“Valles Marineris”
After some equestrian fun time, Pike and the crew of the Enterprise are sent to observe a giant space squall. Once there, they pick up a distress signal and attempt to respond. But the squall overwhelms the ship and the Enterprise is thrown to an unknown system with three class M planets. It turns out that their new location isn't so unknown after all—it's the Sol system. But there's a catch: they've traveled 65 million years into the past. The landing party has ventured down to prehistoric Earth in search of iridium to restart the warp drive and the Enterprise has been captured by a powerful ship from Mars. There's also an extra planet on the way to out to Jupiter, one that's at war with Mars. To get home, the crew must put their skills to the test against hostile aliens, dinosaurs, engine warning lights, and a particularly spunky Vulcan cadet.
In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing warp into Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Valles Marineris.” We discuss the feel of the story, how it connects with the best of Star Trek, rewriting history, character moments, hopes for the season, and more.
Chapters
Intro (0:00:00)
First Impressions of Season 4 (00:03:28)
A Real TOS and Star Trek Feel (00:11:03)
Rewriting History (00:15:22)
An Obsession with Fate (00:21:58)
Are You Going to Tell Us about the Dinosaurs? (00:26:16)
Fate and the Prime Directive (00:28:13)
Mean Girls Vulcan (00:37:58)
Costume Tweaks (00:42:32)
The Scotty-Ortegas Rivalry (00:45:06)
The La'an Tease (00:51:03)
Time Loops (00:58:51)
Too Much Creative Freedom? (01:00:42)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (01:07:21)
Closing (01:13:01)
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
