Image via Paramount+
Published Sep 3, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
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Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 7 - "Like Chronitons Through The Hourglass"Trelane (Rhys Darby) returns to plunge the USS Enterprise crew into "body cleansing theatre" in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Directed by Anna Dokoza and written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass" melds Star Trek with soap opera, complete with popular tropes, soft lighting, faraway gazes, melodramatic pauses, and special guest star Diedre Hall from Days of our Lives.
Amusingly, Trelane uses the Starship Enterprise's crew for a school project to illustrate his new fascination with humans after nearly forcing Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) to marry in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 2, "Wedding Bell Blues." Only Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is somehow immune to the mischievous young Q warping reality.
Captain Pike turns out to be the key, not just to returning life aboard the USS Enterprise to normal, but also to Trelane's academic success. Pike's ordeal ties directly to what happened to him in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's finale, where he lived in an alternate future happily married to Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano).
So, like chronitons through the hourglass, these are the "Days of the Enterprise," complete with dramatic soap opera post-credits and an amusing commercial where Trelane shills children's breakfast cereal.
Captain Pike Finally Faced The Loss Of His Daughter & Life With Marie Batel
Image via Paramount+Trelane's soap opera antics didn't work on Captain Pike because of his unresolved trauma from losing Captain Batel. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's finale. Marie gifted Chris and herself with an alternate future where they raised a daughter named Juliet (Anna Mirodin) together. After Batel fulfilled her destiny to become the eternal warden of the evil Vezda, Pike never processed his grief.
Pike was subjected to two soap opera tropes by Trelane: amnesia and that Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) was his long-lost daughter. Yet the diary Uhura carried, where Pike supposedly wrote a coq au vin recipe to cook with his daughter, was not meant for Uhura, but for Juliet, who magically returned. Thus, Pike was able to say goodbye to his daughter, which was previously denied to him.
After months of dodging their appointment, Captain Pike finally sat down with therapist Dr. Eleanor Chivers (Diedre Hall) and grieved losing Marie and Juliet. Chris accepted that even though it was an alternate future, their family was real. So real, in fact, that it protected him from Trelane's manipulation of reality, which perplexed even the meddling young Q.
Before he finally processed his loss, Pike threw himself and the USS Enterprise crew into relentless missions to sublimate his grief throughout Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, which is why they sorely needed shore leave in episode 3, "Human Best Friend."
Now, Pike is in a healthier place as he looks ahead to the destiny that awaits him: his final months as Captain of the Enterprise, passing his ship to Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), and his unavoidable accident that will leave him disfigured in Star Trek: The Original Series.
Spock Confirms Sybok Was Not Real & Awkwardly Finalizes Breakup With La’an
Image via Paramount+Spock's soap opera storyline was that he was seriously injured in the shuttle accident that supposedly gave Captain Pike amnesia. Hence, the Science Officer desperately needed a "living heart transplant." Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) captured an unwilling donor: Spock's brother Sybok, who was also played by Ethan Peck as an "evil twin" soap opera trope.
Before William Shatner cast Lawrence Luckinbill as Sybok in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Leonard Nimoy is rumored to have wanted to play both Spock and Sybok.
However, as Spock confirmed to La'an after Trelane's soap opera reality was lifted, she never left the USS Enterprise to meet Sybok. Nor was Sybok in "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass" real because he and Spock "are not identical." Trelane constructed Sybok from Spock's memories but turned him into an evil twin because of the soap opera trope.
The real Sybok remains imprisoned at the Ankeshtan K'Til Vulcan Criminal Rehabilitation Center, just as the back of his head was last seen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 7, "The Serene Squall." Spock knows where his renegade half-brother is, but it's unclear if T'Pring, Sybok's warden, knows that the prisoner she knows as Xaverius is her ex-fiancé's older sibling.
Meanwhile, La'an and Spock have an awkward parting of ways, even though she already broke up with him at the start of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode. La'an was attracted to Sybok and retains her memories of Spock's evil twin. Her abrupt exit left Spock confused about whether or not they would remain friends. It was a strange scene all around.
Trelane Passed His School Assignment
Image credit: Paramount+The good news for Trelane, and the USS Enterprise crew, is that the young Q passed his school project. The Q's Proctor (Diane L. Johnstone) wound up being impressed by how complicated and interesting "these ants" were and awarded Trelane with a B-minus grade.
Trelane went all-out with his research into and application of classic Earth soap opera tropes. The Q gave Captain Pike amnesia, made Uhura Pike's long-lost daughter, gave Spock an evil twin who was the only one who could save his life, and inflicted Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) with "space madness."
All that was really missing from Trelane's checklist of soap opera tropes was demonic possession.
All that was really missing from Trelane's checklist of soap opera tropes was demonic possession, which was the most popular storyline in Days of our Lives performed by Diedre Hall as her character, Dr. Marlena Evans.
Given that "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass" is Trelane's second surprise appearance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it's natural to wonder if Rhys Darby's effete Q will return one more time in Strange New Worlds' fifth and final season.
How Trelane’s Soap Opera Impacts The USS Enterprise Crew
Image via Paramount+When Trelane's "fever dream" over the USS Enterprise lifted, everything was back to normal, but everyone remembered the very real emotions they felt from the Q's soap opera. This is in contrast to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' puppet episode, where it was all Spock's dream, and he might have shared the details with T'Pring.
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01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
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02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
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03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
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04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
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05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
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06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
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07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
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08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
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Yet being forced to perform in "Days of the Enterprise" leaves behind scars. Pike is on a path to reconciling the profound loss of his alternate future wife and daughter. Uhura also has to cope with her temporary belief that Pike was her father. La'an still has feelings for Spock, since Sybok was identical to him in Trelane's fantasy.
Dr. M'Benga's "space madness" turned out to be shared by Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), who also suffered from the pretend affliction. However, M'Benga and Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) showed sparks of attraction under Trelane's thrall, and will that go somewhere? Meanwhile, Nurse Chapel also never had "secret backups of everyone's brains stashed in the supply closet" that no one knew about, a plot line Trelane cut from his soap.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' soap opera episode was another 'big swing' that will delight fans of daytime television but will doubtlessly frustrate the familiar crop of keyboard naysayers. Love "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass" or hate it, Spock telling La'an not to think too hard about it is also meta advice for the audience. After all, "It was, by nature, contrived."
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's new episodes premiere Thursdays on Paramount+
Release Date 2022 - 2027-00-00
Network Paramount+
Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman
Writers Onitra Johnson
English (US) ·