Podcast: Download

SST428: A routine attempt at a long-distance transporter record turns the entire Enterprise crew — captain, first officer, chief engineer, everyone but Spock — into puppets, and things only get worse when Orion pirates find the ship defenseless. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler dig into Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 5, “Level-Five Transporter Accident,” and land in a rare spot of near-agreement: it’s a mid-range episode, gimmicky by design, that mostly earns its laughs — right up until the ending.

Jimmy Akin flags a piece of Star Trek history most viewers will miss: the puppet at the center of the plot, Little Ricky, is very likely a nod to Lucille Ball, the Desilu executive who personally approved the original series and whose I Love Lucycharacter had an on-screen son by that name. The panel traces how the crew turns their puppet-ness from a liability into a weapon — fireproof stuffing, no need to breathe, limbs that can be stitched back on — once they stop fighting the premise and start leaning into it.

Where the panel splits is the reveal that most of the episode was Spock’s dream after a shuttle accident. Fr. Jason Tyler thinks the dream framing actually works better than leaving the transporter’s puppet-making power as a permanent fixture of the universe. Jimmy Akin isn’t as convinced: he argues the dream reveal functions as a “plot hole get-out-of-jail-free card” that lets the episode dodge fixes it should have made even within the puppet premise, and says a full commitment to the bit — puppets that stay puppets, Lower Decks-style — would have been the stronger choice.

Along the way: La’an breaks up with Spock for the third time this season, a deliberate disentangling ahead of the finale; T’Pring comes aboard to help Spock recover a missed Vulcan holy day; and the panel notes this is the fifth straight episode of the season to try a different genre, wondering aloud whether that’s intentional risk-taking or a writers’ room already looking toward its next job. The episode closes with listener feedback on the prior episode, “A Human Best Friend.”

Get all new episodes automatically and for free:

Follow by Email | Listen to this episode and subscribe on YouTube.

Help us continue to offer the Secrets of Star Trek. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

• Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
• You can watch all Star Trek series on Paramount+ and some are available on Netflix or Amazon.
• Get the official Secrets of Star Trek t-shirt at sqpn.com/merch.
• Purchase Star Trek books and Blu-ray/DVDs of Star Trek series and movies at the Secrets of Star Trek Store.
• Join the conversation at the SQPN Facebook page.
• Be part of the StarQuest Discord community at SQPN.com/discord
• Send your feedback or comments to [email protected]

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.