NOTE: SPOILERS for latest episode of Strange New Worlds, ahead:
I doubt I am the first to notice it. But this week's episode of "Strange New Worlds" borrows extensively from "Alien" and "Aliens." Both depict humans battling highly intelligent, carnivorous aliens who are trying to consume them, and stalk them in a confined, darkened space, evocative of horror movies.
However, SNW conveys a very different message. In the "Alien" series, Ripley defeats the aliens mainly through her individual courage and fortitude. Institutions (corporations, the military, etc.) are depicted as mostly corrupt and dysfunctional. By contrast, the SNW episode lauds the comraderie and teamwork enabled by Star Fleet. Cooperation and loyalty are crucial to the good guys' victory.
This latter is a common trope in Trek. But the end of the episode features a notable deviation from classic Trek: a major character/member of the crew dies! This pretty much never happens in the original series, after the crew gets set early in season 1. In TNG, it happened only once n 7 years (Tasha Yar). DS 9 did it with Jadzia Dax, but only after 6 seasons (and I think it was necessitated by the actress' desire to do other projects). Doing this in episode 9 of Season 1 shows some balls!
