When I started watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 4 (titled “A Case of Chiaroscuro”), I had to put aside my love for film noir. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to judge this episode accurately. Thankfully, this was still an episode worthy of love thanks to the storyline starring Nyota Uhura, Dr. Joseph M'Benga, and Una Chin-Riley.
The trio ends up on a planet ruled by the iron fist of the Klingons. While there, they discover that there’s something more nefarious than normal going on with the Klingons (yes, that’s possible). To make things worse, Una learns she has a doppelganger, and that's why she is mistaken for someone who’s working for the resistance. This puts her and her crew in an awkward position on whether or not to get involved. That’s when viewers learn that the black-and-white theme wasn’t just for visual effect.
I recently saw a weird critique of this season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds saying it was very gimmicky. This is a reference to the previous episodes having a theme rather than “regular” storylines. However, this franchise has always done things with some sort of theme. For example, Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Measure of a Man" is a bit of courtroom drama. And then there are the dozens of times when one of the shows has used time travel and alternate realities to help a character evolve. The latter is why this episode was so great.
“A Case of Chiaroscuro” showed Una Chin-Riley’s growth as a character and a leader. She didn’t need to continue helping the resistance, but she felt compelled to. Had she not, the audience may not have liked her being a leader and newly promoted commander. So, in the end, seeing her fight the good fight for people she wasn’t connected to was everything that Star Trek has always represented.
Furthermore, the episode being in black and white wasn’t just for the film noir feel. It was showing that things are shades of grey. Not just for how Uhura, Dr. M'Benga, and Una carried on in their mission. La'an Noonien-Singh had to make a decision that showed she still has the ability to make decisions based on emotions rather than what’s right and wrong. This showed that things aren’t as black and white as people may think (hence the episode’s theme).
“A Case of Chiaroscuro” wasn’t full of action, and it did drag at times. Nevertheless, the story served a purpose. Una showed growth as a leader. Uhura gained more experience in the field (and that will serve her in the future). And more of Dr. M’Benga’s skills in secrecy and survival were revealed.
Overall, it was a well-done episode that continued to show the depth of the characters. This is a good thing as we build to the middle of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. More strange things will happen that will affect the crew in this penultimate season, so it makes sense that we'd need to see everyone evolve as characters. However, be advised: evolution doesn't always mean the growth is good for everyone.
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