In Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (S3 – EP5) – Through the Lens of Time

Synopsis: In Through the Lens of Time, Chapel and Korby’s quest takes the Enterprise to ancient ruins that conceal a dark secret.

The Story

After learning that ancient technology on a non-Federation planet may hold the secrets to immortality—or even reincarnation—Nurse Chapel and Dr. Korby broker a deal with the planet’s leaders to investigate a set of long-forgotten ruins. Upon entering what appears to be an ancient structure, things take a dark turn: young Nurse Gamble is attacked by a parasitic alien presence and is immediately beamed back to the Enterprise for emergency care. But worse is yet to come. The rest of the away team—Chapel, Korby, Spock, Uhura, and George Kirk—find themselves trapped inside the building, mysteriously separated into different dimensions that exist simultaneously within the same timeline. While they attempt to solve a series of scientific and archaeological puzzles to escape and return to the ship, Dr. M’Benga battles a growing mystery aboard the Enterprise: Ensign Gamble appears to have been possessed by a malevolent entity that had been imprisoned within the ruins. As the situation unfolds, the crew begins to suspect the ancient building is not just a ruin—but an interdimensional prison designed to contain an unspeakable evil.

The Acting

Through the Lens of Time features strong performances across the board. I particularly enjoyed Chris Myers as Ensign Gamble, capturing the character’s puppy-dog enthusiasm for his first away mission with the legendary Dr. Korby. Babs Olusanmokun brings a quiet strength to Dr. M’Benga, gently encouraging Gamble in a way that feels genuine and warm. Myers also excels in his darker turn as the possessed version of Gamble—eerily calm, all-knowing, and disturbingly manipulative as he exploits the crew’s personal histories to get inside their heads. The dynamic between M’Benga and Gamble becomes especially poignant, with M’Benga doing everything he can to save the young ensign he’s clearly grown fond of. Jess Bush delivers a standout performance as Nurse Chapel, stepping confidently into a leadership role on the away mission—a refreshing change from her usual positioning as M’Benga’s assistant or Spock’s love interest.

Overall

Overall, Through the Lens of Time is a brilliant psychological horror episode that explores deep themes such as post-traumatic stress and the human desire to understand what lies beyond death—or even to extend life itself beyond the limits of human experience. The story is both cerebral and unsettling, blending existential questions with sci-fi suspense. It ends on a chilling twist that suggests the entity which possessed Gamble may not be as securely trapped as the crew—or the audience—was led to believe.

Could the entity in Through the Lens of Time actually be Redjac—the same malevolent force that once haunted Scotty in The Original Series? The ending certainly leaves the door open for that chilling possibility.

For newer fans unfamiliar with Redjac, I highly recommend checking out Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, Episode 14 — Wolf in the Fold — available on Paramount+. It’s a classic that adds rich context to the mysterious entity hinted at in Through the Lens of Time.