Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 6 - "Lost in Translation."The ending of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6, "Lost in Translation" sees Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) help Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) confront her demons, setting up their future working relationship on the USS Enterprise. When the Enterprise is sent to aid the construction of a new refinery alongside the USS Farragut, Jim Kirk visits his brother Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeanotte) aboard the Enterprise. Meanwhile, Uhura is suffering from worrying visions of former colleague Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), who died saving an Enterprise away team back in season 1.
The stench of death permeates Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6, as the arrival of Kirk reminds Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) of his own tragic future. Meanwhile, Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is forced to confront Kirk's tragic death all over again. However, "Lost in Translation" is ultimately a positive episode that puts Uhura front and center, celebrating the USS Enterprise's legendary communications officer, and giving her the privilege of introducing two future Star Trek legends to each other for the very first time.
Kirk, Spock & Uhura Meet For The First Time In Star Trek's Prime Timeline Canon
In what is a delightfully understated moment, Kirk and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) meet for the very first time at the end of "Lost in Translation". In a callback to Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5's near-miss Spock vs. Kirk fight, Spock acknowledges Jim's assessment that his brother Sam is "frustrating". Uhura then introduces the two men, and Spock agrees to Uhura and Kirk for a drink. It's a tantalizing glimpse of what viewers know will become the most iconic of Star Trek's Enterprise crews. It also makes Uhura one of the most important characters in Star Trek history, as it's she who introduces Kirk and Spock for the very first time.
The simplicity of Kirk and Spock's first meeting is perfect, as it removes all portent and pressure from such a highly-anticipated scene. It's far more realistic that Kirk and Spock would get to know each other whenever their paths crossed, rather than facing some universe-ending event that would bond them for life. Similarly, Kirk and Uhura's bond is formed by an intriguing mystery that demonstrates her extensive skills as a communications officer, and Kirk's command skills. It's no wonder that Kirk keeps Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise when he later takes command of the flagship.
Uhura Finally Faces Hemmer's Death & What She Learns
Bruce Horak returns as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Lt. Hemmer for new scenes in a treasured recording made for Uhura, and as both a terrifying zombie and benevolent ghost. Rather than being the products of exhaustion or deterium poisoning, Uhura's hallucinations have a deeper meaning. Unbeknownst to Starfleet, the site of their new refinery - Bannon's Nebula - is the home to an alien species that are being harmed by the refining process. In order to communicate this harm to Starfleet, the aliens focused their attention on Uhura, sending her visions of a zombified Hemmer, and the site of her family's fatal shuttle crash.
It's a fascinating depiction of Uhura's skills as a communications officer, as she puts the clues together to realize that the images of death aren't being sent to frighten her. Instead, they're being sent by an alien species that communicate with images, not words. These images are designed to convey to Uhura their a shared experience of trauma and loss. In following Kirk's advice to confront death, Uhura saves the lives of an entire alien species and stops Starfleet from unwittingly causing genocide in pursuit of starship fuel. The experience also allows Uhura the chance to say goodbye to Hemmer, as the aliens send her one final vision of a smiling Hemmer, who nods in appreciation of her good work.
Pike Gets His Star Trek: TOS Fleet Captain Promotion
In a moment that foreshadows Christopher Pike's fate in Star Trek: The Original Series, he is promoted to Fleet Captain. Overseeing the work on the refinery, Pike is placed in command of both the USS Enterprise and USS Farragut for the duration of the mission. Pike's promotion is only temporary, but it's a reminder that his permanent promotion to Fleet Captain, and his accident, are only a few years away. Pike is reminded of this when he meets his eventual successor, Lt. James T Kirk, for the first time, visibly uncomfortable at the reminder of his own mortality.
Pike has known that Kirk will succeed him as Captain of the USS Enterprise since the Strange New Worlds' season 1 finale, so Kirk's arrival on the Enterprise is understandably jarring. Interestingly, when Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) was asked if he had ever met Chris Pike (Sean Kenney) in "The Menagerie", he replied "When he was made Fleet Captain". Pike's temporary promotion in "Lost in Translation" smartly brings the date of this meeting forward. Now that this meeting has taken place, Strange New Worlds is free to bend Star Trek: TOS canon slightly with more interactions between Pike and his eventual successor.
La'an & Kirk Meet But She Keeps Her Episode 3 Secret
Kirk's presence on the USS Enterprise is also unsettling for Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh, who comes face-to-face with James as they hunt the rogue saboteur. Interestingly, when Captain Pike asks how La'an and Kirk know each other, she cagily tells him that there wouldn't be enough time to explain at that particular moment. It's a hint that La'an may finally break her promise to Star Trek: DS9's time cops, the Department of Temporal Investigations. But over the course of her meetings with Jim Kirk in "Lost in Translation", La'an keeps quiet about her romance with his alternate-reality counterpart.
However, there are hints of La'an knowing more than she's letting on. Kirk is taken aback by La'an's knowledge of his relationship with his father, and his motivations for eventually ing Starfleet. Kirk could return later in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2; in the trailer, Number One (Rebecca Romijn) detects "an energy" between him and La'an. By the end of "Lost in Translation", La'an still owes Kirk that drink, and it's clear that he intends on cashing in on it. However, he could get a lot more than he bargained for if La'an reveals the details of her time travel mission.
Number One & Pelia Also Deal With Hemmer's Death
Uhura isn't the only member of the USS Enterprise crew who's revealed to be struggling to cope with Hemmer's death. Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 6 revealed that Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) and Uhura have barely talked, because acknowledging Pelia as the new Starship Enterprise Chief Engineer would be to acknowledge the pain of Hemmer's death. As Number One is sent to use her particular skills to crack the whip and ramp up the construction of the refinery, it becomes clear that she has her own issues with Pelia. Confronted by her new Chief Engineer, Una claims that Pelia is sloppy and lacks ambition, however, this is revealed to be a deflection.
On a shuttle ride back to the Enterprise, Number One tells Pelia that her issues stem from her time at Starfleet Academy. Pelia trained Hemmer and Una at the Academy, where she gave Number One a C for her "sloppy" work. Again, Una tries to deflect from her grief over Hemmer's death, something that Pelia understands all too well. As a Lanthanite, she has an incredibly long lifespan and has experienced a great deal of loss. This ission allows Pelia and Una to bond, as they finally understand each other. So much so that Pelia allows Number One to keep publicly blaming her enmity toward the Chief Engineer for an unfair C grade, if it makes her more comfortable.
Kirk Brothers' Sibling Rivalry Hints At Sam's Star Trek TOS Fate
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally gives an insight into the relationship between Sam and Jim Kirk, and it's defined by sibling rivalry. It's revealed that Kirk is due to take over as First Officer on the USS Farragut, pending the training of his replacement. Although he congratulates Jim on becoming the youngest First Officer in Starfleet history, the promotion rankles with Sam. The reason for this is that the previous holder of the record was one George Kirk, their father. Sam - whose full name is George Samuel Kirk - feels the pressure to live up to his father's name, and this feeds into his rivalry with his ambitious brother.
In response, Jim suggests that xeno-anthropologist Sam make his father proud in his own way, instead of wallowing in a laboratory. Tragically, that's exactly what Sam will later do, when he moves his wife and son to the Deneva colony. In Star Trek: The Original Series' "Operation - Annihilate!" the Deneva colony came under attack from the flying parasites that claimed the lives of Sam and his wife, leaving behind their son Peter.
Spock & Chapel Are Officially A Couple
After accepting their feelings for each other in "Charades", Spock and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) are now a couple, but they're taking things slowly. Spock believes that they should notify Starfleet Command, due to the rules around couples working alongside each other. Christine is more cautious, however, as she worries that defining the relationship at such an early stage would ruin it. This is a refreshingly realistic take on romantic relationships, especially as Star Trek fans know that Spock and Chapel's relationship will soon become incredibly complex.
Now that Uhura has introduced Kirk to Spock, the path to Star Trek: The Original Series is being laid, which means heartbreak for Chapel. She and Spock aren't together in TOS, so there will be some wedge driven between them at some point later in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Whether it's Christine's reluctance to define the relationship, or Spock rekindling his relationship with T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) remains to be seen. However, as Kirk, Spock, and Uhura bond over a drink in the bar at the end of "Lost in Translation", the future of the USS Enterprise looks very bright indeed, future heartbreak notwithstanding.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.