Strange New Worlds’ “A Case of Chiaroscuro” in Review
Here’s a film noir adventure on a Klingon-occupied world. It’s in black-and-white, but how does it handle shades of grey?
Log Entry
Because a Federation probe has drifted into Klingon space, the Enterprise is at the Klingon border. Una, Uhura, and M’Benga are on a shuttle to recover the probe on Una’s first mission as a commander. Localised radiation causes everything to appear black-and-white. Evading a Klingon ship, they fly towards Mat’Aar XII, triggering an atmospheric barrier. After landing, they hide the shuttle and head outside, wearing local attire – 1940s American style. Luckily, everyone there looks Human except the Klingon occupiers, who require identification. They and their collaborators wear armbands. A man spots Una, who apparently resembles a woman named Nevette. He seems surprised she’s alive and addresses her as “boss.”
The man, Roman, asks Una to return to “HQ” – a crowded bar. There, M’Benga gives Uhura tips about constructing an alias.
Meanwhile, La’an and Spock examine the probe. La’an insists it’s been sabotaged. Spock is dubious but Pike allows her to investigate.
Una is interrogating a captor when Klingons – including Commander Kor, an alleged descendent of Kahless – arrive. The captor says a particular frequency and bites a hidden capsule, killing herself. Confronted by Kor, Una implies responsibility for the death, impressing him.
Realising their jeopardy, the trio head to the shuttle. They witness a rebellious man be executed, and Uhura is arrested for lack of identification. In secret, another man, Ja’Lem, recognizes Una as leader of the resistance, which he belongs to, and promises to help free Uhura.
Under interrogation, Uhura avoids revealing her true identity to Kor, who thinks she’s a resistance fighter. He plans to use a mind-scanning device on her.
At resistance headquarters, a noisy machine detects Klingon presence. Ja’Lem speaks with M’Benga and Una, uttering a slogan which reveals the executed man was also in the resistance.
Investigating the probe, La’an recruits reluctant Vulcan cadet A’Sha before consulting Scotty and Ortegas, who are still getting along. Scotty detects a hidden signal, informing La’an.
Uhura continues struggling to withstand her interrogation. She errs, referring to the color green.
Searching Nevette’s office, Una and M’Benga discover evidence of Nevette’s resistance work. They also find a cryogenically frozen but deceased Nevette.
Una theorizes the aforementioned frequency is needed to detonate an EMP. M’Benga thinks Nevette was poisoned and tried to save herself in the cryo chamber.
After Kor releases Uhura, she notifies Una and M’Benga that the Klingons are planning a military crackdown, having overheard them discuss it in a rare Klingon dialect. Uhura tells M’Benga about her alias: Nyota Nakuru. The Klingons arrive singing a Klingon war song, only to be drowned out by the Mat’Aarans. Una decides to fight with the resistance, citing some childhood guilt.
La’an brings Scotty’s discovery to Spock, fearing it’s an encrypted transmission. However, he doubts this.
Kor invites Una, still mistaking her for Nevette, to drink to the Empire with him. He then divulges more about the Klingon plan.
Breaking into a munitions factory, Una acquires the EMP detonator. Roman confronts her, revealing he killed Nevette.
Kor had Roman follow Una. She subdues Roman and urges him to help the resistance. Instead, he flees.
La’an discusses the missing data with Chapel, who admits she sabotaged the probe because a medical ship, the USS Yang, unofficially entered Klingon space to respond to a distress call and the commander asked her for a favor – wiping some data to avoid consequences from Starfleet. Chapel asks La’an, as a friend, to maintain the secrecy.
Back on Mat’Aar XII, the EMP detonates at a Klingon checkpoint, disabling the forcefield. Una reveals to Ja’Lem that she planted the detonator on Roman and that she isn’t Nevette, encouraging Ja’Lem to lead the resistance.
La’an visits Pike and keeps the data secret, only revealing Scotty and Ortegas are friends. Pike seems to know she’s hiding something.
Shuttling back to the Enterprise, M’Benga tells Una he was once forced to liberate a hospital by killing anti-Federation loyalists. Una still feels a profound connection to Nevette. As they leave the Mat’Aar system, Una appears in living color.
Status Report
This is a strong episode. The choice of black-and-white works well with the film noir themes and look. Using the 1940s-style wardrobe with Nazi-inspired armbands, while framing the Klingons as an occupying force up against a resistance, creates a very effective shorthand. The episode’s setting and aesthetic work well, with the various sets and visual effects creating an indelible impression of Mat’Aar.
Rebecca Romijn, Babs Olusanmokun, and Celia Rose Gooding deliver powerful performances. It’s good to see Una have more to do this season, and this episode is a nice deep dive into her character that bookends well with her depiction in “Ad Astra per Aspera”. Her planting the detonator on Roman is a clever twist which reminds us of Una’s intelligence and deep-rooted compassion.
The B-plot – La’an investigating the probe – is a nice contrast, especially because Una and La’an have similar internal struggles regarding their augmented genes. La’an’s decision to keep Chapel’s secret shows how far she’s come from the relatively inflexible security chief we met at the start of the series.
That said, the choice to make the Mat’Aarans look like Humans is somewhat disappointing, despite making sense given Una’s resemblance to Nevette. While it feels like a TOS throwback, it’s also a missed opportunity to introduce us to a more unique-looking species.
Occasionally, Star Trek has treaded similar ground, such as in TOS’s “Patterns of Force”, Voyager’s “The Killing Game” two-parter, and Enterprise’s “Storm Front” two-parter. The Klingon war song is another recycled element, sung by Neelix in Voyager’s “Prophecy”.
Overall, this brilliant episode features a well-executed story with strong character moments, a unique visual identity, and a powerful message of hope. Despite seeming to be one of Trek’s less original episodes, it’s a compelling entry in the Trek canon and feels like a TOS episode in the best way possible.
Ren Wilcox is a Canadian YouTuber, artist, and lifelong Star Trek fan living in the US. They write film and produce reviews and video essays on various pop culture topics, but especially Star Trek on their YouTube channel Ren Rants and are currently working on a queer urban fantasy novel set in the Pacific Northwest. They have a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Juris Doctor, but their true passion lies in writing and other creative pursuits.