Star Trek Continues ”Lolani” - Detailed Analysis & Review

Lolani is the first of the really focussed "issue" episodes of Star Trek Continues. It examines the theme of slavery, but even moreso, the theme of apathy in the face of evils such as slavery. It's a hard-hitting drama that really makes you stop and think. Join me as I delve into this latest episode of Star Trek Continues to see what it's all about.

Transcript

Welcome to Nerd Heaven. 

I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.

And I am a nerd.

 

This is episode 96 of the podcast.

Today, we’re talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Lolani”

 

The description on StartrekContinues.com reads

A survivor from a distressed Tellarite vessel pulls Captain Kirk and his crew into a moral quandary over her sovereignty.

 

The teleplay was written by Paul Bianchi

With story by Huston Huddleston and Vic Mignogna

It was directed by Chris White

And it first aired on the 8th of January 2014

 

And you’ll notice that’s a good 7 months since the last episode came out. That’s the reality of a fan-made web series. This is a show of professional quality, but it’s being made by amateurs. It’s not their full-time job. They get the work done in the time span that they can. But it meant that each new episode was an event, like a new mini movie coming out. Of course, now, you can binge the entire series, which is great.

 

First of all, I’d like to say how happy it made me to see this show portraying Kirk as a bookworm. Which of course, he is. I found that the Kelvin universe movies kind of misunderstood Kirk’s character, especially his younger self. They portrayed him as this hard-partying bad boy. And I know it was already a new timeline, and the absence of his father explains the differences, but that’s not the Kirk we knew in the original series. Young Kirk in the prime timeline was a nerd. He had a reputation at the academy for carrying books wherever he went.

 

Anyway, Cool to see him so disappointed to have to leave his book behind when the Enterprise picks up a distress call from an unidentified ship.

 

And cool to see Sulu’s viewer rising out of his console. Nice touch.

 

The ship is Tellarite in design. And this is where we meet Ensign Tongaroa.

My first thought when I heard him speak was “Ugh. American’s can’t do Australian accents.” But I was very quickly corrected when the character says he’s from New Zealand.

 

But he didn’t really sound Kiwi to my ears either. Admittedly, I’m not from New Zealand, but we do hear the Kiwi accent, and it has a lot of similarities with the Australian accent. Some definite differences too. Certain vowel sounds come out very differently.

 

Anyway, I looked up the actor, Daniel Ogan. Turns out, he is indeed from New Zealand.

And not only that, as a child, he played Boba Fett in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack the Clones. Which is really cool.

Interestingly, in Star Wars, he sounded much more like what I would think of as a Kiwi accent.

So I don’t know if his accent has changed over time as he’s gotten older, or if I’m just talking rubbish and don’t have a good ear for these things.

 

Anyway, it’s really cool to have him in the show, and it’s always fun to see a fellow Australasian in Star Trek. (and if you’re not aware, Australasian is a blanket term that includes both Australia and New Zealand).

 

There’s only one life form aboard, life signs are erratic and life support on the ship is failing. Despite this, Spock is not convinced it would be a good idea to beam the survivor on board. He doesn’t really give a reason, other than this being an unknown lifeform.

 

So what’s the alternative, Spock? Just let the person die?

 

Kirk orders security to the transporter room, which is a reasonable precaution.

As Kirk and Spock enter the transporter room, they both say, in unison, “Mr. Scott, you have the bridge.”

Kirk remarks at this being strange.

And I agree. No explanation is given. Kirk is in command of the bridge at present, so why would Spock get involved? 

 

They’re expecting a Tellarite, but instead, they find a scantily dressed Orion woman, an Orion slave girl, threatening the transporter chief with a knife.

But she quickly runs into the corridor and ends up cowering near a Jefferies tube, holding the knife.

She looks genuinely afraid.

And we meet Chief of Security Drake. We never got to know who the chief of security was in TOS. That position didn’t really exist in Star Trek lore until TNG.

Anyway, the situation is resolved when Spock is able to incapacitate her with a nerve pinch.

 

She seems a little calmer when they visit her in sickbay later. According to records, she was recently purchased by a Tellarite. She’s got some cuts and bruises, and the Tellarite crew are all dead. The obvious conclusion is that she killed them, no doubt due to the way they were treating her.

 

Obviously, this episode is going to really delve into the issue of slavery. This is the first of the issue episodes on Star Trek Continues. Last episode had some thematic stuff, but this one is very much exploring an issue. We’ll see there’ll be a lot of these in the series, which is a very Star Trek thing.

 

The Tellarites were founding members of the Federation. That means we have Federation citizens engaged in the purchase and exploitation of a slave. And that’s pretty horrifying. But as we’ll see in coming episodes of Star Trek Continues, the Tellarites are a rather problematic member race. Which I think is really interesting. We tend to think of the Federation as this big club where everyone has the same values. But the reality of holding together so many disparate species would be somewhat less utopian. There would be internal struggles. It would be a constant effort to keep this thing together. I don’t think that goes against Roddenberry’s utopian vision, but it’s a much more DS9 kind of take on it.

I like it.

 

There is an elephant in the room when looking at the idea of Orion Slave girls. And that is Enterprise. Enterprise season 4 did an interesting episode that explored Orion Culture more so than had ever been done before. They were practically an untouched species, which is interesting, given that date all the way back to TOS.

The big revelation of that episode was that it was the men, not the women, who were really the slaves, due to the women having a pheromone they can use to control the men.

 

Now I interpreted this a little less literally than it seems the writers of this episode did. The way I saw it was that, yes, technically the women are bought and sold as slaves, but with their powers, they manipulate and control the men, behind the scenes, from a position that appeared subservient.

And that idea, I think, is not at odds with anything else portrayed in Star Trek about them.

 

This episode addresses the issue with Spock explaining that around 70 years ago, Orion women held dominion over men but there was a revolt and civil war. The men gained control. Rather than ending the slave trade, they made it worse.

 

This dialog is clearly meant to be a way of reconciling this episode, and the rest of Star Trek, with Enterprise. But I’m not convinced it actually works. It implied that the women enslaved the men in a more literal way than I think the Enterprise episode intended to suggest. And I’m not sure any reconciling really needed to be done.

 

But either way, it’s a fascinating concept. Think about it. A civil war between the two sexes. Procreation of the species would be very difficult under such circumstances. And in fact, the only way that the species could have survived takes my mind to a place that I don’t really want to think about.

 

At this point in time, Women are kept uneducated and subservient to keep them from rising up again, and as punishment for the past.

 

The age-old problem of trying to make a right with two wrongs.

 

The slave doesn’t speak until Dr. Makenna arrives. She reveals her name is Lolani. She didn’t know whether the crew of the Enterprise were friend or foe, so she kept silent, and listened. Not a bad way to go. Listening less and speaking more is usually wise.

 

To add extra tragedy, she was born off-world, but forced back to Orion and into slavery when her parents died.

So she has known freedom and then been forced into slavery. I can only speculate, but I suspect that may be even more painful because you’ll know what you’re missing.

 

Lolani is played by Fiona Vroom.

Fun bit of trivia, Fiona Vroom appeared in Star Trek Beyond as an Orion crew member. So ….. Was that the Kelvin timeline version of Lolani? My headcanon would like to say it is. Beyond came out 2 years after this episode, so I can’t help but wonder if her cameo was a deliberate reference to this episode. I believe JJ Abrams was interested and enthusiastic about Star Trek fan productions, and even spoke in defence of the controversial Star Trek Axanar during their lawsuit with Paramount.

Who can say, but in my headcanon, in the Kelvin timeline, Lolani had a better life and entered Starfleet. I guess her parents didn’t die in that timeline.

 

Kirk feels like he has rescued Lolani, but Commodore Gray has some bad news for him. According to Orion law, Lolani reverts to being the property of the one who sold her, once her owner dies. The Orions are not members of the Federation (they’d never qualify while they support Slavery). The owner has been notified and is already on his way.

 

This kind of thing is a very real problem in our world.

Different nations have different rules.

If we want them to respect our laws, we have to likewise respect theirs. Even if we disagree with them.

But what if one of their laws is something as immoral as slavery?

 

What it comes down to, as the commodore admits, they can’t afford an inter-stellar incident over one person.

 

Mackenna and Lolani talk as they walk through the corridor. There’s a lot of echo in the dialog in this scene. A rare moment when the ameteur nature of this show peeks out from behind the curtain, perhaps. There was also something about the acting at the start of this scene that didn’t quite work for me somehow.

Mackenna explains that while there are some generalised differences between males and females, people in the Federation are treated as individuals. They are not defined by their gender. There are a whole bunch of different things that make up a person.

 

We get a very 60s TV moment when they arrived on the bridge all the male crewmembers stare with googly eyes.

Now, the sight of an attractive woman wearing very little clothing IS distracting. I can’t deny that. That’s just biology.

But when you’re at work, you don’t ogle people like this. I’d have expected the crew of a Federation starship to show a little more professionalism than that.

 

I don’t think Scotty is flirting with her when he takes her to see his station. I think he’s being friendly, but also he sensed that Mackenna needed a moment to speak with Kirk privately.

 

Spock has found physical evidence that Lolani was involved in the death of the Tellarite, and likely is the killer.

 

Kirk is subtly encouraging Lolani to think about changes that could be made to her planet’s culture, for the better, by lending her a book.

 

When confronted with the evidence, Lolani tells an implausible story about how it all just happened while she was hiding with her eyes closed. When Kirk doesn’t buy it, she asks “if you were a slave, wouldn’t you just want to be free?”

And Kirk agrees. He hates the idea of a sentient being enslaved, but he says something that I think is very important. “The truth always matters.”

 

When she learns her previous owner is on his way to collect her, Lolani tries to use her sexuality to manipulate Kirk.

And given the circumstances, the bleak future that lies ahead of her, it’s hard to blame her.

She’ll do anything to escape that brutal mistreatment she knows is waiting for her.

 

Kirk tries not to succumb, because he’s not an idiot. He knows what is appropriate and what isn’t. He knows getting involved with Lolani in that way is a bad idea. But remember female Orions have those pheromones with which they can influence people.

 

It’s Uhura’s call on the intercom that helps Kirk snap himself out of it.

There’s a nice moment where they both apologise. Kirk promises to do whatever he can to help Lolani.

 

But she can’t just leave it at that.

Again, I don’t blame her for doing anything she can to escape her fate. And she continues to use the one tool she feels she has.

The transporter chief has less moral strength than Kirk. He’s trying to fly her away in a shuttle craft.

 

With evidence that proves two of the Tellarites were killed by Lolani, Spock says “she is no longer an unfortunate slave. She may be a murderer.”

 

Of course, it’s likely that she is both.

 

Notice that Spock says she MAY be a murderer. They know she killed two of those tellarites. But there may have been extenuating circumstances. She may have killed them out of self-defense, which is technically not murder.

 

With Lolani confined to quarters, Kirk asks McCoy if there is a medical defence against Orion pheromones. McCoy says there is a known inoculation and he can begin immediately.

If the issue is so well known that they already have an inoculation on file and ready to go, I have to wonder why it’s taken this long before anyone has thought about it.

 

In fact, I wonder why it isn’t included in the standard set of vaccinations for Starfleet personnel. In the real world, military officers are inoculated against all sorts of things as a matter of course. You can’t afford your soldiers getting sick from preventable diseases when they’re busy in the line of duty. I imagine Starfleet would be the same. We know there are a lot of dangerous alien diseases out there. It would be quite logical to inoculate starfleet officers against Orion pheromones as a matter of course. The risk of one of your people being mind-controlled seems a reasonable reason to do so.

 

It’s possible Lolani may have blocked out much of what happened on the Tellarite ship, and genuinely doesn’t remember. So Spock is going to mind meld with her. The fact she’s willing to trust him and consents to the procedure suggests she’s not deliberately hiding anything.

 

She killed the tellarites in self-defense, while they were trying to rape her.

 

Kirk and Spock are in a difficult position. They know Lolani is right. It’s wrong to send her back to be beaten, and worse.

She could be a voice in the Federation for her people, but not if they send her back in chains.

 

In the conference room, MacKenna plead’s Lolani’s case to the senior crew.

She makes a good point.

“Starfleet aren’t here. Perhaps if they were, they’d see things differently.”

In a lot of ways, this ties into a classic Star Trek theme. The needs of the many vs the needs of the few - or the one. Starfleet is willing to turn a blind eye to one woman’s slavery because to do otherwise would risk an inter-stellar incident - perhaps war.

 

When the owner, Zaminhon, arrives, Kirk’s plan is dinner. Pull out all the stops for him.

All Kirk can hope is that they can somehow change this man’s mind.

 

He’s a very intimidating-looking bloke. The actor has an amazing deep voice. I don’t know if there’s some artificial enhancement going on, or if it’s all natural. But it really suits the big Orion.

 

I laughed at Scotty’s line. “He seems nice. For a slave trader.”

 

The transporter chief, Kenway, fabricates a story about orders to get into Lolani’s quarters to see her. He still seems very smitten. Despite his inoculation, he seems to still be suffering effects from his previous exposure to her pheromones.

 

That said, he seems to genuinely want to help her, not because she’s attractive, but because it’s right. Lolani has some good things to say. Kenway feels that he’s nobody. That he can’t make a difference. Lolani says that everybody is somebody. That’s the message that needs to reach people on her planet. And she mentions a quote that is apparently falsely attributed to a guy named Edmund Burke. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

And that is what’s happening here.

 

In the end, Kenway just says sorry and leaves. What can he do?

It must be very difficult for the crew to laugh and chat with this slave driver. Especially McKenna.

Zaminhon confirms that the male Orions do have a natural scent, but it’s been kept from developing the same potency as the female pheromones.

 

Whatever Kirk’s plan, in trying to charm Zaminhon is shattered when Scotty casually says “Lolani says you’re a brutal monster.”

 

Zaminhon just laughs it off and says he treats his slaves well.

Kirk’s plan starts to come out as he plays along, pretending to be as comfortable with slavery, even offering McKenna to him for a price. Zaminhon surprisingly sees and even defends McKenna’s value as a person. She is civilised and capable. Slavery is not for her.

An interesting admission from him.

Then Kirk drives in the knife. What about Lolani? She is every bit as capable. She has a thirst for knowledge. But even without that, as a woman, she has a fundamental right to be free.

 

Of course it doesn’t work. As Zaminhon points out, “We’re not going to change each other’s minds over a fine dinner.” Which is quite true.

 

Still, Kirk had to try. That’s who he is. That’s the Starfleet way. You talk. You reason.

 

With the crew out of ideas, it’s Spock who has to verbalise it. “Then it might be time to say goodbye.”

 

The guard at Lolani’s door is terrible at his job. You don’t just abandon your post to check with the captain because a visiting alien tells you he’ll take it from here. He has orders, and until they are countermanded from up in the chain of command, those orders stand. By walking away he leaves the door unguarded so Zaminhon can enter Lolani’s quarters.

 

Zaminhon doesn’t even wait to get off the Enterprise before starting the physical abuse. Honestly, I don’t think he cares. Starfleet have to abide by Orion law in this case and he knows it.

 

Of course, that doesn’t stop Kirk from intervening when he enters to tell Lolani the bad news.

 

The re-used TOS music fits so well into the scene. It’s a lot more than just a copy-and-paste job.

 

Kirk has one last-ditch idea. And it’s something of an ethical dilemma. He offers to buy Lolani from Zaminhon. It’s a trope you often see in fiction. The hero buys the slave for the sole purpose of setting her free.

 

On the one hand, it’s a good thing as it’s an effective way of freeing a slave. On the other hand, it means taking part in the morally reprehensible practice. It is morally justified to engage in slave trade in order to free a slave? Probably.

 

Zaminhon is not impressed. He refuses to sell, out of spite, for Kirk’s hypocrisy. There is no price he’d accept to sell Lolani to him. He won’t let Kirk win this one.

 

Commodore Gray is not impressed. She likens his intervening when Zaminhon hit Lolani to striking a foreign politician.

She reiterates the Federation’s position. They will noit risk war over one slave.

And I do understand their point. How many will die, be tortured and abused if this leads to war? I’m not saying they’re right, but I certainly understand their position.

Gray says it’s the job of the diplomats to fight this issue of slavery. Kirk is ordered to return Zaminhon to his ship with Lolani. I can’t see that these diplomats are going to be very effective in their efforts, unfortunately. Orions have practised slavery since they discovered fire. And they’re now an interstellar civilisation.

Zaminhon leads Lolani to the transporter pad, back in her skimpy slave outfit and chains.

 

Kenway is on duty so he has to be the one to push the button. He doesn’t take it well.  The look on the actor's face sells it beautifully.

This is where Kirk realises Kenway’s feelings, whatever they are, are real. Not something you can inoculate against.

He knows this because he’s feeling it too. Not a sexual attraction, but a desire for justice. It’s going around and around in his head. He was determined to help Lolani. And he failed.

 

That’s when he announces to the crew that he is about to commit a direct violation of his orders. He’ll take full responsibility.

This is a very Kirk action. Even Picard has been known to do something like this.

 

As the Enterprise closes on Zaminhon’s ship, ready to beam Lolani aboard, the ship explodes. Everyone is devastated.

Evidently, Lolani sabotaged the ship, preferring to due than to live as a slave.

If Kirk had been just a few minutes sooner he could have saved her.

 

But then, what would have happened to Kirk?

I suspect it would have ended his career. This isn’t Admiral Kirk of the movie era, who can get away with anything. This is young Captain Kirk, still in his first 5 year mission.

 

Lolani left a video message for Kirk.

She believes her death will mean nothing, but Zaminhon’s death may light a fire in the hearts of the people on her world - young girls desperate to be free, and maybe some men, who don’t want to be a part of enslaving them.

 

Kenway asks Kirk for a leave of absence from Starfleet. He has been deeply touched by Lolani’s words. Her message. He wants to take up her cause. Kirk gives him Lolani’s recording.

Will he make a difference? I don’t know. But a good man is about to stop doing nothing.

 

This was actually a really powerful message show, perhaps one of the best that Star Trek has ever done, which is saying a lot for a fan-made production.

 

I really like this ending. It’s not a happy ending, but it’s a fitting one. And it gives hope. Even meaning to Lolani’s life and death.

 

I think when you get down to it, the real message of this story is about apathy. I mean, you’d be hard-pressed to find a human being in this world today that believes slavery is a good and acceptable thing. But how does that belief affect our actions?

 

Slavery does still exist in some form in our world today. Not like it used to be, not like the Orions suffer, but it does exist.

I don’t know enough about it.

I find myself feeling challenged to learn more. To see what might be able to be done.

 

How about you?

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my thoughts on Lolani.

Next time we’ll be looking at another amazing episode. A direct sequel to the original series episode Mirror Mirror.

 

Until then, have a great 2 weeks

Live long and prosper.

Make it so.