Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 episode 1: 5 things I loved about 'Hegemony, Part II'

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I've been eagerly awaiting Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 after the thrilling cliffhanger at the end of season 2.

With the U.S.S. Enterprise locked in what appeared to be a no-win battle with the villainous Gorn, Captain Pike (Anson Mount) had to decide what to do with so many lives hanging in the balance.

Cliffhangers are not new to the Star Trek Universe but they're very tricky, especially as season finales and premieres, because they have to deliver a lot to fans who have been eagerly awaiting the outcome. Thankfully, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 episode 1 delivered on all fronts.

Here are the five things I loved about "Hegemony, Part II."

Teamwork makes the dream work

Captain Pike may be in charge, but he relies on the input of his crew, especially in life or death situations. Early in the episode, after determining some flexibility in Starfleet's order to leave the area and rendezvous with the fleet, Pike calls upon his crew for ideas. They only have one chance to save their friends from the Gorn but they have to move quickly. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Mitchell (Rong Fu) offer ideas but Pike ultimately goes with Una's (Rebecca Romijn) idea to disrupt the Gorn sensor array to buy some time.

Strange New Worlds isn't about any one character. Pike is the captain but he works best with his crew around him. Together, they are a formidable force that can take on anything... even the Gorn.

Scotty gets schooled

I love every scene that features Carol Kane's Pelia. Sage Pelia knows just about everything after her very, very, very long life, so it's no surprise that when Scotty (Martin Quinn) arrives on the Enterprise, it turns out she was his instructor at Starfleet Academy. Not only that, but she has stories; it turns out, he was one of her best students but he needed a little extra motivation.

In an episode fraught with tension, threat of death and tragedy, Pelia and Scotty's interactions are a welcome bit of comedy relief.

My favorite moment is when Scotty, desperate to remember how to assemble his own invention to shield the ship from the Gorn, is so distraught that he can't think. Pelia rushes in, telling him that the Gorn have arrived and time has run out. Lo and behold, the answers Scotty needs present themselves. In a flash, he's done. And when Pike walks in moments later, Scotty learns the Gorn are not there, Pelia just gave her former student the little bit of extra motivation he needed to unlock his own brilliance.

Mending fences

Chapel (Jess Bush) was so relieved to see Spock arrive on the damaged ship in the season 2 finale. There was no time for things left unsaid because Chapel was called upon to find a way to help Batel (Melanie Scrofano), who was being ripped apart from the inside out by baby Gorn using her body as an incubator and food source.

When Chapel started running out of options, Pike sent Spock to help her find a solution. Like a well-oiled machine, the duo sprang into action and worked together to save Batel's life. It wasn't easy and the chances of survival were very slim, but by doing what Chapel and Spock do best, namely, working off each other to inspire even greater moments of brilliance, they ultimately devise the only plan that doesn't, according to the computer, end with a 100% failure rate.

By the end of it, they were finally able to say what needed to be said so that they can move forward and put the past behind them. Ahh, resolution.

Confronting the past

The crewmembers trapped in the digestion pits on the Gorn ship with the Parnassus survivors also band together to escape the harrowing ordeal. Laían (Christina Chong) must face her fears and summon the courage to confront her past to save the present and her friends are there to help.

Laían has been haunted by her encounter with the Gorn as a child; it has been a recurring theme on the show since the beginning. Now she's been confronted with the prospect of not only losing her own life to the lizard baddies, but also the lives of her friends and all of the villagers whose lives are close to being extinguished.

Seeing her reach into her memories, terrifying and traumatic as it is, to draw out crucial information to save the day is nothing short of heroic.

Happy endings all around

While Star Trek is no stranger to tragedy and loss ("Khaaaaaaan!", anyone?), there are certainly those moments when the universe lines up just right so that everyone lives happily ever after. Well, at least for now.

"Hegemony, Part II" had several moments when things could have taken a much darker turn. But through teamwork and perseverance, the crew of the Enterprise pulled off a victory on all fronts. The Gorn are gone (for now), the Parnassus residents were saved, the crew is safe and Pike's beloved Batel survives her ordeal as a Gorn baby incubator.

Happy endings aren't a prerequisite for a good episode, or even a good season premiere, but they are important in setting the tone for what's coming up. Knowing that things ended well is the perfect way to transition into the new season before the drama starts to ramp up anew.

New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 are available to stream Thursdays on Paramount Plus.