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The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 2, "Ad Astra per Aspera," now streaming on Paramount+.
One of the quietly brilliant parts of Star Trek: Enterprise lies in the idea that the Vulcans have as much growing up to do as humanity. Though more technologically advanced during the show's point on the Star Trek timeline, the species often proved smug, secretive and condescending. Resident Vulcan T'Pol symbolized their growth toward the better angels of their nature, as the show ended with the founding of the Federation. It gave the franchise's beloved pointy-eared logician a much-needed shake-up, along with some nuance that made them vastly more interesting.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds picks up on that vibe in Season 2, Episode 2, "Ad Aster per Aspera" as Una Chin-Riley stands trial for crimes connected to her genetic heritage. Her chief tormentor during the trial is Vice Admiral Pasalk, who embodies all the worst qualities of Vulcans during the Enterprise era. He's a reminder that -- 100 years later -- they're still shaking off their shortcomings.
Enterprise Showed the Vulcans' Darker Side
Enterprise opens with humanity ready to start exploring the stars, and the Vulcans fretting like hens about it. They don't feel that Earth is ready for the responsibility, and T'Pol essentially arrives onboard the Enterprise to act as a babysitter. She quickly forms a bond of trust with Captain Archer, which eventually grows into a more lasting connection between their two species, but it isn't always easy. Season 1, Episode 7, "The Andorian Incident," introduces Jeffrey Combs' Andorian Shran, a seeming antagonist claiming that a Vulcan monastery holds a secret surveillance facility. He's proven right -- the Vulcans were lying the whole time -- and Archer sides with them instead of his ostensible allies. Suddenly, the squeaky-clean likes of Mr. Spock look very far away.
That general theme pervades Enterprise, particularly during the early seasons. The Vulcans often come across as condescending busybodies, looking down their noses at the rest of the galaxy and wagging their fingers over questionable behavior that they themselves engage in. They use logic to avoid self-reflection and assume that -- so long as they adhere to it -- they can never be wrong. T'Pol, always honorable, must negotiate that treacherous path but witnesses her people become humbler and wiser as a result. Enterprise is as much about their journey as humanity's, and when they sign the first accords establishing the Federation in the series finale, it feels well-earned.
Strange New Worlds' Lawyer Hasn't Learned Much
Vice Admiral Pasalk never got the memo apparently, which "Ad Aster per Aspera" uses to great effect. He oversees the case against Una -- who lied about her genetic modifications and faces charges of sedition in response -- and intends to use the letter of the law to do it. The episode baits the hooks with an amusing scene early on as Pasalk and Spock have a brief exchange. The Vice Admiral is a friend of Mr. Spock's father Sarek: from an older generation when Vulcans still considered their logic infallible. Following their meeting, Spock confides to his crew-mates how much he detests the man.
The loathing proves well-founded once Pasalk gets into court: overriding his junior prosecutor and banging on the letter of the law as reason alone to throw Una in prison forever. Even worse, he tries to leverage her lie into charging Pike as well, along with any other member of the Enterprise crew who knew about her modifications. He decries her devotion to Starfleet as "emotional" and appears to take secret glee in his ability to destroy her calls for compassion based solely on logic.
He's undone in the end. Federation law allows for asylum, which gets both Una and Pike off the hook. But in the process, he reveals the same prejudices and shortcomings that bedeviled the Vulcans a century previous. Change never comes overnight, and Star Trek has been unusually good at showing how it evolves over time. Strange New Worlds finds an elegant way to do so with a seemingly incidental antagonist.
New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stream every Thursday on Paramount+.