So It's Come To This: A Star Trek Musical Episode

So it's come to this— Star Trek's doing a musical episode.

In the upcoming August 3rd episode of Strange New Worlds, the Enterprise crew encounters a space anomaly that alters their brains, forcing them to communicate exclusively through song and dance.

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

It's a fact of life whenever a TV show goes on for long enough, it'll eventually pump out a musical episode. It happened with Xena: Warrior Princess, Ally McBeal, Moonlighting, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (!), Scrubs, Psych (!!), 7th Heaven, Grey's Anatomy (?), OZ (!!!), That 70s Show, Fringe (??), Supernatural, Supergirl and The Flash (among many others). It's inevitable.

Look, I get it— lots of TV stars got their start in musical theater, and are quite talented in that arena. But just because the casts of these shows CAN sing and dance doesn't mean they SHOULD. 

A musical episode just feels too jarring and out of place in the Star Trek Universe, in my opinion. Can you imagine Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley singing and gadding about on the bridge?

Actually I guess I can!*

OK, that cover just reinforces my point here. If Star Trek's cribbing from MAD Magazine now, how are we supposed to take the show seriously after this?

Ah, but the musical thing is only the tip of the iceberg! A couple weeks ago Strange New Worlds did a crossover episode with another Trek show show— Lower Decks. Which, as you're no doubt aware, is an animated series!

In the episode, an accident throws Ensigns Mariner and Boimler back in time to Captain Pike's Enterprise— where the animated pair appear in live action for the first time.

Yeah, it was a fun outing, packed full of references and in-jokes for long-time Trekkies, yadda yadda. Thing is though, these kinds of gimmick episodes usually appear toward the END of a series. You know, after the writers have exhausted the premise and are desperately trying to come up with new ideas.

Strange New World isn't even through its second season yet! And they're already pulling out the Musical Episode? Oy.

I've watched a couple episodes of Strange New Worlds before deciding it just wasn't for me. I can't wait to not watch this outing as well.

*Thanks to my pal Ted Parsnips for reminding me that MAD cover was a thing!