some people. Even in Star Trek, our heroes have for varied reasons faced this dilemma quite often. I’ve certainly questioned how a future as optimistic as Gene Roddenberry envisioned can be made realistic in a Federation that still has to make painful decisions not unlike today. Even when we identify with Pike telling the villains that they don’t want the Federation for an enemy, reflecting on the more good-hearted speech from Kirk at the end of Specter Of The Gun for the Melkotians puts me more at ease. I’m hoping that the new Starfleet Academy series can help to finally soften some blows. Thank you for your review.