Once La’an a Time manages to be both quirky and serious at the same time, managing neither very well

This is going to be rather critical — turn away now if you are easily offended. Still here, let’s settle down. Once…

What happens in Once La’an a Time

Several times this season (here’s a random example), we’ve bemoaned the incessant genre testing, offbeat and quirky episodes flooding the show. Here, in the penultimate episode of season 4, we have another. This time is the follow nobody wanted to watch from season 1’s The Elysian Kingdom and the MacGuffin Boltzman Brain. No sooner has an impossible flat planet been found flying through space (hands up everyone thinking Discworld), than a group beams down to explore. They soon find it’s a fantasy world and Dr M’Benga has to explain the earlier episode which only he remembers. For a moment it seemed this was a nice twist — the real characters having to emulate fantasy versions of themselves. But no, it soon descended further into farce with several people existing twice and most of the regulars being fantasy versions.

There are streams of nonsense, of which Uhura’s doppleganger turning into a huge dragon to attack the Enterprise is just one example.

Cutting through the nonsense

The psychodrama is all about La’An (in case the title didn’t make it obvious). There’s been a Jekyll and Hyde idea running through recent episode where she is worried her dark genetic heritage may be taking her over. Being descended from Khan Noonien Singh is something not to be taken lightly. So, apparently the Boltzman Brain decided she needed some therapy, involving fighting herself before realising she can only be compete by accepting the anger and need to be a princess (I exaggerate). It is worth saying Christina Chong carries the story well, even when crowded out by other characters. And there’s yet another random Kirk arrival as Prince Dashing.

Of course, it all ends happily ever after, with La’an going on a date with the real James T Kirk — a big step from last week‘s arrests and phaser stuns.

Blink and you miss it

Meanwhile it seems Carol Kane’s Pelia has left tempted by the offer of cakes and studying the planet. A finale with no fanfare perhaps, and we are getting ready for the crew to shape up for the Original Series lineup. La’an, Number One and Ortega had better be careful.

In the end the good bits can’t paper over the nonsense and the sheer lack of interest in exploring more orthodox strange new worlds and the show is the weaker for it.