Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Through The Lens Of Time." Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
Star Trek is known for many things, and on a Mount Rushmore of best space franchises, it's certainly up there. When it comes to violence that may be displayed in some of the best sci-fi movies, however, Trek is often lacking in that department. Every once in a while, however, it'll surprise fans, and Strange New Worlds did that with what might be the scariest (and grossest) body horror scene in the franchise since The Next Generation.
"Through The Lens Of Time" is a high-concept adventure I hope we see more of in upcoming Trek shows, which is why I was so shocked by how gory one particular scene was. Warning for those who haven't seen it yet and don't want the image seared into their brain, there's no going back after this.
Gamble Losing His Eyes Was An Unexpected Gruesome Moment In Strange New Worlds
Ensign Gamble has a promising career aboard the Enterprise as a medical officer. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of picking up a glowing orb on his first away mission, which then fried his eyeballs clear out of his brain. After the flash, I let out an audible gasp as we just had to stare at the hollow inside of Gamble's eye sockets.
Unfortunately, Gamble was clinically dead, but being kept alive by the Vezda, a strange inter-dimensional being capable of either telepathy or communicating with the dead. The details were not clear, but the Starfleet crew realized they wanted nothing to do with the Vezda and took precautions to ensure this species could never escape into the galaxy. That said, I have a feeling we'll see them again before the series closes out.
This Was The Wildest Body Horror Moment Since The Next Generation Episode "Conspiracy"
I was shocked by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds showing gore involving humans, but it's not without precedent. Longtime fans who watched The Next Generation likely remember the episode "Conspiracy" and the wtf moment that was jarring for the typically family-friendly sci-fi.
In "Conspiracy," the crew discovers that several high-ranking officers were infected with a parasite bent on taking control of more members of Starfleet. This, ultimately, leads to a showdown in which Riker and Picard corner Lt. Commander Dexter Remmick, who is being controlled by the "mother" of all these parasites. Left with little other option, they fire their phasers, and his head explodes. If it's been a while since you've seen it, enjoy:
It's not worse than anything you'd see in the best horror movies, and admittedly, the effects have not aged well. Even still, it's so rare that we see this level of violence in a Star Trek series that I can't help but make a connection between this and the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Will this be the last gory scene we see in the series? I guess we'll have to wait and see!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams on Thursdays on Paramount+. This season is one of the best we've seen since the franchise made its return, so if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, make it a priority!
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