Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, "The Elysian Kingdom" | Season 1, Episode 8

Dr. M’Benga goes on a quest in a less-than-thrilling episode

Well, everyone looks good in Ren Fair costumes. High quality Ren Fair costumes, too; none of this “we spray-painted cardboard gold and called it a crown” bullshit. Unfortunately, that’s about the nicest thing I can say about “The Elysian Kingdom,” that and “the actors are clearly enjoying themselves.” There are some good jokes sprinkled throughout, and a few fun character moments, but this is, on the whole, not a good episode. I think it might possibly be the worst of the run so far–at least “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach” had the benefit of a challenging premise. There is a version of “Kingdom” that is more entertaining to watch, one which at least has the benefit of a light tone and a cast getting to play something outside the normal routine, but even that version would suffer under the weight of a bad idea. What’s especially odd is that the “bad idea” in this case has all the hallmarks of a last minute retcon–and yet the wound is entirely self-inflicted.

Let’s start with the …