#ask not

Ask not what a 9-minute episode can do for you, ask what a 9-minute episode can do to introduce a new character. Maybe. We still haven’t had any confirmation that CBS All Access will give Pike, Spock, and Number One a series of their own, but ‘Ask Not’ could be seen as an introduction for a new member of the Enterprise crew. Otherwise, this little exercise is perhaps a little inappropriate.

Starfleet already has the Kobayashi Maru test for its command cadets. I’d hope the test that Pike administers here is one of his own devising. The alternative is that Starfleet loves to torture its cadets in pretty uncomfortable ways. It’s one thing to be forced to make a life or death decision when you aren’t familiar with those who will be affected by the outcome. It’s another thing entirely when your family members are part of the equation. Not to mention disobeying orders from a Captain in the same room as you, whether or not he’s been stripped of command, shouldn’t necessarily come that easily to any officer, not to mention one who is just meeting said Captain.

And then, that’s it. You can’t really fit much more in the time given anyway. This episode isn’t really bound for the Star Trek hall of fame, but it is interesting if these 3 Short Treks are being used to set up the Universe for Enterprise and her crew. Unfortunately, we probably won’t hear much about this until at least next year’s San Diego Comic-Con. All we can do for now is ponder why Pike would choose to terrify a cadet to test their allegiance to Star Fleet.