“We Don’t Fully Touch On Them”: Strange New Worlds Season 2’s Darkest Moment Isn’t Dealt With In Season 3, Hints Star Trek Actor
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 won't fully deal with the darkest moment of season 2, hints Babs Olusanmokun, who plays Dr. Joseph M'Benga. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8, "Under the Cloak of War," Dr. M'Benga killed Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah (Robert Wisdom) aboard the USS Enterprise. M'Benga and Chapel then covered up his crime, even deceiving Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount).
Strange New Pod interviewed Babs Olusanmokun on the red carpet before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3's world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. When asked about whether season 3 would deal with Dr. M'Benga murdering the Klingon ambassador, Olusanmokun teased that there are "repercussions," but that the new season doesn't "fully touch on them." Read Babs' quote and watch the video below:
Well, in season 3, there’s definitely the repercussions of that. We don’t fully touch on them, but there is definitely remnants, pieces of recollection in season 3. And then we find some other challenges. But I think that particular moment is something that is now his history, part of him, and it’s something that is going to be the beginning of ‘should I or should I not?’ Those thoughts are going to stay with him for a long time.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2's Darkest Moment Explained
Dr. M'Benga Murdered A Klingon Ambassador In Season 2
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8, "Under the Cloak of War" revealed Dr. Joseph M'Benga's past as a Starfleet assassin during the Klingon War. M'Benga was known as "The Ghost," with more confirmed hand-to-hand kills than anyone in Starfleet. Joseph's trauma from the Klingon War returned when Ambassador Dak'Rah came aboard the Starship Enterprise, and provoked M'Benga's memories and guilt. A confrontation in sickbay between them led to M'Benga killing Dak'Rah, for which he claimed self-defense.
Dr. M'Benga's history as a Starfleet assassin makes use of Babs Olusanmokun's real-life martial arts skills as a world champion black belt in jiu-jitsu.
However, Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) witnessed the incident and backed Dr. M'Benga's story. Strange New Worlds also revealed that Chapel and M'Benga worked together during the Klingon War, and Christine knew of Joseph's past as "The Ghost." The episode's twist was that Ambassador Dak'Rah took credit as "the Butcher of J'Gal," but in truth, the true butcher was Dr. M'Benga, who assassinated several high-ranking Klingons, although Dak'Rah escaped.
Our Take On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Not Resolving Dr. M'Benga's Crime
How Much Does Season 3 Touch On Dr. M'Benga's Secret?
Dr. M'Benga killing Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah and covering it up with Nurse Chapel is perhaps the single darkest moment of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and fans expected M'Benga's secret would be revealed in season 3. Long-time Trekkers speculated that the discovery of M'Benga's crime would help explain why he is no longer the USS Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer by the time Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) takes command, so it's disappointing that Strange New Worlds season 3 won't fully deal with M'Benga's murder.Captain Pike and Dr. M'Benga go on a landing party together in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, prompting speculation that Pike could learn the truth about Ambassador Dak'Rah. However, it seems Strange New Worlds season 3 doesn't fully deal with the repercussions of Dak'Rah's murder. Perhaps because Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now assured to end with season 5, Dr. M'Benga's consequences will be delayed until the latter part of the saga.
