Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 has garnered diverse opinions from fans across the Internet, though there's one thing that most can seemingly agree on. The franchise's latest "courtroom episode" is one of the its best and maybe a top-tier Star Trek episode in general. And we may now know one of the key reasons that contributed to that eventual acclaim. CinemaBlend recently learned during a conversation with the episode's director that the installment, "Ad Astra Per Aspera" was influenced by past iconic trial moments from the franchise history in some key ways.
The story in question centers on the trial of Una "Number One" Chin-Riley, who faces possible imprisonment and dismissal from Starfleet. I had a chance to speak to director Valerie Weiss about her episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and asked whether previous episodes inspired her approach in any way. Weiss confirmed that she spotted a couple of devices used in those episodes that she specifically requested for her own, including one she felt was vital for elevating the story's stakes:
100% I mean, Jonathan Lee had already designed such a beautiful courtroom for us. And then I was watching, and I can't remember if it was ‘The Menagerie’ or if they all had them. I think I know ‘Measure Of A Man’ has it. But the lie detector apparatus where their hands are on the lit-up base? I love that for this. Because there are so many times where the witnesses are reminded that they're under oath. To have something visual to go to, to up the stakes in those moments, I was like, 'I definitely want that.'
Valerie Weiss is referring to a verifier, a chair-linked device first used in TOS' "Court Martial." It's referred to as a "perfect" lie detector and uses brain waves and physical cues to accurately determine whether a person with their hand on it is lying.
As she mentioned, having a Verifier in "Ad Astra Per Aspera" is vital because everyone that's on the record has to tell the complete truth. It's for this reason that Neera was able to put Admiral Robert April on the spot and more or less embarrass him by pointing out the hypocrisy of his track record of ignoring some rules over others.
The gadgets weren't the only keep items to be utilized in the episode, as Valerie Weiss added another tool that resembled a log recorder but looked more like a classic piece of tech that some of us who have Paramount+ subscriptions may have actually used ourselves years ago:
I loved the floppy disk [device], so I asked if we could have those. It was just really fun. And I made sure to shoot the court reporter putting it in and recording so that they felt justified and not superfluous. I really wanted to integrate them into our courtroom. So I'm really happy. I think fans have responded to those touches, and I'm really grateful for that.
These small details, paired with a phenomenal and Star Trek-inspired performance by actress Yetide Badaki, helped create one of the best episodes of the franchise's modern era . Valerie Weiss did a strong job helming the installment and, if you're wondering if she's done with the franchise, know that Weiss confirmed to CinemaBlend that she's been invited back as a director for Season 3.
That's no guarantee we'll be dealing with courtroom antics when she sits in the director's chair again, of course. But based on the reception to "Ad Astra Per Aspera," I certainly wouldn't throw out the notion that the producers asked her back for such an installment. Plus, it should be noted that Valerie Weiss has worked on other major court-based shows like Bull and How To Get Away With Murder, so one could say she's an expert when it comes to telling legal-based stories.
It's hard to say with any certainty what's on the table for Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, given what we've seen from Season 2. We know the Gorn are planning for some attack and that the prime timeline itself was shifted in a major way. Clearly, there are a lot of plans for big things so, if a courtroom-style episode doesn't make it into the next season, I can understand why. (Though I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for it to happen.)
New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds hit Paramount+ on Thursdays. Season 2 is flying by but, thankfully, there are still more than a few episodes left. Personally, I'm still excited for the upcoming Lower Decks crossover, but keep your eye on other big developments as well.
