The most terrifying antagonist reintroduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 was the Gorn, the reptilian race that menaced Captain Kirk in a memorable episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. After being hinted at in the Strange New Worlds Season 2 premiere, the Gorn are back with a vengeance in the Season 2 finale, titled "Hegemony." Intense, though less overtly horror-driven than Strange New Worlds' previous encounter with the Gorn, Season 2 ends on a harrowing note that gives much of the main cast their due and ensures audiences will be waiting breathlessly for the series to return for its third season.
The USS Cayuga, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike's significant other, Captain Marie Batel, visits a human colony just outside of Federation space on a support mission, with Christine Chapel lending medical assistance. This seemingly peaceful assignment is interrupted by a sudden attack from the Gorn, claiming to Starfleet Command that the colony falls within their sovereign territory. Pike and the crew of the Enterprise find themselves torn between aiding the surviving colonists and Cayuga crew and avoiding kickstarting an all-out war between the Federation and the Gorn.
Though not quite as dark as the trauma-fueled eighth episode this season, the Strange New Worlds Season 2 finale definitely serves as a reminder that the show isn't all fun and games, especially pertinent coming off the musical episode. Anson Mount and Ethan Peck are the major standouts of the season finale, with Pike and Spock given their own daunting challenges in the wake of the Gorn attack. Both characters are at personal crossroads with their respective romantic relationships, and that allows for an enormous amount of vulnerability that the actors use to fuel and convey in their actions.
Interestingly, the most intense action sequences aren't the ones involving Pike and the landing party on the ground but rather space sequences focused on Spock. In recent years, Star Trek has had no shortage of pulse-pounding spacewalks, and Strange New Worlds delivers one of the most taut sequences yet. Tension fuels the sequences on the ground, but a lot of Pike and the landing party's adventure is set after the attack, with pockets of combat to keep the audience riveted.
The Strange New Worlds Season 2 finale matches the season premiere, with the Enterprise crew getting down to business and showing just how competent they are under pressure. But while the season premiere was powered by escapist fun and swashbuckling charm, there is no comforting wink to the audience in the season finale as Pike finds himself in the fight of his life. Strange New Worlds Season 2 might have had a lighter tone overall, but its finale reminds fans just how high the stakes really are.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has had a strong sense of when to balance fan service and lore-building moments with character-driven stories following its main ensemble. The Season 2 finale combines these elements to great effect, though viewers may be wishing for a more definitive conclusion rather than waiting for a satisfying resolution. But for those wishing more episodes in Season 2 truly tested the main characters' mettle amidst cartoon crossovers and musicals, this finale should quiet any lingering naysayers.
Created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet, the first two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are available to stream in their entirety on Paramount+.