Strange New Worlds Is Seemingly Creating a New Monster 48 Years After the Alien’s First Appearance

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seems to be turning one of its characters into a monstrous hybrid. After returning for its third season, Strange New Worlds quickly put the monstrous Gorn to rest as it wrapped up the lingering cliffhanger from season 2. While the Gorn may be out of the picture for now, several characters continue to feel their effects.

Written by Onitra Johnson and Bill Wolkoff, and directed by Dan Liu, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 3, "Shuttle to Kenfori" offers insight into Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his relationship with Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), who had previously been infected with Gorn eggs at the end of season 2.

Although Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) had devised a treatment that seemed to cure Batel, her Gorn infection returns with a vengeance in episode 3. Spock and Chapel then work with Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) to find a new treatment involving a rare Chimera blossom. This radical treatment, however, comes with its own set of problems.

Becoming A Human/Gorn Hybrid Is The Only Way For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds To Save Captain Batel’s Life

Marie Only Has Days To Live Otherwise

Even after learning that the Chimera blossom can only be found in a restricted area of space, Pike does not hesitate to violate Starfleet regulations if it means saving Batel's life. As Dr. M'Benga and Pike search for the plant, they fight off zombies and Klingons, before eventually making it back to the ship in one piece.

Along the way, Pike learns that the Chimera blossom will merge Batel's DNA with that of the Gorn, essentially turning her into a Gorn/human hybrid. Pike is initially angry at M'Benga for keeping this from him, but the doctor assures his friend that it was Batel's decision, adding that Marie has only days to live without the radical treatment.

After M'Benga and Pike return to the Enterprise, Pike expresses his frustration to Batel, but she assures him that she understands the risks. Still, Batel and Pike both admit to being scared, and it remains to be seen how merging with Gorn DNA will affect Batel. Considering what we know of the Gorn, and what the Chimera blossom did on Kenfori, Batel may have been better off dead.

What Batel Becoming Part Gorn Means For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

It's Difficult To See How This Could End Well

Strange New Worlds may have moved on from the Gorn for now, but the Gorn DNA in Batel's body begins affecting her in strange ways even before the Chimera blossom treatment. When her pain begins to become unbearable, Chapel brings Spock into sickbay to initiate a mindmeld with Batel to ease her discomfort.

As Spock and Batel's minds connect, they both experience flashes of screaming Gorn, something that Spock says "is both a part of [Batel] and not." Spock even temporarily loses himself, taking on Gorn qualities and seeing with their vision. Nurse Chapel has to slap Spock to snap him out of it after he casually tosses an ensign across sickbay.

The Chimera blossom may keep the Gorn DNA from killing Batel, but it could also turn her into something not entirely human. So far on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the Gorn have been depicted as monstrous creatures who feed on humans, making it hard to imagine this situation working out well for Captain Batel.