Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 1-3, Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, and Star Trek: Discovery Season 2.
It’s been a while since I’ve engaged in much theory-crafting here on the website! Strange New Worlds, as a mostly episodic series, hasn’t lent itself to the kind of weekly theorising that I used to do for Picard and Discovery… but there are character arcs, season-long storylines, and other narrative threads running through the show. I want to consider one of these today, and it pertains to Captain Marie Batel.
At the end of Season 2, Captain Batel was infected with the same Gorn parasite that resulted in the death of Hemmer. We went into the two-year gap in between seasons not knowing how – or even if – she would survive. Hegemony, Part II gave us part of the answer, as Spock and Nurse Chapel came up with the unorthodox solution of using Illyrian blood to “re-incorporate” the Gorn DNA into her body. Captain Batel, however, has suffered after-effects of this treatment, seemingly possessing some kind of Gorn consciousness or DNA within her. It’s an open question whether this storyline has now run its course, whether it will be picked up again, or how it will be resolved. I wanted to offer a purely speculative take at this juncture, with two episodes of Season 3 remaining.
Let’s start by laying out what we know.
Captain Batel is still suffering as a result of the Gorn infection. The cure was, at best, incomplete, and according to Spock in Through the Lens of Time, there is some kind of Gorn “presence” which exists inside of – and separate from – Captain Batel. As Pike explained to Admiral Pasalk in Four-and-a-Half Vulcans, Captain Batel still needs intensive treatment sessions. And as far as we know, no one else has ever been cured once a parasitic Gorn infection has progressed to this extent.
Furthermore, Captain Batel’s relationship with Captain Pike has a hard and rigid time limit. Pike knows the time and place of the accident which will disable him, and we know, as the audience, that Pike will be transported to Talos IV by Spock a few months later. By the time of Pike’s accident, if not before, their relationship will come to an end. But what if… it doesn’t have to?
If Captain Batel’s condition worsens, the Gorn inside her could try to break out or even take over her body, as we caught a glimpse of in Through the Lens of Time. Some fans have theorised that this could lead to the creation of a Gorn-human hybrid – with speculation that this hybrid could even be the Gorn Captain that Kirk will face off against in the classic episode Arena. I cannot fully express my disdain for this idea, by the way; it would be the Klingon-Augment virus all over again, only worse.
But what if, instead of dying or being transformed into a Gorn, Captain Pike reaches for another solution? His solution could give context to Spock’s actions in The Menagerie, perhaps even giving Spock the idea to take Pike to Talos IV in the years to come. What if… Captain Pike were to take Captain Batel to Talos IV as a last roll of the dice; a desperate final attempt to save her?
The Talosians have appeared in Discovery’s second season, where we were introduced to this incarnation of Captain Pike. They played a major role in that season, sheltering Spock and helping him with his condition. We know that the Talosians possess advanced medical technology, as well as immense mental and telepathic powers. Even if Captain Batel were to arrive there in a comatose state, Talosian telepathy could create for her a world in which she was free from her infection, living her life somewhat normally.
Knowing that Talos IV is also Pike’s ultimate destination could reframe their relationship going into the final episodes of the series. Instead of Batel and Pike being a temporary fling; a relationship firmly in the here-and-now… they could fall deeper in love. Their future could exist… a shared future, free from their life-limiting conditions… but a future only the Talosians could provide. If Captain Pike were to take Captain Batel to Talos, it could be incredibly poetic. And beautiful.
Now let’s consider how this could come about.
Captain Batel has just – as of Four-and-a-Half Vulcans – accepted a new role as head of Starfleet’s legal division. Rather than accepting command of a starship, which would be more difficult for her given her health, Batel is to take charge of the court-martial system, presumably being based either on Earth or on a starbase. It sounded like a promotion – perhaps to the rank of commodore or even admiral – was also on the cards. But… a big part of me thinks that, regardless of whether this theory pans out, Batel won’t get her promotion.
Let’s say that, on the way to her new posting, Captain Batel falls more seriously ill. Dr M’Benga and Nurse Chapel have done all they can, but the Gorn infection is proving too stubborn. Maybe the Vezda alien, kept in suspended animation aboard the Enterprise, is called upon for help, but either refuses or cannot do anything for her. Faced with her imminent death, Captain Batel is placed in some kind of suspended animation (probably in the transporter buffer, given Strange New Worlds’ proclivity for that kind of storyline!)
This leaves Captain Pike heartbroken… but also with a tiny glimmer of hope. Batel is not dead yet, and even though everyone is telling him she’s too far gone and cannot be saved, Pike is unwilling to give up. He does the only thing he can think of, and reaches out once again to the Talosians. The Talosians bring bad news: they know about the Gorn and their parasitic infections, but have no cure (or at least, no cure for someone so far gone). But they offer an alternative: bring Batel to Talos IV in stasis, and they will use their telepathy to let her live out a fantasy version of the rest of her life. He will even get the chance to say goodbye properly.
At this point in the timeline, Talos IV is already off-limits to all Starfleet vessels. But Captain Pike will break that rule, initially intending to do so secretly, but ultimately with help from Una, Spock, and the rest of the crew. The Enterprise will proceed to Talos IV – pursued, perhaps, by either the Gorn or Admiral April, both of whom could have reasons for wanting to stop him. Upon reaching Talos, Batel will be beamed down in her stasis chamber, accompanied by Pike. He’ll explain what happened… and what he’s done. He’ll explain what the Talosians can do for her. And though sceptical at first, and really hating the idea, Captain Batel will ultimately choose to remain on Talos IV.
Maybe Pike will promise to keep working on a cure, with the aim of one day returning to Talos to free Captain Batel. That seems like the sort of thing the Captain of the Enterprise would do! But either way… the result of this mission will be that Captain Batel will remain on Talos IV, with the Talosians using their powers to give her some semblance of a life – mirroring and foreshadowing Pike’s own ultimate destination.
What I like about this idea is that it gives more depth and meaning to the Pike-Batel relationship. While we know they have strong feelings for one another, there’s always been a strange sort of undercurrent to their relationship. Pike himself – and us as the audience looking in – know that this relationship basically has a time limit. It can’t be “happily ever after,” because Captain Pike doesn’t get an “ever after.” But if Captain Batel were to end up in the same place for a not dissimilar reason… it changes their dynamic. It potentially deepens the love they may feel for one another, while also being somewhat poetic.
This storyline could also work well for Spock. In The Menagerie, it seems as if Spock’s decision to bring Pike to Talos IV is entirely his own… but what if there’s more to the story? What if Spock saw Captain Pike do the same for Captain Batel, and that’s part of what prompted him to take that specific course of action? Perhaps… Pike even tells Spock to do this. That would come dangerously close to treading on the toes of canon, in my view; Pike in The Menagerie repeatedly says “no” when Spock tries to take him to Talos IV. But… maybe they agree that he’ll have to say that as part of a ruse?
Obviously this idea has its shortcomings! For one, the ending of The Menagerie clearly shows Pike reuniting with Vina – a character we also saw him falling for in Discovery, too. Vina and Pike seem to share a moment together when he arrives on Talos IV, setting out in their telepathic forms to make the most of the second chance the Talosians have afforded them. If Captain Batel should be there too… it complicates, at the very least, the canonical ending to Pike’s story – which should already be set in stone.
It’s also narratively clunky and arguably repetitive. Not every story in Star Trek has to be based on something that we’ve already seen, and Pike taking someone he loves to Talos IV so the Talosians can use their telepathy to free them from a life-limiting condition… that’s the same plot as The Menagerie. I love it when Star Trek stories rhyme, or when we get echoes of a classic story in modern Trek. But is something so familiar and so similar crossing the invisible line between respectful homage and naked rip-off? I think a lot of fans would argue that it is, regardless of how well-executed it may or may not be.
However, I think this theory is infinitely better than the Batel-Gorn hybrid ultimately turning out to be Kirk’s foe from Arena! I didn’t like the Klingon-Augment virus when Enterprise did that storyline; I felt it wasn’t necessary to explain the change in makeup for the Klingons. And even if it was… that wasn’t the way to do it. It was convoluted and silly. This idea… that the Gorn in TOS and the Gorn in SNW look different because one is a half-human hybrid… it would have the same problems as the Klingon-Augment virus, the same narrative weaknesses… and, on top of that, it would also be repetitive.
The other thing to say is that it’s possible that Strange New Worlds’ writers… haven’t actually written an ending for this story. Maybe their idea is that Batel will sail off into the sunset as head of Starfleet’s legal division, and Pike will occasionally Skype her for half a scene here and there in Seasons 4 and 5. Maybe what I’ve been reading as the preamble to a bigger storyline just… isn’t. Maybe this is the story. Batel got sick, received a partial cure, suffered a setback, but is now able to manage her condition well enough to return to work. That could be the way it’s gonna go.
Batel could also yet be killed off. I was brutal in criticising Paramount’s marketing team in my review of the Season 3 premiere, because I felt that promo photos and trailers had spoiled Batel’s survival ahead of time. And I stand by that – it was incredibly dumb, after teasing us with this story for so long – to spoil Captan Batel’s survival when there was no reason to do so. But… despite all of that, Captain Batel may not be long for this world after all. The Gorn infection could come back, as we described above. Or the Vezda alien, which is still aboard the Enterprise, could break free and kill her. She could be killed in an alien ambush, a freak accident, a transporter malfunction… anything.
So there are definitely other ideas floating around – some of which, to be honest, are probably more plausible than this theory!
However, I still kinda like this idea. It would completely reframe Pike’s ultimate destination, and the choice Spock makes on his behalf in The Menagerie. It could potentially deepen the bond between Batel and Pike, taking their relationship from something that is, by circumstance, bound to be temporary and… opening it up. Maybe they can have a form of “happily ever after” after all.
So that’s it. That’s the theory. In order to save Captain Batel’s life and give her some semblance of normalcy instead of a stasis pod, Captain Pike will call upon Vina and the Talosians, and transport Captain Batel to Talos IV, mirroring his own ultimate destination.
Will it happen? There’s two more episodes left this season, as well as Seasons 4 and 5. Are we truly done with the Gorn? Has Captain Batel reached the end of her story? Or… could there another twist? I guess we’re going to find out!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Seasons 1-3 are available to stream now on Paramount+ in countries and territories where the platform exists. The first two seasons are also available on DVD/Blu-ray. The Star Trek franchise – including Strange New Worlds and all other properties discussed above – is the copyright of Skydance and/or Paramount. This review contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 