Star Trek: Starfleet Academy S1E5 Series Aclimation Mil (Review)

From the opening of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, we’re shown that this episode would be very different. Coming from the perspective of S.A.M.

CLICK HERE TO READ STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY SEASON 1 EPISODE 4 REVIEW HERE

The I-PADD Kids Episode

The opening alone shows how naive the young Photonic being is. But more than that, the loud overlays and juvenile pop-up buzzwords instantly made me think I was watching a youngster’s YouTube channel. Is that because SAM is less than 6 months old? Or the fact that this Trek doesn’t know what it wants to be?

You can’t understand the Recipe

What’s worse for her is the fact that she has her entire species’ weight on her shoulders. For lack of better terms, the “adults” force her into a theoretical class where she learns about Benjamin Sisko. From a very different-looking Cardassian professor.

As Sam feels the overwhelming burden of becoming her planets emessary. She keeps fighting back against her elders, saying this mission isnt as cut-and-dry as they assume. The reason is that humans are complicated, much like the ingredients that go into a good gumbo recipe.

Growing Pains

As SAM is now on a deadline from her planet to understand humans, she in turn decides to partake in the ritualistic “going out.” Luckily, Caleb figured out a way to reprogram her base code to feel the effects of alcohol. Which is hilarious to watch, especially since we get to understand why her classmates were happy to see her at the beginning of the episode.

Also, while researching The Sisko, she learns about Jake and watches holos of his speeches about his dad, even discovering that he wrote a book about being the Emissary’s son. Sadly, it was never published.

Oddly enough, the Professor has the only copy of the physical book ever published.

As she starts to read it shes goes again into her ultraprocessing virtual reality and starts to talk with a virtual version of Jake. where she gets a new perspective. And finfd the courage to tell her species to back off and let her do the mission the way SHE needs to!

From the Warp Core

This episode was all over the place, like it didn’t know what it wanted to be.

• A trip down DS9 memory lane?
• A “coming of age” story for SAM?
• What about the other B story with the war college chancellor?

The storylines need to be focused! Come back to the center. I’m not saying we can’t have feature episodes, but you can’t build a ship with a crooked keel!

THE ONLY good things that came out of this episode were the return of Cirroc Lofton as Jake, and that particular Cardassian Professor was portrayed by Tawny Newsome, but she wasn’t all Dax you thought she was cut out to be.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy S1E5 gets a 6.5 out of 10

What were some of your favorite moments or Easter Eggs? Let us know in the comments below, and beam back here to Nerd Initiative for all your great Star Trek Reviews! 

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